Aconite (The Elektita Series Book 1) (5 page)

My office really
needed a makeover. It felt empty even though it was full; it just felt utterly
empty. So keeping my mind off last night, the dream, and my alien tattoo, I
decided I would hit some stores after work to give life to my little office.
There was a Wal-Mart in almost every small town in America and Reedsport was no
different. So appeasing my need to give a face lift to my drab office.n the
mean time I guessed that work would have to do. The day dragged on with little
problems which was kind of nice, but I did make a few extra trips to the
restroom to check on my tattoo. Ordering more napkins was the highlight of my
day.

 My day passed by
with my tattoo in all its weirdness eventually fading back into a regular run of
the mill tattoo. With that crisis at bay it left my thoughts to wander. My
dream was as intense as the others, but it was different. It didn't feel like a
dream. It felt more like something that had happened before. I tried to comfort
myself with the fact that it was just a dream. I'm sure tons of women have had
those types of dreams about attractive men in their lives. But there was
something there that kept pulling at my memory; slicing at something real but I
couldn't form the whole picture. The sudden obsession made being trapped in the
office difficult, but no matter what I did I couldn't run from myself but I
sure wasn't ready to tackle it head on either.

Just before
closing Jo knocked on the door. "How's the situation with your tat?"
she questioned, taking a seat on the edge of my desk.

"The tat
situation has seemed to resolve itself." The title tat situation warranted
air quotes, I thought. I proved it by pulling my shirt down for the second time
today. Never in my prudish life had I showed my chest to anyone other than my
mother and my gynecologist. And I had done it twice today, displaying my goods
to a girl I barely knew. Wouldn't my mother be proud? Jo looked skeptical but
let it stand.

"So what do
you think about helping me redecorate?" I waved my hand around the office
to prove just how badly this space needed it. I wasn't planning on having a
partner but now that she was here that didn't seem like such a bad idea; maybe
a little company was what I needed.

"If you want
you can hitch a ride with me to Wal-Mart?" I offered.

She took another
look around the office as a devilish smile appeared across her face.

"Hell yeah!
But I know an even better place."

After closing I
followed her to Interior Designs that sat just off the square.

The store clerk
greeted us with a warm smile. Her mix-matched style followed suit with the
items that sat haphazardly around her small shop. I knew I'd like this place
when she didn't feel the need to annoy us with a million questions. I liked
that type of people they just waited until you needed them. Victorian furniture
paired with art deco rugs were complimented by goth inspired lamps and end
tables. I could see why Jo liked this place. It had its own character and the
shop keeper had chosen not to let it be sucked into the trends of now. My eyes
couldn't just land on one piece but scanned the entirety before being driven to
a stop by a crimson office chair.

"I want this
chair." No matter if that was all I bought I knew that I would be
perfectly fine with that chair.

"This
one?" Jo didn't sound too impressed. "Not this one that spins and has
a built in massager and reclines so you can take a nap during the day?"
She emphasized her point by plopping down and spinning around while pressing
all the buttons she could until I had to physically stop her before she broke
it.

"Stop before
you get us kicked out. And yes, this chair is for me." Of course that was
not the only thing we were going to leave with, but it was the one thing that I
was most excited about. We also placed our delivery order in care of Jonathon
Evans. I didn't know how he was going to take paying for me to redecorate but I
could always blame it on Jo. After all it was her idea.

"What do you
think he will say when he sees the invoice?" I was more nervous than Jo
seemed to be about having Jonathon flip the bill.

"Oh, he is
going to wig out when he sees that total." She burst into fits of
laughter.

My face blanched
from the realization that I just charged something to my boss's name. I had the
urge to turn around and go back and cancel my order all together. "I'm
joking, I'm joking he will be fine with it, promise."

"God, I hope
so!" 

"Maybe you
should pray an extra prayer to that God of yours tonight. Maybe ask him not to
give your boss an aneurysm when he sees the amount he will have to fork out for
that chair that you just had to have." She still hadn't stopped laughing
as we stood at our cars with the bags of smaller items in hand.

"My
God?" Her phrasing was odd and I couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, your
God. So far in my lifetime the almighty God that everyone prays to hasn't done
much in way of myself so I stopped putting much stock in him a long time
ago."

Growing up in a
very Christian household I never stopped to wonder about the existence of God,
I just went with it; attended church, said my prayers at night and that was it.
I never stopped to think about what he had done for me. What kind of life had
Jo led that would take her faith away?

"Hey, we
should hit this new club that just opened up this weekend." Her abrupt
change of subject showed just how uncomfortable she was even talking about her
beliefs. I wasn't going to push, it wasn't my place to figure out why she
didn't believe in God. Dancing sounded fantastic. I had never been to a club. My
parents didn't believe that good girls should go to places like that and I
would have caught hell if I would have ever been caught going to one. Even as
an adult I lived with them so I had to abide by their rules. It didn't matter;
I never had close enough girl friends to go anyway.

"I'm in;
dancing and alcohol, just what the doctor ordered." The normality of
shopping, laughing, and making plans helped to alleviate all the tension that
seemed to fill this day.

I watched Jo drive
off with a wave, reluctant to get back to the Inn. The evening felt full of
life and energy. Even though the cool breeze that whipped at my exposed skin
had me wishing I had brought a jacket, I couldn't make myself get into my car.
The wind mixed with the smell of sea and pine overloaded my senses, while the
moon shone overhead, keeping complete dark from engulfing the night. Maybe I
could leave my car here and walk back, extending my stay with the night, but I
didn't know if it would be here in the morning. I drove back with all the
windows down, letting this feeling ride along with me. Even over the humming of
my engine I could hear the waves lapping against the shore off in the distance.
I could do nothing but soak in the serenity that the night offered in my short
drive back. By the time I had my Bug parked and quieted, the evening’s magic
had taken my restless thoughts off into its vast darkness helping to insure my
sanity for a bit longer.

Linda sat at her
post at the front desk with a cheerful greeting as I passed. When I flipped on
the light a small box and a bottle of wine at the end of my bed caught my
attention. The box wasn't some ordinary box either. The smell of freshly cut
pine took my breath away. The care that it had been given made it seem new but
something about it struck me as very old. I ran my fingers across a faint
inscription on the lid. A jolt of electricity shot up my arm and through my
chest, reigniting the pulsing pain within my tattoo.

Behavior is what a
man does, not what he thinks, feels, or believes
. 

"Emily
Dickenson." I couldn't help but say her name out loud. The letter S was in
place of a signature.

I slowly lifted
the lid to reveal a single slice of raspberry swirl cheesecake, my favorite,
and two forks. Not a fork and a spoon but two forks. Odd. They were beautifully
designed and looked just as old as the box they rested in. I took them out of
the box, running my fingers across the raised design. A familiar feeling of
remembrance washed over me but I couldn't loosen my grip on the silverware. Something
was there hiding, refusing to be remembered. Sharp pain across my chest
released the forks from my grip sending them to the floor with a muffled clang.
It took me a minute of deep breathing and concentration to lose that feeling,
completely bringing me back to the here and now. In fear of repeating that
episode, I used a washcloth to put the forks back in the box. I eyed the bottle
of wine suspiciously. Hadn't I just said I would love a drink?  I gripped the
bottle waiting for the same feeling to come over me. Nothing happened; it was
just an ordinary bottle of wine. Since the only person I knew here that would
have the initial S was Sebastian I promised myself I would drop by and have a
chat with him about his very unnecessary gift tomorrow; but right now I needed
that drink.

I popped the cork
and poured some in one of those spiffy plastic cups that all hotels provided.
It smelled of fruit and honey, unlike any wine I had ever tasted. Not that my
wine knowledge was that extensive. I tipped the cup back and drank it all in
one shot. It was sweet and bitter at the same time, just as the aroma had
promised. I poured three more glasses before throwing myself into the bed. This
was all completely insane. I hadn't had dreams that felt so completely real since
I was a child and had never held the eye of any man especially one that thought
he needed to send gifts that hit so close to home. There was no way he could
have known that Emily Dickenson was the only poetry I owned or that raspberry
swirl cheesecake was my absolute favorite dessert. His knowledge was
frightening to say the least. Why me? He treated me as a problem that he needed
to remedy, not someone that he would throw gifts at.

  Waves of
elation, longing, and need, that were not my own, pounded against my own
confusion, fear, and disbelief that swirled within me. The anxiety that lurked
in the recesses of my mind was becoming harder and harder to ignore.

"Stop!"
I screamed into the dark room. Instantly the whirr of the ceiling fan seized
along with the humming of the mini fridge. My breath caught in my throat at the
sudden silence of the world around me. Even the noises outside my window seemed
to fade into nothingness. Fear slammed down on all the craziness inside my
head; fear of it all.

"That's it!"
The air seemed to bow in resistance with my sudden outburst. It had stopped,
too, heeding my command. I jerked the bottle off the table, slicing through the
world’s resistance and headed for the door. The movements were forced, opposing
the motionlessness that occupied the surrounding space. The hallway felt like a
blessing; the air flowed as it should and I could hear the garbled sounds of
televisions in other occupied rooms. Whatever was going on only affected my
room. Linda wasn't at the front desk and I was more than thrilled that I didn't
have to explain my growing insanity. I just needed to escape. I walked towards
the water, the waves beckoning me out with them. The noises of the night seemed
to be unaffected by whatever it was that had happened. I threw my head back in
invitation, silently willing the dark serenity to consume me. As I reached the
shore the water reflected a thousand night lights, giving life to the emotions
that had resumed their battle inside of me. I perched myself on a large rock,
letting its strength and solidity anchor me down.  The water's salty tears
splattered against my skin, giving life to the tears that flowed from me. I
cried with her, sharing my tears, letting them ride the waves together. I drank
and raged with the night. Wind whipped around me, cocooning me in its embrace;
protecting me from my growing madness. I could almost hear the soft bay of the
wolves along the waves which drove a burst of laughter through my tears. I
sounded hollow and unlike myself. I chucked the bottle which only had a few
swallows left into the cold expanse, listening to the glass shatter through the
ocean song.

I felt completely
lost, consumed in the night. I couldn't find the thoughts that would give me an
answer to what was happening to me. I watched as the ocean’s anger took its
course all around me. Something about this night had her up in arms as well. At
this moment I was in the company of a kindred soul. I sat still, letting her
fight out her anger. I let the ocean have its turn to cry. Finally the waves
began to glide and sway, ceasing its angry dance. The winds brushed against my
cool skin, wiping away the remainder of my tears. We were both exhausted and
spent; our emotional turmoil sated. Weariness left my body and mind heavy as I
worked to make it back to the Inn before it gave out completely. The front desk
remained empty and unwelcoming as I passed. I couldn't fight the exhaustion–not
even to strip away my grief soaked clothes, letting sleep take over.

The cottage sat
amidst pine trees older than time. Water smacked angrily against rocky shore,
mimicking the emotions warring inside of me. The fire emanating from the stone
fireplace worked to hold back the chill, but some types of cold couldn't be
reached. I braided my hair over and over as I waited for him. I knew he would
arrive soon, so I wore my finest dress. The white and lilac skirts sat in waves
all around me, covering the old and frayed cot. Wolves sang their sad, mournful
song off in the distance. A single tear traced down my cheek, tasting of salt
and anticipation. My fear and longing danced within. I understood their pain.
The wolves' song grew more violent just before the cottage door burst open. I
sat frozen with fear; I knew that the smallest of movement would unleash the
violence that emanated from Jonathon.

 His hardened gaze
swept the room searching. For what, I didn't dare to ask. His movement was
stiff and unwilling as he made his way towards me. I failed to stop the visible
shudder that wracked my body
.
The pent up need was far too powerful
to keep hidden. His tight britches and normally pristine ruffled shirt now
showed signs of a fight. I had a momentary flash of concern that skipped away
far too quickly to grasp on to. I caught a glimpse of the clip that held his
hair back. The smooth silver flickered with the flames.

I craned my head
as he came to a stop, towering over me; sadness peaked around his dagger filled
stare. There was a momentary pause as we assessed each other as a whole just
before he swept me up off the cot, crushing his lips to mine. He lapped at the
blood that trickled down my lip from the impact with the same eager, desperate
force. His teeth grazed painfully across my swollen lips. His normally gentle
side had been stolen away. The sound of ripping fabric broke through my haze as
I felt my dress slide down my body, finally coming to rest at my feet. Even
through his still clothed body I could feel Jonathon's swollen length pressed
against my naked flesh. I tried to wiggle free, fighting against my growing
euphoria. Jonathon growled in warning, deepening our kiss almost to the point
of suffocation before finally releasing his hold. I couldn't help but stumble
back from the
sudden
release, landing back down on the cot. The rough wool blanket was
harsh against my exposed backside.

When I finally
looked up, Jonathon stood naked before me. His breathing was heavy with rage
but even his anger couldn't outshine his masculine beauty. My eyes followed a
bead of sweat as it trailed down his side making a path along his hipbone. The
definition of his frame was spectacular. My nipples stood at attention and my
sex was heavy with need as I watched him move with such grace just out of my
view. I would have had to turn around to see what he had planned. My fear long
since chased away, I braced myself on my hands and knees in invitation instead.
I knew what I wanted. The only thing I had to do was ask. Need and necessity
overrode all my ladylike sense as I arched my back, pushing my ass against him.
I gave my undergarments little attention as they were ripped away. He gave
kinder attention to my back as he traced the outline of my bowed spine, finally
ending between my legs. His finger slid between my folds, exploring as far as
it could go. Soft moans of fulfillment escaped my lips. Jonathon used his
thumb, massaging my swollen clit in rough circles as he pushed in and out with
the finger sheathed inside of
me. The heat began to deepen as even
louder cries of ecstasy filled the room. When I thought I could no longer bear
it he pulled his finger out and gripped my hips, thrusting his hard cock fully
inside of me, wrenching a scream of pleasure from my chest. His thrusts, hard
and desperate, were gaining intensity causing me to collapse to my elbows. The
sounds of our naked bodies slamming into each other joined the chorus of
screams and moans that already rang through the room. The mounting orgasm
arched my back further, sending the sounds of my release towards the heavens.
His rhythm began to falter as my breaths came in shorter pants.

Jonathon whispered
something unfamiliar against the nape of my neck. With one final thrust his
voice gave way to a rage filled scream. We both collapsed to the cot, his heart
beat against my back joining our rhythms as one.

 Warm, full lips
began to rain kisses down my back, taking extra care at my tender hips. A light
touch rolled me over placing kisses between my legs. Solid black hair created a
barrier to the figure eights his tongue made along my swollen heat. My lust already
began to mount; craving what I knew was about to come. I still hadn't come
down from the
last orgasm and it wouldn't take much to bring me again. Sebastian's lips made
their way up along my sensitive flesh pulling small cries of pleasure from my
chest. Relief and pleasure welled up inside of me as I splayed my hands through
his hair. Finally, this simple pleasure was all I ever wanted. His teeth began
to nip and graze the same trail his lips had taken up the side of my neck. Ice
blue eyes narrowed in on a crimson droplet that had settled in the crease of my
lips. His tongue snaked out to erase the bloody path, ending in a slow,
exploratory kiss. He tasted metallic and of me. My legs fell open of their own
accord; I needed him inside of me. His kiss never faltered but deepened as he
slowly slid inside. Moans vibrated against our lips. I wound my hand through
his hair while I trailed the other down his sweat dampened curves.

The wolves were
now slamming themselves into the cottage walls; their growls and cries becoming
deafening. Even with mayhem mounting all around, his gentle motions worked the
magic that was Sebastian. My body matched his in a gentle dance; rocking and
swaying to the same beat. Our intensity grew at the same moment, sending us
further and further into each other. Our lips parted, and I reluctantly
released his hair as he held himself above me, never giving away his steady
thrusts. The heat within me matched perfectly with the firelight that now
encircled his hard frame. My sex tightened around his cock, producing soft
moans from us both as we shared our release. We never took our eyes from each
other, memorizing this moment like it was our last. Sebastian bent down,
running his warm lips across mine.

My heart, burst
through my thoughts and I watched in horror as everything faded to black
engulfing us both.

I sat bolt upright
into the darkness of my room. A pulsing glow sent searing pain across my chest.
Tears streamed down my face in mourning. It felt as though I had been ripped
from reality. This reality or wherever I just was would be anyone’s guess. I
just knew I had lost something irreplaceable. I reached for my cell phone, lust
still thrumming through my body. I stared at the blinding light of my phone;
blinking away the remnants of sleep. A warm tear slid down my face. I must have
been crying. My thumb hovered above Jonathon's number. I silently willed myself
to do it, hit the call button but it refused. Damn it, get a grip! What would
calling him do? I couldn't tell him that I had just had an overwhelming sexual
dream about both him and Sebastian. I sat the phone back on the table.

I hesitantly ran a
hand along my damp panties. An explosion of pleasure rocked my body sending a
scream into reality.