Dreamscape (28 page)

Lanie gripped the sheets as Jason positioned himself behind her and slowly traced the hot head of his cock up and down her slippery cleft. She bit the pillow to muffle her response to his exquisite inch by inch filling. Arching her back, she rocked backward seeking more.

Balls deep, Jason gripped Lanie’s hips knowing he’d never felt so alive as he did in this moment. She surprised him by pressing back to swallow him fully. There was nothing to do but give the last fraction she demanded. Having been a spirit for so long, he knew it was more than their bodies merging. He had poured his soul into her and found the flame of her essence in return.

Unaware of the eye watching keenly through the keyhole, the lovers kissed and caressed each other lost as they were in an intimate world of their making.

Crouched before the keyhole, Bertha was swept by a tidal wave of emotions. She’d loved this man for more than half a year and seeing him unclothed affirmed what she’d always suspected. Jason Bowen was a splendid man with a cock so much larger and prouder than she’d ever seen. He was hard because that woman put her mouth there.
Humph,
I could do that.
She’d learned a lot by watching. Richard never knew how she played with Papa’s nigras when no one was at home. They
had
to play with
her,
too. Wishing she were closer, she watched Jason kneel behind Lanie to slowly slide his cock inside her. She wondered if there was a cupboard in the room. A cupboard was ever so much better than peeking through a keyhole. Jason had his hands on Lanie’s hips now and was fucking her hard like a dog, no, not like a dog.
Richard
fucked like a dog. Jason covered a woman like a
stallion
. The analogy made her smile.

When Jason was free of Cathy and
this
insipid woman was gone, too, she’d be here to comfort and ease him. She’d kiss his cock and make him hard, and then he’d kiss her same way and ride her like this. The image in her mind’s eye made Bertha feel very warm and tingly inside, more so that she watched Jason arch his back and thrust one last time. She could hear him groan as he emptied his balls and took his pleasure. Her hand slipped under her nightgown and feeling her body’s reaction to just watching him made her smile widen. She could only imagine the heaven she’d feel in his arms. Love was like that, it made everything nicer. Yes, another few days and she’d have everything figured out and Jason would love her. He had to. With that happy thought, she blew a kiss through the door and took herself back to bed.

Tingling with satisfaction, Lanie rolled over on her side. “Mmm, that was marvelous.”

He kissed her shoulder and snuggled against her. “It was indeed. Your body fits mine like a new glove, and I find myself loath to leave it.”

Lanie felt the twitch of his semi-flaccid cock against the split of her rear. He meant what he’d said. It made her smile. Reaching behind she caressed his loose velvet balls before closing her fingers around him again. “I’m ready if you are.”

Jason laughed. If he had any doubt as to which Lanie lay in his arms, that comment banished them. He held her tighter and his hand slid down her belly intent to sweep her slippery cleft with his fingertips, but to his surprise her other hand was already there. No, no doubts at all.

A long while later the pair lay doubly sated. After a few minutes Lanie sat up. She looked at him concerned that what she was about to tell him might very well change everything in her dream. “I love you, Jason.”

The lamplight danced in his whiskey eyes when he smiled his handsome smile. Believing it safe to make his vow this time, Jason replied sincerely, “And I love you more than my life.”

The smile stayed on her lips but faded from her eyes. He braced himself for an abrupt awakening. To his surprise, it didn’t come.

She took a deep breath. “I need to tell you something. Something very important.”

“I’m listening, sweetheart.” He was determined to keep silent with only occasional acknowledgement of her words. Something told him she needed to explain.

“Well, I’ve been dreaming about your house for nearly all of my life. The thing is…” Lanie rubbed the space between her eyes, searching for the best way to tell him in her time, in her reality, he had been killed. “The thing is, those dreams occurred one hundred and twenty years in the future.” Biting the inside of her cheek, she waited for him to tell her she was crazy.

Sensing she needed help with this, he said, “And in your waking world one hundred and twenty years from now, I am a ghost that haunts this house, your house.” He smiled. “I know you’re dreaming right now, my darling.”

Lanie blinked. “How do you know this?”

He searched for the best way to explain all as he knew it. “The truth of me, Lanie, is I am an ephemeral spirit of current and force no different than electricity or magnetism and as unsubstantial as smoke. As such, I’ve traveled your dream world with you.”

“You’re saying you’re able to jump into my dreams?” She sat up and faced him. What she’d always thought to be
her
dreams were really
their
dreams?

Feeling like a cad, Jason told her the truth. “Since you moved into my house, yes. When I first saw you I thought you the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes upon. I watched you unpack and make your lists and I tried to leave you to your privacy.” He went on to explain how as he’d turned to leave, she undressed. “I had not seen a beautiful woman unclothed in nearly one and a quarter centuries. I rationalized staying to watch you bathe by telling myself you couldn’t see me anyway.” He gave her a small hopeful smile, but met her with worried eyes. “Please don’t think poorly of me.”

Her brows drew together. All those times she felt she was being watched. All those times she dreamt she was being touched intimately. Always dark and faceless dreams until the dream progressed. That’s how it had been the night she’d dreamt of oral sex the first time. The fog cleared and she found herself standing at his door in 1886. Lanie’s face felt very warm, signaling a major episode of blushing. Dream Jason treated her to oral sex the first time she’d dreamt they made love. Dawning realization took her. She said flatly, “You’ve been in my bed since the first night I stayed here.” It wasn’t a question.

Unable to read the emotion he heard in her words, Jason nodded.

Lanie’s mind was awhirl. A part of her was furious yet another part was thrilled. Furious that he’d take liberties when she was unaware and thrilled the ghost Jason and the dream Jason were one in the same. The furious part asked, “So when I dreamt you were kissing between my legs, you were?”

It was his turn to blush.

She looked at him sitting across from her with his shame and discomfort etched on his face. Had he any right to touch her without her permission? No. Did it matter?
No.
She’d loved this man since the first time she’d dreamt of him. When he was a boy who wouldn’t talk to the girl she was, she’d loved him. When he was gone from her dreams, she’d grieved for him. When he returned to her dreams all grown up, she’d loved the silent man walking the halls. She loved him as the ghost who haunted her house and she loved him more in her dreams. No, it didn’t matter. She loved him. She lay back and reached for him. The thrilled part of her asked in a sultry voice, “Am I dreaming now?”

Seeing her invitation, Jason fell between her thighs and made sure she knew she was very much awake in her dream world.

Once again the dream shifted, and they found themselves in the study. By the light outside the window it was late afternoon. They looked at each other. Lanie realized her unconscious mind must be zipping ahead for a reason. She asked, “Do you have any idea why this is happening?”

Jason shook his head. “Not a clear idea, no. I’ve thought long and hard on why I could enter your dreams. The only possible reason I could come up with is these dreams are a chance to stop my murder and Addy’s, too.”

To Lanie that made as much sense as anything else. “Then what do we do?”

“Oh, there you are. I thought I heard voices coming from the study.” Addy found them and smiled. “Dinner will be ready in half an hour.”

He smiled at her. “We’ll be there directly, Addy, thank you.”

When his housekeeper’s footsteps disappeared down the hall, he said, “Come, this will give us another opportunity to observe Cathy and her cousins.”

“I don’t like Richard. Actually I don’t like any of them. What a bunch of creepy people.” Lanie wrinkled her nose.

Jason was unfamiliar with the term
creepy,
but whatever wrinkled that pretty little nose got the point across perfectly. “I didn’t learn until much later the depth of their debauchery. A lesson learned too late.”

An idea came to her. “Richard is attracted to me. We can use that to learn what they’re up to.”

He held her back from the doorway and looked her in the eyes. “Sweetheart, never forget these are especially dangerous people. I can’t allow you to put yourself in harm’s way. All I ask is for you to use that remarkable mind of yours and pay attention to details.”

She nodded. In the back of her mind she knew she could get inside Richard’s head if she had the chance.

The next thing she knew, Jason met her on the stairs. They were both dressed for dinner. “Wow, why are the dreams zipping ahead like this?”

Roughly twenty minutes had passed in Jason’s mind. He told her so.

“That’s how you saw it? It was barely a minute to me.” To Lanie the time had passed in mere seconds.

Jason shrugged. “I don’t know but it has happened to me before. Your dream advances and I find myself here fully aware of the time that’s passed.”

“My, my, what has you two so occupied?” Bertha spoke from the flight above.

They turned to see her hurrying down the stairs. Taking Jason by the arm, she gave him a wide, horsey smile. “So nice of you to escort us
both
to dinner, Jason. Thank you for waiting for me.”

Holding his other arm to Lanie he said, “It is an honor to escort such rare beauty.”

Bertha tittered behind her hand. “You always say the nicest things, Jason. You really do.”

Richard and Cathy were already seated at the table. Richard rose politely the moment Lanie entered the room. Cathy watched her lover’s eyes carefully. Having grown up with Richard, she knew him very well. That morning, he’d told her he was only making small talk with the O’Keefe woman. But seeing his eyes now, she knew he was lying. He looked at her the way he looked at the high yella nigra girl his papa brought home one day. She didn’t like her from the start. If not for her curly black hair, one would almost think her white as a cotton boll. Richard ordered the slave to the nursery to play like the others but he wouldn’t let her and Bertha watch in the cupboard. Their private game went on for weeks until the day she saw him looking at the nigra the same way he was looking at Lanie now. The thought made her frown inside. She’d taken it upon herself to tell Papa Mason that Richard loved the yella girl and sure enough he sold her. Those were unhappy days. Richard was so sad. It took weeks to get him back in her bed.

There was something about Jason’s guest that caught Richard’s eye. Her gaze went back to the trio taking their seats. Bertha was fawning over Jason as usual. True, he was easy on the eyes, but he was no Richard. Lanie O’Keefe was another matter. The woman was pretty enough. Was that what drew Richard’s attention? Cathy frowned. With her black curly hair, she
did
look a little like that cotton-skinned nigra girl he fancied so much. She made up her mind then and there to ask Jason when the chit would be leaving. How else could they follow their plans? They could hardly get rid of Jason while she was underfoot.

Thinking it best, Jason seated Bertha before Lanie. Bertha, ever the third wheel, gave him a huge toothy smile obviously shining under the small consideration.

“Why thank you, Jason.” The image of him naked still blazed in Bertha’s mind. Desiring to be alone with him, she asked, “Do you think perhaps later you might take a look at my foot?”

“Certainly, Bertha. Lanie and I finished our discussion earlier. My evening is clear.” Jason gave her a pleasant smile and passed her a dish. “Would you care for some of Mrs. Boatwright’s creamed potatoes? I do believe Patrick dug them fresh this morning.”

“Yes, please.” Bertha accepted the dish and deliberately brushed his fingers with her own. Wishing she’d been in on that
conversation
, she laughed her peculiar laugh. “Said all you needed to say today, did you?”

Everyone looked at her oddly.

Casting a serene look Lanie’s way, Bertha sipped her water with a secret smile.
Jason obviously finds you lacking, or he wouldn’t be showering me with his attention.
Perhaps he’d kiss her special place, too. She already knew what she’d do to him. The thought made her giddy.

Cathy reminded her gently, “Bertha, dearest, we were planning a game of cribbage after dinner. Remember we were going to discuss the parlor wallpaper?”

Looking from Lanie to Jason, Richard chimed in, “Do say you’ll join us in cards.” Twinkling with mirth, his eyes met Lanie’s. “It would save me from enduring the discussion of endless wallpaper patterns.”