GhostlyPersuasion (14 page)

Sure enough, Seamus’ gaze was drawn to it.

Katie inspected the metal panel near the gate. “So, which do
you think? Three or four?”

“Three or four what?” he asked absently.

“Which floor should we go to?”

“Any of them should be fine for your purposes. You said you
just wanted a quick ride, right?”

“Oh all right, party pooper.” She pressed one of the buttons
then waited.

“I believe you’ll need to close the gate before it will
move,” Seamus suggested.

“Oh yeah.” She looked at him sheepishly. “I’m used to
elevator doors closing automatically.”

After closing the gate, Katie returned to the metal panel.
She pressed one of the numbered buttons again, only this time the box gave a
little jump and the lights dimmed. Seamus instinctively stepped closer to
Katie.

Above them the sound of a motor started then slowly the lift
began to ascend.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Katie exclaimed in delight despite the
creaks and groans the contraption made.

“Is what wonderful?” Seamus looked and sounded tense.

She held both her arms out, as if to take in everything
around them. “The elevator or lift or whatever you call it. It’s just grand!”

Seamus grinned back even though he was obviously
uncomfortable being in the small box. “It was quite the feat of ingenuity in
its day. Many of the staff were fascinated when they learned what it did.”

Katie clasped her hands together with a dreamy look in her
eye. “I’ve only seen them in old movies but always thought they were rather
romantic.” She looked his way, one side of her lip curling into a grin. “When
the bad guy wasn’t chasing the heroine into one, that is.”

“Of course,” he said, even though Katie doubted he’d seen
any of the old movies she referred to.

“One of my favorite—” Katie was cut off when the lift jerked
to a stop. The lights flickered. On reflex, she reached for Seamus.

Her hand connected with flesh and blood.

Katie’s pulse pounded in her ears. Was she really feeling
Seamus? She was almost afraid to move.

“Seamus?” Katie whispered. “Is that your hand I feel on my
side?”

His hand inched upward. “You can feel this?”

She nodded slowly then looked up at him. “How is this
possible?”

Without warning, Seamus’ arms wrapped around her and he
crushed Katie against his chest as his lips descended on hers in a long-denied
kiss. He held her so tightly she could barely breathe, but she didn’t care. She
only knew she was finally able to feel him and he was holding her and she
didn’t want him to let go.

Her hands moved everywhere. She wanted to feel every inch of
him. She pushed his shirt up so should could feel his back, chest and belly.
When she brushed across one of his nipples, he jerked as if he’d been zapped by
lightning.

Without taking his mouth off hers, Seamus backed Katie
against the wall of the lift and trapped her body with his.

“I don’t know how or why I can feel you,” he rasped when he
finally came up for air, “but I don’t want to waste this chance.” He attacked
the closure of her pants with trembling fingers. “I’m sorry I cannot be gentle
with you. I’ve needed you for far too long, Little Katie.”

Katie’s breath came in short gasps. “I don’t need gentle. I
just need you. Now.” She wrapped one hand around his neck and pulled him back
down so she could kiss him again.

When he was unable to work the closure of her pants, she
pushed his hands aside and finished the job. As she slid her pants and
underwear down over her hips, he loosened the buttons on his own but didn’t let
them drop.

Seamus dragged his lips away from Katie’s and made his way
down the side of her neck. Her breath caught when he found a particularly
sensitive spot. He pulled her shirt and bra up and feasted on her breasts. She
squirmed and gripped handfuls of his shirt as he teased each nipple with his
tongue.

He dropped to his knees in front of Katie and pulled her
pants and undies the rest of the way down her legs. She stepped out of one side
but left the other pooled at her ankle in case the elevator started moving
again.

He placed a kiss on the neatly trimmed thatch of hair at the
junction of her thighs and breathed in deeply. Like a starving man, he pulled
one of her legs over his shoulder and buried his face in her heat. The first
stroke of his tongue against the most intimate part of her stole her breath.

He lapped and teased her sensitive bud and drove her closer
to the edge. Despite being a spirit for over three hundred years, he still knew
how to use his tongue. Finally she bowed against the wall as the fireworks went
off inside her head. “Oh God, Seamus!”

Seamus lapped up her juices as she rode the wave of her
orgasm then stood and pushed his pants down to his ankles. He picked Katie up
then, using the wall as leverage, wrapped her legs around his waist and plunged
into her still-quivering pussy.

With his forehead pressed against hers, he held still,
giving her a moment to adjust to his invasion. The feeling of him finally being
inside her was quite simply heaven. She pushed her hips against his,
encouraging him to move.

He tried to still her movements by gripping her hips. “Have
mercy, lass. I’m not going to last if you keep moving like that.”

“Good!” she panted. “Move, please!”

“Ah, Katie,” he muttered then crushed his lips onto hers.

It only took seconds for them to find their rhythm. Katie
felt the familiar ripples in her pussy. She tensed and waited for the second
wave to crash over her. When it hit, she clasped Seamus to her and screamed his
name.

Her pleasure triggered Seamus’ and they clung to each other
as the world spun off its axis.

Slowly they floated back to reality. Katie could feel
Seamus’ heart pounding. She placed her hand over it and tried to memorize the
sensation. As their breathing returned to normal, Katie noticed the tingles she
usually felt whenever his spirit form passed through her body were coming back.

“No,” Katie whispered. “Not yet. Please.” She tried to grasp
the front of his shirt but was barely able to hold on to the fabric.

Regret clouded his face. “I’m sorry, lass. I cannot control
it. I would stop it if I could.”

Seamus held up one hand. Katie guessed he was seeing the
same thing she did. Her heart ached as more of the solid wall became evident
behind him.

No longer supported by Seamus’ body, Katie sank to the
floor. Tears pooled in her eyes as she watched his corporeal form vanish once
more.

Seamus squatted next to Katie and tried to reach for her,
but his hand passed through her cheek. The familiar tingles followed. “I…” He
started to say something but stopped. Nothing he could say would ease the pain
and disappointment she was feeling.

The lights in the lift flickered.

“You had probably best get dressed, lass,” he said softly.

She nodded and slowly rearranged her clothing.

It was almost pointless since very few people could see him,
but Seamus righted his clothing as well. As they dressed in silence, the lift
began to move. When it came to a stop, Seamus in her direction.

Their eyes met and something unspoken passed between them.
Both of them knew how lucky they were to have gotten even those few stolen
moments together.

With one hand on the gate, she turned and looked back at
him. “You said people had disappeared in the castle before and that it had
something to do with the elevator.” She hesitated. “Do you think we’re still in
the castle?”

Seamus shrugged one shoulder. “There is only one way to find
out.”

Katie nodded then pulled the lift gate aside. Before she
opened the outer door, Seamus put his hand on hers. “Even if we’re not still in
the castle, we’re together.”

“Yes, we are.” She smiled, took a deep breath then pressed
down on the handle and pushed the door open.

“Perhaps I should take a look first.” Seamus stepped in
front of Katie, cutting off her exit.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m sure it’s fine.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.

“You just got through saying, ‘there’s only one way to find
out’, so let’s find out.”

Seamus refused to budge. Not that she couldn’t have passed
through him.

“How about if we look at the same time?” she suggested.

Seamus sighed and mumbled something about damn stubborn
modern women but he did move to the side so they could both exit.

Katie stuck her head out of the elevator and looked in both
directions. “We’re right back where we started.”

“Seems so,” he agreed.

Oddly she was a little disappointed.

“Can I help you?” a young lady carrying a stack of towels
stopped and asked. Katie guessed she was a hotel employee.

“No. We’re…er, I mean, I’m fine. Thank you,” Katie answered.

The young lady shot a wary glance at the elevator then
bobbed her head and quickly proceeded down the hall.

Katie waited until the woman was out of range then said, “I
suppose we should head back to the room.” She blushed. “I should probably take
another shower.”

Seamus scanned her from head to toe. The heat in his gaze
made her squirm.

Wow, could she want him again so quickly? There was no doubt
in her mind that if he were corporeal, she’d happily strip him naked as soon as
they returned to the room. She was never that way with any of her previous
boyfriends. Why him?

“Might be a good idea,” he said.

“So… What did you think of the old elevator?” she asked with
forced cheeriness.

He looked at her with one raised eyebrow.

“I don’t mean about
that
. Although I would kind of
like to know what you thought of that also. But I meant about the actual
elevator. I thought it was remarkably well-preserved and functioned properly.
Other than the whole…” She swirled her hand around in the air to reference
their interlude.

He continued to look at her as if she were losing her mind.

“Don’t you think the craftsmanship of the elevator was
remarkable? The wood carvings. The polished metal. It must have been very well
taken care of over the years.”

“Most people are afraid of it. It is well-preserved because
no one uses it.”

“I don’t see…” Katie’s voice trailed off. She stopped and
stared at Seamus.

“What?” he asked.

“You’re doing it again. You’re fading.”

He held one hand up in front of his face. “Damn. I knew it
was too much to hope for.”

“Seamus.” Katie’s heart ached. “I don’t want you to go.” He
might not be able to hold her, but she had grown to like his company and she
didn’t want to be alone right now.

“It will be fine. I always come back in the morning.”

“Tomorrow morning is a way off. And what if you don’t—”

“Don’t borrow trouble,” he cautioned her. “I will find you
when I come back.” He stepped closer and tried to touch her cheek but only left
a patch of tingles.

As his form faded more, Katie told him, “Rest well.”

“Stay out of trouble.”

She watched as he vanished completely and sniffed back the
tears that threatened to spill.

It took a moment but she shook herself out of her daze and
headed to her room. She sat on the edge of her bed and toed her shoes off. Her
mind wandered back to the interlude on the elevator with Seamus.

She could still smell him. Instead of ozone, she detected a
rich, manly spice mixed with wood shavings. The thought of washing it off was
disheartening but there was no way she could
not
take a shower.

To delay a bit longer, she grabbed her cell and called
Riona.

“Top of the morning, coz. How are you?”

“Fine. How are you?”

“Very well, thank you.”

“What are you doing today?” Katie asked.

“Was thinking about making a run to the castle to drop off
another batch of soaps later. What about you and your ghostly friend?”

“Seamus’ batteries ran out, so he faded for a bit. I was
thinking it would be a good day to for us to get together.”

“For a little girl talk?” Katie could hear the smile in
Riona’s voice.

“Absolutely.”

“That’s an excellent notion. I have some information for you
anyway. Shall we do tea then?”

Katie glanced at the clock. “What time?”

“About an hour? Down at the café?” Riona asked.

“Sounds good.” An hour would give her enough time to take a
shower and change. And maybe even pull herself together.

They finished their call and Katie headed to the bathroom.

An hour later Katie found Riona sitting at one of the tables
in an out-of-the-way corner of the café.

“You look a bit flushed. Feeling a bit peaked?” Riona asked.

“I’m fine.” At Riona’s doubtful expression, she added,
“Really.”

Riona grunted. “I took the liberty of ordering a pot of tea
and scones.”

“Oh excellent. I didn’t realize I was getting hungry until
you said something.”

“Good timing then.” Riona smiled.

They exchanged pleasantries until the tea was served. As
they enjoyed their first cup, Katie told Riona, “I made a trip up to the
battlements to see Etain.”

Riona choked on her drink. “Alone?”

“Of course. Seamus wants nothing to do with Etain and
refuses to talk to her. Besides, I’m not sure she would be able to see him.”

“True.” Riona put her cup down. “You appear to be unscathed,
so I’ll assume she didn’t hurt you. What did she say?”

Katie shrugged. “She earned her crazy title honestly.”

“Based on what I read in her journals, I agree.”

“Oh that’s right. You said you’d read them. What did
you
find out?”

“Nothing much. Her early entries were easy to follow. Lots
of talk of dresses and jewelry and parties. By the end it was whiny and more
random. There was a lot of gibberish to sift through. All the journals did was
confirm that Etain wasn’t trying to kill Seamus. She wanted him to fall in love
with her and she didn’t understand why he didn’t.”

Something twisted deep inside Katie’s gut. Part of her
pitied Etain but her more savage emotions burned hotter, making Katie wish
really hateful things on her.

“My goodness, that’s a hateful look,” Riona pointed out.

“Yeah, well, Etain brings it out of me.”

“And why is that, I wonder?” Riona took a sip of her tea and
rolled her eyes away.

Katie thought she saw a smirk behind Riona’s cup. “Oh
whatever.” She took a bite of scone.

“Your turn. What did you find out?”

“I did a little better than you. I was able to get Etain to
confirm that she
did
purchase a love spell but then she went back and
stole the spell book so she could make her own spell.”

“But what was she hoping to make?”

“She said she was told the love spell would only enhance a
lover’s feelings. It couldn’t make someone fall in love with her. So she
decided to mix the love spell with a summoning spell. That way she could
make
him fall in love with her.”

“Goddess above,” Riona murmured. “She had no idea what she
was doing.”

“Etain certainly thought she did. She said it was easy.”

“Harrumph.” Riona slumped back in her chair with her arms
folded across her chest and a frown on her face. It sounded as if she was
mumbling something about people meddling in things they knew nothing about.

“Okay, so we know what spells she used. And we know what
Etain’s intent was behind the spells. And we know how she delivered the potion.
What else do we need to know to solve this?” Katie asked.

“There are a few more details about the potion that I would
like to know.”

“Like what?”

“Like, did she use fresh or dried herbs or extracts? And
what kind of containers or utensils did she use? There are so many things that
impact the effectiveness of a spell. I want to know as much as possible. Do you
think Etain would talk to me too?”

Katie shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s possible but I strongly
suspect it depends on the day and her mood.”

“What did you tell her when you went up to see her?”

“I told her I was reading about the history of the castle
and was curious about her life.”

“I bet we could play off that some more. Maybe tell her that
we wanted to hear her side of the story.”

“Would Etain know who you are?” Katie asked.

Riona shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m not aware that
I’ve been around her, but it is possible. Even if she asked, I could just tell
her that I’m helping you find more history of the area.”

“True. When do you want to go?”

“I’m flexible. When did you go up to see her?”

“This morning.”

“Oh. After Seamus faded out?”

“No. Before. He doesn’t usually show up until midmorning so
I made sure I woke bright and early so I would be done before he did.”

“So he doesn’t know?”

“Oh he knows all right. I ran into him as I came down from
the battlements.” She shrugged one shoulder. “He asked and I didn’t see any
point in lying.”

Riona leaned closer to the table. “Did he flip out?”

“A little.” Katie grinned at the memory. “I certainly heard
all about why he thought she was too dangerous for me to be around.”

“Hmmm.” Riona had a look on her face that reminded Katie of
her mother. “If you were just up there this morning, we should wait to see her
again. From everything I read, she’s too unpredictable.”

“You’re probably right.”

“If we wait a day or two, how are you going to get away from
Seamus or distract him?”

Katie tapped her cheekbone as she debated ideas. “I could
tell him that we’re going to do a girl spa day. Most guys run in the opposite
direction when they hear that.”

“True.” Riona pointed at Katie with her teacup. “But we
should do a spa day before you go back to the States.”

“I’d like that,” Katie said.

“Oh. I meant to tell you. I talked with Ma the other night.
She’s on her way home from Italy but it’ll be the middle of next week before
she gets here. She’s dying to meet you and said you better not leave before she
arrives.”

Katie smiled. “Good. I’m glad she’ll be here before I leave.
I just hope she didn’t change her travel plans because of me.”

Riona waved her concern away. “Ever since I started running
the family business, she has been running off with those friends of hers. Every
couple of months she takes off for someplace new.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

“Have you done much traveling, then?”

“No. Not yet. I started working before I graduated college
and have never stopped to take the time.” Katie shrugged. “I have a list of
places I’d like to see someday though.”

“Your company doesn’t give you vacation time?”

“They did. And unfortunately, now I have all the vacation
time I could want.”

Riona’s expression conveyed her question.

“They sold the business and closed right before I came to
Ireland.”

“So you’re out of work now?”

Katie nodded.

“Does that mean you don’t have to go back to the States
right away then?”

Katie blinked as the thought settled into her brain. “Well…
I…”

“Because Ma and I would love to have you stay with us for a
wee bit,” Riona pushed, not giving Katie a chance to think about it overly
much. “The cottage is small, but we’ll manage. Ma would love to have the chance
to catch up on your and Aunt Deirdre’s life.”

“I don’t know. I mean, I suppose I could stay longer. The
only thing I really need to get back for is Jenny. But, really, even that isn’t
a rush. And a little more time would help them.”

“Help who?”

“Jenny. My best friend. She and I have been roommates since
college but she recently got married so she and her husband are looking for a
new place to live.”

“Will you have to find a new place also?”

“No. Jenny and I are living in the house that Mother left
me. It’s a cozy little place on the south side of town. Just right for two
people. But if Paul were to move in, we’d be bursting at the seams.” Katie
wrinkled her nose. “Besides, even though Paul is a great guy, I don’t want to
live with a pair of newlyweds.”

“Don’t blame you,” Riona mumbled then finished her tea.
“Well, think about it. We’d love to have you.”

“I will think about it.”

They ate in silence for a moment then Katie asked, “What
about Etain?”

Riona got a distant look in her eye. Once more Katie was
reminded of her mother. She was sure that whenever her mother made that
expression, she was “seeing” things in her mind’s eye. Things that would be.

Someday she’d ask Riona more about her gifts.

“I think Thursday would be best.” Riona smiled. “I assume
you’ll take care of distracting Seamus?”

The image of a very naked and sexually satisfied Seamus who
was too tired to move flashed through Katie’s mind.
That would be one way of
distracting him.
Unfortunately the odds of getting him back into the
elevator were slim. The story of the spa day would have to suffice. “I will.”