Good Will Ghost Hunting: Hell's Bells [Good Will Ghost Hunting 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (24 page)

Jeff nodded. “Yep. I knew you were nervous about meeting them.”

Aidan stopped him. Jeff was absolutely right, but Aidan had never confided that to his lover. He’d lived thousands of years and fought countless bad nasties, yet the thought of meeting Jeff’s parents had terrified him. The last thing he’d wanted to do was cause any problems for Jeff with his parents.

They were in the middle of the dance floor, no one paying the slightest bit of attention to them. Aidan quickly glanced around, leaned in, and pecked Jeff on the lips.

Jeff grinned.

“I’d say you’re officially, publicly out,” Aidan teased.

Jeff latched on to Aidan’s arm and they continued across the hall. “What do you think I’ve been trying to tell you, Aid? As long as I’m out with you, that’s all I care about.”

* * * *

When it came time to cut the cake, Kal nervously stepped behind the table. Will winked, having already been warned by her that if he wanted to enjoy his honeymoon
,
he would not smash cake in her face. She kept her eyes on him, warily watching his every move as many of the guests hooted and cheered them on, expecting a food fight.

He carefully held the cake for her and didn’t get a speck on her.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He grinned. “I’m not an idiot.”

She held his, and when he leaned in, Aidan bumped into her from behind, which shoved the cake into Will’s face.

She turned around and took the piece she had left and jammed it into Aidan’s face. Ryan and Jeff both laughed, earning them each a dose of their own.

Will, who laughed as he wiped cake off his face, stepped in front of Kal before she got Purs and Gery involved in a full-fledged cake fight. “It’s okay, sweetheart.” He kissed her, got a little frosting on her nose, then licked it off for her.

“I’m gonna kill you, Aidan!” Kal growled.

Jeff and Aidan were busy laughing and wiping cake off each other. Laura had grabbed a napkin and was taking care of Ryan.

“It was worth it, sweet cheeks,” Aidan said with a devilish grin. “I just hope the photographer got pictures.”

As the reception wound down, Becky went with Kal to help her change clothes. She’d opted for slacks, not a fancy dress like her mom had wanted. All Kal had gotten out of the men was that they’d be on a plane, and she wanted to be comfortable while traveling.

Kal fought a little bout of weepiness when she hugged Becky, Aidan, Jeff, Ryan
,
and her parents before she made the final exit from the reception hall with Will. They paused for one last set of pictures before racing through a spray of birdseed thrown by the guests, then dove into the waiting limo.

* * * *

After the ceremony and reception and seeing Kal and Will off, Ryan quietly slipped away and returned to Atlanta. There, he placed a barrier around the condo. He didn’t want company tonight.

Not tonight of all nights. Especially not Aidan looking to rehash things that were over and done with.
He’d stupidly hoped Aidan wouldn’t recognize the amulet, but it was a chance he’d been willing to take.

He stared out the windows overlooking the Atlanta skyline and tried not to think about Kal.

And he tried not to think about Abby.

Especially not about Chloe.

He failed, miserably, on all three counts.

When he walked into the bedroom, Ryan stopped by the dresser and stared at the empty box. For ages it had housed Chloe’s amulet, the only possession besides his sword that he would never part with. Now the amulet was back where it rightfully belonged, even if the woman no longer belonged to him.

He stroked the lid as he had so many other nights before. Since giving the amulet to Kal, Ryan occasionally felt flashes from his own amulet. He knew if he wanted he could home in on her and listen, feel, experience.

He didn’t want to. Not tonight, at least.

He couldn’t bear it. The pain in his soul throbbed, stabbing, worse than normal. It was his own fault. He could have refused to perform the ceremony, even though it would have hurt Kal’s feelings.

He could have cut himself off from Kal except to fulfill his promise to Will to protect her.

But he couldn’t stand the thought of that, of never seeing her. Just as he hadn’t been able to totally distance himself from Abby either.

The agony hadn’t felt this bad when Abby was alive. Ryan idly wondered if it was because this time he’d come so close to having her back and yet gave her away.

Ryan changed clothes and walked to the kitchen. He’d taken the precaution of stocking up. Five brand
-
new bottles of bourbon sat on the counter in a perfect, straight line. They would be enough to get him through tomorrow morning.

Barely.

Hopefully by then he’d be able to function again. While archdemon physiology was nice in some ways, a high tolerance for alcohol wouldn’t help him get through the night without feeling miserable.

He cracked the seal on the first bottle and reached for a glass.

In the limo, Kal sat back and smiled at Will. “We finally did it.”

He grinned. “We sure did, Mrs. Hellenboek. Or are you going to be Mrs. Martin-Hellenboek? Or Ms. Martin?”

“I’ll stick with Mrs. Hellenboek. I’m an old
-
fashioned kind of girl.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Whatever you want. You know that.”

“So when do I find out what Aidan planned for us?”

“What’s the one thing you always said you wanted?”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “What?”

Will playfully grinned. “When we were first together. You said you wanted one thing.”

Kal thought about it for a while, then stared into his eyes. “I said I always wanted to be normal. Is that what you mean?”

“Ding ding ding!” He kissed her again.

“So where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

A “normal” honeymoon covered a lot of real estate—literally. Unless they were heading to Niagara Falls, Kal had no clue about their destination. The limo took them to the airport, where they boarded a flight for Denver.

Well, that answers that question. Sort of.

Will carefully shielded his thoughts from Kal upon arrival. They rented a car and checked in
to a nice hotel near the airport.

Kal laughed as Will carried her over the threshold. “Okay, I know I said normal, but I think Aidan took me a little too literally,” she joked with a smile. “I expected something a little more exciting than the Denver Marriott.”

He gently laid her on the bed. “This is just the first stop.” He called room service, ordered them dinner, then stretched out next to her. “We haven’t even got to our final destination yet.”

“We haven’t?”

“Nope.”

“No hints?”

His fingers started working on the top button of her blouse. “Nope.” He grinned. “Normal. That’s what you said.”

She stared into his eyes. “I love you so much. I can’t believe I get to spend eternity with you.”

He kissed her. “I’m the lucky one.”

He started working his way down her neck with his lips. Kal didn’t want him to stop, but the knock on their door a few minutes later from room service made her groan with disappointment.

“I’ll be right back,” he said.

They ate dinner. Kal thought she’d tackle Will immediately after, but she realized exactly how tired she was as she tried not to yawn in Will’s face when he stretched out next to her again.

He grinned. “A little worn out?”

She nodded. “Yeah.” Kal rolled on top of him. “But I still want to do something.”

From the feel of the stiff length in his slacks, so did he.

As she closed her eyes and let Will take over, Ryan’s words before the ceremony drifted back to her.
Pretend it’s the first time. It’ll be just as special.

Not easy to do considering what they’d been through already, but what the heck, why not try?

Will slowly finished undressing her. When she was naked, he propped himself up on one elbow and brushed his fingers down her side. “What would you like me to do, sweetie?”

She smiled. “Make love to me like it’s the first time.”

He arched an eyebrow at her.

“Without the wraith possession,” she snarked. “Duh.”

He laughed. No way could she ever call him The Great Brooding One now. His smiles lit his face, warmed her heart, and liquefied her need for him.

Will climbed out of bed, turned off most of the lights, then returned to her. Kneeling beside her, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. The blatant need smouldering in his eyes stirred her very core.

“I’m going to make love to you, baby,” he whispered. “I’m going to show you how much I love you and need you and want you.” He dropped his shirt to the floor. Then he bent over and took one of her nipples in his mouth, gently flicking it with his tongue until it tightly peaked.

She gasped.

“Do you like that, sweetheart?” he whispered.

She noticed how dark his eyes had changed, from slate gr
a
y to nearly the color of midnight. Had they always done that?

“Yes. Please don’t stop!”

He smiled and repeated the action with her other breast. “Don’t worry. I’m not stopping.”

She squirmed on the bed under the attention from his hot, moist mouth. He took her hand and placed it on the front of his slacks, where his hard
cock
strained for freedom. “See what you do to me?” He leaned in and kissed her again, hungrier, his tongue searching for access between her lips.

She pressed her body against his, hooking a leg around him. She grabbed his hand and placed it between her legs
so he could feel how wet she was
. “See what
you
do to
me
?” She nipped his ear.

He slipped two fingers inside her
pussy.
B
etween that and the heat of his flesh against hers, she moaned. Was this what it was always like between two people in love? She didn’t know. It seemed like her mind had gone foggy. She tried to think about prior encounters with Will
,
and she suddenly realized she couldn’t remember any.
Was
this their first time?

The memory of Ryan’s voice again.
Pretend it’s the first time.

So he
had
done something.

No reason to question it. She rolled Will onto his back, eager to reveal the hidden length inside his slacks. When she freed
his cock
, she immediately sucked him into her mouth
, licking and sucking on the head and tasting his pre-cum before going deeper
. He tangled his fingers in her hair and closed his eyes as she stroked him with her lips and tongue. As he worked his hips in time with her motions, she felt
his cock
stiffen even more
against her tongue
.

“You’ve gotta stop doing that!” he gasped.

She finally lifted her head. “Why?”

He laughed. “If you don’t want me going off right now, you have to stop, sweetheart.”

She tugged on his slacks
,
and he helped her pull them off. Then he flipped her over onto her back. “You’re really eager tonight, aren’t you?” he teasingly asked.

“Make love to me, Will. Take me. Make me yours.”

With the length of his body pressed against her, he slipped his stiff
cock
inside her, filling and pleasantly stretching her
pussy
. Each slow stroke deliciously slid along her clit.

“This is perfect,” she sighed.

He nuzzled the base of her throat. “You’ve made me happy again. Pure joy.”

She closed her eyes and enjoyed every sensation, the feeling of being one with him. She held on as he increased the speed and tempo of his thrusts, rocking her hips with his and finding a rhythm
as his cock stroked every spot inside her pussy
.

In her mind, she heard his thoughts. “
Come for me, baby. Give it to me.”

It pushed her over the edge. When he felt her climax start
,
he grabbed her hips, trying to finish with her. He cried out and she felt warm heat flood her core, her soul and his mixing, melding.

One.

Instinctively she knew this had to be part of Ryan’s little surprise, because duh, been there, done that.

She still enjoyed it.

As he rolled to his side, with his arms around her, he brushed his fingers up and down her back. She heard his mental whisper. “
My soul mate.”

Kal quickly drifted to sleep.

* * * *

Kal opened her eyes and found herself lying in a clearing in the woods.

Oookaaay.

She sat up, realized she was wearing some sort of dress. Soft homespun material from the feel of it.

Total silence around her. No birds, no traffic. Part of her felt creeped out. Part of her felt…

Home?

She stood, tensing when she suddenly sensed another presence. She turned and there stood Aidan, dressed…

Well, like a ren faire runaway. At the same time she felt like he was
supposed
to be dressed that way. Like
she
was supposed to be dressed this way, too. His blond hair was longer, down well past his shoulders, tied back with a leather thong. He carried a huge sword sheathed in a scabbard slung across his back. He smiled and walked over to her.

“Little one, what are you doing here?”