Reclaiming Souls (12 page)

“Thanks for tonight. I had a really great time.” I hugged him tightly.

“I’m glad I could make you happy. I enjoyed your company. Have a good night, Dev.” He kissed my forehead and went to leave.

“Wait!” I called after him.

He spun around on his toes. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just...” I fumbled with the hem on my shirt and shifted back and forth between my feet. “I really don’t want to be alone. I’m scared,” I shrugged slightly.

Without saying a word, he put his arm around my waist and walked me back inside. We went into my bedroom. I sifted through the drawers of clothes that were already there before I moved in. “Are these...do these belong to someone else? Like a collector who is serving an eternity?”

He laughed, “No, none of them have ever been worn, I promise.”

“Okay, just making sure because that would be really gross if they did.”

He turned around while I lifted my shirt over my head and threw it on the floor next to the bed. I looked around the room. It was a beautiful house that I had been given.

The bed had massive black and gold pillars with sheer gold bed curtains around it. There was a walk-in closet with rows of clothes and shoes but I was drawn to the all-black ensemble the most. A chaise lounge was next to the door and a chest of drawers to the side of my bed. The chandelier that hung in the middle of the room was dimly lit and put off soft sparkles on all the walls and furniture kind of like a disco ball.

Still in my pants, I walked over in front of him. His eyes were closed and he had his arms crossing his chest. Without disturbing him, I leaned in and planted my lips against his. He jolted; slightly startled, before unfolding his arms and wrapping them around me. I was standing there...in my bra...and I couldn’t have felt more comfortable doing it.

He stopping kissing me and leaned his forehead against mine as he closed his eyes again, “Dev, I thought you wanted to take things slow,” he whispered.

“Who said we were doing anything? So, I can’t just walk around in my bra in my own house and kiss you?” I teased.

He smirked, “Only if you want to go further because I’m having a hard time restraining myself from throwing you on the bed and making you mine,” he growled softly; his voice full of lust.

“You’re not the only one having a hard time restraining,” I replied.

“So what do you want to do? If you want to stop, I will. If you want to continue, I won’t stop until you can’t walk tomorrow.” His breathing became quick and hard while he stared into my eyes; into the depths of my souls, down to my core.

I bit the corner of my lip while trying to decide what I wanted to do. “How about tonight, you stay with me and we’ll see how things go from there the next time?” I placed my hand on his face and ran it down to his chest.

“So you’re saying there will be a next time?” He lifted an eyebrow and smiled crookedly.

I laughed, “Yeah, I think I like you. I feel pulled to you and I’m not sure why. I can’t help but gravitate to your captivating eyes, charming smile, and your embrace where I fit just perfectly.”

“I feel the same way.” He kissed my forehead and took my hand; leading me to the bed. I hopped on the bed and got under the blanket still in my bra and pants. I was too tired to try and change. He began to walk towards the door but I sat up and grabbed his arm, pulling him back to me. He landed on top of me with only the blanket separating us from each other.

“Stay,” I whispered while kissing him and grazed his bottom lip with my teeth.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he breathed against my neck while he kissed it. He slipped off the top and laid behind me; wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into his embrace. My back was to his chest and I could feel it rise and fall. His kisses covered my neck and I wrapped my arm around the back of his head and held on. “Good night, Dev,” he said with his final kiss on my lips.

“Good night, Kellin,” I responded, laying my head on the pillow next to his. I fell into a blissful and lustful sleep that night. He was the one I wanted to spend my afterlife with. I couldn’t explain it. I didn’t know him very long but just being with him felt right; so natural. I wanted nothing more than his embrace.

Chapter Nine

There was a loud banging on the door. “Dev! Come on! Open the door! You said you would go with me today.” Lexie turned the doorknob hard a few times. I jumped out of bed and made a beeline for the door, still half asleep. When I opened the door she turned and saw me, her jaw hitting the ground. She looked around really quick then back at me.

“What are you gawking at?” I asked, rubbing my eyes while I yawned.

“Umm, I think you might want to go back inside and put some clothes on,” she laughed, then snorted and covered her mouth with her hands.

I looked down quickly. “OhMFreakinA!” I squeaked, covering my bra with my hands and running back inside. I grabbed a blanket off the couch and wrapped it around me.

Lexie came in laughing. “Late night, huh? Couldn’t even put on a freakin shirt,” she shook her head and made her way into the kitchen. I glanced nervously over to my bedroom, praying Kellin wouldn’t open the door. Lexie caught on to me. “Oh my God...he’s still here, isn’t he?” she whispered.

“Don’t you say a word,” I hissed at her.

“Who is it?”

“What?”

“Who is in your bed right now? He’s naked, isn’t he?” she giggled.

I rolled my eyes, “No, he’s not naked and yes he stayed the night but we didn’t do anything, I swear.”

“Oh yeah? I like to sleep in only my bra and tease Jackson but tell him no we can’t do anything, too,” she snorted and covered her mouth but it was a little too late.

The bedroom door open and Kellin walked out, “What’s so funny?”

Her eyes looked like they were about to bug out of her head. “Nothing, except your girl here opened the door in her bra for everyone to see,” she laughed again. I threw a couch pillow at her.

“Shut up. Jeez, you just woke me up and I forgot I kind of wasn’t wearing a shirt.” I felt my face grow hot and red with embarrassment.

“I’m not judging you, I swear,” she held her hands up in mock surrender, “but the others might be. I’m just saying I’m not one of those judgmental bastards,” she smiled from ear to ear.

“Can we just move past this and get going,” I grumbled at her.

“Sure,” we headed for the door but she stopped and turned to me, “you still might want to put a shirt on, though.”

I looked down. I was still wrapped in the blanket. I groaned, “Yeah, I might need that. I’ll be back in a minute.” I went to my room and grabbed the all black outfit from the closet.

When I came out of it, Kellin was leaning against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets, with a big shit eating grin on his face.

“Don’t look so smug.” I set the clothes on the bed and took my pants off, not even caring that he was watching my every move. After I shimmied out of them and was in nothing more than my bra and panties, I stood straight and pulled my hair all to one side.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him. He was looking at me but not at my body. He was watching my face. “What are you looking at?” I asked him, curiously. I cocked my head to the side a little and my hair fell slightly in front of my eye.

He pushed off the doorframe and crossed the room to me. His hand grazed my face as he put my hair back behind my ear. “You.” His voice was soft and sweet.

“I don’t know why. I still have bed hair that looks like I got in a fight with a gorilla and it won,” I laughed awkwardly.

“Your smile, your laugh, the way you move, the way you look at me... when I stare into those big doe eyes of yours...it all really gets to me. The world falls away and it’s just you and me. We aren’t just souls floating around this place; we aren’t just two dead people trying to get through this afterlife. It’s something different. If my heart was beating, it would stop every time you walked by me, every time you smiled at me or kissed me. I want you to know how badly I want you. I need you to know because I need to know if this is all me or if you feel even some of what I feel.”

I swallowed a lump that formed in my throat. “Kellin, it’s not that I don’t, it’s that I haven’t known you long enough. Yes, I have some feelings for you and they are powerful and lustful and I long for you in a way I can’t describe. You know me from somewhere but you can’t tell me and I understand that. Surely you realize that even though you know me...I don’t know you. I just met you...again. Please, give me a little more time to get to that place you’re already at. Let me meet you there but please don’t rush me. I know I’ll get there.”

He hung his head, dropped his shoulders, and ran a shaky hand through his hair. “Wow. Guess I wasn’t ready for that blow. I’m not mad at you. Hey I have to get going. I have to hand out the lists this morning.”

He turned and headed for the door. I grabbed his arm and stopped him. He never turned around to look at me. “Please, Kellin, please don’t give up on me. I’ve fallen hard for you. I’m scared to fall too quickly because I don’t want to get hurt.”

“I understand.” He slipped out of my grasp and reached the door before turning to me, hurt written all over his face. His smile was gone and the shimmer in his eyes was gone. “For the record, I would never hurt you. I would serve an eternity of punishment so you would never have to.” He slipped out of the door. I heard the front door open and close quietly.

“Hey, what the hell was that all about?” Lexie peeped in the door.

“He basically told me he loves me in a beautiful way.”

“So what’s the problem?” She walked in, hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes at me.

“I-I-...I’m not sure I do yet. He said he knows me from somewhere but he can’t talk about it until after I’m done restructuring the system. I don’t remember him. I don’t remember anything. How do I know he’s not lying to get in my pants or something?” I sat on the bed.

She sighed, “Oh boy, okay, we can work around all this. Wow, you really have no idea.”

“Huh?”

“Look, we’re late to get the list for the day. Can we talk about this after? I promise to give you more details than he obviously did. Freakin men, I swear. They’re always so vague and leave you hanging when you don’t need it.”

“What’s there to know?”

“I said after we’re done, got it? That’s the deal. If you want any information from me, you’ll get it after we bring some souls back. Besides, reclaiming them is a good stress reliever. The rush of the chase always makes me feel better, anyways.”

I shook my head, letting a slight grin show itself. “Okay, it’s a deal.” I jumped up, quickly wrapped my hair in a bun and followed Lexie to get her list. I was hoping to get some good insight on what actually happens during them. I had only heard about collecting souls and bringing them back. I admit I was nervous to go. I felt I would get in the way and not be of any help at all.

When we walked in, there was a small line. I followed Lexie to the front. Kellin handed her the list. “Hey Kellin, how are you?” she asked casually.

He shrugged, “I’m good.”

There was that awkward silence for a minute before the Collector behind us cleared her throat for us to move. “Okaaay, well, good talking to you.” She shook her head and we turned back towards the door.

I looked back at Kellin. He glanced at me really quick and that was it before he acted like I wasn’t there. “How long do you think he’ll be mad at me?” I asked Lexie after we were safe from him hearing us.

“I dunno. Never seen him this hurt before,” she retorted. Quickly, she squeezed her lips into a tight line and shut her eyes. “Sorry. Sometimes I speak and don’t really think about what I’m saying. That’s not how I meant for it to come out.”

“It’s okay. It’s the truth, isn’t it?” I wrapped my arms around myself as we made our way to the portal.

“Well, umm, yeah...kinda. Since we’ve both been here, I’ve never seen him so happy when he’s with someone aaaand I’ve also never seen him so sad because of someone,” she replied. “You need to talk to him when we get back. You obviously came across the wrong way to him. If the only thing holding you back is because you’re scared, tell him. If you want to admit it or not, you two are like, totally perfect for each other. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to force you into something you’re not ready for, I’m just telling you the truth and I think you’re just prolonging both of you guys’ happiness together.”

“I’ve only known him a couple of days,” I looked down and kicked at the pavement with my shoe.

“Trust me, you’ve known him longer than a couple of days,” she laughed.

“Oh is that so, huh?” Finally, I was starting to get somewhere. Maybe I could get her to leak more information about what was going on.

“That’s all I’m saying, I swear it,” she grinned.

We arrived at the portal. She took my hand. “Where are we going first?”

“Louisiana,” she rolled her eyes, “Cajuns are something different, I swear.”

“Better be careful messing with those voodoo people,” I laughed.