Haunted Love

Chapter One

It was late summer and Anna Jefferies stood in front of the refurbished Alabama plantation, admiring its towering white columns and the porches that spanned two levels. The oaks in front weighed heavily with moss that shivered in the evening breeze and framed the gravel driveway. A late crop of Confederate Jasmine sprinkled the walkway in yellow flowers and filled the air with a spicy scent. She'd seen the house in brochures, but a picture could never have captured the absolute splendor of the old mansion.

"Welcome to Haunted Hollow," a deep voice called from the end of the porch. The sound was warm and welcoming. While most Alabamians sounded Southern, those from the south third of the state had beautiful accents that sounded like characters from Gone With the Wind.

"Thank you." She smiled and glanced down the length of the veranda to a handsome, dark-haired man with nothing more than faded jeans and an open white shirt to separate his tanned skin from the white wicker rocking chair in which he sat. One ankle rested loosely on the opposite knee and a half empty glass of lemonade sat on the floor beside him.

"Ring the bell on the table and Miss Bethamie will check you in."

"Oh." When he looked at her, there was something familiar in those green eyes. The heat rose into her face and she glanced away. "Okay. Thanks again."

"Anytime."

She reached for the door, then gave the handle a tug. Her hands shook. Just one glance at the man and she'd been reduced to a hunk of quivering nerves. Pathetic.

Once inside, it was easy to see the care that the owner had placed in keeping the furniture and décor in the same period as the house. It was immaculate with its ornate sofas and lamps, paintings and doilies. To Anna's right sat a waist-high table with a guestbook. She took the silver pen from its holder and signed her name on the top of the second page.

"Miss Jefferies?"

She looked up to see a round little woman with white hair pulled into a bun. Her cream flowery dress almost matched the wallpaper, but it made her face look rosy.

"Yes. Just call me Anna." When the woman smiled, and she smiled back.

"Alright, Miss Anna, my name is Bethamie." She held out a key with a pink rose on the ring. "You're in the Pink Room."

Oh great. She took the key and tried not to look disappointed. The room hadn't been on the brochure and with a name like that, it couldn't be good.

"Go to the top of the stairs, then to the end of the hall. The room's on your right."

"Thank you."

"If you need anything, just let me know. We don't normally let guests use that room because it was Widow Hamilton's boudoir, and the lights keep blowing in your suite but we're booked solid. The Widow can get a little frisky at times, but I figured with you being a ghost chaser and all, you wouldn't mind it."

Anna smiled. "It sounds like I came at just the right time then."

"I thought you might see it that' away." Miss Bethamie glanced behind her, then back to her face so that Anna wondered if she'd seen the man from the porch. "Dinner will be on the table at seven."

"Okay." She headed up the stairs to the supposedly haunted room. "See you at dinner."

vvv

Anna opened the door and stepped into the Pink Room. It was a room much like the rest of the house, but it certainly earned its name. A pale pink sheer that matched the bedding and curtains draped around the canopy of the bed. The chair in the corner held a cushion decorated in pink rosebuds that matched the throw pillows on the bed.

She sat the duffle bag on the bed and turned to close the door when she saw it. Over a sizeable fireplace hung a picture of a woman in a pink gown. It was beautiful, but the figure in the dress was the most striking aspect.

She blinked, but it didn't change. The woman looked surprisingly like her. Her hair was the same dark blonde as Anna's, though curly. Her skin was just as fair and her eyes just as dark blue-gray. Even her features resembled those that Anna saw in the mirror every day. It wasn't that the woman looked exactly the same, but enough that she could have been a direct ancestor.

She turned her back and reached a hand toward the door. The sensation of fingertips across her shoulder forced chills down her arm. Anna pushed the door to and glanced back over her shoulder at the same time.

Of course, nothing was there except her own vivid imagination, just like every other haunted mansion she'd visited.

vvv

"How do you like your room, Miss Anna?" Bethamie motioned her toward a seat at the opposite end of the head of the table.

"Here?" Anna gave her a questioning look and she nodded. "It's very nice."

"Yes, sit there, dear. Mr. Hamilton has named you the guest-of-honor for the evening."

"Oh really?" She slid into the seat and watched the old lady fill a large glass with iced tea. Quietly, the woman started out the door. "And when do I get to meet Mr. Hamilton?"

The door closed without a word from the woman. The old bat must be deaf.

That lovely male voice came from behind her. "How about now?"

She craned her head around to see the same dark-haired man from the porch. This time, he wore khaki pants and a white shirt that made his tan seem even darker. When he smiled, things low inside her abdomen clinched. She looked back at the glass of tea, hoping he didn't see the color in her cheeks. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hamilton."

"Darrin, please." He slid into the chair at the head of the table. He made a quick snap with his napkin before he tucked it across his lap. "How is your room, Miss Jeffries?"

"Please, call me Anna." She followed his lead and put the napkin in her lap. "It's a very nice room."

"Don't you start eating." Bethamie slipped back into the room with a platter of roast that she sat on the table. "You wait for everyone else."

She nodded and Darrin wriggled his eyebrows, then snuck a roll from the basket next to him while Bethamie disappeared back into the kitchen. "I'm not fond of the color my great-grandmother chose for that room, but every time I've changed something about it, she starts smashing windows." He sniffed the roll, then sat it on his plate and settled into his chair.

"I wish I could get that on tape. It would be great for my show." Anna's heart sped up at the idea. She might actually get footage here. Was it too much to hope for a haunted house that was actually haunted?

"I'm sure you'll get something. Things have been--" He glanced toward the door that Bethamie had gone into, then back to her, quieter this time. "--things have been strange since you called."

"Really? How?"

He nodded and the door opened again as a different thin, gray-haired lady appeared with a dish of fried chicken. He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows again, as if to issue his own quiet challenge. When she left again he smiled. "Let's just say that things have been very active around here."

"You'll have to tell me about that later. I want all the details."

"After dinner, if you'd like, we'll walk the property and I'll show you where most ghost chasers get their best stuff."

"I'd like that."

The door to the hall opened and two young couples entered, laughing and stumbling over each other. Darrin nodded in her direction, and then stood as the other ladies took their chairs. He made a slight bow as he said in that thick drawl, "Good evening, ladies."

They giggled and answered back in almost identical Yankee accents. "Hi."

The girls were giggling, while the men looked defensive. Apparently, ghosts weren't the only thing that interested the guests in Haunted Hollow.

Anna took a sip of tea and tried not to laugh as the men took their seats. The tallest one draped his arm around his companion and turned his back slightly toward the host, while the other attempted to ignore him. The guy on the right grumbled to his friend. "This guy's all over the place. I wish he'd give it a rest."

Darrin made a small bow toward Anna. "Excuse me, but I have some other business to attend to."

She nodded and watched him leave the room just as Bethamie returned with a beautiful apple pie. The woman smiled down at her. "You could stand to put on a few pounds, dear. Don't forget to leave room for some of this."

Chapter 2

The forest was quiet, except for the rustling of leaves in the breeze, and glowed an eerie silver shade from the new moon. Anna stood close to Darrin at the edge of the river, watching the moonlit ripples of water moving beneath bowed limbs.

He cleared his voice before he spoke. "I know this is going to sound odd, but I dreamed of you."

Heat rushed up her face. She glanced away, pretending to find something interesting in her camera lens.

"The night before you called, in fact."

"That is odd." She said, lowering the camera so that she could look at him. He had to be kidding or crazy. "Do we know each other?"

"Not in this life."

She arched a brow at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He shook his head and started walking again. "Nothing, it was just a figure of speech."

"It didn't sound like it."

He turned toward her. "You're right. I'm lying. The dream I had was of us, back when this was still a working plantation."

Something clicked. There was a dream. What was it? She was taking care of someone. Yes, and there was a baby. She let the camera fall to her side. "Oh my god."

"What is it?"

His hand reached her shoulder and something rushed through her skin, like liquid fire. Suddenly she could smell herbs in the salve that her hands rubbed on the baby's chest. No, a toddler, with dark curly hair. It was a girl--their girl. Her name was…"Elizabeth. I remember Elizabeth."

"You?" He leaned closer, squinting at her and then leaned back again. "You dreamed it, too?"

"I don't know. I saw something. I think I dreamed it."

He jerked his hand back and took the warmth with him. Anna felt a chill as the heat drained from her face. She wrapped her arms around herself, but the chill came faster. The darkness pushed in around her and she couldn't quite make out what he was saying.

"Something's wrong. I don't feel well." She saw him glance at her just before everything went black.

vvv

Anna's body ached. When her eyes cracked open again, she could see that it was Darrin's arms draped around her. He cradled her in his lap.

"Anna. Are you okay?"

"Yes." Her voice was dry and she swallowed hard. "I think so. What happened?"

"I don't know."

She leaned forward and felt her head swim. She groaned but tried not to let her weight fall back on him.

"Let me carry you back to the house."

She laughed. "No. That's Okay. I think I can manage."

"Alright. Try it."

She leaned forward and shifted her weight to her feet. So far, so good. As she stood, he held on to her shoulders. Finally, upright, she smiled at him. "See, I told you."

He shrugged and let go of her again. That same nauseating coldness crawled over her skin. "Darrin."

She grabbed for his hand. When their skin connected, the cold melted away again.

"What the hell was that?"

"You felt it?"

"Yeah. Cold...like death."

"Yeah."

"Shit." He shivered. "That's what it feels like when you bleed to death. It happened to me in the war."

"God, it's horrible."

"Yeah, but why did you feel it? Just now?"

"I don't know. It's only when you let go of me."

A wicked grin crept across his face.

"What?"

"I bet it's Grandmother again."

"The ghost?"

"Mmhmm."

"I don't think so."

"How do you know?"

He was right, dammit. She really didn't know for sure. "I don't."

"Alright, then don't let go of me. We'll go back and try to figure this out."

Anna nodded and let him lead her back through the forest, toward the white house that glowed in the moonlight.

vvv

Anna shifted on the comforter. "I'm tired, Darrin. I don't think we're going to figure this out tonight. How are we going to sleep?"

He arched a brow. "Together?"

"Yeah, right."

"We have to touch continuously. Do you have a better suggestion?"

"I--" She wanted to argue, but he was right. "No funny business."

He nodded.

"I need to change."

"Go right ahead."

"But you have to touch me the whole time."

"I think I'll survive. I have seen you naked before."

She smirked, held his hand in hers, and reached for her suitcase. She opened it onto the bed and grabbed out the nightshirt with the little pink witch and a black kitten on the front.

Darrin let out a small chuckle.

"Hey, I didn't come here packing lingerie. I thought I was sleeping alone."

He shrugged. "Just an odd choice in bedclothes for a grown woman."

"Not when you're unattached."

She started to unbutton her shirt and struggled with one hand. "Dammit." She slid off the bed to stand in front of him. "Okay, hold my leg while I do this."

His hot hands encircled her upper thigh. When she arched a brow at him, he smiled. "You told me to hold it."

She turned slowly in his grip, putting her back to him. "Okay. No peeking."

The buttons opened easily enough and she tossed the shirt on the chair in the corner. She reached behind her to unclasp the pink lace bra she'd bought just for that shirt, then held it in place with one arm and fished the nightshirt on with the other. Halfway, her head lodged in the armhole and she couldn't shake it loose.

Darrin's hands parted and slid to her hips. It was a little close, but it was probably a better choice for making sure they maintained body contact. She let the bra fall and used both hands to pull the shirt off and slip it back on.

"Don't you feel it?"

"Feel what?" Anna glanced over her shoulder at him to see him eying her waist. She fought the urge to move away and reached for the button on her pants.

"We've been together before. I know what you feel like. I remember."

She shook her head and unzipped her pants quickly, then twisted in his grip so that he was facing her. When their eyes met, it was hard to look at him. So much expectation and hunger. "I don't feel it, Darrin. I'm sorry."

He pulled her forward, pressing her legs between his. "I even remember what you smell like." He leaned his nose to her chest, almost between her breasts, and took a deep breath. "Jasmine."

"Look." She leaned back, planting her hands on his shoulders. "If this is because of a ghost, we shouldn't let it control us. Right?"

Darrin pulled her back to him hard. His hands slid up her sides and pushed the nightshirt up.

"Um. I think this is going too far."

"Do you taste the same?" His voice came out ragged and his lips planted kisses along her stomach in soft, wet patches that made her elbows weaken. His tongue snaked around her belly button and she shivered. It dipped lower, pressing down to the hem of her pink lace panties, and she pulled back.

"Hey, I don't even know you."

His eyes cut up to her and he gripped her hard. "Yes you do."

"Okay, you're scaring me. This needs to stop."

When she shoved, his hands grabbed her waist and pulled forward to straddle his lap. She squealed, but his hands caught her face. She tried to scream, but he crushed her mouth with his lips. Her fists pounded his sides and back.

Flashes of bodies tangled in sheets, candlelight, old clothing, and a bodice opening under his hands. The smell of sandalwood. It was his cologne. Long ago, she'd loved the feel of those dark waves of hair when they wound around her fingers, the ones that he kept tied back during the day as he worked as the Master of the plantation.

Darrin's lips moved back the tiniest amount and she gasped for air. She didn't struggle, and didn't want to.

"See what I mean?" His voice was low and soft.

"We must be crazy." Anna panted, letting her head lean back as he kissed her neck. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something besides the visions. Why did she come here anyway? Didn't someone tell her it was a fake? God, she couldn't tell anyone about this. They'd have her committed.

His mouth brushed across her collarbone, then down the V in her shirt. His five o'clock shadow made her skin tingle. She liked that, kissing her chest, she always had.

Darrin's hands pushed up under the fabric and she shivered. His hands were rough and hard against her skin. One pushed against her breast and the pulse beating against her matched the rhythm of her heart. The other hand smoothed across her nipple and then back, bringing the skin to a point that he pinched between his fingers.

He pushed at the shirt. "Get rid of this."

She slipped it over her head and tossed it behind her. Before she heard it land, his mouth was on her nipple, sucking and licking. Anna pushed her hands through his hair, remembering the longer version. She missed the long hair.

Darrin looked up as if he'd heard the thought. His arms wrapped around her, then turned them so that she lay on the bed beneath him. He worked her pants off, along with the panties and chunked them over his shoulder.

He stood there, his eyes cutting into her as he shed his own clothing with the slow pace of a man who knew what he was about to do. He'd done it a thousand times before. Anna kept one foot on him at all times, snaking over his abdomen as he unbuttoned the shirt, then rubbing his arms as he bent to step out of the pants.

When he was nude, there was none of the surprise that she expected to feel. He was as large and perfectly uncircumcised as she'd seen in the vision.

She pushed her foot slowly downward. Her toes smoothed over the soft skin and he shook. Anna smiled and crooked a finger. "Come here."

He pushed between her legs and stopped when his cock met her swollen lips. He bent his neck, tucking his face into the bend of her neck, and trailed his lips her skin. "I have missed you, my love."

This time, Darrin's voice carried a different accent, something more formal, almost British. Still, she recognized it and the sound of it warmed her.

Her foot smoothed up the back of his thigh, then pulled him to her, forcing him inside until their hips met. She gasped and dug her fingers into his arms as he pulled back. "I won't last long."

He let out a guttural sound and plunged into her again, this time using his hands to grip her shoulders and pull harder against her.

"Do that again."

He did. With each push, his pace sped, as did the waves of release that flowed over her. When she came, he joined her in perfect time.

Chapter 3

Anna glanced over her shoulder to see Darrin smiling down at her. "Morning."

"Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"Wonderfully."

He kissed her shoulder, then her cheek. "You're beautiful when you sleep."

She smiled back at him. "You watched me sleep?"

"Yes. I hope you don't mind."

"No. Not really." She stretched, pointing her toes and arching her back so that her rear pressed against him. He was ready, firm, and moist. She smiled and ground her hips toward his. "You're eager this morning."

"Always, with you."

There was something strange in the way he said it, but she couldn't think. His hand smoothed over her hip and his fingers dipped low. They smoothed over her soft, shaven pussy and she was suddenly glad she'd taken the time. The sensation was amazing.

"You're ready for me." He said it with a hint of surprise and then dipped his finger into the cleft.

It smoothed over her clit slowly, working her toward a steady pace of panting and moaning. First, one finger, then two, so that she had to hook her leg over his. He slipped them down and into her hole with a wet, sticky sound.