paid it much attention. “I was a little distracted trying to stop the three of you from being possessed by a spirit, you know.”
“Oh, pish,” said Iva. “The spirit— I really wish I could give her a name; hopefully we’ll figure out who she is soon enough. Anyway, the spirit was quite benign, all things considered. She just wants her story to be heard and understood, that’s all. It was very clear to me, Hollis, that she had no intention of harming me.”
“While she was leading you down the stairs into the darkness,” Vivien reminded her.
“Now, Iva,” Hollis began, his voice stern and his eyes wide.
“Vivien, it’s time to go,” Jake said, desperation in his voice as he bolted to his feet. “Really. The steaks will be ruined. It’s been great seeing you all—and thank you so much for all the information about the ghost—”
“You know about the ghost, Elwood?” Ricky said, standing up. “Have you seen it? You?”
Jake froze, and Vivien would have convulsed with laugher if he hadn’t looked so incredibly pathetic, all frustrated and trapped and trying to be polite—and if she hadn’t felt her heart smoosh and flutter for him.
Damn. She was beginning to think even industrial-strength shampoo wasn’t going to help her wash him away.
“I’m really hungry, Elwood,” she said, rescuing him. “I think we’d better get those steaks in the oven before they’re ruined. Mr. DeRiccio, I hope you’re feeling better,” she added, and, with the pièce de résistance that she knew would be their escape hatch, she leaned over and kissed Jake’s pop right on the cheek, just above his soft mustache. “Enjoy your flowers, Mr. D. I’ll be checking on them to make sure they aren’t drooping tomorrow, all right? So get them in a vase right away.”
“We’ll see you tomorrow afternoon at the book signing, right, Vivien?” said Iva, in an obvious last-ditch effort to keep them there.
“Oh, right—yes, thanks for the reminder. I’m looking forward to meeting TJ Mack,” Vivien said cheerfully. “I’m a huge fan.” And without giving any of the older folks a chance to waylay them again, she took Jake by the arm and towed him off the deck.
“Make sure you go into Hot Toddy beforehand,” Iva called after them. “It’s right up your alley.”
“Will do,” Vivien hollered back. “Quick, let’s go,” she said, diving into the passenger seat of Jake’s car.
To her surprise, he didn’t say a word during the eight-minute drive to his house. She wondered if she’d somehow offended him or upset him—even though she knew he wasn’t that touchy sort of person. At least, he hadn’t been eleven years ago…
He was still silent when they got to his house, and Vivien was beginning to think she’d really effed things up somehow when he got out of the car wordlessly and strode over to open the front door without even looking at her.
She went inside, feeling more and more awkward and unsettled by the moment, and watched as he moved swiftly to the kitchen counter. He picked up the meat package there and tossed it into the fridge, then turned to her.
“Jake—” She barely got the syllable of his name out when he had her plastered up against the door—the nearest upright surface—gripping her hips, his mouth on hers, drowning out whatever she’d been about to say.
“Oh my God, thank you, Vivien,” he said after an eternity of slick, deep, lustful kissing while she melted under his touch.
He began to nuzzle his way down the side of her throat, making her brain turn even mushier. Her knees buckled embarrassingly, but fortunately, he was holding her against the wall with his solid, warm body. She gripped his arms, reveling in the solidness of his biceps and the texture of his lips and tongue along her neck and shoulder as heat and pleasure sizzled through her.
“I thought we would never get out of there…” he murmured, sliding his tongue lazily around the rim of her ear as she shivered against him. “And have I mentioned how sexy you look in that little blue dress you’re wearing?”
His lips were doing amazing things to her, and she could hardly hear the words coming out of his mouth between nibbles, nuzzles, and nips as he slid his hands up beneath her skinny-strapped sundress, sliding them over her quivering belly.
“Jake,” she murmured, barely able to form thoughts, but needing to taste him, too, to touch him… It wasn’t fair that he had his hands all over her and she couldn’t