Page 42 of Be Our Ghost (The Duchess Hotel #2)

Thirty-One

Charlie woke at seven, surrounded by a sturdy pair of arms. With a hum of satisfaction, she nestled her body into Knox’s.

Last night, upon getting ready for bed, she’d stripped down to nothing and waited for him to arrive, eager to offer him a delightful round of make-up sex.

Despite her best efforts to stay awake, she’d drifted off before he showed up.

Knox’s arms tightened around her waist. He nuzzled her neck. “Good morning, my little ghostbuster.”

She giggled. Like her, he was naked, his rigid length pressing into her back.

A rush of heat flooded through her, settling squarely between her legs.

“Morning, Knox. Can you believe today’s the day?

The Duchess is going to be on TV. And it’s all because we did such a great job proving it’s haunted. ”

He kissed the tender spot behind her ear. “We make a good team, don’t we?”

“We sure do. Maybe we should start planning the hotel’s Christmas activities. Remember those events we did last year? The family Saturdays with Santa and the hot cocoa bar? All those festive holiday-themed drinks? I’ll bet you can’t wait to get started.”

With a growl, he flipped her over so she was flat on her back. He hovered above her, giving her his stormiest, don’t-fuck-with-me glare. “I just got through one holiday season, and now you want me to dive into another? How am I supposed to catch a break?”

Even if he sounded like an angry bear, she knew he didn’t mean it. “Admit it. You secretly loved that sparkly vest I made you wear.”

He brushed his thumb over her nipple. “I admit nothing.”

When he gave it a tweak, little tingles settled low in her belly. “Maybe this year, I could convince you to wear a Santa hat. You’d look so cute in one.”

“Not. Another. Word.” Lowering his head, he ran his tongue over each bud, sucking on them until she moaned in submission.

She wove her fingers through his thick hair, arching her back as he gave her breasts his full attention, his beard tickling her bare skin.

She wanted to keep teasing him about Christmas, but she could barely form the words.

Not when each swipe of his tongue, each nip and caress, was driving her wild.

“You…you know you love all those holiday events,” she gasped.

He nudged open her legs and dipped a finger inside her. “Nope. I did it for you. So you wouldn’t think I was a Grinch.”

“Oh, Knox.” She closed her eyes, surrendering to his touch as he found the right spot.

Stroking it with the perfect amount of pressure.

She clenched her thighs as he took her close to the edge and left her hanging.

With a whimper, she wrapped her hand around his wrist, desperate for him to keep going.

But he pulled his fingers away with a throaty chuckle that let her know exactly who was in charge.

“You’re so impatient. The longer you wait, the better it’ll be.

” His breath was warm on her skin as he trailed kisses along her rib cage and down her stomach.

Parting her legs wider, he teased her with little pecks along the inside of her thighs until finally seeking out the warmth and wetness between them.

When he placed his hands under her ass and gripped it tightly, she writhed beneath him.

“My greedy little pixie,” he murmured. “You want this so badly, don’t you?”

“Yes. Oh my God, yes. Please , Knox.” If he wanted her to beg, she’d beg for it.

But already, he was working his magic with his tongue, bringing her so close to ecstasy that her breath came in little gasps.

How was it possible that it felt this good, every damn time?

She babbled his name incoherently, completely lost in sensation, so close she could hardly bear it.

As the orgasm rushed through her, she tumbled over the edge and released the air from her lungs in a cry of pleasure.

When he looked up and met her eyes, she couldn’t help but laugh. He looked so damn smug. Like he’d thoroughly enjoyed pushing her to the point where she was at his mercy.

You win, Knox. No more Santa hats.

As he got off the bed and opened the nightstand drawer to retrieve a condom, she grabbed his arm. “Let me return the favor. Please.”

* * *

Knox eased back onto the pillows and placed his hands behind his head.

“You won’t get any argument from me.” He enjoyed taking the lead in bed, and he loved those few occasions when he’d gotten the chance to put Charlie over his knee and spank her.

But there was something unbelievably hot about letting her take control.

She ran her tongue along his shaft, then stroked it with her fingers. Just the softest of touches, driving him up the wall. At this rate, he was going to come before she even wrapped her lips around him. But when she took him into her mouth, the wait was worth it.

“Fuck, Charlie, that feels incredible.”

He twisted his hand in her hair, tugging on it until she moaned and took him deeper. This, right here, was as good as it got. If she wanted him to wear a Santa hat this Christmas, he would. And he’d wear a shiny vest embellished with holly berries. Hell, he’d even dress up like Santa.

Wait. Where had that come from? Now was not the time to be thinking about this shit.

He was so wound up that he wasn’t going to last. Not when that hot little mouth of hers was pushing him over the precipice. He loved that his sweet, sunny Charlie secretly possessed a wicked streak. And that she enjoyed giving pleasure just as much as receiving it.

“I’m coming,” he groaned. But she kept going, keeping hold of him as he allowed himself the sweet bliss of release. He shuddered as the pleasure soared through him.

When she sat up and grinned at him, he shook his head in resignation. “You win, sweetheart. I’m helpless around you.”

“I think the feeling’s mutual. But I’ll take the win.”

He pulled her toward him, and she rested her head on his chest. A sense of peace washed over him. Like the past no longer mattered. Right now, this was precisely where he needed to be.

She traced her fingers along his bicep. “Do you want to come by the front desk tonight? Maybe around ten thirty? That way, we can go check out their base camp. I’m curious to see what kind of footage they get with their equipment, like the thermal-imaging monitor and the electronic voice phenomenon detector. ”

“I wonder if they’ll get any messages from Maeve on the EVP.”

“They might not since it’s an all-male team, but maybe they’ll get lucky.” She shivered. “I’m just glad they’re the ones handling it.”

* * *

Despite his best intentions, Knox wasn’t able to stop by the front desk until just before eleven, when the Lily was about to close.

He’d had Miles and Jordan helping him, but it didn’t matter.

The fact that it was a Saturday night—and Halloween, to boot—meant there had been a big crowd and an even bigger demand for his ghost-themed cocktails.

Though the lounge had already hosted a costume party last week, lots of guests had come dressed up.

With all the booze being consumed, he’d had to keep an eye on things to ensure no one got out of line.

When he came to get Charlie, she was so hyped up she was practically vibrating. She set down a stainless-steel tumbler. “You’re here. Finally! I’m dying to go upstairs.”

“Sorry. Things got a little nuts.” He motioned to the tumbler. “That isn’t coffee, is it?”

“It sure is! I’m so wired. I already worked a full shift, took a break for dinner, and came back here to wait for you. If not for this coffee, I’d be crashed out in my office.”

“You okay to leave the front desk? It looks like you’ve got enough coverage.” He pointed to the two clerks working the night shift, who were dressed for Halloween. One wore a witches’ hat, while the other sported black cat ears and drawn-on whiskers.

“I’m not on duty or anything. I was just waiting for you to show up.” She came around to his side. “Let’s do this! I’m so excited.”

He took her hand. “Easy there, sweetheart. The film crew would probably prefer it if you were a little more chill.”

“Right. Sorry. But I hope they get some good footage. What if they pick up words with the EVP? What if Maeve says something sinister, like ‘leave this place’ or ‘get out’? Or what if the temperature gauge thingy shows a huge spike in temperature? Wouldn’t that be awesome?”

She was still amped up, but he didn’t have the heart to ask her to calm down again. Despite his relaxed demeanor, he was equally excited. They took the elevator up to the third floor and walked down the hall. When they knocked on the door to room 308, Logan opened it right away.

“Come on in,” he said.

A large monitor took up most of the space on the work desk, displaying footage from the three different cameras. One guy sat behind the desk, observing everything. Logan gestured for Knox and Charlie to come closer. “So…it’s not looking too good.”

“What do you mean?” Knox said. “Did something bad happen?” From all the accounts Charlie had shared with him, the staff members who’d been trapped in the room had never suffered physically.

“Nothing’s happened. That’s the problem.” Logan swiped a hand through his wavy blond hair. “Burke and the others have called out to Maeve, but she hasn’t responded. No readings, no cold spots, no unknown voices. Nada. This investigation might be a bust.”

“Shit.” Knox fought back a wave of guilt. He’d warned Logan the room might not pay off but still felt like he’d wasted their time. “Sorry about that.”

“No, dude, it’s cool. We knew the risk going in. We’ll just have to play up the interviews and the backstory. Sometimes this happens.”

Through the cameras displayed on the monitor, Knox could hear the two team members conversing in the dark room while the other one scanned it with an infrared camera.

Though the storage room looked creepier in the dark, it was a far cry from some of the eerie locales the show had visited in the past.

Charlie spoke up. “You know what the problem is? You’re relying on male investigators. That’s why Maeve isn’t reacting.”

Logan tilted his head to the side. “What?”

“This is what I warned you about when Burke interviewed us yesterday. Maeve only responds to a female presence. But you and the others wouldn’t listen.” Her expression darkened. “I wish Celia was with them. I’ll bet you’d get some activity then.”

Logan scratched his chin. “Well…we’re only an hour in. This isn’t how we usually run our lockdowns, but do you want to join them?”

Charlie’s eyes widened. “Me? Join a paranormal investigation?”

“Sure, why not?” He shrugged. “You’ve already had two freaky experiences in that room. What’s one more?”

“Do you have any idea how unnerving it was?” Her voice rose. “I hated getting stuck in there.”

Knox put a hand on her shoulder. In the grand scheme of things, the show wasn’t that important. He’d rather keep her safe. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. This isn’t on you.”

The man viewing the monitor turned to face them. “If you think it’ll help to send her in there, I’ll let them know. They might be up for it. Otherwise, we could end up with three more hours of nothing.” He gave an exaggerated yawn.

Charlie scrubbed her hands over her face. “I…I don’t know. I’m not sure I could stick it out for three hours.”

“How about for a half hour?” Logan asked. “All we need is some kind of response from Maeve. Didn’t you say she bombarded you with negative vibes when you were in there?”

Knox frowned. Even if Charlie did experience a strong emotional response to the ghost, her feelings wouldn’t manifest as evidence. “I don’t think that’ll be enough. And it’s not worth it to put Charlie through all that turmoil.” He kissed the top of her head. “Not unless you want to.”

“If I start panicking, can you let me out of the room?” she asked. “I don’t want to have a heart attack or anything.”

A heart attack? Jesus . He’d just gotten her back. He didn’t want to lose her. “You don’t have to do this.”

“It’s okay.” She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ears. “I’m just going to freshen up first. To make sure I look good for the cameras.”

When she dashed into the washroom, Knox glared at Logan. While he appreciated everything his friend had done for him, he didn’t want to put Charlie at risk. “This is a bad idea.”

“Let her try it. She’s braver than you think.”

Knox mulled over that thought. She was brave.

And not just when it came to diving into the hotel’s haunted history.

At the gala, she’d stood up for him, challenging both Lila and Evan.

She’d followed that act of defiance by standing up to her mom and deciding to move out, after years of not wanting to rock the boat with her folks.

For all the people-pleasing she did, she was pure steel underneath.

“Okay,” he grumbled. “But understand this. I refuse to stand by and let anything bad happen to her. If she’s in danger, we need to pull her out of there. Got it?”

His voice must have come across as sterner than he intended because Logan flinched. “Understood. I won’t let her get hurt.”

Knox wanted to trust him, but he wasn’t sure what their ghost had up her sleeve.