Page 7 of Haunting Salem

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The tripto the library brought about tons of research material and we weren't even done. Jack left Nolan and me to bring all the materials to our room—thank you luggage cart—then took off to join Owen and Lucy to meet up with a LEO familiar with the goings-on in town—Sheriff Adock. While they were gone, Nolan and I began sifting through the materials given to us by the library.

I liked Betty. She was quiet. Attentive. She had this confidence about her when she explained what happened in Salem during the trials. One of the locations we would be visiting while in Salem was built in 1668 by a sea captain, John Turner, for his family. Over the years the House of Seven Gables increased in size as the family became richer. However, the Turner family lost the house when John Turner III lost everything. Eventually, Samuel Ingersoll purchased the house and his daughter Susanna inherited the mansion at his death.

This is when it gets dishy.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was the great-grandson of John Hawthorne the judge for the Witch Trials. Nathaniel spent more time in the mansion than not writing his novels and generally enjoying the place. The mansion inspired the novel The House of Seven Gables. However, there's also a tragic past to the house, and I couldn't wait to get inside.

According to the research Betty gave us, John Turner’s son, fell from a cherry tree after being pushed from it by the specter of Ann Pudeator, a widow who was accused of witchcraft by John Proctor’s maid Mary Warner. Also, the sister of John Turner, Elizabeth was the first wife of Eleazer Gedney, brother of Bartholomew Gedney, another of the judges for the witchcraft trials. This also led me to this nugget of a statement from Sarah Good;I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take my life, God will give you blood to drink.The curse was hurled at Reverend Nicholas Noyes before her execution, but I had a feeling, it was more of a general statement/curse to anyone involved in their murders. Because, let’s be realistic here, three men along with several biter, jealous women murdered their neighbors due to lies. This little foundling country of ours had conspiracy theories before conspiracy theories were a thing.

But, again, I digress.

It appeared, to me anyway, anyone who bought the house and lived in it, who had an ancestor who was part of the trials had something befall them causing them ruin. Though Susanna loved the house her adopted son, Horace, lost the home as well. From the land deeds and trusts, the house went into ill-repair until the Upton family bought the mansion and turned it into a museum. Ida Upton even made and sold the first notable souvenir—a hand-painted "witch cup."

The dark secrets didn't stop there either. If I had to guess why the Gable house was haunted, I'd say it was due to the death and anger surrounding it. I'd be pissed. Come to think of it, I was pissed. I pushed the articles and books away from me and stood. I needed to clear my head. I knew when this project started, I would have a hard time with it. But, learning the history in high school and being in Salem, I don't know, it was like the trials happened yesterday.

I tried to rationalize what I was feeling along with not dismissing the spirits or the fact it could all be manufactured rage. The Salem trials were and still are a black spot on our history as a country. We have this horrible way of destroying ourselves from the inside out. We’ve done it time and time again, and I didn’t believe we’d ever stop. In a way, it seemed like the whole country was cursed.

"Hey." Nolan came up behind me, placing his hand on my hip. Warmth spread from his touch, and I sank into the sensation. "Need a break?"

I swallowed hard. “I think so.”

“Want a distraction?”

Did I ever. I nodded, afraid of how weak my voice would be if I spoke again. Jack and Nolan had this uncanny ability to always know when I needed help. Like Kael, they sheltered me when the voices and visions and bullshit became too thick or too real. I appreciated them. More than I said most days.

Nolan skimmed his fingers along the hem of my shirt the silky tease drew my attention away from the tombs sitting on the table to the here and now. Electricity sparked along my skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. My flesh tingled. My heart beat at an excited pace. Closing my eyes, I laid my head back against his chest, allowing him to banish all the waywardness filling me.

By the time he had me naked, I ached for him.

He loved it when I begged. I loved seeing the flare in his eyes when I finally pleaded with him to stop teasing me and fuck me. It was as if he became this whole other person. This beast of a man. His muscular frame covered my body and in the next second, I was protected and secure in his arms. Nolan kissed me with a reverence so mind-blowing, my brain imploded. His tongue tangled with mine mimicking the glide of his body. I panted and moaned like a bitch in heat.

His rough chuckle sensually slipped down my spine causing my lower region to tingle in pleasure. I arched to him, desperate for him to fill me, but he held off, drawing a desperate mewl from my lips. He kissed me again while fitting his middle finger against my clit. When he gave a tentative stroke of the hard nub, I gasped, digging my fingernails into his biceps.

“You always get so worked up,” he whispered across my lips as he sank his finger into me. “I swear if we weren’t with you, you’d work yourself to death.” Nolan curled his finger as he withdrew then added a second.

“No more talk about work.” I strained against him, not wanting to acknowledge the truth about his assessment. “Make me forget about everything.”

“Working on it,” he grunted, before nipping at my bottom lip. “How do you want it, babe?”

How did I want it? I'd laugh if I could. Nolan pressed his forehead to mine, his dark brown gaze meeting my hazel eyes. He continued to tease me, pushing me to the edge over and over again before backing off. He had to have the words. Had to hear me say it. We were always safe and careful. I'd been on birth control since I was sixteen due to an irregular cycle, and he carried condoms. Yet, there were times when I threw caution into the wind. He wanted an answer for this time though.

“Bare.” I arched to him again. “Please, Nolan.”

The sinful smirk tugging at his lush lips undid any illusion of control I might have had. He removed his fingers from me and fit his tip to the entrance of my pussy. He surged forward with a silky smooth motion that stole my breath and left me lightheaded with euphoria. His jaw clenched and he hissed out a breath. Every inch of him went taut as I quivered and pulsed around him. I'd never get used to this. I'd never not be amazed by how it felt to have him inside of me or how my body accommodated his.

His pace was slow and methodical, keeping me primed. He explored every inch of my body with his hands, lips, and tongue. When he buried his face in my neck and sucked on the sensitive flesh behind my ear, I cried out. His groan of approval sent a wave of butterflies through my belly. I could honestly say we didn't fuck, Nolan made love. He was good at it. If I needed a quick fuck that was filled with heat and steam, I went to Jack. This, with Nolan... I couldn’t put words to it.

I wrapped my legs around his hips and dug my heels into his firm ass, encouraging him to grind against me. He grabbed my hands and put them above my head, pinning them in place with one of his big palms. His gaze sparkled. His big body glistened with a layer of sweat. We didn’t have to speak. Our bodies did the talking for us. When he kissed me again, he quickened his thrusts. I writhed below him. My sobs for more filled the room. This was us. This passion and fire. The unspoken way we knew what each other needed, continued to amaze me.

This time when the crawling yearning of pleasure seeped through my limbs and settled behind my clit, he didn’t stop. Instead, he grabbed my hip and lifted me slightly, hitting the one spot inside of me he knew would have me climaxing in a hot second. The minute the crest of his thick cock rubbed over the area, I lost it. I clung to him, trembling in his arms as the powerful orgasm washed over me. Nolan filled me twice more before making a sound at the back of his throat that was sexy as fuck.

His lips brushed across my ear as he murmured, “That’s my cum filling your pussy, babe. Don’t ever forget it.”

His rough tone had sparks of a mini-orgasm rushing through me. “You’re so filthy.” I tried to laugh but each time the small sound left my lips, I clenched around him and we dissolved in a fit of moans.

“Nonetheless true.” He rolled us so that both of us were comfortable, palming my ass in a purely possessive way.

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