Page 50 of Ghost Walk
Grace blinked and then burst out laughing.
Jamie grinned at the happy sound, adoring her.
“I can make a potion foranything.” Serenity interjected, not liking to be left out of the joke. Her brown eyes unerringly landed on Jamie, even though she couldn’t see him. “Even for memory/time travel shit. But are you sure the ghost is worth all this effort, Gracie?”
Jamie glared back at the woman, even though she was probably right.
“I’m sure.” Grace flipped through the yellowed pages of the book. “Darn it, Iknowthat page is in here somewhere. Isn’t there an index to this frigging thing?”
Serenity wasn’t giving up. “Because youreallyneed to be sure. Your cousin Prudence dated a ghost for a while. …Until he dumped her for a zombie.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Said Pru couldn’t fit in with the ‘undead culture’ and made himself invisible to her, so she couldn’t see him lurking about… probably watching her do God-only-knows what. That’s the way it is with all of them. Snobby perverts.”
“I’ve never evenmeta zombie.” Jamie put in, just in case Grace was listening to this madness. “And I can make you a solemn promise I’ve no interest in their drooling, shambling, inarticulate culture. Or in making it so you can’t see me.” Lord, that would be thelastthing he’d want.
Serenity snorted, as if she sensed his denials. “These things rarely work out, Gracie. That’s all I’m saying. Supernatural beings are just dead-ends, when it comes to relationships.” She waved a dismissive hand. “You should just forget about this pirate guy. Especially with your Partner looming on the horizon.”
Jamie’s teeth ground together. Just the mention of Grace’s mysterious “partner” pissed him off. No other manshould have a claim on her. Ever. The woman had been given tohim. She’d slept trustingly beside him all night, and came apart in his hands, and gave his whole unlife meaning. He was never, ever,evergoing to part with her, no matter what kind of “husband material” jackass thought to steal her away. Dead or not, Jamie would find a way to kill the son of a bitch the minute he showed his normal, pleasant, fuckingaliveface.
Maybe she deserved more than just a ghost, but no pirate parted with his ill-gotten treasure. Not without one hell of a fight.
“You need to be on the lookout for your Partner,” Serenity continued, “not wasting your time on…”
Grace cut her off. “Auntie,” she met Serenity’s eyes. “I’msure.” Her voice was full of some deeper meaning that Jamie didn’t understand.
Serenity apparently did, though.
“Oh.” Her eyebrows soared. She glanced in Jamie’s direction again, this time with less hostility. “Well, if you’resure, I’ll see what I can do to save the boy. He does have a nice, strong energy signature. Usually means a man’s hung like a race horse.”
Jamie’s mouth curved. “Why, your aunt reallyispsychic.”
Grace looked towards the cobweb-covered ceiling, like she was praying for patience. “Don’t encourage her.”
“He’s agreeing with me?” Serenity guessed. “Of course he is. I’m always right.” She leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “Did she tell you what it means when a Rivera finds their Partner, Ghost?”
“No.” Jamie answered, even though she couldn’t hear him. He wanted to knoweverythingthere was to know on the topic, so hopefully Serenity would keep talking.
“Aunt Serenity…” Grace began warningly.
Jamie cut her off, before she stopped her aunt from gossiping with him. “Let the woman speak, lass.”
“This has nothing to do with our plan.”
“Yourplan.I’vebeen quite clear on wanting you to stay right here in the present. …Not that you’re of a mind to listen. All of this madness is you refusing to see reason.”
Grace had linked this time travel idea to fixing her “burn out.” In her mind, if it worked, she wouldn’t be crazy. She could resume her old life and reclaim her job solving crimes. Nothing could derail her now, so he was reluctantly going along with her wishes. At least she was showing a bit of optimism.
“I’mgoingto clear your name, Jamie. Two days ago, that was all that you wanted.”
“Two days ago I hadn’t seen you naked. Now I wantotherthings. Like you alive and well and coming beneath me in bed, again and again andagain.”
She flushed a bright shade of pink and glanced over at Serenity, like her aunt might have somehow heard his suggestive remark.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, he loved it when she blushed. And when shedidn’tblush. And every other blasted thing about her. If he’d still had a heart in his chest, this woman would’ve owned every beat of it.
Jamie cleared his throat. “Somyonly plan at the moment is to listen to what your dear auntie has to say.”
“I knew she didn’t tell you.” Serenity interjected in a smug tone, correctly interpreting Grace’s part of the argument. “Gracie’s always been a bit shy and Partners can be an… intimate thing for a Rivera.”
The thought of Grace becomingintimatewith some unknown mortal had his jaw clenching. Goddamn it,hewas the one who’d proved she wasn’t “semi-frigid” or whatever the fuck that wanker Robert had claimed. Every intimate thing about her belonged to Jamie, by right of conquest.
