STORY EXCERPT

As soon as his hands left Amanda, his ability to see David was gone, though the air was just as oppressive. Intuitively, he placed one hand on her shoulder and David swam blurrily back into a hazy focus.  When he placed both hands on her Zack saw David just as well as Amanda always had. He’d immediately figured it was Amanda’s emotional tie to David that would allow Zack the best reception, like an old TV antenna.  He was proud of himself, momentarily. Then he was afraid again, kind of. No, he was definitely afraid, he admitted squeamishly.

Amanda, on the other hand, was not. She was annoyed. “David Alexander! What the hell was that about? You didn’t need to throw things to make your point, you horse’s ass!” she scolded him like any wife would, but he heard the deep affection in her tone and saw her warm smile.

“Why all the drama and spooks activity? And let me tell you, if you can break it, you can damn well clean it up.” She shook her finger at him.

“I was simply attempting to assure lover boy here that you are not delusional. You know that’s what he was thinking when you told him about me. How else was I to get the guy’s attention, Sweets?” David asked her blandly.

Zack looked from David to Amanda in something much greater than amazement or surprise. If someone had asked him what he was feeling right now there wouldn’t be words for it, he was …. Flummoxed? Would that work, he mused? This was all so surreal!

“Zachary, I’d like to introduce you to my husband, David.” Then gesturing from her husband to him she said, “David, meet Zack.”

Amanda watched in amusement as Zack’s mouth moved to form words and nothing came out. “Breathe, Zack” she reminded him.

Zack took a deep breath and reached up to rub his eyes, still not able to believe what he was seeing, and of course as soon as he did, David’s image winked out.

“Damn it!” He hurriedly placed both hands back on Amanda.

He watched with something akin to horror as David, smiling humorously, reached out to shake his hand. Zack gaped at him, automatically slipping off the bed, stepping forward, and extending his in the age-old greeting ritual. As he did, he removed both hands from Amanda, and David vanished once more.

“Shit!” he muttered in frustration. He heard Amanda chuckle at his confusion and this time he placed his left hand on her right arm while extending his right as David reappeared in a more watery version.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Zack. Or rather, it’s nice to meet you again,” David told him.

As their hands met Zack could actually feel the firm grip of David’s unexpectedly hot handshake, but the feel of the flesh was strange. It was like holding a mass of energy in the form of a solid rather than holding a solid itself, and he stared in wonder at their hands. He wanted to try to wrap his other hand around David’s as well, to see how substantial it really was, but knew if he took it off of Amanda, David would disappear again.

David pumped his hand a couple of times and then released it, leaning around Zack, who was still attached to Amanda, to give her a hug, wrapping both arms around her.

Zack felt a deep ache in his chest as he watched Amanda and her husband. She closed her eyes and laid her head against David’s shoulder in a gesture that told Zack more than words ever could how close they’d both been, then she returned his hug one-armed since Zack was awkwardly hanging onto her other hand to maintain his visual with David. Zack vaguely noticed that she didn’t seem upset or disturbed in any way at having both of them there together.

While David held Amanda close against him he asked her very seriously “How’re you doing, Mandy? How’s the wrist and leg?” Zack could see the concern in the man’s eyes for his young widow.

“I’m fine, honey, don’t worry about it. Zack took care of my leg again this morning. Before long I’ll be back to my normal klutzy self.” She smiled self-deprecatingly.

“That’s what I’m worried about,” both men quipped at the same time, and briefly grinned at each other.

Amanda sighed in exasperation. “Cut it out!”

David lifted her chin with his hand, gazing down at her with a depth of pain in his eyes that Zack hoped he himself would never suffer.

“How’s everything else? Feeling any better? Are you ready yet, Sweets?” he asked so quietly, it was almost like they were alone in an intimate conversation.

Zack wasn’t sure what the final questions were in regard to but saw Amanda shrug as if to say, I’m doing alright, could be better, and give him a definitive ‘no’ with a shake of her head, and felt very much like the third wheel.

“I’m getting there though. I promise it won’t be much longer, okay? I’m sorry.” She looked away as she teared up.

“Whatever you need, sweet girl. Don’t ever feel bad about it.” His ghostly lips pressed a kiss to her forehead and David closed his eyes tight, as if in extreme pain.

Zack suddenly realized he couldn’t read David’s emotions, that might be because he was dead, huh? He’d have to think about that later.

“Thank you for doing such a great job on her leg by the way,” he said, turning to Zack.

“My pleasure,” Zack replied before thinking, and then felt himself turn beet red as he remembered what had begun to transpire after Amanda woke up, and once again he realized he was standing before her husband in nothing but his underwear. Reality check, his mind supplied, and Zack choked back a nearly hysterical laugh.  Was anything about this real?

ADULT EXCERPT

He moved down her body making strategic stops to lavish attention to sensitive areas, her breasts, belly, sides and hips. There wasn’t an inch he didn’t want to touch, tease, or taste. When she reached to touch him he again pinned her good hand and pushed her down, firmly telling her, “No, tonight is for you.” She writhed beneath his mouth, and fingers, telling him over and over again, that enough was enough and that she wanted him, needed to feel him inside her. But he held back, though the restraint was nearly killing him. If she so much as touched him even once he swore he’d come like a teenage boy, too fast, too soon.

As he moved down on the bed he parted her thighs with his hand, gently caressing the soft curls and then the moist folds between her legs and she nearly shot off the bed as her arousal shot off the charts. She was already dripping wet for him and, as he lightly rubbed her clit with one sure finger, she squirmed and cried out his name. Worshipping her flat belly and inner thighs with his tongue, his fingers worked her to a fever pitch and after a few minutes she began to beg.

He laughed wickedly as he read her level of readiness for him. But he wasn’t done, yet. Oh yes, she’d told him she wanted him, told him enough was enough, begged once, but she was going to have to plead long and hard before he entered her. He wanted her to have absolutely no doubt in her mind that it was him she wanted,him she needed.

When Amanda felt one long thick finger slide inside her she cried out with shock as her body began to tremble. Slipping a second finger inside her he began a slow building rhythm and she responded by rocking against his hand. God, all she wanted was him inside her.

“Please, Zack!” she cried out again and was rewarded with another deep, almost evil, chuckle from him. Her glazed eyes opened and sought his. The deep blue of his eyes was darkened with his passion for her and hinted at his own near agony at waiting to join his body to hers.

This slow exquisite love-making was pure torture, a heavenly torture. He kept a steady tempo with his fingers in her silken sheath and his thumb played at her clit and after a short while she began to feel that nearly forgotten soaring, spiraling, and out of control sensation as she built toward climax. Her body shuddered and a whimper escaped her as her vaginal muscles tightly clenched around his fingers and a flood of moisture flowed from her passage.  She cried out his name again as wave after shining wave of pleasure broke over her.

He continued to gently minister to her body as she slowly came down, her body and mind recovered, and her breathing began to return to normal.  He moved between her legs, pressing them to fall wider to either side and this time ravaged her with his mouth.

“Oh God! Zack, no more! Please… please!” she pleaded with him. “Stop teasing. I want you inside me.” 

He almost gave in, almost.  He took a deep breath and firmly locked down his own control once more. His wild eyes belied his commanding tone and she could see that waiting was torturing him too.  “Not yet. Lay back and enjoy, babe. I told you. Tonight, it’s all about you.”

He flicked his tongue over her clit and she emitted a long low guttural groan that was half pain and half pleasure, and he felt her arousal begin to climb once more. He gently suckled her clit over and over, grazing the bundle of nerves with his teeth before delving his tongue into the sweet hot honey her body had produced for him.

“Mandy,” he groaned, raising his mouth from between her silky thighs.  “You taste so sweet. I’ll never get enough of you, baby. Like honey with an edge of cinnamon. Do you know how wonderful you taste, sweetheart?”

“Zack, now! Please, please, please right now! I can’t take any more, really I can’t” she gasped the words between spasms of delight as she neared that peak a second time. Amanda watched as he rose over her, planting one hand on each side of her. He leaned down and kissed her hard and deep, sharing her musky taste with her while laying a branding claim on her lips, body, and soul. She couldn’t remember ever wanting someone as badly in her life as she did Zachary, and thought she’d explode soon if she couldn’t feel him filling her.

“You’re mine, Amanda. Now, tell me, who do you want inside you?” This time he whispered seductively and more than a bit demandingly in her ear.

He felt another shudder ripple through her at his commanding words. He smiled to himself in satisfaction. She liked him to control her, in bed anyway, food for thought there. Earlier, he’d caught the way her breath caught and her libido climbed when he’d pinned her hands. He’d be happy to accommodate that particular sexual leaning. He’d been worried that his rather dominant sexuality would be too much for such a tender soul as Amanda possessed. He’d also been determined to rein it in and give her what she needed. He was relieved to find that her needs seemed to match his own. 

“You, Zack, I want you. Only you. Always you,” was her honest and pleading answer. “Please, Zack! I swear I’m going to combust soon!” She moaned as he nipped her at her breast, the pinch of his teeth throwing her ever closer to the golden edge, her body responding with a flood of fresh hot moisture that dripped onto her thighs.