Chapter 9
ELIAS
I ran through the dining area and down the short hall to the kitchen, where I found Abigail standing on the counter, her hands in her hair and shock written all over her face.
”Hey! Hey! What”s going on? You sounded like the boogeyman was ready to carve you up.”
She snarled at me, pointing to a whip-like tail attached to a furry body in an open can on the floor. Nasty. I”m not a fan of vermin, and I wouldn”t doubt this place was riddled with them. Why did I get the feeling I wasn”t leaving tonight?
”Elias! Get that thing out of here. I”m freaking out!” Her screams turned to whines and she yiped every time that thing moved.
”Obviously,” I muttered. ”Don”t worry, milady. Your prince in not-so-shining armor will protect thee.” I grabbed the first thing I found on the counter and raised it above my head like a knight defending his lady, poised to attack that little bugger.
”What the hell, Elias? You can”t kill that thing with a whisk. Grab the can and throw it out the door!” Even through her hysteria, she made sense. Ensuring my hand wouldn”t be mauled, I slipped on an oven mitt that hung off the stove handle and approached the can stealthily. I snagged it up in one shot, held it out like it was on fire, and then ran across the kitchen to chuck it out the side door. The thought of Abigail assisting me was ridiculous since she continued to hop from foot to foot on the counter, squealing like a stuck pig.
I leaned against the door, forcing myself to calm down. When I walked around the corner, Abigail sat on the counter, her face buried in her hands. My mind raced with so many visions of what I could do to her on that counter that my pants became uncomfortable. My ego got the best of me as I walked over and pressed myself between her legs to hug her. Seated on the counter, she was two feet shorter than I, but she managed to grab my shirt, pulling us into an embrace. I pulled her thighs tightly into my hips and kept her there, knowing she could feel my growing bulge. I breathed in her soft scent laced through her hair that had come loose during her despair. I spread my hands wide, hoping to feel more of her sexy body. She was so small that my hands touched each other as I held her tightly. I wanted to kiss her, long and deep. I”d been fantasizing about how she”d taste. Sweet? Salty? Both?
”Elias, please don”t leave me here alone. I don”t know what I”d do if you hadn”t saved me. This house is so old there has to be more of them. I”ll never sleep knowing those things are running around.” She gripped me tighter, nuzzling her face against my chest. Damn! She”s right. I couldn”t leave her until traps were set and this place was scrubbed down. Her courage up until now was remarkable. She faced her fears like she knew what she was doing, but we both knew it was all a facade. She trembled under my hands, and—my fellow auto tech, Paul, was right—I am a sucker for a damsel in distress. This wasn”t the first time I was dragged into someone else”s drama through tears. Ironically, I wanted to stick around this time and see how this all played out.
My hands slid from her hips up to her shoulders and gently rubbed circles on her back, savoring her sweet smell and delicate curves. ”I”ll stay tonight and make sure you”re safe.” We stared at each other for a long moment. Her pert nose and tiny freckles distracted me to no end. The o that parted between her lips beckoned to me, and I couldn”t wait any longer to taste them.
I slowly bent down, memorizing every detail of how the corners tilted upward, and her eyes fluttered closed when I leaned over her mouth. I felt paralyzed breathing her in. I knew I was taking advantage of her vulnerability, except I couldn”t move away. I closed the gap between us and gently kissed her plump lips. Her small moan was permission enough to penetrate her mouth longer and deeper. I pressed my tongue deeper into her mouth, making her moan again. She pushed her hands into my beard, found my jaw, and pulled me tighter still. Time stopped, and the world fell away. Magical was the only way to describe what just happened. My head flashed of a previous time; no, it transported me back to a time in history when I kissed these lips before. It was incredible. I knew these lips. They felt like home.
”Elias,” she purred into my beard. ”I feel like I”ve known you forever.” She looked into my eyes again, and I saw it, too. That strange attraction I had to her before. Could we have known each other from another time? I know people who believed in past lives, though I never believed it myself. Now I wondered.
I lifted her down to the floor, releasing the hold she had on me. I rubbed my forehead, confused about that flash from the past, what she had said, and that kiss! Abigail had a hold on me I couldn”t explain. I liked it, but it confused me.
”Elias. Say something. You don”t look so good.” Her concern was adorable. If only I could describe my thoughts and feelings clearly, she would think I was as batty as the ones that flew out her front door.
“You taste good,” I said as I licked my lips. Brilliant! Of all the things you’re thinking about, your primitive caveman brain goes with taste. Idiot!
She smiled slowly, not letting my stupid statement infiltrate her mood. ”You taste good, too. Chocolate and peanuts,” she giggled.
I chuckled. ”I”m kind of a sucker for a candy bar after lunch. Come on. Let”s walk around the house and see if we can find some cleaning supplies—and I can take you to the hardware store—and clean up this place.” I took her hand and led her back around the corner to a set of stairs leading to the basement—the haze of our kiss lingering in the air without discussion.
I kissed her, and she kissed me back. Wishing for more was greedy. Nonetheless, I wanted more. Her eyes were soft and slightly hooded, and if I were someone other than myself, I’d have taken her right there on the fucking counter. She called me a caveman earlier, and she wasn’t too far off. I needed to get away from her now, or I would be the rat bastard in this scenario.
I shifted gears and stepped back.
“Let’s find the basement door and see what we can find to clean up this place.”
Besides some mustiness, the basement floor had poured concrete. Someone must have updated this house since several spider-webbed cracks tracked across the floor, not to be outdone by the real webs tucked all over the place.
”Didn”t that old dude at the realtor”s office say this used to be a bed and breakfast?” Abigail led me to the corner where several brooms, mops, and buckets were stacked against a wall.
”I think so. Actually, two previous owners used the house for BBs. The guy said the house has been empty for almost three years, and the last Farnsworth who occupied the house was over twenty years ago. I suppose each owner had it for fifteen years.”
I loved her math. We gathered what we could, and I patted her back, pushing her toward the stairs like a lost child. I caught the light switch with my elbow and kept going. “Not quite, princess. Let’s do some research tonight and see what we can find.” Her brows knit at my new pet name for her. Not changing it.
She reached the top of the stairs before I could clear the landing when I heard a crash.
”Aahh!” She screeched.
”You have to stay! You can”t leave me alone!” She launched herself at me as all my things fell to the floor. Sometimes she acted so childlike, and others, well . . .
I burst out laughing and held her tightly. ”I said I would, Abigail. Did you forget so soon?”
ABIGAIL
The way his chest rumbled when he laughed made me ticklish. The vibrations were so loud I was forced to laugh.
”I didn”t forget. I was hoping you”d meant it and not placate me like others have done,” I frowned. So many times, people said things like that to get me to go away, but it hurt. I tried to pull away and pick up the stuff I dropped, but he wouldn”t let me go.
He took me by the arms and looked at me like he would shake me to death.
”Listen to me, Abigail. I will say this once, so pay attention. I am a man of my word. I only speak the truth. I would never say anything deliberately to hurt you. Do you understand me?” His stare held me in place and I knew I could trust his word.
”Yes.” I whimpered. Is this what it was like to have a father? Being scolded into submission? He was serious, and I stepped forward. ”I believe you.”
He dropped his hands and stepped back, not wavering in his stare. ”There are many things you don”t know about me, Abigail. Being dishonest or dishonorable is not part of my constitution. Now, let”s look through these cupboards for more supplies.”
He walked away without looking back. I think I just learned the bottom line with Elias. His word was his bond, and I could bank on it. When in all my life has anyone been that honest with me? My aunt, I thought, was honest with me, except she didn’t tell me anything about this inheritance. Did she know and was hiding it from me? I knew she barely just tolerated my existence, so I couldn’t trust her to tell me the truth. She wouldn’t follow up with medication for my condition, and she never, and I mean never, did anything more than was minimally required to get me through school. Just the basics. Argh! Now I have a headache.
I rubbed my temples as I walked back to the entryway by the winding staircase. The carpet was gross and had to go. The wood railing was ornate and would look amazing after it was cleaned and polished. Note to self: watch videos on how to clean antique wood. There wasn”t a mudroom like a modern-day home, leaving me to comb through each bedroom suite for cleaning supplies. I noted every laughable update that covered up the beautiful wallpaper and fancy materials on the furniture. Who does that? Another note to self: learn what all these materials are and how to maintain them.
As I browsed a bookshelf in the last bedroom, I noticed a leather-bound journal with papers stuffed inside it sitting above the rest of the books on the shelf. It caught my attention because it had a brass hook with a bangle hanging off the binding. I gently pulled it off the shelf, and a picture fell to the floor. My jaw dropped open as I studied the image. It was me with one of those loose bun hairdos that the olden people used to wear. We had the same eyes, nose, and space between my lips Was this my great-great-grandmother?
”ELIAS!” I screamed again hysterically.
A thunderous sound emanated throughout the house. I kept staring at this picture, trying to reconcile how similar we looked.
”Abigail!” He gasped. ”I swear, if you”re not dead or dying, I”m going to kill you myself.” He looked surprised that I hadn”t fallen through the floorboards.
”Look. At. This!” I shrieked. I shoved the picture at his face, and his reaction was priceless.
”You . . . She . . .” He looked back and forth between the picture and myself at least three times. ”Unbelievable. No one could ever dispute you were her heir.” He returned the picture, shaking his head and pulling at his beard. ”What”s that?” he said, pointing to my other hand.
”You won”t believe this, but it”s a journal. Hopefully, it”s hers,” I said, pointing to the picture he held between his thumb and forefinger—a dainty pose for such a large man. ”Come here,” I motioned for him to join me on the couch behind me. ”Let”s look at this together.”
Elias sat beside me, towering over my shoulder to see what I was seeing. ”The Personal Diary of Agatha Farnsworth.” I read aloud, tracing the gold script on the leather cover. Our collective ”Oh My God” was not only funny but revealing. He understood that finding this journal was a link to the past.
”Abigail, you found the Holy Grail to your house. Open it.”
We settled back against the crushed cushions to travel back through time together. Page after page of details revealing my family”s history. Every item Agatha ordered, from fabric to wallpaper, was noted.
I read an entry from April, 1845:
Ten yards of chintz for parlor pillows. Twenty yards of brocade for master bedroom curtains.
Eight yards of matching dupioni silk for the duvet cover. My guests need to experience our good fortune, and after what we”d been through starting out, I”m never sleeping on anything resembling burlap again!
I looked over my shoulder, ”Whoa. Sounds like there is more to that story. These materials must have cost a fortune even by today”s standards.” I rubbed my cheek, imagining her making this list, considering her comfort and that of her guests. She sounded like a very thoughtful woman.
I read about her gardens, their business, and what was happening in their social life back then. All were written down so carefully that I could picture their lives as it unfolded in 1845. How fascinating was it that I stumbled upon it at this precise moment? It”s mind-blowing.
I shut the book, thanking the Heavens for finding it. My life had taken a turn I couldn”t have imagined, and an honest, caring man helped me reach my goal. At that precise moment, I promised my ancestors that I, Abigail Farnsworth-Burton, would not mess this up. I would be successful no matter what.
I jumped up and grabbed Elias”s hand. ”Come on. We have work to do.”
Like two whirling dervishes, we drove to the Mystic Village and retrieved everything we needed to clean this place from the attic to the basement. I had no idea how long Elias could help me, so I took advantage of his ”hunting” skills and purchased twenty mouse traps, a jar of peanut butter, and an all-purpose toolkit to handle simple jobs. Let”s face it: I”m not a handy person but I am willing to learn. I needed a plan to get this place functional again—fast!
”Hey, princess. I”m hungry.” Elias announced as we hauled our loot to his truck. We went past a pizza place earlier. “I”m stopping to get a pie. What do you want on yours?”
I buckled myself in and yawned. ”Hawaiian pizza.” I drilled my fists into my eyes, realizing it was almost eight o”clock. I was emotionally exhausted and physically whipped. It was time to stop for the day. Even the mouse situation didn”t supersede my need to sleep.
”Gross. I”m getting you your own pie. Fruit and pizza is not a thing.” He grimaced and put the truck in reverse, leaving the hardware store.
”You don”t know what you”re missing,” I said, rolling my eyes at him. He harrumphed in response.
We sat in companionable silence as he drove to the pizzeria. He ran into the place, ordered, and suggested we hit the convenience store across the street for drinks and snacks to get us through the night.
By the time we returned to the house, the sun had set, making the house look spooky. We forgot to turn on the lights or even lock the door. And I thought I was the forgetful one.
While Elias investigated the boiler, I wiped down the kitchen tables and chairs with the disinfecting spray we purchased. It was April, and, although the days were warmer, the night still chilled my toes.
”Wahoo!” He must have been satisfied since I heard a whining sound downstairs and a gust of air bursting through the radiator next to the table. Dust spewed onto the very things I had just cleaned. Hmm. Thank God something in this house worked. The kitchen faucet spewed some brown goo, turned to a yellow pee color, and stopped altogether.
Elias danced into the kitchen and swung me around giddily. ”Not too bad, if I say so myself. That mechanical engineering degree finally paid off.” He grabbed a bottle of water from the counter and glugged it down. ”Let”s eat!”
We discussed why he left engineering and what his aspirations were for the future. More importantly, how long would he hang around here before returning to Pennsylvania? I needed to work on my plan, but Elias had made himself indispensable. Sadly, I would have to say goodbye soon and figure out how to handle this home alone. My inheritance offered enough money for repairs, though that wouldn”t last long if I didn”t prioritize these repairs. The question on the table was what to do first —repairs or updates.
I finished my first slice of pizza and saw Elias staring at me again. ”What? Do I have sauce on my face?” I reached for a napkin when he put his hand on mine.
”No. I was admiring you.”
”Admiring me?”
”Well, more than just admiring you. Um, that picture you showed me of your great-great-grandmother, she has the same mouth. That same little o. I have this strong compulsion to kiss it or touch it with my finger.” He pulled his hand off mine abruptly. ”Sorry. That thought was supposed to stay in my head. Now I”ve made things awkward.”
This big, burly man blushed right down to his chest and heated me along with him. I remembered that smoldering kiss from earlier. I wanted to feel more of that. I stood up slowly, walked around the table, and stopped behind his chair. My hands slid to his shoulders, massaging the stress away he felt from speaking his truth. They were hard like boulders that stiffened each time I kneaded the muscles, and I could hear his breath quicken at my touch.
”Please don”t feel embarrassed,” I whispered behind his ear. I hadn”t realized how much stress these past twenty-four hours had also been for him. I tipped his head to the side and pushed my forearm up and down his neck to help him relax even more. Switching to the other side, his soft grunts increased when I found the right spots. Mostly, I enjoyed his flesh”s warmth and how easy our connection was.
”I like making you relax. It”s ironic how soft your skin is when you”re so hard everywhere else.”
”You don”t know the half of it. Nor should you.” He muttered the last part.
”Well, then tell me more.” Though I have my charms, I”m not smart enough to be a game player. I have, however, been disparaged for my impulsive nature. I was too aggressive to attract men, per my aunt. I”ve also been called a ”loose cannon” on more than one occasion, but that didn”t put me off trying to uncover this thing between Elias and me.
My thoughts were interrupted as Elias pulled my arm over his shoulder like a wrestling move, ducking himself down as I fell into his lap. His hand locked onto my ass to steady me while the other cupped my neck and pulled my face within a breath of his lips.
”No more words,” he whispered and planted a panty-melting kiss on my waiting lips. A surge of adrenaline ran through my body, igniting every cell to bursting. I tasted the spice of his pizza as his tongue glided over mine. I loved pepperoni. We grappled in each other”s arms, moaning our pleasure, giving into the moment. The way he sucked on each of my lips was so erotic I didn”t know whether to laugh or cry. My hands pressed into his pecs and ran down the six-pack he had hidden beneath his henley. I wanted to peel that material off him immediately if only we didn”t have to break our kiss.
His big hands worked up my spine and downward again, finally finding my small breasts. There were so many sounds to file away and review them later, each unlocking the mystery of his body. He spun me around to straddle his legs and kissed me straight on. I loved his soft beard, tickling and teasing me as he deepened the kiss. His light brown eyes opened between kisses, and that strange connection I had felt earlier returned. I knew his soul. I had to. How do two completely different people connect so quickly if they didn”t?
”How did you learn to kiss like that? It”s so sexy.” I said.
”Then be quiet, and let me do it some more,” he said. You don”t have to ask me twice.
Moments turned to minutes and then a complete lapse of time. We clawed at each other until we were both exhausted. Guilt washed his face for a brief moment.
”Damn, girl. You wrung me out. I don”t think I”ve ever kissed anyone like that before.” He wiped his brow, dropping a single kiss to mine.
”I think I blacked out somewhere in there. You short-circuited my brain,” I panted. ”Give me a minute to come back online.”
I”m still baffled at how our connection could be so intense. My guess was that we had thirteen or fourteen years between us and entirely different backgrounds. We were both on different trajectories, yet fate threw us together. Was Elias my destiny? I can”t explain how comfortable I felt when he was with me. When he touched me, I wanted to melt against him. And, God forbid, he kissed me. I”m overwhelmed with feelings I”ve never had before. Feelings of hope, safety, constancy, and something else I can”t articulate. I couldn”t wrap my head around him, walking out my front door and never seeing him again. Fate couldn”t be that cruel, could it?
My desire would have to wait, even though the unmistakable bulge in his pants was tempting. I needed his help and wouldn”t be a ”loose cannon” this time. I needed a plan before I went to bed. Before I freaked out, I had to know what I could expect from Elias. I don”t want to be alone anymore. I don”t like the freedom I boasted about earlier that much. I wanted him.
”Hey, princess,” he cooed in my ear. ”Where”d you go?” He stroked my hair and kissed my ear.
Hmm. Words. I needed words.
”Elias.”
”Yeah, baby.”
I needed to get off his lap. I couldn”t think straight with his hands in my hair. I slid off his thick thighs, pushed my hair back behind my ear, and clasped my hands in front of me. Like a freight train speeding through the night, my thoughts also zoomed through my brain. Unfortunately, I didn”t know which one was more important.
“Elias, you are addicting and very distracting. My brain doesn’t know what to do about you. On the other hand, my body is quite happy to stay in your arms indefinitely. I have to figure out a plan tonight. I need to know what tomorrow will bring, or I won’t be able to sleep. Which reminds me, where do you want to sleep tonight—and don’t say my bed because I’m not ready for that.” I mean I am, just not now.
He chuckled. ”Your brain really doesn”t stop, does it?”
He stood up, hovering over me as he cupped my jaw and kissed my forehead sweetly, followed by a tight hug. ”Let”s build your plan.”
The pizzas were combined into one box that barely fit into the refrigerator, and we threw our garbage into the can at the island”s edge.
Elias suggested we make three lists. Over the next hour, we collated my needs, wants, and requirements, ranging from water and electrical inspections to new towels. I leaned on him for his expertise in engineering to know what mechanical things were necessary for my safety. We broke those lists down and fitted them into a neat timeline of where to begin cleaning, repairing—and future projects.
I sat across from Elias, plotting, planning, and having the best time until I yawned.
”Ugh, it”s almost midnight, and we haven”t figured out where we”re going to sleep. Shit!” I grabbed a bucket of cleaning supplies and dashed up the back stairs. All thoughts of Elias were forgotten.
I”m unsure which bedroom I landed in, but thank goodness it had a reasonably tidy bathroom. Sold! I”m sleeping here. I opened the linen closet and was pleased to find several sheets and pillows still resting on the shelves. They would have to do for tonight because I wasn”t washing them. Relieved that I didn”t have to sleep directly on an old mattress, I made the bed and returned to the bathroom for a cursory scrub down with a water bottle. Please, God, get me through the night.
Thirty minutes later, feeling more confident, I ran back down the stairs to get another bottle of water, pillow, and blankets when I saw Elias sitting on the front sofa, staring at a figurine.
”What are you looking at?” I sat down next to him, my arms still clutching my things.
”She looks like you,” he said quietly, continuing to stare.
Long rivulets of curls fell off the shoulders of a porcelain girl. Pink, full lips sat prettily on an oval face. Her dress was fitted in the bodice with a low collar adorned with lace. The skirt billowed layer by layer to her feet and was tied around her waist by a thick, satin-like ribbon that hung over the tucked layers behind her. The most fascinating part was how she was looking over her shoulder. Sweetly and demure, with brown eyes turned upward.
”She”s captivating, like you. Honestly, if I didn”t know better, it looks like you posed for this piece.” His eyes locked onto mine.
”I don”t know what to say. It”s unbelievable how much it looked like me. Someone must have commissioned it back then. Let”s call her Agatha.” I wanted to lighten the mood. So many things in this house were triggers to the past, and my connection to it grew stronger and stronger every moment. ”Let”s find you a place to sleep, okay?”
I watched him stand and head to the front door, ensuring it was locked this time, then over to secure the side door. I continued watching how he double-checked his movements, turning off lights as he went. Nodding his head confidently, he followed me up the front stairs past the pastoral mural intricately painted between the floors.
”Pick a room. Any room at all.” I quipped like a carnival midway barker.
Without hesitation, he said, “Yours.” I gulped. Don’t look at him. Don’t give in. Be strong!
”I don”t know, Elias. That doesn”t sound like a good idea. I just met you.” I shuffled my feet down the matted carpet toward my room.
He stopped me in my tracks, pulling me back to his chest. ”I promise to behave.”
The rumble in his chest launched a fleet of butterflies in my belly, and moisture began pooling between my legs. I wanted to trust his words more than my desire to attack him during the night. The real question was, could I be trusted not to cross the line between us?
I bit my lower lip and melted into his hold. ”This is a bad idea,” I muttered, shuffling back down the hall. ”Follow me.” His chest rumbled, and he pushed me forward. This was going to be a long night.