5. Caitlin
Chapter Five
CAITLIN
I wake up the night after the Pine Lodge event with my heart pounding.
I’ve been having a dream where Athan is kissing me, except we’re not in the car, we’re here in my bed.
He’s trailing kisses slowly down my neck and it’s so good I’m moaning louder and louder until I wake myself up.
My panties are soaked and I lie there for a minute, imagining what it would be like if he was here right now.
That kiss in the car was good. Too good. It felt like I’ve never been kissed before. Every nerve in my body was thrumming and all I wanted to do was wrap my legs around his waist and grind against him.
Then that creepy ghost interrupted everything. I’m not so fond of costumes where you can’t see someone’s face properly, especially people wearing sheets and masks. It’s those horror movie vibes again. And since today is finally Halloween, there’s probably going to be a lot of that around.
I concentrate on work during the day. One of my clients is delighted because I advised her to take her work out to a coffee place during the day, instead of working at home.
She started talking to the man on the next table about what she did and he offered her a great new job.
I haven’t told her I had a dream about her drinking coffee and coins falling from her cup, so I just congratulate her and smile to myself.
Maybe my grandma and those Howl sisters were onto something after all.
By five o’clock I’m tired. Cursing myself for forgetting to buy any more coffee when I did a supermarket shop, I wrap up warm and trudge my way down the hill.
As I pass Athan’s house, it’s completely deserted.
There is something strange about the house, a stillness.
And the scorch marks on the roof give it a dilapidated air. Why haven’t they repaired it?
At Dasher’s there’s only one Howl sister sitting outside, looking critically at the children walking up and down the sidewalk in their trick-or-treat costumes. She nods at me as I walk up.
“Greetings, Caitlin Moloney. Come for her pumpkin spice on Samhain when the veil is thinnest. Thinks she’s not a witch. Tonight will prove her wrong. But full of danger, her future is.” She inclines her head to peer up at me.
“Elena?” I make a wild guess. They look so similar.
“Beatrice. I’m the youngest. And smallest. By half an inch. I like being this close to the earth.” She takes a sip of her cocoa.
“Well, thanks for your warning, Beatrice. My dreams do get pretty weird sometimes. Is there anything I can do to prevent this danger?” I’m trying to go with the flow and not fight it. Maybe she’s right. And even if she’s mad as a hatter, I can at least be polite.
“The spirits are on your side. Look to the crow. Believe in The Lovers. Be careful your house is secure.” She bobs her head.
“Um, thanks. Have a good evening.” I smile weakly.
When I come back outside, clutching my pumpkin spice latte, she’s disappeared. The walk back to Sleekton Drive is punctuated by little kids jumping out to say “boo” to me from behind trees as I try not to spill my coffee.
I am a little jumpy tonight. The delivery of the dead roses made my stomach drop, but I’ve tried to ignore it. There was no card, so it could be a delayed delivery, maybe even for someone else. And if it’s Justin playing tricks on me, I’m hoping he stays in the city and gets bored soon enough.
From the corner of my eye there’s a flash of white, but when I turn around, it’s gone.
Now I’m spooking myself out. What was Beatrice Howl saying about the veil?
The atmosphere is different, more mysterious somehow, as if the streets are from another world and I’ve been transported to a place where everything isn’t quite normal.
I’m glad to get back home and I turn the lock, chaining up the door.
I’m not in the mood for more work, despite the caffeine, so I put the TV on for some background noise.
Except when I switch through the channels, every other movie is a horror and it does nothing to settle my nerves.
So I turn it off. The wind is rising and there’s a rumble of thunder in the distance.
Which is even spookier, so I put a Netflix romcom on and try to tune out.
Suddenly there’s a banging noise from underneath me.
I stand up from the sofa, spilling my coffee.
What the hell was that? My pulse beats like a drum in my ears as I stand as still as I can, straining to listen.
There's knocking and crashing underneath me, as if things are being thrown onto the floor in the workshop below.
My heart thumping, I grab my phone. I’ve put Athan’s number in already, so I text him, not wanting the intruder below to hear me.
Athan, someone’s in the workshop below me knocking things off the shelves. Can you come here ASAP?
In less than a minute, there’s a knock on my front door. The movement from below stops. I run downstairs, flinging open the door. The sight of Athan standing there, so tall, dark and gorgeous, is almost overwhelming. I’m not sure if it’s the adrenaline, but I want to rip his clothes off.
“Let me check in the workshop. Do you have a key?” He looks calm. Much calmer than I am.
“Yes, Natalie gave me one since the fuse box is in there. Be careful, Athan.” I hand him the keys from the key holder by the door, my hand trembling.
He smiles and disappears. I close the door, standing there not sure of what to do, until there’s a soft knock five minutes later.
Athan is grinning. “You did have an intruder.”
“I did? Why are you smiling?” Despite myself I’m relieved. When I’m around him I get this warm secure buzz, like he’s looking out for me.
“Your friends, the bats, decided to fly in through a broken window and have a little bat masquerade. They didn’t want to stay once I joined their party.” He hands the keys back to me.
“Oh, thank goodness. Woah, bats again. I’m sorry to bother you for something so silly. It sounded a lot worse from upstairs. Let me make you a drink.” I don’t want him to leave.
“Thank you.” Athan follows me up the stairs into the apartment.
He looks around. “This is very different than when Patrick was here. Much more modern.”
“Yes, Natalie and her husband put in all the mod cons. I’m enjoying being here, apart from the bats and the crazy old ladies.” I walk into the kitchen. “I’m afraid you have a choice between decaffeinated coffee, cocoa or a glass of wine.”
Athan smiles. “As appetizing as the decaffeinated coffee sounds, I’ll have some wine thank you.”
I pour us both a glass of red wine, delighted I had bought myself a good bottle to celebrate my arrival in Snowflake Falls and hadn’t drunk it yet. I sit down next to Athan on the sofa.
I’m so nervous he’s here that I take a giant slug of wine and laugh. “This is an unusual way to get to know your neighbor, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes. Patrick was more of a beer drinker.” Athan laughs.
“Have you been in Snowflake a long time?” I take another gulp of wine to calm my nerves.
“Yes, a long time is right. We moved here for my father’s health.
He stabilized, but then my mother’s death was a huge shock for him.
It’s an unusual town in many ways but we are an unusual family.
It feels like home now. My sister lives near Newhope, but she visits regularly with her children.
” He gazes directly at me. In the low light of the apartment, his emerald eyes are darker now.
“I’m sorry about your Mom. And your Dad - is he better now?” I can’t help staring at the perfect line of his jaw.
“He is doing well. He has to stay close to home, but Mr. Ren keeps him company. And I do my best.” He puts his glass on the table.
“I have been lonely. But it didn’t matter, I had my sketches and looking after my father to occupy me.
And then I met you. And I knew I needed you in my life.
But my life is very complicated and maybe it’s unfair of me to involve you.
And perhaps you don’t feel the same.” He looks at me and then out of the window, where the rain is starting to beat down on the glass.
“I want you in my life. I feel so good when I’m around you. My past is complicated too.” I reach for his big hand, holding it mine. Maybe it’s the wine, but I’m brave enough to reach forward and caress his cheek, inclining my head upwards and pressing my lips onto his.
I want to forget the weirdness of the day; the strange, foggy streets, the old lady’s prediction and the bats downstairs scaring me. But, more than that, I want to be close to this wonderful man who gives me something good to dream about when my life’s been so painful for so long.
My heart beating faster, I straddle him on the sofa, almost knocking my wine over except he catches it without stopping our kiss.
His tongue explores my mouth. He tastes of wine and smells incredible, an incense and spice combination that drives me wild.
His hands stroke through my hair as he kisses down my neck, just like my dream, pausing at the hollow of my throat as my pulse beats faster.
I can’t wait and start to unbutton his shirt, running my hands over his smooth, muscled skin.
His shoulders are broad and his muscles hard, his skin cool and inviting.
His kisses carry on down into the V of my dress as he unbuttons it slowly, kissing each part of my bare skin as it is exposed to the air.
He sucks in his breath as he pulls the dress from my body, revealing my black lace bra and panties.
His hands cup my breasts as he kisses over the lace fabric and my nipples poke through the flimsy fabric.
My breath is coming harder now as I unhook my bra, still straddling him, and he takes first one breast and then the other into his mouth, licking and sucking until I’m moaning with pleasure.
I’ve never been touched like this, so expertly and yet so naturally.
It’s not like he’s doing it from some textbook, or previous experience, or from something he’s watched, it’s like he’s discovering my body for the first time and we’re in perfect sync.
The more he touches me, the more he drives all other thoughts from my head.
And it’s sweet relief to not be worrying about the future and regretting the past. Everything fades away except the overwhelming need to have his big hands all over my skin, his hardness beneath me, his lips all over my body.
Nothing else matters except the two of us here, right now and I kneel up to pull my panties off, fumbling to unbutton his jeans at the same time.
Driven by this crazy urgency, all I want is his cock inside me, right now.
His hand slips down between my legs as I straddle his lap, finding my clit and stroking it, sending sparks of pleasure throughout my body.
My skin is electrified, every nerve bright, as he looks up into my eyes, stroking me faster with one hand and sucking on my nipples.
“Don’t stop Athan,” I moan as he sucks and strokes me until I’m panting for him. With almost a scream, I come, seeing lights behind my closed eyelids as every part of my body comes alive in perfect sensation. It’s the best orgasm I’ve ever had, but still it’s not enough.
I grind down onto his huge, rock hard cock. He gazes at me and smiles, “Are you certain you want to do this? I do.”
“I’ve never been as sure of anything in my life,” I say as I reach for his cock and guide it to the entrance of my pussy.
Slowly I take him in, inch by inch, until he’s deeply inside me.
I’ve never been this wonderfully full and I take a moment to relish the sensation before I start to slide slowly up and down his massive length.
Waves of pleasure begin to build, spreading from my pussy to my core as I quicken my pace. His breathing is quickening now as we move in unison and I’m riding him harder and faster until I come, clenching around him. He moves faster inside me until he stiffens, calling my name again and again.
We both stay still as our breathing goes back to normal.
“Wow. That was just...amazing.” I smile at him. Suddenly I’m shy, like I hardly know him. What must he think of me? I’m his new neighbor and I’m all over him.
He kisses me and looks like he’s going to say something, but I stop him by blurting out: “I’m going to have a quick shower....help yourself to more wine!”
That wasn’t the smoothest thing to say, but the sex was so intense that I need a moment to gather my thoughts.
Once I’m in the bathroom I turn on the shower and lean on the door.
I can’t get over how good that was, like a fantasy come true.
And he’s outside sitting on my sofa and I have absolutely no idea what to do or say next.
Do I invite him to spend the night? Is that too much too soon?
Will I scare him off? What do you do with the perfect guy?
I get in the shower and soap myself quickly, putting my silky slip nightgown on and a bathrobe. My face is flushed from the sex and the wine, and my hair is crazy. I smooth it down before I go back outside.
The sofa is empty. Athan is gone.
My heart sinks. So he isn’t the perfect guy.
The stairs creak. Oh - maybe he just went downstairs to check on the bats.
Maybe he is the perfect guy after all.