Chapter Twelve #3
She was considering it.
It seemed that they had to follow this lead—no matter where it led.
“Well, then, I think we know what we need to do,” she admitted. “Tomorrow, we have to dig up his remains and look inside the box. We’re going grave robbing.”
Which was ironic because the last person she chased had been doing the same—sort of.
Finn laughed.
“I have never been happier that I have to work on CURRENT homicides than I am at this very moment,” he admitted.
Gabby snorted.
“You’re going to be missing out on all the fun. I’ve never ‘robbed a grave’ before. One more thing for the bucket list!”
At that very moment, the last of their party arrived to the impromptu middle-of-the-night hunt.
“What did I miss?” Graham asked. “Because I’m sure you aren’t all hanging out for idle chitchat in a drafty foyer.”
His husband clued him in.
“Elizabeth believes she found Ceit’s heart. It’s the necklace in the painting.”
He lifted a brow.
Michael continued.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t check the remains when we buried Oison. Elizabeth thinks that Ceit’s necklace is in with him. We have to find out if she’s right by digging him up.”
And that was all he had to hear.
Immediately, Graham turned around and walked right out of the room without saying a single word.
Much to all of their amusement.
“Well, that said it all,” Michael admitted. “Clearly, my husband has never been a part of anything quite like an Elizabeth caper.”
Clearly not.
He looked at his watch.
“We should all get to bed,” he stated. “We’re going to have to ride out tomorrow to get to the grave, if this is what you really think we need to do.”
She nodded.
“It is. Notice nothing is making noise or bumping around since we said this? When Ceit, or whatever it is haunting this place, isn’t happy, we hear it. Listen.”
They did.
The castle was SILENT.
That was wild.
Well, then, they had a trip tomorrow.
“It’s at the other end of the estate, on the edge of the property. I can’t believe we’re digging the dude up after we just put him to rest. Gee. How could this disturb his ghost?” he asked, rhetorically.
Thankfully, no one answered.
Michael didn’t want to hear all of the possibilities. He and Graham lived here fulltime, and he and Graham would have to deal with the fallout if they stirred it up even more.
Elizabeth patted him on the back.
“I’m sure it will be okay. Besides, Ethan and I are here with you, so we’ll keep you safe,” she said, busting his ass.
He flipped her off, and she laughed even more.
But seriously…it had to be done if they wanted this curse removed, and really, was it that upsetting to the dead dude? He’d been buried in a cave for this long.
What was one more trip out into the light?
Before she went back to her room, Gabby hugged her friend.
“Good work, Elizabeth! You found it out.”
She laughed.
“Again, Gabby, it’s what I do for a living, so it’s strange that you think I couldn’t figure that out,” she said. “You are a hacker, but this is what I literally get paid to do. SOLVE.”
Yeah, but she did it in the middle of the night, like an old-school sleuth would have done.
That was too cool for Gabby.
God.
She loved a good mystery.
Taking her hand in his, Ethan kissed her knuckles.
“I’m beat. If we have to go coffin raiding in the morning, I know I need rest. You too, Elizabeth. Let’s get to bed.”
And by bed, he didn’t mean sleep. His hand was on her ass, and he gave it a squeeze.
So, as a horny woman, she did what she needed to do to get them out of there.
Elizabeth fake-yawned.
“Yeah, after that cookie, I’m good,” she said. “See you guys in the morning.”
As they headed out, she and Ethan jogged away, leaving nothing to the imagination. There were giggles and laughter in their wake as they hauled ass.
When they were gone, Michael went there.
“Huh. I don’t think they’re going to bed,” Michael said, grinning. “Because people who are tired don’t run toward their room. Just saying.”
Gabby slapped him on the abs, as she walked past him with Finn.
“Who’s solving mysteries now?” she asked, busting his ass. “If she’s not bouncing on her husband, she’s wasting an opportunity. That’s for sure. There’s nothing like a mid-night bounce.”
Well, since she was bringing it up…
Finn liked that idea.
If his wife was suggesting that should be a hobby, he was more than willing to take her up on it.
“Follow the leader, Gabriella,” he said, winking at her. “You should do the same.”
Well, you know what?
She just might.
As Michael stood there, he realized he was an idiot. He had a perfectly good husband to roll around with, too.
So, he ran too.
* * * The Ravensmire Castle * * *
The Master’s Suit
Same Time
Post Painting Discovery
Was it silly?
Was it crazy?
Yes.
Only, both Elizabeth and Ethan were having a good time rediscovering each other.
Maybe it was the ghost hunt, or the fact that it had been a damn long time since they were able to spend any time alone together, but it was reminding them of a very important thing.
They were each other’s ride or die.
To.
The.
End.
The mere idea that they could wake up in the middle of the night, steal some cookies, work on a mystery, and then fall back into bed to rediscover themselves…
It made it fun.
Before this moment, neither one of them realized how little fun had been in their lives.
Oh, they had a good time with their spouses, or their kids, but neither could recall having a moment like this together.
So, they were taking it.
As they raced up the stairs, Ethan was grinning at the way his wife’s hair bounced and trailed behind her.
There was whimsy, and joy, in her giggles, and he missed hearing her stress-free.
Upstairs, she raced into the bedroom and began pulling off her things.
They went flying, and he did the same after kicking the door closed and locking it.
Then, he pounced.
Jumping on her, they landed on the bed and rolled around naked and laughing.
It felt good.
Instead of saying a word, Ethan showed her exactly how much he loved her.
When he found Elizabeth’s hands, he pinned them above her head, so that he could take his time, enjoying her body.
In his heart, Ethan wished she could look inside of it, and see the truth.
He loved her so much.
When he bit her on the neck, she moaned, and he went there.
“Before we have sex, I need something.”
She opened her eyes.
“Okay, EJ. What do you need?” she asked.
He told her.
“Every year, for a week, I want to come back here with you. I want to spend our anniversary here until the day we die.”
Her heart hitched in her chest.
“Really?”
He nodded.
“I want to see my bonny lass run through the flowers, and smile at the goats. Can we make that a thing? Can we do that to reconnect after a year of cases, spouses, and children? Just us? Just the two of us?”
She smiled.
“Absolutely. I’ll put it in my calendar for every year until…well, as far out as the calendar goes.”
He kissed her.
Then, he was honest.
“I’m also going to tell you right now, that when I go back, I’m buying into this castle.
I’m going to give Callen and Chris money to be a part owner.
I was stupid not to want to do this because I thought you’d hate it.
I was wrong, and both Callen and Chris were right.
This place was a good gift, not only for you, but for me too. ”
Tears filled her eyes.
“Yes, Ethan. I’d love this to be a gift from you too. I know what it’s like to be wrong. I thought I’d hate it, but I kind of love it here. This place makes me feel…safe. Like nothing can get me here. I think I love Scotland.”
He did too.
“So, it’s a date?” he asked.
She hesitated.
“What?”
She went there.
“On one condition.”
He lifted a brow.
“What?”
So, she told him.
“We leave the tech behind, and we just come here and be…us. I want this back. I want the people we were once upon a time. I want the Ethan who laughed hard, and the Lyzee who loved harder.”
He smiled.
“That would be beautiful,” he admitted. “Deal.”
Then, he sealed it with a kiss.
Diving in, he found her mouth, and drove the heat up in the room with just that kiss.
He plumbed.
Plundered.
And took.
With a moan, she had him focused on taking her deeper into the pleasure.
For both of them.
Breaking the kiss, he went lower. At her breasts, he tormented, teased, and drove her wild. The whole time, Elizabeth moaned and bowed under the ecstasy.
And Ethan wanted more.
Michael had been right about tomorrow being a long day, so Blackhawk would keep this short and sweet.
It was going to be a fast ride into the pleasure.
As he slid lower, Elizabeth opened for him. The whole time, he was kissing a trail down her torso until he could swirl his tongue around her belly button.
When she whimpered his name, he set her hands free, so he could enjoy her body.
Why only use his mouth when he could use all of him?
And he did.
As his hands went to her breasts, Ethan used his thumbs to torment and tease her nipples to peaks of pleasure. From her response, he knew he was on the right track.
“Ethan!” she hissed, her body wracked with pleasure.
While this might be a quick before-bed romp, he wanted to make sure she understood.
They were going to be fine.
No.
They would be better.
With their promise in hand to return every year as their own little holiday, Ethan felt more secure knowing that no matter what happened in life, they would have this.
And he needed it.
A healthy dose of Elizabeth had always been healing to his soul, and he believed the same for her.
God.
As she writhed below him, Ethan couldn’t get enough of her, and he was sorry he’d forgotten this.
“I love you, Elizabeth. Forever.”
Her heart hitched.
This was the man she’d fallen for all of those years ago, and he was back.
They were back.
Was she meant to be his?
Yes.
Would she always be his?
Again, yes.
In the beginning…
There was only her.
As he went lower, Elizabeth opened for him, and he nestled into the best place in the world.
Between her legs, he could make them both forget, and that was exactly what he did.
Blackhawk could feel her hands in his hair, and when he found her clit, he began devouring her.