Masque Read online

  She stilled but didn’t pull away. “Is there someone here?”

  He remained silent, but placed his hands upon her arms and let his breath brush by her ear.

  A shiver ran through her body and Synn grinned. A responsive woman was exactly what he needed. Triumph filled his heart and he brought his chest in contact with her back.

  Her breathing grew rapid, but from sexual excitement or at being touched by a ghost? He bent his head to kiss her neck when a scream rent the air.

  “Reeeennnaaa!!!”

  She pulled away and ran across the inside balcony that connected the two stairways on the second floor.

  Irritated, he tried to ignore his reborn need for a woman. Adjusting himself within his pantaloons, he followed. Who was causing problems now?

  Rena came to a halt before an open doorway. Inside, the blonde stood with a candelabra held before her like a Roman shield.

  “What is it, Val?”

  She pointed to the corner of the room. Before the open wardrobe doors stood Mrs. McMurray. Synn silently sighed. At least Mrs. McMurray was a kindhearted soul who wouldn’t hurt a three-legged cat.

  Rena clapped her hands as she joined her friend. “It’s a ghost. A real, live ghost.”

  She probably wouldn’t appreciate him correcting her oxymoron, so he remained silent and invisible. He leaned against the doorframe behind the women, but where Mrs. McMurray could see him. The older woman’s expression turned from concerned to relieved.

  Rena approached her. “Hello. I’m Rena and this is Valerie. We are pleased to meet you.”

  Mrs. McMurray gave her guests a deep curtsy.

  Rena turned back to look at Valerie and smiled. She had the whitest teeth he’d ever seen. She mouthed the words “she has no legs”, her eyes wide with surprise.

  Valerie glanced toward the older lady and sucked in a breath before nodding.

  Facing Mrs. McMurray again, Rena addressed the spirit. “Can you tell us your name?”

  Mrs. McMurray shook her head then lifted her gaze to him. Her pleading look had him cursing inside. He had wanted more time, but he couldn’t ignore his friend’s request. She wouldn’t be able to vocalize until closer to the full moon. Blast.

  Allowing himself to materialize, he answered for her. “Her name is Mrs. McMurray.”

  Rena spun at the deep voice that caressed her senses. Before her stood a woman’s wet dream come to life, though as a respectable woman, she shouldn’t be having wet dreams, or so she’d been informed.

  The man looked as if he’d stepped out of a nineteenth-century drawing room, except his coffee-brown hair hung loose about his shoulders. She was pretty sure it should have been tied in a queue to be proper. His entire demeanor projected upper class from his sharp nose and angular clean-shaven chin, to his broad-shouldered stance. A rather tall stance it was too, with one snugly encased leg crossed over the other. But his eyes stupefied her. They appeared gray, ancient, yet flickered with bright shards of blue.

  Valerie recovered first, brandishing her tightly held candelabra as she stepped forward. “Who are you and what are you doing in here?”

  He straightened and gave them a formal bow. “My name is Synn MacAllistair. That is Synn as in S Y N N. I’m the caretaker of the ghosts.”

  Rena took a deep breath. She could feel her cheeks heating as his voice reverberated through her body. Sin fit him. When he moved his gaze from Valerie to herself, his intense scrutiny warmed her. She swallowed. “Uh, I didn’t think anyone lived here.”

  His stare held hers captive. “I do.”

  Valerie retreated to stand next to her. “Oh really. With a padlock on the outside of the gate?”

  He raised his right brow, the look of arrogance worthy of Mr. Darcy. “There is a postern gate.”

  Rena racked her brain. She’d heard that word before. Oh yes. “I thought only the owners of a castle knew the secret to that rear exit.”

  He raised his brows together. “That is true but I desi—discovered it while following a small boy around the Abbey.”

  Valerie crossed her arms. “A small boy?”

  “Yes. The children in the neighborhood dare each other to get close to the Abbey. They want to see the ghosts, who are quite harmless to humans.” He gestured to the housekeeper. “Mrs. McMurray here will become more solid as the full moon approaches and will be pleased to help you in any way she can.”

  They turned and stared at their ghost, having forgotten her. The older woman nodded vigorously, her white cap covering her gray hair falling to the side. Mrs. McMurray’s plump frame included pudgy arms sprouting from a short-sleeved blouse and a white apron that protected her skirt, but from the knees down, she didn’t exist at all.

  Rena’s heart pounded. A real ghost. If what Synn said was true, that the ghosts would become solid, the possibilities for her new venture were endless. Could the ghosts serve breakfast to the guests? How would she pay them? She couldn’t resist asking. “Are you the one who keeps it so clean in here?”

  Mrs. McMurray blushed and nodded again. She actually blushed.

  Synn clarified. “She and a dozen maids have kept this place clean for centuries in the hopes that someone would come here to live. Do you plan to stay?”

  She turned to answer him, but Valerie gave him a disapproving look. “The real estate agent didn’t say anything about anyone living here.”

  He sighed, clearly bored. “No, I imagine he didn’t. He is what we refer to as a lickfinger.”

  Rena chuckled at the strange word. She couldn’t help it. It sounded backward.

  Valerie didn’t find the expression funny. “Well, you need to know, Rena owns this castle now, abbey, whatever you want to call it, and she has the right to throw you out.”

  Rena grabbed her arm. “Valerie.” She changed her warning tone to a more pleasant octave as she addressed the sexy man in front of her. “You are of course welcome to stay, Synn. Perhaps you can help us understand the ghosts, the history of the Abbey and anything else that might be helpful.” She smiled encouragingly. She didn’t want him to leave.

  He gave her an arrogant nod. “I would be happy to be of service. Perhaps I should start by helping you to bring your personal items upstairs as the footmen will not be solid enough to lift anything for another week.”

  Another week? How strange. She didn’t remember seeing anything on television regarding ghosts changing with the moon. “Thank you. That would be perfect.” She could tell Valerie didn’t trust him. She, on the other hand, was thrilled to have him in the Abbey. Anyone who could help her succeed was welcome. The fact that the man was incredibly hot didn’t hurt either.

  He nodded once and held his arm out to her. She looked at her friend and shrugged, then looped her arm with his. The second they made contact, a sizzling sensation raced across her skin.

  He didn’t move. Did he feel it too? He gazed down at her, his face serious. “Shall we?”

  She nodded, her throat having closed at his look. There was something sensual about his lips. They were strong, full and serious and made her want to taste him. Sheesh, hadn’t she learned anything from her failed engagement? She needed to keep her libido under control. Men like Synn wouldn’t appreciate her scandalous thoughts. Besides, who used phrases like “shall we”? He was too far out of her league. Probably from an old Nova Scotia family who could trace its ancestors back to King Robert the Bruce of Scotland.

  As they descended the stairs, Rena could picture herself in a beautiful ball gown entering the foyer to meet her beau. The image was so powerful, she stopped. Could this have happened here? In an abbey?

  “Rena?”

  Synn had covered her hand with his and the sizzling sensation started again, but there was more warmth to it, like the tingling gel she’d bought once and threw away before Bryce discovered it. She lifted her gaze to Synn’s. His intense focus unnerved her, and she looked back down at the entryway. “I can picture grand ladies descending these staircases in beautiful gowns,
but that couldn’t be, because this was an abbey, right?”

  She chanced a quick look into his face and caught a glimpse of pain and anger in his eyes before he masked it with a matter-of-fact look.

  “Actually, women did descend these staircases in grand ball gowns. The structure was built as a Pleasure Palace. The name Ashton Abbey was added as a bad joke, but there is a beautiful chapel in the back, so it couldn’t have been all licentiousness and depravity.”

  “A Pleasure Palace? That sounds decadent.” They continued their descent. Maybe women came to show off their costly dresses, play poker, and, heaven forbid, smoke cigars. “I think it would be lovely all lit up. Maybe for a charity dinner. Oh, are there any charities in town?”

  As they reached the bottom, Synn unlinked their arms and faced her, his look condescending, like the ones Bryce used to give her.

  From habit, she straightened herself to her full height.

  He must have noticed because he quirked his brow. “I think, perhaps, you should learn a bit more about the Abbey before throwing a ball as there are many who reside here.”

  Her shoulders fell. He was right, of course. She hadn’t seen the entire place yet and already her event-planning instincts were sending her off in another direction. She came to open a haunted bed-and-breakfast, not throw parties. She looked up into Synn’s face to apologize, but his gaze made her catch her breath. Admiration shone in his eyes before he turned away to pick up her suitcase.

  Stunned and baffled, she hesitated before grabbing her laptop. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I need to get a feel for the place first. I hope you can help me with that.”

  He was already striding toward the stairs when he stopped, but he didn’t look at her when he spoke. “It will be my pleasure to help you feel this place.”

  Chapter Two

  Rena squirmed as strong fingers stroked up the inside of her legs, causing her to open them wide. In her dream, a stranger devoted himself to her pleasure. Stretching her arms above her head, she gave herself up to his ministrations.

  The fingers traveled over the tops of her thighs, through her tight brown curls and passed her warming pussy. She moaned. She wanted them to stroke her, play with her clit, but they moved up her body instead. The strong male hands cupped her breasts, kneading.

  Yesss.

  The hands brushed across her nipples, turning them to hard points. She arched, silently asking for more. Thumbs and forefingers took each nub and rolled. As fire shot to her clit, her limbs weakened.

  The bed dipped beside her and as the hands left her breasts, a heavy weight settled over her, spreading her legs farther apart.

  “Yes.”

  A warm, strong mouth encircled her left nipple and sucked. Her body responded with enthusiasm as her folds grew wet and her leg pressed against a hard, long cock.

  The image of Synn flashed through her mind, waking her. She opened her eyes, alert now in her new, strange bedroom. Unfortunately, the physicality of the sensations didn’t stop. Her nipple remained hard in the three-quarter moon’s light.

  “What the…”

  A feeling of being watched held her in its grip. She grabbed the silken sheet over her body. “Is someone here?”

  The coolness of the sheet on her sensitized nipple made it respond. She trembled and turned on her camping lantern set next to the bed on an elaborately carved nightstand. The room glowed to life, but shadows remained in the corners.

  “Hello?” She didn’t expect an answer, but she calmed a little at hearing her own voice. The fact was, she had woken from a very pleasant dream to find her nipples hard and her pussy ready. Yes, a dream. She couldn’t have had a ghost touching her because according to Synn, they wouldn’t be solid enough…yet. And she’d seen with her own eyes Mrs. McMurray’s legless form.

  There had to be a reasonable explanation. Hell yeah, she was horny over Mr. Sinful. Bryce was right to break their engagement. She was too interested in sex. She shouldn’t have tried to marry into an old Maryland family. At least her dream would have been acceptable behavior for Bryce, simple man-on-top-of-woman sex. He only approved of the missionary position. That and doggy style. Heaven forbid should she want to be on top. But then again, any sex dream was a sign of her middle-class standing, according to Bryce.

  Thinking about him caused her anger and hurt to resurface. Pulling back the sheet, she threw on her extra-large t-shirt, which hung to her knees, slipped into her slippers, and lifted the lantern.

  Maybe a little exploring in the middle of the night would produce a few ghosts. At the very least, it would take her mind off her ex-fiancé and how inferior he made her feel.

  As she descended the staircase in the dark, her lantern’s feeble light engulfed in blackness, she had to admit the Abbey at night was a bit scary. As much as she wanted to meet more ghosts, a granola bar from the kitchen seemed like a better idea, but as she reached the entryway, she couldn’t ignore the blue glow coming from the room to the left of the stairway. It was the entrance to the other wing, and according to Synn, it contained the “colored rooms”, whatever that meant. She hesitated, watching the glow flicker along the archway.

  She crumpled her t-shirt in her free hand, not sure what to do. She could ignore the glow and wait until morning. After all, she hadn’t explored those rooms yet. What if the floor contained a hole to a dungeon or something and she fell in? Valerie wouldn’t find her until morning. And Synn would… Wait, that’s what it was. Synn with a lantern that had a blue glass cover. If he was in the room, she’d be much braver about meeting another ghost.

  Courage back in hand, she stepped into the doorway. “Synn?” She scanned the contents. No Synn, but there appeared to be a round bed complete with blue satin sheets in the middle of the room. Around the perimeter were settees and fainting couches. The blue glow came from a fire lit behind two large blue glass windows, one located on the inside wall and one on the outside wall. Was there a double outside wall?

  She spoke a little louder. “Synn?” Only he would know how to light the room at night. He had to be around somewhere. Unable to ignore her own curiosity, she stepped to the bed and stroked her hand over the sheets. Their silkiness slithered beneath her fingers, but wasn’t it a strange accommodation for an abbey? And what was a bed doing in this room? There was no door on either end, only large archways.

  Too awake to contemplate going back to bed, she settled on a fainting couch to wait for Synn’s return. Wouldn’t Synn make the perfect rebound lover? But after a two-year engagement and two months of being heartbroken, she just wasn’t ready.

  She stared at the play of blue light upon the bed. It was hypnotizing until a movement disturbed her peripheral vision. Snapping her head around, she caught a glimpse of a disappearing ghost. They must be able to appear and disappear at random.

  She had no time to ponder the oddity before she was joined by two other people…or rather ghosts, since their bodies were nonexistent below their knees. The couple strolled arm in arm, elegantly dressed in the height of nineteenth-century fashion. The pale-blonde woman’s gown of light-blue silk had a very low neckline, hugged her waist and spread wide in a hooped skirt. The man was slender and tall, or maybe the high-waisted pants he wore and the top hat made him appear that way. They both held bird-feathered masks before their eyes that far surpassed any Mardi Gras mask she’d ever seen.

  The pair stopped and he turned the blonde to face the bed. Throwing his mask aside, he began unbuttoning the back of her dress.

  Oh, no. The room must be a bedroom. Intellectually, Rena understood the couple wasn’t there, but every one of her senses told her they were, and the last place she wanted to be was in a ghost’s bedroom. Pulling her legs from under her, she stood, but the woman waved at her. Rena froze. They were aware of her just like Mrs. McMurray. The blonde smiled and motioned for her to stay seated.

  If this abbey was going to be her success story, it would be appropriate to be polite to those who lived there and helped her. But,
if they were going to bed…maybe she should wait and see. She sat against the high back of the couch, but let her legs dangle over the side in case she needed to make a quick exit.

  The blonde, satisfied, looked back at the man and nodded. He continued to unbutton the lovely blue dress and helped her step out of it. She wore a long shirt and skirts beneath. Once he had laid the dress on one of the settees, he took her mask and methodically divested her of all her clothes. It took a while to bring her down to her naked skin.

  Rena worried the edge of her t-shirt, but when the last piece of clothing fell away, the blonde was revealed to be curved in all the right places, like a Playboy bunny.

  She should leave now, but when she tried to stand again, the woman turned toward her and shook her head. The ghostly husband, for he had to be her mate based on the light kisses he pressed upon his wife’s neck, shoulder, arm and ankle as he undressed her, shook his head as well. Clearly, she was supposed to stay.

  The husband removed his hat and set it next to his wife’s clothes. He had darkish hair, cut quite short, and his face was sharp and thin like the rest of him. He stepped up to his wife and kissed her on the mouth.

  Rena melted at his kiss. It was beautiful, loving and tender, but possessive. Bryce had never kissed her like that.

  When the kiss ended, the wife sat upon the bed, giving Rena her profile. The blonde had large breasts with thick nipples. Her husband stood in front of her, fully clothed, and took each nipple between his fingers and thumbs and played.

  Heat rushed to both Rena’s cheeks and her pussy at the sight. This was wrong. She had to go, but the woman glanced at her and shook her head. They wanted her to watch them? Valerie would never believe this! But she had little time to think of Valerie as another couple wandered in from the entryway. They nodded a greeting at the two ghosts already in the room and at her, but floated into the next room.