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He continued to stroke her back, but although he could feel her skin, there was still a faint, frustrating distance between them, an invisible barrier that prevented true intimacy. But the barrier felt as if it were weakening. Her breath was coming in soft, rapid pants, and he could feel the tension building in her body as her heart raced. His own body was throbbing, demanding more.
Her mouth moved against him, hot and desperate, and he turned his head, his lips seeking hers. Their mouths connected in an explosion of sensation. His body felt as if it was on fire, and he clutched her to him, desperate for closer contact. The taste of her filled his mouth as she moaned and her leg slid over his, her body pressing even closer. He felt the wet heat of her arousal against his thigh and groaned, his hand sliding down to squeeze her ass. She moaned again and her hand slid between them, seeking his erection. Her fingers brushed against it and they both shuddered. Instinctively, he started to roll over on top of her. She suddenly froze, and then…
He was back in his usual place in the corner, his body barely visible, and the loss was almost unbearable. She was staring blindly up at the ceiling, her eyes wide and confused… and scared.
“Leo?” she whispered. “Where did you go?”
“I’m still here, sweetheart, back in my usual position. Are you all right?”
“Y-yes.,” she said hesitantly, and then her voice firmed as she sat up and looked at him. “I’m fine. But you felt so real. It was so… intense and then you were just gone.”
He hesitated, then drifted towards her, his body frustratingly immaterial.
“Something happened, didn’t it? Something that scared you?”
She bit her lip and didn’t answer immediately, and he didn’t push. He knew better than anyone how hard it was to revisit the past.
“My last foster home was… not a nice place. Someone I thought I could trust… hurt me.”
He growled, his anger washing through the room. Ice formed on the windows but he managed to keep the air around her warm. She sighed and nodded her head.
“Exactly. I was a little… broken by the experience.”
She gave a shaky laugh.
“I’ve avoided men ever since. Until you,” she added, and he could hear a trace of the old, confident Jessica. “But when you rolled over, it reminded me of him.”
“I would never hurt you,” he said fiercely.
“I know, Leo. But he didn’t start by hurting me.”
The memory was obviously painful and he didn’t ask her for any further details. She sighed again, then gave him a rueful smile.
“I wish I understood why this is happening between us.”
“Because the veil is weakening?”
“I suppose it’s possible, although it’s still a few weeks to Halloween.”
“I can’t think of any other reason—and although I’m sorry I frightened you, I can’t say that I’m sorry that I can touch you.”
She looked at him, her smile still a little shaky, and nodded.
“No, neither am I.”
There was a pause, and then she climbed out of bed and walked to the window, staring out into the night.
“Do you think it’s actually possible?”
He could hear the mixture of both longing and trepidation in her voice and his own heart ached.
“You mean that I can be alive again?”
“Yes.” She hesitated, toying with the edge of the curtain. “Would… would you mind if I consulted a few people?”
“Not at all. Make your calls, sweetheart,” he said gently. “Let’s see if we can find a way.”
CHAPTER 7
