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How could she have vanished so quickly and so completely? Was she a ghost as well, he wondered, then immediately rejected the idea. There had been something so vibrant, so alive about her.
A memory tugged at him, but once again, it eluded him.
And what am I supposed to be doing?
She seemed to think he should know, but there was so little he actually could do.Except to continue trying to strengthen my abilities.Could that have been what she meant?
He thought back to earlier that morning and how much he’d enjoyed teasing Jessica by pulling the covers down. And about that first moment when he’d breathed in her scent, as if he were really standing there next to her. Were the two related? Did strengthening his abilities in one area strengthen other areas as well?
If he could see and hear and now smell, what if he could taste? What if he could touch? He thought about what she’d said about testing his newly discovered sense of smell with the variety of scents in the kitchen.
Should he see how far this newfound ability extended? He hesitated for a moment, then projected himself down into the kitchen. Although he had little difficulty moving within the manor, the fact that Jessica was already in the kitchen made it easier.
He veiled his appearance as he always did in the restaurant, but Cody looked over and grinned at him.
“Dude.”
Perhaps it was because Cody had been present during the banishment rite. Or perhaps it was because brownies were not only resistant to glamour, but also bonded to their chosen places. Whatever the reason, Cody had always been able to spot him. They’d even talked a few times, although fortunately it had always been when they were alone. As far as he could tell Cody had never told anyone else about him. Cody didn’t try to talk to him now, just grinned again before he left the kitchen.
He had materialized directly behind Jessica and he couldn’t resist bending down and breathing her in once again, half afraid it had been a fluke, but he could still catch her sweet floral fragrance.
If anything it seemed stronger, sweeter. Unable to resist, he tried brushing a quick kiss to the curve of her neck, hoping perhaps he could taste her. He could feel her skin against his mouth, but only as a resistance. He couldn’t taste her, couldn’t tell if her skin was warm or cool. And although he could imagine how silky her skin would feel, he couldn’t sense that either.
And yet she responded to his touch. He saw her shiver slightly, her nipples tightening beneath the pretty dress. Not for the first time, he wondered what those tempting little buds looked like—pale pink or dusky coral or somewhere in between. He’d frequently been tempted to spy on her and find out, but he was a man of his word—a ghost of his word—and he wouldn’t violate her confidence.
Then her scent deepened and he had the sudden suspicion it was due to arousal. If his suspicion was correct, then the brush of his mouth against her skin had pleased her. Was it possible?
A pot clattered to the ground as a surge of excitement went through him. Jessica frowned up at him over her shoulder. Even concealed as he was, she seemed to be looking directly into his face.
Stop that, she mouthed.
He couldn’t tell her it had been an accident because he couldn’t make himself heard to just one person. Or could he? It occurred to him that it was another limitation that he’d never thought to test.
“Sorry,” he said, his voice just barely above a whisper.
Her eyes widened and she took a quick look around, but no one else reacted.
“I don’t think they can hear me.” A little louder this time, but there was still no reaction.
“I’m just going to go check on tonight’s reservations,” she announced, hurrying out of the room and into the former butler’s pantry that had been converted into a small office.
“What are you doing?” she demanded as he materialized in front of her. “What if they’d heard you?”
“But they didn’t hear me. I never thought to test it before but it seems as if I can direct my words specifically to you. And possibly Cody,” he added.
“What do you mean?”
“Cody can see me.”
She sighed. “Damn. I was afraid of that.”
“Why does it bother you so much?”
She looked away from him, pink flushing her pale cheeks.
“He’s not exactly discreet.”
“Isn’t he? You didn’t know that he could see me, and he’s never mentioned it to anyone else.”
