Free Kiss And Dwell by Kelley St. John Page A

ankles, as though he was ready to discuss anything she wanted, for as long as she wanted, and would then be available to give her…everything she wanted. “ If we ’ re not talking about crossing over, then we must be talking about living in the middle. Is that it? ”
    Monique nodded. That was it. This whole situation was so abnormal from her usual dealings with spirits that she didn ’ t know how to handle it, didn ’ t know how to handle him. Or their bonding. She ’ d always bonded well with her assigned spirits, enough to understand why they ’ d been given a certain requirement for crossing and to know what they needed to cross over. But with Ryan, it was more than a mere bonding. It was as though they were actually joined somehow, a real part of each other. She knew he ’ d fixed that tarp because he ’ d realized that she would have wanted it fixed. He knew—truly knew—her secret desires. And that made her, quite simply, wonder if he knew all of her desires, particularly the fact that right now she wanted him more than her next breath.
    What did a medium do when she wanted to break every rule on that list and allow herself the pleasure she ’ d missed for the past six months? Shoot, who was she kidding? She ’ d bet Ryan Chappelle could give her the kind of pleasure she ’ d missed her entire lifetime.
    “ What do you want to know, ma ’ am? ”
    Mon dieu . That accent would be her undoing. If she had only realized how entrancing it was, she ’ d have visited Alabama years ago. But none of the Vicknair mediums traveled too far from home. There was too strong a chance they ’ d be away when they received a summons. Come to think of it, she ’ d never been assigned a spirit from Alabama. She ’ d also never been assigned a spirit who didn ’ t want to cross over. In fact, she ’ d never had a spirit who was willing to answer questions.
    Most spirits didn ’ t want to chat, let alone answer the niggling little questions that had teased her senses during every crossover, they wanted to remedy the problems that kept them from crossing and move along. However, with Ryan hanging out in the central realm for over a year, and with his declaration that he wasn ’ t ready to head toward the light, he obviously was in no rush to complete his task.
    How much would he tell?
    “ Go on, Monique, ” he coaxed. “ Ask. ”
    “ How do some spirits see the living from the other side? I know my grandmother sees me, hears me. But not all spirits can see me, can they? ” Monique had asked Nanette this very question. She ’ d even asked her grandmother before she died, but neither had known.
    Ryan placed his elbows on the worn armrests of the chair, steepled his fingers in front of his chest and regarded her thoughtfully. “ To view a living soul from the other side, or from the middle, a spirit must have a strong affection for the breathing person or a fervent desire to see that individual. ”
    “ Have you seen me? ” She asked the question on impulse and immediately wished she could retract the four words, but she couldn ’ t deny that she wanted to know. Had he seen her from the other side?
    She glanced down at the mesh nightie . The thin fabric didn ’ t leave much, if anything, to his imagination. If Ryan Chappelle had been able to see her from—wherever he was, had he seen all of her? An incessant prickle of anxiety burned Monique ’ s cheeks as she awaited his answer.
    “ Yes, ” he said. One corner of his mouth curled upward when he heard Monique ’ s sharp intake of breath. “ And no. ”
    “ Are you going to explain that? ” She didn ’ t attempt to hide her irritation with his smug behavior. How could he invade her privacy that way? And why would Adeline Vicknair have sent him here if she knew he ’ d been playing Peeping Tom?
    Monique pulled the comforter up to her neck then wondered if he could see through the downy fabric. “ Can— ”
    “ No, ” he said. “ I can ’ t see