Julia
The whole house feels different now.
For the first time since moving here, I’m not plagued by the sensation of being watched. No more creaks or bangs plague the endless rooms. The laughter and running footsteps of ghostly children no longer echo through the halls. All of the noises I attributed to the settling of new construction are gone.
It’s quiet now.
Empty.
“They’ve all moved on,” Zeke explains when I ask if he notices it too. “They gave everything to help defeat Amos.”
“Moved on?” I repeat, morbidly curious. “To where?”
Zeke shrugs. “Heaven, I guess. Or maybe another dimension. I don’t really know for sure. I suppose if there were bad ones, they got sucked down into the portal with Amos.”
It strikes me that these spirits must have become family to Zeke over the last century that he’s walked this land. Even the annoying or unpleasant ones must have grown on him.
“Do you miss them?” I ask gently.
The glimmer of sadness in Zeke’s honeyed eyes confirms my suspicions. “I do,” he says in a soft voice. “Miss Penny most of all. I used to spend time by her beside when she was still alive. Everyone thought she was crazy, talking to thin air, but really, I just wanted her to know that somebody was looking out for her.”
He falls silent, lost in the memory. I take the opportunity to study him. It’s a little weird to look at Jake’s body knowing that my husband is gone, but I believe I’ll get used to it over time. Maybe someday, the warmth of the final sacrifices Jake made for me will replace the grief of losing him. Until then, I’ll just continue being thankful for the opportunity to be with the man I truly love.
After all, I never let myself believe that Zeke and I could ever find a way to be together, not completely. But now, he sits beside me at the kitchen island, flesh and blood. I know we won’t waste this opportunity.
My mind creeps back to Jake. He did so many terrible things. I’m already horribly aware of the cheating and the violence. I suspect that his business dealings were not of the ethical variety. Now, Zeke will have to clean all of that up.
And then there’s the matter of Amos.
In spite of Jake’s sacrifice and selfless last request for Zeke to inhabit his body, my husband handed me over to Amos with little resistance. While I’m still not sure how much of Jake’s abuse was due to the demon’s influence, I know that Jake was an active participant in much of it.
Does that mean he deserved to die?
I have a feeling that this question will haunt me for a very long time.
“Hey.” Zeke catches my gaze, concern etched into his features. Though his body is unmistakably Jake’s, his eyes are the warm honey hue I’ve come to associate with him. “Are you okay?”
I offer him a wry smile. “Ask me again tomorrow.”
“I’m just glad there will be a tomorrow,” Zeke replies. “It feels unreal that Amos is finally gone.”
“It does,” I agree. “I actually felt it when it died. It was like the whole swamp was different somehow. Like the land itself knew.”
“Speaking of the swamp, we both absolutely reek,” he comments lightly. I know he’s trying to cheer me up, and I give in to it gratefully.
“Are you trying to tell me I smell?” I gasp in feigned offense.
“I’m trying to tell you that you need another shower,” Zeke counters. He pauses for a moment before adding, “I could use one too.”
My eyebrows draw upward at the implication. He meets my questions with a strong, certain gaze.
Wordlessly, I take his hand and tug, urging him to stand. He does so dutifully and trails behind me as I guide him out of the kitchen, down the hallway, and up the stairs.
The lighter mood shifts in intensity as we step into the master bedroom. Zeke’s eyes grow hot with desire, and I know I’m regarding him just as hungrily.
It’s me who makes the first move.
Moving slowly so he doesn’t miss a single thing, I slide the thin straps of my dress over my shoulders. No longer secured, the loose dress ripples easily down my body to pool at my feet.
Zeke’s eyes widen at the sight of me standing before him in only my lingerie. If the growing bulge in his pants is anything to go by, I think it’s safe to say that he likes what he sees.
I turn around and glance over my shoulder coyly as I reach around to unhook my bra. The lacy garment falls to join the dress on the carpet. From there, I bend over. Zeke sucks in an audible breath at the sight. I very purposely take my time removing one heel, and then the other, before straightening up again.
Finally, I turn back around to face the man I love.
Desire paints his features, but there’s a reverence there too as his eyes pass over every inch of me, as though committing my form to memory. I feel like a goddess under his gaze.
“Beautiful,” he murmurs.
Emboldened by his response, I slide my thong down my long legs and stand bare in front him. Before he can make a move, I stride confidently past him to the bathroom. I pause on the threshold and spare him a glance.
“Aren’t you going to join me?” I beckon.
I can hear Zeke shedding his clothes as I start the shower and step under the spray of the water. I stand with my back toward the sliding door, eagerly awaiting my lover’s arrival.
The sound of the shower door almost makes me jump with anticipation. Zeke’s hands immediately come to rest on my hips as he pulls me flush against his chest. The evidence of his desire is heavy against the small of my back, and I instantly feel a rush of wet heat between my legs.
Zeke’s lips fan gentle kisses over my hair and down toward the soft skin of my neck. I lean my head to the side, allowing him better access. At the same time, his hands skim up my sides to caress the soft swell of my breasts.
A breathy gasp escapes me as his fingers trace the tender peaks of my nipples. Zeke’s hips buck at the sound. I can only imagine what this must feel like for him after not having a physical body for so long, though there was that one night we shared together with him in Jake’s body.
While one hand continues to tease the sensitive skin of my breasts, the other trails on a southern path toward the juncture of my thighs. He skims over my belly before dipping his fingers lower to ghost over my core. I shiver in anticipation as he continues to circle my slick heat.
Just when I think I’ll go mad with desire, he slides one finger inside.
I moan at the sudden intrusion.
“You’re already so wet for me,” Zeke marvels as he gently pumps his finger through my slick folds. “I can feel how much you want me.”
“I do,” I gasp as I rock my hips, seeking more friction. “Please, Zeke, I want you.”
As though he’s rewarding me, his thumb brushes against my clit.
“Please,” I whine as I rock against his hand. “More.”
Zeke, ever the gentleman, obliges.
He quickens the rhythm, giving me more of what I crave. Sensing that it’s still not enough, he adds another finger, stretching me deliciously. As he presses into me, his thumb provides my clit with some much needed attention.
I’m a dripping mess under his ministrations. My legs shudder beneath me as he brings me closer and closer to the edge.
“Come for me, Julia,” he whispers in my ear. “I want to feel you.”
I come undone at his words, spasming on his fingers. A wanton moan floats from my lips as pleasure jolts through me. I realize dimly that Jake never made me come like this. Only Zeke has only ever drawn this sort of ecstasy out of me.
Now, I want to show him the same sort of heaven.
I turn in Zeke’s grasp, relishing the feeling of his hard length trailing against my skin. His honeyed eyes track my movements with hot intensity as I kneel before him until I’m level with his cock.
My hands slide up his muscled thighs as I take the tip of him in my mouth.
“Julia,” he gasps as my lips close over the silky skin of his shaft. His hands twine through my hair, but he’s gentle in his grasp.
Empowered by his desire, I begin to work my mouth over him, taking in as much of his cock as I can manage. I close one hand over the base of his shaft and massage him while my tongue does the rest.
The groans my efforts elicit from him are sweeter than honey. Part of me longs to take him over the edge like this. Only the thought of his cock sliding deep into my dripping pussy stops me.
Zeke seems to have the same idea. His hands frame my face, guiding me off him and up to standing. He wastes no time in moving me until my back is against the smooth tile.
I wrap my arms around his shoulders as he ducks down to capture my lips in a heated kiss. I pour all of my love, all of my desire back into it.
Zeke pulls back, and for a split second, I’m worried that he’s changed his mind now that he has a flesh and blood body. After all, I was never enough for Jake. He took every opportunity to cheat on me. Even though I know that Zeke is a far better man than my husband ever was, a small part of me fears that Zeke might eventually tire of me too.
Maybe he already has.
But the words he utters next send all of those doubts flying.
“I love you,” he breathes.
Time seems to stop as the full force of his statement sinks in. When I’m finally ready to reply, my eyes are brimming with unshed tears.
“And I love you, Zeke,” I murmur.
He once again catches me in a breathless kiss as his arms snake around me. He lifts me easily, and I wrap my legs around his waist. The head of his cock brushes against my entrance, causing me to moan against his mouth.
I let go of him for a moment to guide his length to my entrance. At the same time, I break the kiss only to catch his earlobe in my teeth, earning a delighted sigh from his lips.
“Show me,” I whisper. “Make love to me.”
His hips roll lazily, pushing his length into me. I moan into his neck at the sensation. Spurred on by my pleasure, Zeke starts up a slow, rhythmic pace. Every thrust guides his cock deeper into my tight pussy, filling me completely.
It doesn’t take long before I’m once again overwhelmed with sensation. I squirm against him as he lowers me over and over again onto his dick, fanning the flames that are building inside of me.
And then I crest the peak, my mouth opening in a silent cry as the wave of pleasure breaks.
My inner walls flutter over Zeke’s cock, driving him over the edge. He comes with a deep groan as he releases his essence inside of me.
We stay like that for a moment, him cradling me against him as his seed drips down my thighs.
Eventually, he pulls away, just far enough so that he can rest his forehead against mine.
“I love you, Julia,” he says earnestly. “I promise I’ll always take care of you. If you’ll have me, I will give you all that I am. I’m yours, in death and in life.”
His eyes meet mine, and I have no doubt that he’s telling the truth.
Zeke is mine.
In death–and in life.