Who Ya Gonna Call Read online

  Mentally, he clicked off what he’d need to bring back with him to Devon’s apartment.

  “Um, Gus?” Devon intruded on his silent checklist.

  “Yes?”

  “How much? Like greenbacks, you know?”

  His eyebrows knitted together again. “Money?”

  “Yeah, like cashola?”

  “Oh, nothing actually.”

  Devon snorted. “Nothing? C’mon. What’s the catch?”

  Devon, Devon, Devon. How can I possibly charge someone with an ass like yours? Gus shook his head. Enough, he told his nether friend. Think ghosts, not sexual healing.

  He’d just witnessed a rare paranormal event and he was eyeballing her ass? Jesus, what kind of professional was he? His cock answered that for him. A horny professional…

  Gus cleared his throat. “There is no catch, Ms. Masters.” He used his condescending, professor tone -- succinct and crisp. “I don’t normally charge for this kind of thing unless I have to get on a plane somewhere. Documenting this kind of thing and the research I’ll do -- the data I’ll gather is invaluable to me.”

  “Oh.” She seemed surprised. “So what happens if you find something noteworthy? Do we call a priest? Have an exorcism?”

  Gus couldn’t help it. He chuckled. “No. First we determine what kind of entity is present. Determining what’s going on is the hardest process and after that we’ll take it from there.”

  “I just don’t get this. What could a ghost possibly want from me? I own an antiques store. I’m about as average as you can get.”

  Well, your ass ain’t average… Okay. No more anatomical assessments of the finely sculpted booty, Gus, he scolded himself. This was business. “It could be anything -- from the place you live in, sensitivity to paranormal phenomena, an object. Wait! You said you work in an antiques store, right?”

  Devon paced her living room as she spoke. “I own it.”

  “Have you brought anything home from the store? Anything old or an unusual piece?”

  “Yes!” she squeaked. Devon rushed over to the mantel above the fireplace. She grabbed the candleholders that bracketed each end and showed them to Gus. “I just brought these home about two weeks ago! I couldn’t resist them. They work perfectly in here, don’t you think?”

  Gus took the candleholders and examined them, asking absently, “And was this when all of your paranormal experiences began to happen?” Gus ran his fingers over the swirled gouges on the base of them. His fingertips tingled.

  Devon cocked her head. “As a matter of fact, I think that is when this all began to happen…”

  Gus kept his thoughts to himself, but he was beginning to put a couple of the pieces of the puzzle together and it didn’t have a lot to do with this ghost wanting to reach Devon.

  It wanted to reach him, and Gus knew why…

  Time to pack his jammies and toothbrush.

  Chapter Three

  Devon fluffed her hair in the very mirror that had brought into her life Gus, the very reason she was fluffing her hair.

  Gustavo Hernandez. Yum-yum.

  Devon shivered. He was sexy in a totally forbidden, college professor kind of way. She couldn’t breathe near him. She couldn’t think near him. She couldn’t. Period. Unfortunately, Gus could. He certainly hadn’t paid much attention to her. Just her ghost.

  It would figure the first man who’d caught her attention in a coon’s age was more interested in floating vases and bleeding walls. When he’d left her apartment, the sexually charged air that he brought with him left too. Just like that, Devon could breathe again. After she was done hyperventilating, that is.

  Devon sighed and blew a kiss at her reflection before heading out to straighten her bedroom. Not that she needed to worry. Gus made his very pure intentions clear. He would sit out on the couch all night and collect data.

  And how the hell was a woman supposed to sleep with the ghost nabber all hot and cute on her couch? Oh, God. She was a thirty-something ex-teacher hot for the king of paranormal. He chased ghosts for a living, for God’s sake!

  Now, a month or so ago, before this move to San Antonio, Devon might have thought Gus was a whack-job, but after these past couple of weeks her opinion had changed. Floating vases and names written on one’s bathroom mirror did that to a girl.

  Devon felt a small measure of comfort knowing Gus would be here tonight. He certainly couldn’t deny what had happened this morning, but Devon wondered if the other things that she’d experienced would still happen while Gus was actually present.

  “You hear that, you ghost? Don’t make a fool of me,” she said into the silence of her apartment. Gaby meowed at her from her perch on the bedroom windowsill, her almond-shaped green eyes all knowing.

  When the doorbell rang, Devon hurried off to answer it, smoothing her hands over her jeans as she went. The moment she opened it that odd, very aware feeling accosted her senses again, just like it had when she’d first opened the door to Gus earlier this morning. His thick black hair was wet and smoothed back from his face. It curled over the edges of his collared shirt. A faint smile lifted the corners of his firm, full lips. Obviously his expression of joy was over the chase for Casper, certainly not for her.

  “Hi, Gus. C’mon in.” Devon felt a tingle run up her spine as she turned to lead Gus to the living room, tweaking her as it raced upwards to land squarely on her breasts. Her nipples tightened sharply and her legs trembled again.

  Lord almighty… Devon took a deep breath and turned to face Gus. She rolled her head on her neck, trying to loosen up muscles that were tense and tight.

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this, Devon?” Gus asked all rumbly and low.

  Ready? Oh, honey. She was as ready as one of those chickens with a pop-up timer. Clearing her throat she smiled. “I think so. Did you bring the ghost-sucking machine? So you can take it home with you?”

  Gus chuckled as he began pulling things out of his backpack. “I brought lots of things, but I forgot the ghost-sucking machine. I gotta get one of those.”

  Devon giggled, then covered her mouth in horror at her behavior.

  Flirt…

  “Okay, so what do you need me to do?”

  Gus looked up at her, his eyes held hers. “Do?” He paused as he pulled out a camera. “I need you to do me -- er…” He shook his head as words began to tumble out of his mouth that Devon couldn’t hear because she was too busy staring at his lips. “I mean -- um -- do me a favor and tell me where you’d like me to put this stuff.”

  You can put your stuff right here, ghost-man. Put it right where it’ll make me howl like a banshee. Devon rolled her eyes. Jesus Christ in a miniskirt! Composure was so much more attractive in a girl, no?

  Devon straightened. “You can put it wherever you’d like. I mean, it doesn’t matter. I -- I’d just --” She trailed off, realizing how lame she sounded -- even to herself.

  Gus moved toward her and put a big hand on her shoulder. A really big hand that sent a jolt of electricity on an all points bulletin. “I know you’re frightened, but like I said earlier today, I don’t think this entity is a poltergeist. It means no harm. I just need to figure out why it wants to contact me through you.”

  Could we talk about that contact thing, Gus? Cuz I think we have established -- contact that is… Devon’s head spun, but she managed to answer coherently. “Well, I’m glad it’s not a bad ghost, but it’s spooky nonetheless. I don’t know how you do this all day and sleep at night. Doesn’t it keep you up all night long?” Could he keep it up all night long? Devon felt the flames of heat rise to her cheeks.

  His grip tightened on her shoulder a bit. “It doesn’t keep me up all night. Not that I couldn’t be up all night --” Gus scowled, his hard features crunching together. “I mean… I stay up a lot at night because that’s when most ghosts appear.”

  Devon had stopped breathing all together. She was going to need mouth to mouth if he didn’t let go of her shoulder like now. Stepping away from hi
s grip, Devon went to her small kitchen and yanked open the fridge door. “Would you like something to drink? I could use something to drink. I think I’m a little nervous, Gus. I don’t know if I want to see what’s trying to contact you through me.” Devon took out some wine and sloshed it clumsily into a glass. “Want some?” she asked, holding up her glass as she turned to face him again. He had his hands in his pockets and he was doing that sorta smiling thing.

  “I don’t know that I should drink on the job. It could affect my perceptions.”

  Right. No altering of the perception with wine and a horny antiques store owner. “How about water or a soda?” Or me, spread eagle on the floor at your feet? Devon swallowed some wine with a long gulp.

  “I’m good for now, thanks. C’mere and I’ll show you my ghost whacking stuff,” he teased good-naturedly.

  Well, haven’t we loosened up now that you know I’m not some flippin’ loon who hallucinates her own ghosts? Aren’t we all whimsy and light because Casper isn’t such a cartoon anymore, now is he?

  Boy, what a turnaround from his very serious, rather skeptical approach to her this morning. Fine, just fine.

  Another gulp of wine and she had but a drop left. Devon grabbed the entire bottle off the counter and brought it with her, needing a little booze for courage. It must just be her nerves… or her hormones… moaning -- like loud and clear.

  Taking a seat on the couch, Devon peered into his bag as Gus pulled things out and set them on the coffee table. “Oooh, what’s this?” Devon picked up an oddly shaped item with a meter on it.

  “That’s an EMF detector. It detects electromagnetic fields. Basically, it tracks energy sources.”

  “This?” Devon held up a yellow square with a handle on it, a couple of buttons and another meter.

  “That is a Geiger counter. It detects ambient radiation. It’s the deluxe model.” Gus wiggled his eyebrows as he sat down beside her on the couch.

  Whew, he smelled good. Nothing like one would expect a ghost whacker to smell. It was sinful.

  She grabbed a pair of glasses as she took another long swig from the wine bottle and giggled. “These make a statement, huh?”

  He smiled fully for the first time, revealing a set of perfectly straight, white teeth. “Aura glasses. They’re considered a third eye of sorts. Helps to see people’s auras.”

  Devon placed them on Gus’s nose and ears. “So what does my aura tell you -- Gussss?”

  Oh, good. She was slurring her words. Wine always did that to her. Wait. Could those glasses read your horny-aura? Cuz if they could, hers was probably going to make those glasses explode. She held the wine bottle tightly and swigged again just for good measure.

  Gus leaned forward with the glasses on and peered at her through the dark lenses. His warm breath fanned her face. “I see a woman who’s going to regret having so much to drink tomorrow morning.”

  Talk about a pin in a girl’s bubble. “I sink you’re right, Gussss.” She hissed his name out on an alcohol-laden breath. “I should go to bed and let you do your ghostie thing…”

  “I sink I’m right too, Devon,” he chuckled. “Go ahead, I’ll be fine,” he offered as his dark eyes scanned her face.

  Devon shivered at his gaze, even in her slightly tipsy state.

  Yep, he was frosting her Wheaties.

  Time to go to bed. “Hoo-kaaay, Gussss. If you need anything you know where I’ll be. In the bedroom.” Oy. “I mean you can knock --”

  Gus rose and chuckled, taking off the aura glasses. “I know what you mean, Devon. Go to bed and I’ll do my thing.”

  Devon stumbled across the floor to her bedroom thinking about Gus doing his thing. If only she could get him and his thing -- to do his thing with her…

  Bedtime, Devon… she thought as she wandered into her room and stripped her clothes off. Was it hot in here, or was it just her libido flashing like a neon sign?

  Darn libido, she chided as she pulled the covers over her. Her last semi-coherent thought involved aura glasses and Gus wearing them with no clothes on.

  Bet he had a cute aura, very cute indeed.

  Chapter Four

  “Guuuuuuuussssssssss!!” Devon’s shrill cry came from behind her bedroom door. Gus jumped up and burst through it just in time to see Devon naked before she grabbed a sheet and tugged it around her, and a hovering heart shaped jewelry box.

  Gus blinked as the vision of the naked Devon seared his brain and his drawers. He swiped at the jewelry box, but it evaded him, making dives and dips and finally landing where Devon sat huddled in the corner of her bed, shaking.

  The top popped off and a small ring floated toward Gus. He knew he should go get his EMF detector, but he wasn’t much thinking about ghosts -- so much as he was thinking about Devon naked. Gus grabbed at the ring, catching it between his fingers. He studied it just as something -- or someone shoved him hard toward the bed. Gus fell forward, clocking his head on one of the bedposts, and collapsing without much grace right in front of Devon and her breast.

  A very full breast that was outlined beneath the sheet…

  A very full breast that was outlined beneath the sheet with a tight nipple just begging to be licked.

  Oh, fuck. Gus’s cock strained against the zipper of his pants and he figured he’d better not get up or he might reveal his raging -- er, love gun.

  Yup, this was bad. Very bad client-parapsychologist relations.

  He’d been out on that couch for hours with nothing to do but twiddle his thumbs and think about Devon while he nursed a hard-on the size of a two-by-four.

  Devon knelt in front of him and ran her hands through his hair anxiously, tilting his chin up. “Are you okay? What happened? Oh, you have a bruise on your head! Let me see.”

  Devon ran soft fingertips over his forehead. Gus couldn’t feel a thing but the strain of his increasingly evident lust for Devon, poking holes in the mattress as he gazed into her soft chocolate brown eyes.

  He reached up to stop her hand from driving him further over the line of client/ghost whacker and found whatever had shoved him onto the bed was now pushing at the back of his head. Straight toward her luscious lips and suddenly his lips were on hers with a vengeance even Gus couldn’t explain, pulling Devon toward him roughly. It wasn’t a slow exploration, but a clash of tongue and Devon’s silken mouth against his own. Gus suckled her tongue, parting her lips, angling his head to taste her thoroughly, lashing her mouth with smooth strokes. Her mouth was pliant, soft, sweeter than any he’d ever tasted.

  His head exploded and his cock was going to follow shortly thereafter if he didn’t relieve himself of this inexplicable need. Gus hauled himself upward, dragging her into his arms, slicing through her parted lips with forceful stabs. Devon molded to him, pressing her semi-sheet-clad body to his. He gripped her shoulders, pulling her down over him as their tongues dueled. Gus took slow, languorous licks, savoring her taste on his tongue.

  Devon moaned, low and sweet against his mouth when he cupped a full breast, caressing the hot flesh, thumbing her nipple to a tight point.

  His breathing was ragged as he tore his lips from hers and whispered, “If you want me to stop, I will.”

  Devon raked her fingers through his hair, clutching it. “I don’t know if I have condoms,” she said huskily. “Do you?”

  Shit. She was agreeable and he didn’t have a condom! Well, wasn’t that just fucking ducky?

  Yes, you do, a voice whispered in his head. Check your pockets, Gus, m’boy.

  Alrighty then. And how would he explain having them in his pocket to a girl like Devon? She’d think he was a pig.

  Gus, do you want to “do it” or discuss farm animals? I taught you to think fast on your feet. So get busy and then I can go away, the voice whispered.

  Gus pulled her tighter to him, reluctant to give her a moment to think about it. “I think I might have one in my wallet. Will you wait for me?”

  Good boy, Gus… the voice congratulated him.

/>   Devon nodded, her eyes soft with acquiescence in the moonlit bedroom.

  Gus took off for the living room, tearing at the buttons on his shirt as he went. He pretended to riffle around for the condom.

  She is the one, Gus.

  “Grandma,” he whispered fiercely into the night. “Not now!”

  * * *

  Devon didn’t care that she’d known Gus since only this morning. She didn’t care that Gus might find her reaction to him kinda slutty. The only thing she cared about was having Gus.

  Pronto.

  The need to have him made it hard for her to breathe. The same heaviness she’d felt in the air when he’d first arrived returned tenfold, powerful and with a tangible substance she could literally feel. Her heart crashed against her ribs and she squirmed with need that consumed each delicate nerve ending. Devon was on fire with a lust she’d not known in her thirty-two years and she had to douse it.

  Soon.

  Gus came back minus his shirt, throwing the condom on the nightstand and crawled across the bed to Devon again. His naked chest was magnificent, smooth and well defined, leading to ripples of hard abdomen and a narrow trail of dark hair that ended at his waist. Devon’s hands fumbled as she unbuttoned his trousers and slid the zipper down boldly. She shoved her hands into his pants and pushed them off of his hips, taking his underwear with them, leaving them to rest at his ankles. Devon roamed his chest, skating over the planes of it, testing each ridge to see if they were as hard as they’d been in her thoughts, luxuriating in his firm, hot skin.

  Gus bent to take her lips again, kicking his pants off and laying over her, his heavy weight seeping into her in slow, delicious increments. Devon’s nipples pressed against his hot flesh, budding with painful need as Gus’s lips swept over hers, following the smooth line of her throat until he reached her swollen nipple. He hovered over it, lingering before flicking his tongue along the pebbled surface. Devon shuddered at the contact. His tongue rasped the aching bud before enveloping it fully, wrapping his mouth around it and suckling with force.