The Captain of the Manor by Nicole Dennis Read Free Book Online Page A

barrier.
    Edmund cried out as his body twisted and contorted under the power. He dropped to his knees, suddenly feeling the weight of the world and loss upon his body. He pressed a hand against his chest.
    It was there. The strong beating of his heart.
    "You have until the rise of the sun to prove your commitment or your soul returns to me with the first rays of the sun across the water. Mark this time well," the priestess said and disappeared along with the barrier around Edmund.
    "Edmund! Damn, not again… Edmund!" Aiden shouted as he banged his fists against the barrier. When it disappeared, he almost face-planted, but balanced himself out. Seeing Edmund on his knees, he dropped and crawled to him. "Edmund? Oh, Edmund, talk to me." He reached out and pressed one hand to Edmund's shoulder and another on his back. The sensation of touching him was different and astounding. "Oh… my… god…"
    "I'm alive…" Edmund said.
    "Holy…"
    Not wanting to waste a minute of his one night with Aiden, Edmund twisted until he captured Aiden's face between his hands and pressed his lips against him. Their tongues dueled, tangled, and plied against one another. The kiss sloppy, wet, and full of need.
    "One night. My night with you… Now…" Edmund said, catching his breath.
    Lips swollen, eyes bright with passion, Aiden gave him a lopsided smiled. "You got it, pirate."

Chapter 11
    Not wanting to rush this night, Edmund leaned back to break the kiss, framed Aiden's face between his hands, and met his dazed, darkened gaze behind the lenses. "We're not rushing tonight."
    "No. Definitely not rushing, but I so want to see you nekkid," Aiden said with a lopsided smile.
    Laughing, Edmund released Aiden and stepped back. He tried to flash to his ghost form to dissolve his clothes, but he didn't change.
    "What's wrong?"
    "I can't flash to my ghost form." Edmund held out a hand to call the bottle of lube on the nightstand to him, but the bottle didn't even wobble. "I don't have any powers."
    "Nothing but the most important one tonight," Aiden said as he moved closer, pressing a hand to Edmund's chest. "You're alive. Your heart is beating. It's everything you would have when the daylight reaches us."
    "Guess she put restraints on me so we do things the old fashioned way tonight."
    "No tricks."
    "No treats," Edmund finished.
    Aiden laughed as his fingers moved to the buttons on Edmund's deep charcoal gray shirt. He unfastened each one to reveal the warmed skin. "When this works…"
    "If this works…"
    Aiden pulled in his lower lip and shook his head. "When. I'm insisting on when. When this works, we're getting you into some color with this wardrobe. Gray, black, and white is all you have and I don't like it."
    "You don't?"
    "Doesn't work with your coloring, you need some color."
    "What about your things? When this works, will you move here with me? We can run the Manor together. I'll let you write the Carslyle history."
    "I don't know if anyone would believe the truth. I may have to twist it into fiction, create a masterful cursed pirate ghost from you."
    "Privateer, darling. I was a privateer, licensed by the government."
    "Semantics… Now?"
    "Making sure you get my title correct."
    "Your title is Captain."
    "No, it's lover. Now hurry up with those buttons."
    "So bossy," Aiden teased as he moved his hands over the rest of the buttons.
    Edmund untucked Aiden's pale green shirt from the slim fitting jeans, faded with age and wear. He gathered the hem and lifted it up and over Aiden's head, forcing him to pull his hands back to get out. Impatient, Edmund finished his shirt, yanked it off, and tossed it the same direction.
    The rest of their clothes soon followed before they tumbled across the wide expanse of the bed, limbs twisting and tangling around one another as they jockeyed for position. Finally, Edmund grabbed Aiden's wrists in one hand, twisted until he was on top, and splayed Aiden's arms above his head.
    "Do I need to tie you to the