An Excerpt from Nicole Pierce's Once Haunted “Kiera, damn you, stop being so stubborn and let yourself hear me before it’s too late.” Kiera tried to block out her dead sister's carefree voice, but she sounded so real that it made her monster headache worse. As well as her heartache. Unfortunately the chatty hallucination wouldn’t go away. Kiera looked at the computer monitor on her desk, knowing she had to finish her advertising campaign, but she wasn’t feeling creative today. Instead she was barely holding it together. Haley had died exactly one year ago, and Kiera had known it would be hard on her. She dropped her head and sighed. Maybe it was also the recent Crispin St. Giles interview that had driven her around the bend. The freelance reporter was writing a book about the “Scarlet A Killer” and his victims, including Haley. Even though the mild-mannered journalist was caring and sympathetic, she couldn’t shake off the crazy thought that talking about Haley had somehow summoned her back to earth. She shouldn’t have agreed to do the damn interview, but she’d wanted to help others who had lost loved ones. Kiera lifted her Styrofoam cup, trying to calm herself with a sip of hot coffee. She didn't believe in spooks or the occult or things that went bump in the night, so why was her hand shaking? The voice would go away tomorrow, when the sad anniversary mercifully ended… Her eyes teared as she thought of her sister being murdered so coldly with the infamous telltale letter carved into her forehead. Kiera shivered anew. Six others had died the same way. All prostitutes. Except for Haley. She sucked in a deep breath, trying not to pay attention to her coworker in the next cubicle who stared at her curiously. She turned her head toward the monitor and shut her eyes. The killer had been found, but not the way the Forkus family had hoped. There would be no trial for the fiend, no justice meted out to put closure to her family’s pain. The cowardly monster had committed suicide after mailing a letter to the police confessing to his crimes, telling them where to find his body. Death had been too good for him. She wiped an eye and tried to concentrate on the computer screen in front of her. As an advertising rep for northwest suburban Chicago’s largest newspaper, she had several projects in the works, none of them interesting her today. Lately even trying to get lost in her kinky fantasies couldn’t take her mind off her troubles. Nor could her trusty vibrator satisfy her. She needed more than her mundane life to help her move on. She needed… “Hi there, Silver Eyes.” A smooth male voice slithered over her like hot chocolate. Kiera jolted, looked up, and found herself staring at Jaden Hawkins, the oh-so-inappropriate man of her erotic dreams. Jaden was Haley’s ex-fiancé and son of the newspaper’s owner, and she knew he ought to be off-limits in her fantasies. The problem was that he wasn’t. Her pussy spasmed as she gazed at his overwhelming manliness, and she tried not to think about him pulling her into his arms or spanking her naughty ass. Her face heated under his curious watchfulness. His dominating presence did something to her formerly suppressed hormones, and there was no denying it. Jaden commanded her attention and warmed her blood in a way she couldn’t resist, even though she knew it was wrong. Her only saving grace was that he didn’t have a clue that she wanted him. Shit, he’s one steaming-hot man! His even, perfectly chiseled features could have graced a Greek god. And his firm jaw and penetrating midnight blue eyes made him a total chick magnet. Today he’d dressed for business rather than casually as he often did. And he looked otherworldly gorgeous. He’d pulled his tie loose and rolled his cotton shirtsleeves to his elbows, exposing strong, tanned forearms. “Having a hard time?” he asked with a quiet compassion in his eyes. “I know I am.” She gulped, wanting to tell him about her hallucination but knowing she shouldn’t. He’d think her mentally ill, and he had his own grief to tame. She tugged at the brown skirt of her conservative suit, trying to get it to reach her slender knees, and looked away, feeling frumpy. Every time Jaden appraised her, she wished she’d gotten just a bit of Haley’s blonde, delicate-featured, curvaceous good looks. She thought of herself disparagingly -- too tall, too thin, too busty, her hair straggly and mousy brown, her gray eyes unremarkable -- it was kind of Jaden to call them silver. She cringed inwardly as Jaden’s assessing stare lingered. He must compare her to her sister. “It’s okay to be sad, Jaden. I can’t help thinking of Haley today,” she said, trying to keep a steady voice as she dared to meet his gaze once more. His wince told her he took Haley’s name like a body blow, and she shared his agony. In the worst way, she wanted to reach out and touch him. Damn, she felt conflicted and confused. How could her nipples tighten up at a time like this? It was wrong. But Jaden had that sort of hold over her. She focused back on his face, his expression, wanting desperately to help him. She forced her own pain aside. “I know how much you miss her.” Jaden’s gaze seemed to fade. “Yeah, one year she’s gone. Soon six years.” He shook his head. “Sometimes I wake up and still expect her to be lying by my side.” Her throat tightened, and she took his hand. “It’s tough,” she said, awash in his despair. She shivered, concern for him heightened. He hadn’t been the same since Haley’s death, seeming to give up on life. He’d even scared her by getting into three needless car accidents, because he'd been reckless. Once he’d fallen asleep and driven into a tree, luckily coming out of the accident with just a concussion. Or had it been an accident? Now she wondered. Had any of them been accidents? I can’t lose Jaden too, even if he doesn’t know I love him. Uncaring of her nosy coworkers, she stood up and gave his solid, athletic body a hug. He hugged her back. “We would have been married by now.” She swallowed past a lump, wishing she had the power to soothe him. Jaden’s voice had sounded flat, hopeless, as he’d spoken into her ear. His hot, uneven breath continued to tease the side of her face. Kiera squeezed him harder and didn’t want to let him go, closing her eyes. A vision of Jaden making love to her flashed across her mind like a movie scene. She was writhing under him as his cock plunged deep inside her creamy pussy. She could almost feel it, her whole body tingling. Stop it now! She pushed herself away from him. Jaden let her go with a troubled and curious look but kept ahold of her hands. “If I dwell on Haley, I’ll go nuts. I’d better get to work. I have a high school baseball game to cover, so I’ll be out of the office.” “Are you all right to drive?” she asked him, appraising him thoroughly, earning a frown. The one good thing his controlling father did was to ride him unmercifully about the drunk driving, and Jaden didn’t like anyone else doing it. “I’m worried,” she offered. Jaden gave her a sad smile. “I’ll be fine. I hope you are.” She shrugged and then nodded. He understood, she knew. She found herself lost in his endless blue eyes, their intensity drawing her into his soul. Suddenly, as if some mystical force had willed it, a vivid image flashed before her eyes -- Jaden all dressed in black leather, a whip in his hand, those penetrating blue eyes gleaming. A sexy smirk lit his face. Her nipples tightened, and the visual disappeared. She swallowed hard. What the hell had that been all about? It had been much more vivid than her fantasies or even her dreams. She hoped she wasn’t blushing. Jaden would never do anything like the kink she read about in her erotica romances. I shouldn’t want to do it either, but I do. As she watched him swing his raven hair out of his eyes, she knew she’d dodged the bullet -- he hadn’t noticed anything. Hell, he didn’t watch her as carefully as she watched him. She didn’t have to worry about that. “I’d better get my photography equipment and go to the game.” He reached out and affectionately ruffled her hair. She could feel a rush of heat surge through her at the gesture. “Take care, Jaden.” “I’ll try.” “Please don’t drink.” Her voice had dropped low, so that Patsy seated in a nearby desk couldn’t hear her. He looked startled, then laughed. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. “After getting a DUI -- well, if Dad didn’t have influence, my license would be gone. I have to be careful.” “Jaden, other people still care about you.” “I didn’t get into those accidents on purpose, Kiera, no matter what the gossips around here have implied.” He met her gaze steadily, still speaking just loud enough for her ears only. “Even if I didn’t care about myself, I wouldn’t hurt other drivers by deliberately taking them out with me. I shouldn’t have gotten drunk and driven, but I didn’t realize I was intoxicated, and it won’t happen again.” His voice switched to a teasing lilt. “If I want to do myself in, I certainly won’t take anyone else with me.” His matter-of-fact tone told her he’d considered it, chilling her to the bone. “Don’t say that, Jaden!” “Kidding!” he said. Then, maybe noticing the look on her face -- obviously a frightened one -- he sobered. “I’ll be careful. Haley would want me to go on.” She nodded. “Yes, she would! Haley loved life.” “I’ll see you later, Silver Eyes.” He turned with a wink and sauntered down the aisle, sliding his hands into his pockets. She watched his graceful, long strides and the dark curls that bounced below the collar of his shirt. Eventually he disappeared down another hallway. The air still seemed to sizzle around her. She could smell his lingering earthy male scent, and it calmed her a little. At least he understood her anguish… “He’ll never want you,” a mocking female voice said. Kiera sat down hard on her computer chair and whirled it around to look at the woman who’d spoken. Patsy Koske sneered at her from the next cubicle. With her shoulder-length auburn hair, sky blue eyes, snub nose, and model’s body, she always managed to look beautiful. Kiera knew that Patsy liked Jaden. Was it possible the woman was jealous of her friendship with him? Kiera had no use for that today. “I don’t want him to want me.” She glared back at her. “He’s a friend, Haley’s ex-fiancé.” “Right.” Patsy gave her a contemptuous once-over. “I don’t tell this to most people because he doesn’t want anyone to know, but we’ve been sleeping together. We have to ignore each other at work, but we are.” She tilted her head to one side and smirked. “He’s a wild man in bed; you’d never believe the things he likes.” She giggled. Kiera tried not to show her surprise and devastation. How could Jaden sleep with somebody so soon after Haley? And Patsy of all people? It made her sick and angry at Jaden for making such a poor choice. Instantly her resentment melted. Haley’s murder had left Jaden shattered and alone. Maybe Patsy served a need, although it certainly wasn’t love. “Guess there’s a reason he doesn’t want to tell anybody.” Patsy’s eyes narrowed, and Kiera sniggered inside. “He doesn’t want his father to find out,” Patsy said, each word a harsh bite. “You know how his father is.” “I don’t care. It’s none of my business. And if he expects you to keep it quiet, you should.” She turned to her computer, aware of her clenched teeth. “I just wanted to warn you. You’ll never get Jaden.” She laughed meanly. “A real man like Jaden needs a real woman, not a frump like you.” © Nicole Pierce, October 2009 All Rights Reserved