and she closed her eyes. There was something stimulating, almost erotic, about his spirit touching her soul. Her strong desire to wrap herself around him would get her nowhere—except maybe brokenhearted. His fingers had slipped right through her, but in the spiritual sense, his touch had brought more pleasure and desire than any physical contact she’d ever experienced.
Izzy’s intuition told her that Jack Baker knew every inch of her—mind, body and soul. Fat chance of hiding her darkest secrets and strongest desires from him.
A sensual appetite flooded her senses and Izzy swatted at his hand as if she could knock it away. Shivering, she hopped off the desk and dashed to the makeshift Air Force cot. To her dismay, Jack followed her.
“You and I seem to share a connection, Isabelle.” He settled beside her on the cot.
She looked toward him, taking note of their proximity and the bed they sat on. “Why is it that you’re able to sit on things, but you can’t touch me?”
“Contact with the physical world takes effort and practice, see.” He tilted his head and those smoldering gray eyes sent delectable chills rippling over her. “I’ve had plenty of practice at sitting. Not so much at touching a beautiful woman.”
Beautiful ? Izzy almost lost her train of thought. “Stop that.” She hoped she didn’t look as stupid as she felt. She leapt to her feet and trudged across the room toward the desk.
Jack laughed and zoomed to the chair by the door. “You look tired, Isabelle. Maybe you should get some rest.”
“Why do you call me Isabelle? I told you everybody calls me Izzy.” She’d never let anybody call her Isabelle. It didn’t seem right. Until now.
“You don’t like it when I call you Isabelle?”
Well, no . That wasn’t it. It’s not that she minded. She just wasn’t used to it. “No...” she muttered. “I never liked being called Isabelle until I met you.”
“You know what’s in the records, don’t you.”His inquiry was more of a statement than a question. He folded his arms across his chest and propped his ankle over his knee.
“Yes, I do.” She couldn’t lie to him.
“And you don’t want to tell me.” His tone remained unchanged. If that notion bothered him, he wasn’t owning it.
“Not yet.” She nodded. “Just give me one more night. If you’re still here tomorrow, I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
Jack snorted a laugh. “I’ve already told you, Isabelle, I’m not going anywhere.” He paused, wagging his head disagreeably. “I like it here.”
“Well, if I’m successful, you won’t have a choice,” she said, gaining the upper hand. “Look, Jack, I’m really, really tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night. Can we table this until I catch some Zs?” She returned to the cot, straightened and smoothed the sleeping bag before turning it back in preparation to climb inside.
“Catch some Zs?” He drew her in with a raised eyebrow and a captivating smile.
Izzy slipped her shoes off. “Look, I’m tired, okay...I’ll play later, I promise.” Right now, she just wanted to go to sleep and dream, so she could save his life.
CHAPTER 6
IZZY RECOGNIZED her mother’s dream realm and took a seat. She planted her palms against her knees and surveyed the dimly lit area, anticipating seeing her mother’s form emerge from one of the shimmering lights twinkling against the darkness.
A smile filled her soul when Cynthia finally materialized wearing an exquisite crimson evening gown. Her hair had been styled to perfection. Perhaps she was dressed for the “jam session”. She looked beautiful. And real.
Her mother came closer and Izzy rose, overwhelmed with the desire to feel the warmth of her embrace.
The hug came as a surprise. Nothing like this had ever happened in all her years of ghost whispering. She’d never been able to touch a spirit.
She hadn’t thought it possible, but she did notice a distinct sensation each time Jack’s spirit
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