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�He came again last night,� Kim told Jill Dawson, her best friend since kindergarten, who had seen her through a few heartbreaks over the years. The most recent was the worst since it came with a marriage that ended a year later after a hellish divorce. Kim doubted she�d have survived her husband�s decision to dump her so he could re-unite with his ex-wife without Jill�s words of encouragement. Jill had talked about her opinion of marriage, which was anything but positive, and how wonderful the single life was for her. She�d reminded Kim of all the fun they�d had together before she took up with Jonathan and made the regrettable decision to marry the cheating, self-centered jerk. They were seated at a window table in the caf� where they�d been meeting for lunch once a week since Kim had returned to town. Kim looked forward to the weekly face-to-face with Jill after spending the past year communicating strictly by phone or email. Jill twisted her gloss-covered lips before she spoke. �Kimberly Marks, all these sexy dreams tell me you�ve been spending way too much time alone in that spooky house.� She flicked an auburn curl behind an ear that glittered from diamond studs along the outer edge. �You only leave long enough to make quick trips to the store.� Remodeling her house and trying to run a new business out of it left little time for much else. But Kim always made time for Jill and quickly reminded her of that. �Not true. I meet you for lunch. And--� �That�s only because I insisted we meet here, instead of there. You know that house gives me the creeps.� Kim grinned. �Does that mean you won�t be dropping by to check out what I�ve done to the downstairs rooms?� Jill plopped the straw she�d been chewing on into her empty glass and glared at Kim. �Tell you what. You come out with me Saturday night to meet some real men and I�ll come have a look, provided it�s during the day. You couldn�t pay me enough to come at night.� Kim frowned. �I know it�s more than the rumors floating around town about my house being haunted that has you so spooked. Something happened to you inside my house. So when are you going to tell me about it?� �Pick me up at eight and we can--� �Jill, answer my question.� The green of her eyes darkened as she glared at Kim. �I�m not ready to talk about it.� Trying to shake the eerie sensation snaking through her, Kim said, �I�m here when you are.� On the verge of tears, Jill nodded and then snatched her purse from the next seat as she stood. �I need to get back to work. See you Saturday.� Kim shivered as her friend rushed off. They had no secrets from each other, except this one thing. She took a sip of water while her thoughts raced. Maybe the rumors floating around town were true. Could Kim�s house be haunted? Had Jill encountered a ghost? If so, then why hadn�t Kim seen one? She was no expert, but thought ghosts made themselves visible if they were in a house. Kim couldn�t recall a single unexplainable sound or movement during the day or night since she�d moved into the historic Victorian, perched elegantly on the hill top at the edge of town. She glanced around the caf�. The two male customers seated at the counter were busy eating and the couple at the corner booth only had eyes for each other. No one saw the goose bumps beginning to dot her bare arms when her thoughts of what could�ve happened to Jill inside her house sent icy chills through her. Something had terrified her so badly that she couldn�t even talk about it. Dwelling on it wasn�t going to give Kim answers. Jill was the only one who could tell Kim what had actually happened. Kim paid the bill and headed for her car. The afternoon sun sent warmth through her for about thirty seconds before the coldness returned. �There�s no such thing as ghosts,� she said repeatedly on the short drive home. But no matter how many times she said it, she was still doubtful. She parked in front of the three-story Victorian and remained behind the steering wheel. The sun faded and chipping paint did give the magnificently sculptured structure a creepy appearance. But the new color planned as a fall project would change that and quiet all those rumors. �At least one can hope,� she mumbled and headed inside. She�d finished painting the downstairs rooms a week ago, but the smell lingered. After going from room to room raising windows to freshen the air, she fixed a glass of iced tea and carried it to the front room she�d turned into an office. Kim smiled as she situated herself behind the long antique dining room table that served as her desk, her work station where she planned to make an honest living designing Web sites for authors and publishers. In just six weeks she�d snagged a dozen clients. If things continued at this pace, her dream job of being a self-employed business woman could continue. After the divorce Kim had fled the city, vowing never to return. The settlement money she had received had afforded her the opportunity for a fresh start just about anywhere. But she had headed for the place she thought she had the best chance to heal emotionally, the small town in central Pennsylvania where she had grown up. She had moved in with her parents and would still be living with them if she hadn�t seen the �for sale� sign in front of the big old house on the hill. She�d admired the place since childhood and was determined to make it hers. She had her grandmother to thank for her fascination with the house. It all began the night before her grandmother passed away. Kim was barely six and had a stomach ache and fever. She had crawled into her grandmother�s lap for comfort and her grandmother had told her the fairytale that made her forget she was sick. It was such a wonderful story that she thought of it every time was sick since that night. She had listened to her grandmother tell how the poor sickly little girl had become well the day a handsome young boy took her by the hand and guided her to the magical house set way on top of a hill. There, she�d never be sick again and would live happily ever after with the young boy who would become her Prince Charming. The first time Kim had noticed the house on the hill was after attending her grandmother�s funeral. The magical house of her grandmother�s fairytale was real. �At least it will be after a little tender loving care,� she said the day she spotted the �for sale� sign. �You�ve gone and lost your mind if you think I�m showing you that house,� Jill told Kim the day she walked into Jill�s real estate office and requested she give her a tour of the property. �If you don�t want to show it to me, then I�ll buy it without seeing the inside.� �That would be unethical, Kimberly.� Kim shrugged bony shoulders. �Then I guess I need to see it.� Jill tapped the tip of her pen on the desktop several times before letting it fall from her fingers. �I�ll have one of my agents give you a walk-through.� The minute Kim stepped inside the house she fell in love with it. The stained ceilings and walls from leaky water pipes could be repaired and made to look new. The hand-carved woodwork and wood floors would polish to their original shine. Gazing up the winding stairway in the front foyer with its beautiful railing, she was reminded of the image of Prince Charming proudly carrying his princess. Her computer finished loading. Time to work. She�d decided if she was to make a success of being self-employed, she needed to stick to a schedule. Five days a week the morning hours were spent working on refurbishing the house. Afternoons and evenings were to be devoted to building her business. Weekends were for everything else. Anticipation of the weekend ahead kept Kim from work a few minutes longer. A twinge of excitement tickled her belly as she thought about the night on the town with Jill. Kim hadn�t dated since before her marriage. She hadn�t given another guy more than a quick glance since Jonathan, except for her nameless and faceless night visitor. She had never believed another man could satisfy her sexual hunger like Jonathan had until this stranger began invading her sleep. She licked her lower lip and closed her eyes, willing her subconscious to give her a glimpse of him. When she inhaled deeply the same masculine scent from the night before drifted up her nostrils. With that wonderful smell a magnificently sculptured frame began taking shape. His muscled chest and washboard waist glistened with perspiration. Kim bit down hard on her lower lip as his cock came into view. The throbbing rod began expanding and expanding ... �Ouch,� she yelled when her teeth clamped down hard enough to draw blood. She blinked several times before she had a steady vision of her surroundings. The monitor in front of her beckoned her to work. �But I need to see his face,� she said out loud and once again closed her eyes. Nothing but darkness came to her, no matter how much she willed herself to see more. A few more seconds and she opened her eyes. Short black hair, perfectly rounded cheekbones set high beneath royal blue eyes held her captive before he faded into the greenery on her monitor. �What the hell,� she gasped, releasing the firm hold on her breath. She jumped up, walked around her chair, and plopped back down in front of the monitor. Nothing there but the forest of trees she used as a screensaver. Copyright(c)Lacey Diamond
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