Chapter Five
Utah hovered over Michelle’s bed, staring down at her sleeping form. The rise and fall of her chest fascinated him, as did the hideous plaid blanket she lay beneath.
Willing a small amount of energy into his hand, he reached up and brushed his fingertips across her cheek. Heat seeped into his ever-freezing skin, sending warmth up his arm and straight into his heart.
“What is it about you that makes you different from others?” he spoke aloud, not expecting a response.
She stirred, stretched an arm over her head, and mumbled something in her sleep before turning onto her side.
Her sweet scent drifted up to him, leaving him weak with the need to lean in and bury his face against her neck. He should leave right then, he told himself, even as he drifted around the bed and pulled the offensive plaid cover back.
The low growl of her dog could be heard over the thundering of Utah’s dead heart as he stared down at her now exposed breasts. Dear God, she sleeps in the nude.
Utah quickly averted his gaze, but it was too late. Her beautiful breasts would be forever burned into his mind in torturous detail.
“Hush, Peanut. It’s just the wind,” Michelle murmured as Utah slid beneath the blankets, pulling them up higher on her chest out of respect for her nudity.
Willing the dog to quiet, Utah moved in close and breathed her in. She smelled of strawberries and cream with a hint of coconut…a scent he could easily get lost in.
“Michelle...” He slowly extended a hand to her hair to rub the silky softness between his fingers. He’d found the source of the strawberries, he realized, lifting the dark strands and burying his face in them.
She suddenly threw an arm across his chest and burrowed up against him.
His heartbeat picked up its pace, and his stomach clenched with anxiety. How was she touching him without draining him of energy? Come to think of it, she wasn’t depleting his energy at all.
Her lips brushed his neck, followed by a soft moan.
It took everything he had to hold still as she snuggled closer, nuzzling his throat.
Utah would have never believed it possible to be physically touched in such a way until that moment.
He held completely still as she moved her way up and over his chin.
The feel of her mouth closing over his own shattered Utah’s thoughts. He closed his eyes, parted his lips, and kissed her back.
Nothing had ever felt as incredible as being in Michelle’s arms. Her warmth, her sweet scent…her taste.
The palm of her hand brushed down his chest on its slow, sensual slide to his stomach.
“Mmmm,” she moaned, gliding her hand over his abdomen before coming into contact with his throbbing erection.
Utah’s entire body jerked at the feel of her fingers gripping his sex through his pants.
He had an erection. As amazing as that thought was, it paled in comparison to the fact that she physically touched him.
Her hand suddenly stilled. She slowly lifted her mouth from his and stared down into his face.
The dazed look in her eyes quickly vanished, and in its place lay panic.
She scrambled back in terror, her mouth opening on a scream.
Utah sprang into action, following her across the bed and cupping his hand over her open mouth. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Michelle fought him like a cat, all nails and wildness.
Somewhere in the back of Utah’s mind, he marveled at the fact that he held Michelle with little effort. That it took no energy to hold her. If anything, it seemed to fuel him.
He somehow managed to slip behind her while keeping his hand over her mouth. His other arm closed around her body to trap her flailing fists. “Michelle!”
She froze, her breathing coming through her nose in short, quick bursts.
Utah spoke in a calming tone, still amazed that she could hear him. “I’m not going to hurt you. Do you understand? Nod if you understand.”
A hesitant nod came from her, but her body remained stiff and unyielding.
“I’m going to let you go now, so you can cover yourself. I swear to you that I’m not here to harm you.”
Another nod from her beautiful head.
Utah slowly removed his palm from her lips.
A scream rent the air, and Michelle swung around, her fist catching him on the chin before he could subdue her.
Shoving her onto the bed, Utah followed her down and once again covered her mouth with his palm.
The little dog was going crazy, snarling and snapping at Utah’s face.
“Shhhhh,” he demanded to both Michelle and Peanut. “I’m not here to harm either of you. Please. I only want to talk.”
Michelle stared up at him in fear, tears sparkling in her pale blue eyes.
“If I’d wanted to hurt you, I would have by now,” Utah continued. “But you’re not injured. Calm down and think about it.”
She held his gaze for long moments more before giving him a stiff nod, telling him that she understood.
Utah eased his hand from her mouth once again but remained on top of her.
“Get off me,” she whispered through clenched teeth, pushing at his chest.
Utah rolled off her and retrieved a robe from the back of her bedroom door. He tossed it to her.
“Who are you?” she demanded, catching the robe in midair and holding it against herself.
Giving her his back, Utah answered, “My name is Utah Baines. I’m the voice you heard on the 911 call last night.”
“You’re the man who called about the little girl in the structure fire.”
It wasn’t a question, and Utah knew it.
He turned to face her, watching as she tied the sash of her robe around her waist with jerky movements. “Yes, that was me.”
“Why are you in my home?” Michelle inched her way toward her dresser.
“Because you’re the only one who can see me.”
That stopped her in her tracks. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I’m not alive. And for three years—”
“What do you mean you’re not alive?” she interrupted, easing in the direction of her dresser once more.
Utah said the only thing he could say. “I died in a structure fire three years ago. Until recently, no one has been able to see or hear me, apart from you.”
She stopped next to the dresser, keeping her terrified gaze on him. “You’re crazy is what you are.”
Jerking open her top drawer, Michelle pulled a pistol free and pointed it at him. “Get on your knees.”
Utah only stood there. “If you shoot me, you’ll have to explain to the police why you fired a gun at the wall. They won’t see me, Michelle. I’m a spirit.”
She pulled the hammer back. “Prove it.”
Calling forth the energy it would take to fade, Utah backed up through the wall and into her bathroom.
“Oh my God,” she breathed, dropping the gun onto the nightstand and running toward the front of the house.
Quickly fading, Utah suddenly appeared in the living room in her path.
She skidded to a stop, her hands out in front of her. “What do you want with me?”
“Just to talk. Please don’t be frightened. I swear to you that I have no intention of harming you.”
Shaking her head in denial, Michelle squeezed her eyes shut. “This can’t be happening. Not again. This is all a bad dream. I’ll wake up at any moment and realize it was just a nightmare.”
Utah stepped forward and laid a hand against her cheek. “You’re not dreaming.”
She stumbled back from his touch, her eyes flying open. “If this is really happening, how is it that no one else can see you but me?”
“I wish I knew. But you are the first person I have been able to interact with since my death.”
Her pale blue eyes searched his. “I don’t want you here. Please, just go away and leave me be.”
Utah’s heart squeezed. “I can’t, Michelle. I need your help.”
“Help with what?” she cried desperately. “You’re dead!”
Unable to bear her horrified look a moment longer, Utah willed himself back to the shipyard, his one and only place of respite.