The Drop (Electric Desert Nights Book 3) Read online

  They continued to chat all the way to Wasteland and Tyler began to feel more comfortable around her. She really was a nice girl. And the weird thing that had happened before didn’t happen again, so it must have been a fluke. Maybe what had happened earlier had been brought on by exhaustion, as he’d originally though.

  By the time the nest show started he felt completely at ease with her and also silly about what had happened before. Now, instead of unease, his feeling of being drawn to her was beginning to grow. He even found his gaze from straying back to her again and again during the show as they danced next to each other. And as he let his guard down completely, and lost himself in the spirit of the music, and the pleasure of Scarlett’s company, a strange new warmth seeped its way throughout his body.

  Chapter Five

  It was in the flashes of the strobe light that it happened again. First Scarlett saw Nick, then she saw Tyler. Was her mind playing tricks on her? She blinked and tried to focus. But no, it wasn’t her imagination. Nick was here dancing by her side, and when he smiled down at her—that special smile meant only for her—she reacted instinctively, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him with all the longing and desire she’d stored up over the last twenty years.

  In the space of a moment, as the DJ dropped the track into a deep reverberating bass, Tyler’s entire world tilted. One second he was dancing with Scarlett, the next second she was in his arms kissing him and everything around them fell away. He felt as though he were zipping through a tunnel of space-time as colors and sounds warped, looking and sounding odd. And then, he returned to himself. Only, he wasn’t quite himself. Someone else took up a good portion of the space inside him now and that person was taking control.

  “Scarlett,” he breathed, packing all the love that he felt into the syllables of her name. He brushed her blond bangs back from her face and skimmed his fingers down her smooth cheek. Suddenly, Tyler’s entire perception of Scarlett shifted and he now looked at her with new eyes. It was as if he had been near-sighted and was suddenly given glasses. Instead of the cute blond stranger he’d met, she was his entire world, his reason for living. The potent feelings of love and admiration, and memories of his intimate connection with her, flooded his mind, pushing aside all that he had known before. They were so strong the Tyler could no longer figure out who he was separate from them. He knew they were not his feelings and memories, yet he didn’t fight them. They were filled with such happiness that he was actually eager to embrace them. His mind had somehow been unlocked to allow in the cornucopia of memories of a perfect life. He didn’t question where they came from and he had no desire to shut them out. And in the process, as he filled with them, he could feel his soul begin to drift somewhere into a corner of his being.

  “Nick?” Scarlett cupped his face in both hands. “Is it really you?”

  This time it was not Tyler who answered. “Yes. It’s me, babe.”

  Scarlett wrapped her arms around him in a bone-crushing hug, and he could feel her back heave with sobs of joy. “I can’t believe it. After all this time. How? Why? No. I don’t care. I’m just so glad you’re here. I’ve waited so long.”

  Nick wrapped his arms around her, stroked her silky hair, and kissed the top of her head. Then he leaned in close to whisper in her ear the words that burned on his lips to be spoken. “I love you.”

  She pulled back and looked at him with tearfilled eyes. “I love you, too!”

  It had felt good to tell her. But when she repeated the words back it was even better. The synergy of their power resonated between them as though a love bomb had gone off. Nick could feel that this boy Tyler, whose body he possessed, had never felt such love before, and he gave himself over to the experience as well.

  Suddenly, Scarlett took his hand and tugged him through the crowd toward the exit. “Come with me,” she called over her shoulder.

  Nick followed her eagerly, feeling no resistance from Tyler.

  Scarlett led him out to an inconspicuous two-story office building. It had a stairway on the side that led up to a walkway along the circumference of the upper lever. A lone guard stood against the railing, gazing out over Wasteland.

  Scarlett led Nick to a door at the back and tried the knob. But it was locked, of course.

  “Darn,” she said.

  “Do you want me to try breaking it open?” He was as eager to be alone with her as she was with him.

  “No. Hold on. Sometimes, if I concentrate hard enough, I can move things with my mind.” She closed her eyes, brows pressing together in concentration, fingers tightening around his. And he watched and waited in fascinated silence. A few seconds later there was a click.

  Scarlett opened her eyes, tried the knob, and pulled the door open, a brilliant smile lighting up her face. “I did it!”

  Her joy instantly lit him up and he smiled back. They’d always been in sync that way. If one was happy, the other was happy. If one was sad, so was the other.

  Scarlett pulled him into the dim office space then shut and locked the door. There was a desk and chair in the middle, and several stacks of boxes lined up against the walls. He barely had a chance to look around before Scarlett was in his arms again, rising up on her toes to kiss him, and sighing with pleasure when he responded in kind.

  Mixed in among Nick’s thoughts and feelings were Tyler’s. They were faint, but Nick could still pick up on them. Tyler had just figure out that he was being possessed by a ghost. But instead of being scared, he was awe struck because he’d never felt anything as powerful as love before. He’d always wondered how anyone really knew when it was true love. But now he knew. He could feel with all his being, that this was it. The real thing. As real as it got. He also knew that the experience could end at any second, and he really didn’t want it to.

  Relieved, Nick pushed Tyler aside and focused back on Scarlett who was kissing his neck and undoing the buttons of his shirt. It bothered Nick that he wasn’t in his own body and that this Tyler guy was there with them. But it was clear to him that when Scarlett gazed at him she only saw his face, not Tyler’s. Somehow she saw past the physical form to the real him, and it filled him with pleasure.

  Her hands ran over his chest and she was bending close to kiss his pectorals but then stopped when she noticed the thick scar there. She pulled back and ran her finger down the seam.

  “What’s this?” Concern dimmed the joy that had previously infused her expression.

  “It’s the scar from a heart transplant. Tyler was in a car accident and almost died.”

  “A car accident?”

  He nodded. “Yes, I ran into him late at night on the way home from work. I was tired and fell asleep at the wheel.”

  “So that’s when you…that’s how you…”

  “Died?” He nodded again. “I’m just glad that Tyler didn’t die as well. He almost did, but luckily they were able to give him my heart and save his life.”

  “So part of you lives on in this boy. It must have been horrible.” Scarlett ran her fingers down the thick scar more slowly now, seeming to consider the implications of what he’s said.

  She looked troubled and it bothered Nick. “Don’t worry. I didn’t suffer. I died instantly.”

  She shook her head and bit her bottom lip. “No, that’s not what I’m worried about. I was just wondering if this means you’re stuck in limbo, too.”

  “Oh. No, I’m not stuck.”

  “Then how are you here?”

  He smiled down at her. “I was allowed to come back to see you.”

  Her eyes welled with tears instantly and her chin quivered. She started to ask another question but he stopped it with a finger to her lips. “We don’t have much time,” he said. “The sun is coming back soon.”

  Nick laced his fingers through the hair at the base of Scarlett’s neck and cupped the back of her head drawing her in for a long, lingering kiss. She relaxed into him and he could tell that she understood what he meant. It only took seconds before t
heir kisses grew heated again. The sweet lingering ones turned into passionate deep thrusts of tongue accompanied by moans from deep within each of them.

  It had been so long, too long, since Nick had lost Scarlett. He’d been inconsolable after she died, lingering for months in a deep depression. And he never had gone to work on the cruise ship as they’d planned. Instead, he’d stayed at home and gotten a meaningless office job where no one noticed that his energy and motivation were lackluster. It was a place where he’d blended in easily doing tasks that didn’t demand he put his pain aside.

  From eighteen until the age of thirty-eight, Nick had basically sleepwalked through his life feeling as though he were only half a person. And he had been. He and Scarlett had been one. And who could blame him for not being able to go on when his heart had been ripped from his chest? Along the way he’d gone to community college and had a girlfriend or two. But most of his nights were spent sitting on the couch watching TV, using shows to turn his brain off until he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open.

  Sleep had been difficult for many years until he’d discovered alcohol. If he drank enough, it numbed his body and his mind so that he could pass out into a dreamless sleep, one where he wasn’t constantly plagued with dreams of Scarlett visiting him. He’d had countless vivid dreams of her coming to his bedside and calling to him, trying to wake him up. Sometimes he did wake, but always to an empty room.

  Scarlett pulled off his shirt and then undid his pants. He responded in kind, releasing the knot of her bikini top and pushing her shorts down and off. It wasn’t long before they were skin-to-skin, exploring each other’s bodies as though it were the first time.

  Nick wasn’t all that happy that Tyler was still present. Scarlett was his and he really didn’t want to share her, but the boy’s body was all he had. Nick could only be grateful for this moment because this was as good as it was going to get.

  Whoever Tyler was, he was a good-natured soul. He’d struggled at first when Nick took possession of him, but then he’d stepped back. Nick was grateful for his cooperation and he sent Tyler a mental thank you.

  Tyler responded with acceptance and stepped back even further into subconscious, as far as he could go. For that, Nick was grateful. He wanted all the privacy he could get with his love. He focused himself back on her creamy skin and fervent expression. One of her rosebud nipples puckered and peaked, begging for his touch. He stroked his thumbs briefly across them then lifted her up and set her ass on the desk.

  She parted her thighs so he could come closer.

  When his erect cock touched her moist heat, they both gasped and shuddered. He stopped there to savor the delicious tension and held her tight, loving the way her breasts felt against him. He whispered, “I missed you so much. I love you so much.”

  “Me, too,” she said. “I wish I could freeze time.”

  Nick captured her lips once again, trying to distract her. The moments they had right now were precious and he didn’t want to waste either of their time on any kind of sorrow. He worked his way slowly down, his lips burning a trail down to her breasts where he lightly sucked and nipped at the peaks before going all the way down onto his knees so he could bring her pleasure with his mouth.

  As he licked and sucked at her delicate pink folds, she clutched at his hair and his shoulders and called out his name. It had always been so right between them, so good. He lifted a hand and pushed at her shoulder so she lay down on the desk and could relax into her ecstasy. Within moments she was shuddering and moaning with her release. He lingered there a few minutes more as she quivered beneath him, then went to lay beside her on the desk. He meant to continue slowly, wanting to savor each moment with her, but Scarlett had other plans.

  She moved on top of him, her legs falling on either side of his hips and took him into her in one sure motion. It was his turn to groan this time as her sweet warmth enfolded him. Every time with Scarlett was like the first time, the chemistry between them had always been strong. And even now after twenty years, not even in his own body, he could feel the full force of it again.

  She moved on top of him, the ends of her blond hair swaying as she rocked her hips. He reached to cup the soft mounds in his palms and run his thumbs over the pink nipples. Then he skimmed his hands over the curve of her waist and grasped her hips as the passion between them built. Nick thought what he’s always thought moments like this, that he was a lucky bastard. Scarlett had so many sides to her. She was his best friend, the girl next door that he could joke with and dream with, and also the one who cared about every little thing that had to do with him. But this other side was one that had always surprised him. It was such a powerful turn on to see her so comfortable and confident in her sexuality. She was like a goddess in bed; his very own goddess.

  They smiled at each other and he saw in her eyes that she felt the same way about him. They’d never needed to speak in order to express their feelings for each other. A simple look, or a light touch had always been enough to convey everything in their hearts. But this time, he wanted to say how he felt out loud. The words simply burned to be said. “You’re the one, Scarlett. You were always the only one for me. I love you. I’ll love you forever.”

  Tears rose in her eyes and she leaned down to kiss him. “Me, too.”

  He wrapped an arm around her and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Then he kissed her deeply and ran his hands over her body and thrust deeply into her, using the flames of passion to clear away the sadness. They were together right now and that was all he wanted to focus on. He could feel her body readying itself for another climax and he responded in kind, knowing exactly how to stoke the flames of her desire. He drove into her in a firm rhythm until she finally peaked and called out his name. Only then did he finally allowing himself to let go as well, holding her close. They came at the same time, and the wonder and sensations of their joint orgasm washed through his soul making him feel joy and light and love.

  They lay together in the aftermath, until their breaths slowed and their racing hearts slowed to steady beats. He could lay with Scarlett in his arms forever.

  But he didn’t have forever.

  Nick could already feel himself drifting away. There was no better word for it, it was as if suddenly his connection to this body were lifting and moving like a cloud of smoke. He could also feel Tyler returning from wherever he had been.

  Scarlett sensed it at exactly the same time and her eyes went wide. “No. No! Nick!” She clutched at his shoulders and tears formed in her eyes.

  Summoning the last of the connection and focusing it all on his hand, he raised it and skimmed his fingers down her cheek. “Don’t cry,” he said. “It’s going to be okay. You’ll see.” And then, as the last of him detached from the body it fell limp and unconscious. He hovered somewhere in space over Scarlett and the boy’s body. And the distance between them began to grow as a powerful force drew him back where he belonged.

  Tyler regained consciousness somewhere in the in between. He could feel the being who’d shared his body passing by him now as they traded places. And in that moment all the mysteries of existence were unlocked to him. He understood now what Scarlett was, what had happened to her, and what needed to happen. He could see the pale outline of Nick’s face. He was drifting closer to the brilliant diamond-faceted white light. Nick spoke, and Tyler just caught the faint echo of his words before his hearing was cut off in that dimension.

  “Don’t let her stay in limbo! Help her, Tyler,” Nick pleaded with him.

  With shocking suddeness Tyler was drawn in and melded to his body. He inhaled a great gasp of air and then blinked and opened his eyes. Scarlett was standing over him sobbing, and for some reason she sobbed even harder when their eyes met.

  “No!” she wailed. “Nick….”

  Tyler was weak, but he knew he had to make things right. A love like theirs was rare, and this was Scarlett’s one chance to escape the sticky trap of limbo. He couldn’t let her stay there a
nymore. “Scarlett, go with him. You have to go.”

  She shook her head. “Go where? Where’s Nick?” Her eyes were wide and frantic.

  “Into the white light,” said Tyler. “Can’t you see it?”

  She looked around the room, confused. “What light?”

  Now that everything had been revealed to him, Tyler could see why she was confused. The fog of limbo was settling in around her again and she was fading back in to match it. She was no longer solid as she had been minutes ago, which meant the sun was starting to rise.

  “I saw it once before, but I was scared, so scared,” she quailed. “And I couldn’t leave Nick. I don’t want to go anywhere if Nick’s not there with me.”

  Tyler could see fear sinking its hooks into her, and he knew he had only seconds before the blurry coalescence of the three planes began to separate out again. “Give me your hand, Scarlett. Quick!”

  She extended her hand and he grabbed. Then Tyler reached out to Nick, and they were just able to lock fingertips. Using all of his will—because that was the only thing that worked here, not physical strength—Tyler maneuvered Nick and Scarlett’s hands together.

  And suddenly, they could see each other. Nick drew Scarlett to him immediately, wrapped a secure arm around her waist, and kissed her on the forehead. Then he turned and led her into the white light. Just before they disappeared, he looked back over his shoulder at Tyler. There were no sounds anymore but Tyler recognized the words thank you that Nick formed with his lips. Limbo rolled away in one massive fog, the white light receded into a corner and vanished in a flash, and then with a great whoosh of noise Tyler was back in his own dimension where he belonged.

  Chapter Six

  “Where’s Scarlett?” asked Mya, Wade and Somer when Tyler finally rejoined the group. They hadn’t been gone that long but it was enough to make them worry.