All of the Voices by Bailey Bradford (book recommendations based on other books TXT) 📕

Carlin humphed and ran his hand from Matt’s stomach down to his groin. Matt moaned when Carlin squeezed his erection. “Carlin, damn it, I want to fuck you so bad but we don’t have—”

“Condoms,” Carlin finished. “Yes, we do. Severo gave me a handful and said he and Laine don’t use them anymore. But I can still smell cookies, and the idea of fucking while we may be in the presence of my aunt’s, um, spirit, borders on gross. Actually, I think it bitch-slaps gross.”

“I thought you’d freak out and think I was nuts,” Matt said as he cradled Carlin’s jaw in his hand.

Carlin stiffened and sniffed the air, then pulled away. “It doesn’t freak me out, but the way the odor vanished as soon as I said that? That freaks me out.”

Matt took a deep breath and felt a little freaked out himself. “Okay, I’ll give you that. Why don’t you shower if you want and I’ll get dinner started? Maybe we’ll feel better after a couple of hours without any…distractions.”

“Sounds great to me. A shower, enchiladas, a handsome man—who’s back I need to doctor again, by the way—condoms, and no cookie scent. I’m definitely in.” Carlin jumped up and planted a smacking kiss on Matt’s lips before heading toward the bathroom.

Matt watched his delectable ass every step of the way until Carlin was out of sight, then Matt got up and adjusted his dick into a less painful position. He walked around the couch then stopped and looked over his shoulder when he caught a whiff of cookies.

Feeling only a little foolish, Matt scolded, “Mrs. Hawkins, I love you dearly, but you need to go keep an eye on someone else for a while, if you would.” The scent vanished as soon as he finished speaking, and Matt smiled and went into the kitchen to make dinner for his man.

* * * *

“Okay, maybe I’m a little freaked out,” Carlin admitted to himself. He dug his laptop out of the suitcase and sat down on the bed. Once he popped in the broadband card, he started the computer up and within minutes had a newspaper article loaded. Carlin read the story, praising the abilities of Severo Robledo, though there were no quotes from the man himself. The reporter cited Severo’s refusal to comment more than once.

“Interesting,” Carlin mumbled as he pulled up another article, this one from a newspaper in Fort Worth. His stomach twisted and settled into a queasy state as he read the reporter’s account of the events that had occurred in McKinton several months ago. Severo was mentioned as being a psychic who had been pivotal to breaking the case, but the specifics Matt had shared with Carlin about Conner being the spirit who helped Severo keep Laine safe, those details weren’t in the article.

Carlin mulled it over in his mind and decided he believed Matt anyway. He wondered what had happened to Conner’s spirit. Had Conner been able to go…wherever people go when they die? Was it his need to have his killer caught that had kept Conner here on Earth? Or—Carlin jerked his hands back from the keyboard. The keys are moving!

“Ohmyfuckinggod!” Carlin squeaked and tried to shove the laptop off his lap but it wouldn’t move. His heart pounded so hard he worried he was going to die of fright, but try as he might, Carlin couldn’t move the computer, and what should have been a slight weight held his legs pinned to the bed.

The laptop’s screen flickered, then a blank document came up. Carlin was on the verge of hyperventilating as letters appeared on the document, then words, then a sentence and another, followed by a single letter and a period.

Carlin shook so badly he could hardly focus to read, and he was embarrassingly close to pissing his pants. His cheek was caressed by something…other, and Carlin really wanted to scream, but a calm sensation settled over him.

“W-what the f-fuck?” Was he possessed? What was happening? The screen flickered again and another sentence appeared above the first two, and this one was in a much larger font. Carlin read the sentence and wasn’t entirely reassured.

NO YOU ARE NOT POSSESSED SO RELAX.

“Yeah, because that’s going to happen when I can’t move my legs and someone or something is reading my mind!” And just like the scent in the house had dissipated instantly, so did the unnatural weight on Carlin’s legs and the forced sensation of calmness. Somehow, that made Carlin truly feel better—until he read the rest of the sentences, then he was just back to being freaked out, but on a milder level.

Yes, Severo does speak to us, and he listens, too. Matt’s telling you the truth, and your Aunt Mary says she loves you, go shower, and use as many of the condoms as you can—okay that last bit’s from me. C.

Carlin closed the laptop and pulled the broadband card out. He stood and carried it over to his bag where he packed it away. Then he turned and glared around the room, looking for any evidence of a ghost, spirit, whatever. Now that he wasn’t terrified, he was mad—even if he was also a little relieved.

Pointing a finger at the center of the room—either there was a spirit in here or there wasn’t, and if he was pointing the wrong way, oh fucking well.

“That wasn’t very nice, even if you were just trying to help. It’s creepy as hell and nearly scared the piss out of me, and how attractive is that? Stay out of my laptop, and go…somewhere else!”

Carlin dropped his hand back to his side and headed to the bathroom. He yelped when something slapped his ass. Instead of spinning around and delivering another lecture, he did what any man would do. Carlin squealed and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it. If any spirit dared to come through there,