Haunting Desires

Her eccentric uncle left her one of his many properties in his will. When she first arrived, she thought to herself this had to be a joke. An old European castle with it's musty odor and outward appearance. At least it had been somewhat modernized as she explored it to find it had electricity and communication devices. Digging deeper into it's depths, she brushed the dust off an antique looking book and opened it to the yellow encrusted pages inside.

She found the story of the castle and how it came to be. Her eyes rested upon a particular subject. A Count Alexander McGinnes seemed to have kept residence in this particular castle. His eyes somehow seem to bore through her. She continued reading the story. Seems he had it built for the woman of his dreams but before they could stake residence; she was taken by the arms of death as she gave birth to their first child; a lovely little girl. Turns out he was so distraught about the loss of his wife that he sacrificed his own life to be with her.

The young child was raised by the caretakers of the castle as none of the immediate family wished to care for a young child. They say he kept watch over her as she grew into a lovely young woman. Once he knew that she was taken care of , his presence was no longer felt in the halls of the castle. She turned the page to find a mirror image of herself looking back at her. The sky blue eyes, the auburn ringlet curls framing her face in a beautiful forest green gown and a matching cape with gold trim draping around her shoulders. She dropped the book upon reading the inscription underneath it swearing she felt a chill pass through her. Just at that point, the current caretaker pushed open the ornate oak doors announcing that dinner would be served shortly. She resigned herself to the long dining table draped in a white doily crochet tablecloth as she quietly sat eating her first night there. "Will there be anything else for you this evening ma'am?"as the caretaker cleared her dishes. She could get used to this but she responded,"That'll be all."

"Ma'am."

"Yes."

"I couldn't help but notice how much you look like the young lady in the book I returned to the shelf that you left setting on the desk."

"But I didn't leave it setting on the desk."

"If you'll excuse me ma'am, I'm going to finish the cleaning and I'll be gone for the evening,"as though she had been spooked herself. Deanna ascended the stairs toward her room. She turned to look as though her name had been whispered into the air but nobody was there. She was letting a little legend spook her for no reason at all. She turned in her bed at one point swearing somebody was lying there next to her.

* * * * *

The strange events continued occuring over the next two weeks but nothing that scared her away. It was almost as if an angelic presence were watching over her. She felt it everywhere she went in the castle. It's strongest was in the master bedroom. The marriage bed it would have been called in their day she guessed. She sat down upon the gigantic bed with it's goose down pillows and canopied drapes pulled to the sides showcasing it's dusty rose satin comforter. As she made herself comfortable, she was startled by his voice."I take it you aprove milady,"his eyes met hers. The man from the book. It couldn't be.

"This is a joke right?"

"I assure you I do not jest,"he returned, his dusty eyes boring through her.

"Then what?"her confusion compounded by fear as she stood to meet him.

"I have waited so long for your return."

He thought she was his true love. The woman he died for in the name of love.

"But...but...but,"she stammered as he approached; tossing his velvet lined black cape to the floor.

He quieted her with his gloved finger as she sat in awe."I have searched an eternity to find you here my love,"his eyes holding those eternities . But the love he held wasn't intended for her but for somebody she reminded him of. She also detected a fear in his eyes as well. A fear that she would refuse the love of a man another woman so desperately loved. Maybe she was meant to be here to give this man one more night; to let him rest in eternal peace next to the one his heart so desired. Little did she know he was not here for his own purposes but for her. He had found his love. He noticed the fear in her eyes.

"Don't be frightened my dear. I wish you no harm,"as his hand gently carressed her cheek. He should be cold but she could feel the warmth in his touch."I always loved your hair surrounding your face so completely," as he pulled the green ribbon from her hair letting it spill onto the white fabric covering her shoulders.

She should have been frightened but she wasn't. She let him continue; convincing herself this was a dream and it would be over before she knew it. He removed his gloves and as his bare hand brushed elegantly against the side of her cheek, she could feel the love this man had for this woman knowing this was no longer a dream.

His lips softly met hers with an echo of love lost but she thought he had not come to the realization that she was not his long lost Rose."So soft,"her cheek rested comfortably in the palm of his hand as she became encompassed in his world; a world she had no right to be a part of."You smell of a freshly plucked bouquet of roses my dear...sweet...Rose,"he complimented as he drew the white ribbon of her cotton nightdress apart. His lips once again fell to hers with a desire beyond the realm of the world surrounding them. Her arms surrounded him and held him as closely as any law of nature would allow her to.

She allowed him access to her very being as he pulled the nightdress over her head. His adoring gaze fell across her naked form as he lifted her from the floor. She could feel the softness of the cotton material still covering his body as it caressed her bare form. She was speechless as he lay her on the bed and removed the barrier of material covering his upper build. Sleek but muscular she savored every inch as he consumed her with his sinewy form. His lips seared into her very soul as they trailed to the outer curves of her mountainous bosom.

Slowly working his way inward,he fervently greeted every glorious inch of them as though they were a temple. He kneaded the soft flesh of the unattended; his work rewarded with her gentle moans. She felt as though he'd placed her body in a hypnotic state as his lips trailed to the very core of her femininity.

She was already flooded with emotions she knew couldn't possibly be hers as he caressed the silkiness of her thigh; almost as though she had become somebody else. He traced a line into the very center of her desire as she grasped for the comforter. She arched up off the bed as his ministrations dealt her the perfect hand. She patiently watched as he went to remove his remaining clothing only to be met with her eagerness to assist him with his task. She slid them partially down and pressed him to the bed.

There was no mistake in her mind this man was very real as she slid them the remaining length. She slithered over his form and held deeply to his loving gaze before she sought out all the glorious features of it; particularly the one pressing urgently into her thigh before she drank in one more inch of this heavenly creature. He jerked slightly under the sensation of her touch as her intimate caress surveyed this unfamiliar temptation. His eyes widened as her lips created a sensation foreign to him as they surrounded his swollen intrusion.

She felt so good that he almost wished she wouldn't stop as he felt the hot trail of kisses leading up toward his mouth. She drew his tongue into battle only surrendering to the gentle force of his body consuming hers.

He slowly infiltrated her; inch by inch they became one. Every thrust proved harder and deeper and for one brief moment she felt as though they were floating above the bed. Diligently, he carried her over into his world. His mouth briefly sought out the flavor of hers as their bodies twisted and turned above the bed in the most intimate of lovemaking she had ever felt.

Their crescendoed cries of passion fulfilled flooded the halls of the castle as they fell back onto the bed. He held closely to her as sleep consumed her very spirit. Once she was dead to this world, he dressed himself. Before leaving, he softly kissed her cheek and whispered,"May he take care of you whomever you are sweet, sweet earthly lover of mine,"knowing she was to find the man whom would love her for all eternities in this very room the next morning.

* * * * *

"Good morning milady."

She knew the voice but didn't recognize him. He was similar in stature and every feature of his face screamed the man she loved last night but there was something else.

"Who are you?"she pulled the white linen sheets up around her naked form.

"AJ Mclean. And you are?"

"Deanna McGinnes."

"It's nice to meet you."

The fear she projected when he first appeared had dissipated."Same here."

"So you must be the descendant of the owner?"

"My crazy uncle left it to me. Not related that I'm aware of."

"Crazy thing. I found this book downstairs and saw the story of the castle and then I saw a picture. My aunt said you had a striking resemblance to the young lady in the book. I agree."

"So you're related to the caretakers?"

"Yeah."

"So what else do you do besides prey on naked young women?"

"I sing to them."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm a part of a singing group. And most of them are fully clothed when I sing to them."

"Cute. Tell me something, did you notice your striking resemblance to the young man in the book."

"Yes I did."

And at that moment when he smiled his smile, she knew the desire she felt last night was the one she was to share for all eternity with him.