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Kayla Swanson doesn’t believe in ghosts so when she sinks her entire savings into an old Victorian house in the hopes of restoring it for business, she’s more focused on the here and now than the salacious and brutal history of the original owner, Archibald Blackstone Kayla and her younger sister, Lola, are two of the hottest new interior decorators in the Bay Area and they’re deter business into a household na the Victorian to its for up — ones she can’t explain away — Kayla starts to question her sanity When the drea — she doesn’t knohat to think anymore Kayla doesn’t buy into the hocus-pocus, oo stuff but there’s so about her house…even if she’s not ready to admit it

Archibald Blackstone has waited decades for the right wo the witching hour on Halloween and the minute he sees Kayla step over the threshold, he knows the time has come For a man with a voracious appetite, the celibacy of the afterlife is an inter for — and he’s done waiting Archibald, openly wicked in life, is unabashedly wicked in death and Kayla is about to discover the pleasure — and delicious pain – of being claimed by the infamous Blackstone

After one night…Kayla will never be the saain

Kayla Swanson gazed around her newly purchased ho but elation Her first hootten it for a steal! An older honer in need of a project, this house was damn perfect — it even ca paint andsills, she saw potential Her sister, and business partner, Lola, wasn’t as enthusiastic

“You paid how azed around the living roo at all, you got ripped off”

“For a supposed creative person, you have no vision,” Kayla said, s, not the least bit deterred by her sister’s dour opinion “The bones on this place are fabulous We can do so much with this space and then when it’s all finished, we can use it for our base of operations to save a littlemoney on our current spot and I can’t wait to tell our landlord to kiss off”

“I like that space It has the best view of the bay”

“Well, it’s costing us a fortune and Mr Blowhard has used up his last chance in my book I’m outta there as soon as possible”

Lola sighed and then shrugged “Fine I wouldn’tsos we really need such as—“

“We do not need a Keurig machine,” Kayla overrode Lola for the tenth time about the damn coffee machine “You’re a broken record Get over it I hate the smell of coffee and you know it I certainly don’t want it in my house”

“If it’s our office as well as your house, don’t you think it would be a good idea to think of our clients, too? What self-respecting business doesn’t have a coffee service?” Lola insisted, clearly not ready to let it go Kayla rolled her eyes and walked away but Lola was intent on following, no doubt to press her belief that a coffee e thuht both their attention “What the hell was that? It sounded like so fell upstairs”

Kayla didn’t know but the house had been vacant for quite awhile The chances were a wild ani around up there She went to the broom closet and pulled out the lone ot stuck inside,” she told Lola “The house has been empty for a few years”

“Try ten,” Lolastill works”

“You’re such a wet blanket It’s going to be great”

Lola shook her head and gestured for Kayla to go shoo ahatever was banging around upstairs and Kayla said, “You’re such a baby I’ll be right back Stay here, fraidy-cat”

“Yeah, I’ll do that You know in scary ate the scary noise and then dies? That ain’t gonna be me”

Kayla rolled her eyes “This is real life, not a ht back” She motioned for the front door “Open the door so whatever I flush out, can go back outside”

Lola opened the front door with a dubious expression “If you say so”

Kayla laughed and headed up the hardwood stairs, silently appreciating the craftsmanship in the details Someone had put a lot of pride into the creation of this house and she couldn’t wait to bring out the natural beauty once again She could see in herto look and in spite of what Lola thought, it was going to be spectacular Kayla checked each roo, returned downstairs to find Lola sneezing after pulling the cloth fro?” Lola asked, waving away the dust cloud “I think I found where ebola originated This place is filthy”

“It’s just dust,” Kayla said, laughing as she pulled another cloth froazed in adeous I can’t decide if we should keep it or sell it I think I’ll keep it,” she decided on the spot There was soundy of the sofa, even if it need fresh stuffing and a good cleaning “It goes ith this roo about it” For a brief moment, Monica’s vision blurred and she sahat couldn’t be there, a man dressed in a fine double breasted suit, circa 1940s if her guess were correct, sitting on that sofa, with a dark glint in his eye to ht curve of his lips, and she stumbled into her sister with a yelp “Did you see that?” she exclaiht her Kayla rubbed at her eyes and the one Holy crap She needed h as Lola stared at her in concern “I’m sorry I’m exhausted I knew I should’ve waited to come see the house but I was so excited”

“What just happened?” Lola asked “Jesus, you scared me”

“I scaredon the sofa It eird”

“A man? Seriously? Who?”

“I haven’t a clue He earing an old suit, like fro” Lola sed and opened herand cut her off “Don’t go buying into those stories you heard about this place There’s no such thing as ghosts and I’et freaked out over a mild hallucination fro”

“Well, even if you’re not interested in the history of this place, I was and I did a little checking Every sin

gle occupant of this house since the original owner died a brutal death has reported sos-on That can’t be a coincidence”

“People eakher head at her sister “There’s no such thing as ghosts”

“How do you know?”

“Because if there were, don’t you think science would’ve found a way to prove it? There’s always logical explanation to the things that go buination is one of the first prerequisites”

“You know, you don’t have everything figured out, Kayla It’s possible that you’re wrong And then what? Then you’re living with a ghost How does that sound? Hoould you deal with that?”

“I’d probably charge him or her rent because we could use theto take her sister’s irrational fear seriously “Did you see that bannister? Exquisite The craftsmanship is so incredibly detailed It’s a wonder it’s survived all these years”