Page 35 of Ghost

“Hmmm,” he groaned with a stretch.

I knelt beside him as I whispered, “Toby and I are going to grab some breakfast. I thought you might want to get up on my bed.”

“Nah.” He sat up with another stretch. “I’m good.”

I’d fallen asleep with him on the floor, but I never dreamed that he would stay there the entire night. But low and behold, I woke up this morning to find him sound asleep on the floor next to me. His arm was tucked under his head, and his usual hardened expression was gone, leaving him looking almost boyish. My heart stirred at the sight. He’d stayed with me all night, watching over me and making sure I didn’t have another bad dream.

It was such a sweet gesture—one I hadn’t expected from a man like him, and I liked it more than I cared to admit. I gave him a warm smile as I said, “You stayed.”

“I stepped out for a minute, but yeah.” He sat up and got to his feet. “I stayed.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know.” He gave me a slight smile. “But I wanted to.”

“Well, thanks. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem.” He reached for the door as he said, “I’m gonna stop by my room and take a quick shower. I’ll meet you down in the kitchen.”

“Okay.”

Without saying anything more, Ghost slipped past me and disappeared down the hall. Once he was gone, I turned to Toby and asked, “You ready?”

“Do I really have to see the tutor today?”

“Yeah, you really do. Preacher has gone to a lot of trouble to find this lady, and you are going to listen to her and do the lessons she assigns—just like you would do if you were in school.”

“But I’m not in school,” he huffed.

“You will be soon, and I don’t want you to be behind.”

“Okay,” he groaned.

“I know this isn’t ideal, but it’s the best I can do right now.”

“I know. It’s okay.” He got up and started for the door. “We better get down there, or the guys will wipe out all the good stuff.”

He was right.

Food seemed to vanish into thin air when all the guys were around, and today, they were here in droves. I wasn’t sure what was going on. I’d never seen so many there at once. There were even some I’d only seen a couple of times, and they all seemed to be gathered in the kitchen.

I was a little apprehensive about going in with so many guys around, so I leaned down to Toby and said, “Let’s make this quick. Grab a biscuit and juice, and let’s take it back to the room.”

Clearly feeling the same sense of unease, Toby nodded, and we both started into the kitchen.

Hoping not to draw any unnecessary attention to myself or Toby, I kept my head low as I made my way over to the counter and poured myself a cup of coffee. Toby grabbed a sausage biscuit from the stove and a bottle of juice from the fridge. We were about to head for the door when Skid and Grim came over to us.

I’d only been around them a couple of times, but Skid seemed sweet and docile, whereas Grim was gruffer and demanding. Skid smiled as he asked, “Hey, how are you two making it?”

“Pretty good, actually. Toby’s tutor is coming today.” I looked up at Grim as I said, “Thank Jenna again for finding her.”

“Just glad it all worked out.”

“Me too.” I looked over at the table full of brothers. “Quite a crowd today. Is something going on?”

Before he could answer, Ghost walked into the kitchen looking dapper as ever. His long, white-blond hair was still damp from his shower, and he had the top half pulled back, revealing his piercing blue eyes. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans that hung low on his hips and a black T-shirt with his cut.

He glanced around the room as he made his way over to me. Without even acknowledging Skid or Grim, he looked down at me and asked, “Did you get your breakfast?”

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