Page 64 of Ghost

He didn’t say anything more. He simply pulled me closer and pressed a soft kiss to my temple. His grip around me tightened like he was silently telling me that he’d never let anyone hurt me again.

And in that moment, lying there with him, I believed it.

Ghost

After an unbelievable night together, I woke up with Cricket lying next to me, her head on my shoulder and her leg draped across mine. As I looked down at her angelic face, I was hit with the realization that I’d slept through the entire night.

The nightmares hadn’t come.

Not a single one, and I knew why.

Cricket.

It was all her. Just having her close kept them at bay. I wasn’t exactly surprised. The woman had a way of bringing out the best in me. I lowered my mouth to her forehead, gently kissing her, but she didn’t budge. The night had taken its toll on her. Hell, it had taken its toll on me as well.

I was tempted to go back to sleep, but feeling her body so close to mine had my cock stirring to life. I was considering going for another round when I heard a knock at the front door. I had zero desire to get out of bed and considered ignoring them. But whoever it was just kept knocking.

I didn’t want them to wake Cricket, so I pulled myself out of bed and threw on a pair of boxers. I slipped on a T-shirt and drug myself into the kitchen. When I finally opened the door, I foundDagger standing on my front step with a goofy grin on his face. “Good morning, sunshine.”

“Morning.”

“Looks like you had a good night.”

“Yeah, you could say that.” Toby and Garrison were standing there next to him and were talking ninety-to-nothing, completely oblivious that I was even standing there. “What about you guys?”

“They’re both still breathing, so I’d say it went alright.” Dagger chuckled. “Your boy Toby’s got an arm on him. He just about wore me out on skee-ball.”

“Appreciate you taking him. I owe you one.”

“Nah, I was glad to do it.” He ran his hand over Garrison’s head. “The boys enjoyed it, and that’s all that matters.”

Toby came over to me with big puppy dog eyes. It was clear he had something on his mind, so I gave him a nudge. “You good?”

“I was just wondering if... Garrison could hang out here with us for a while. We’ll be quiet, and we’ll clean up our mess. I’ll even...”

“I’m good with it.” I glanced over at Dagger. “As long as it’s good with you.”

“Ah, hell. I don’t care.” Dagger turned to Garrison as he said, "Y’all behave, no tearing up the place, and don’t get into any trouble.”

“Yes, sir.”

With that, the boys darted for the door. Before they made it inside, I called out, “Keep it quiet. Your mom is still asleep.”

The door slammed behind them, and Dagger snickered. "You’re in for it, man. Those two are like bulls in a China cabinet.”

"I’ll manage," I said with a grin, running a hand through my hair. "I’ll bring him by the clubhouse in a couple of hours.”

"Sounds good," Dagger said with a wink before heading out. “Good luck.”

I closed the door and made my way back inside. I figured Cricket could use a little more time to rest, so I left her sleeping and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for her and the boys. My pancakes had always been a favorite with the brothers, so I grabbed the flour and eggs and got to work. I made up the batter, and while the first couple were cooking, I threw some bacon on a sheet pan and slipped it in the oven.

Twenty minutes later, I had a hell of a spread, and the boys were practically foaming at the mouth as I made their plates. They’d just started to dive in when Cricket walked into the kitchen. Her hair was down and a bit disheveled, and she was wearing that T-shirt from a couple of nights ago. Damn. She was positively stunning.

She started towards me, and I gave her a smile and said, “There she is.”

“Hey, Mom.”

She stopped dead in her tracks, and her eyes widened as she turned and found Toby and Garrison sitting at the table. Trying to hide her shock, she smiled and said, “Good morning, guys.”

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