Page 70 of Ghost

“For your sake, I hope you’re right.”

Without another word, Memphis turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. I spent the remainder of the night going over everything detail of what had gone down, and I started to have my doubts about things. Maybe Memphis was right. Maybe I had fucked up. Maybe I had acted rashly and hadn’t thought about the consequences of my actions.

But what was done was done.

There was no going back.

Pandora’s box had been opened, and now, I had to wait and see what followed.

Whitney

Ghost had only been gone for a night, but I’d missed him.

I’d missed him more than I cared to admit. I’d tried to keep myself busy by cleaning the house and helping Toby with his schoolwork, but I hadn’t been able to get him off my mind. I had this gnawing feeling that something was wrong. I’d tried calling him, but he didn’t answer.

And that just made me worry even more.

I made us some breakfast, then folded some clothes. When I was done, I went into the living room and tried to read some of my books. I hadn’t been sitting there long when I heard the rumble of Sutton’s bike pulling up the drive. I shot up off the sofa and rushed for the door.

I darted outside just as he’d made his way up to the porch. He looked tired, really tired, but he was here, and he was safe. Without a second thought, I rushed toward him. He let out a low grunt as my body collided with his, but his hands were already sliding around my waist, pulling me close like he’d missed me just as much.

“You’re back,” I whispered against his neck, my heart thundering in my chest.

“Yeah,” he rumbled, his voice rough, but there was a softness in it that I’d come to love. “I’m back.”

I pulled back just enough to look up at him. His eyes met mine, and something inside me melted. Without thinking, I inched up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his, kissing him. His grip on me tightened as he kissed me back, slow and deep. God, I’d missed him.

After a few seconds, Sutton eased back and asked, “Did you and Toby make it okay?”

“It wasn’t easy being away from Mr. Steel and Sex Appeal, but we survived,” I teased.

“Glad to hear.” He reached for the door as he said, “I need a shower.”

He pulled the handle, and that’s when I finally noticed his hands.

His knuckles were bruised with dried blood and raw, deep scratches that went across the back of his hand. It looked like he’d gone a few rounds in a terrible fight, or he’d been in some kind of accident. I reached out and took his left hand in mine, and I gasped when I saw just how bad they really were. “What in the world happened?”

He looked down at them like he hadn’t noticed the damage before, then shrugged, playing it off like it was nothing. “Just a little scuffle. Nothing to worry about.”

But it wasn’t nothing. Not to me. Those marks looked fresh, like whatever had happened wasn’t just "a little scuffle."

“Doesn’t look like nothing to me.”

“I’m fine, Cricket.” He waved it off and headed inside, trying to avoid the conversation. “It’s nothing.”

I followed right behind him as I argued, “It’s clearly not nothing.”

“It’s just a couple of scratches.”

“You’re really not going to tell me what happened?”

“It’s nothing. Just leave it alone.” I was beyond frustrated that he wouldn’t tell me what happened. I was even more frustrated that he was shutting me out. “I’m gonna take a shower,”

“Sutton—” I started, but he’d already disappeared into his room.

The door to his room clicked shut, and seconds later, the water kicked on. But I didn’t move. I just stood there, trying to shake the gnawing feeling that had settled in my stomach.

Sutton was strong and more than capable of handling himself, but that didn’t stop the ache in my chest when I thought about him being hurt. This was his life and the path he’d chosen to take, but it was hard to shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at me. I just had to focus on the fact that he was back home, and he was okay.

---