Page 83 of Ghost

I was free, and I owed it all to Sutton and his brothers.

He must’ve been thinking about the same thing because he pulled his lips from mine just long enough to say, “I don’t know what I would’ve done if something happened to you.”

“I’m fine, Sutton.”

The words had barely left my mouth before he was kissing me again, and this was no gentle kiss. There was nothing soft or sweet about it. It was demanding and intense, and I loved every minute of it. His body ground against mine, and it didn’t take long before we were both lost in the heat of the moment.

Sutton sat up, and in a blink, he had me pinned to the bed with my back against the mattress and his knees at my sides. As he hovered over me, an intense look crossed his face. He stared at me in silence for just a moment before he said, “I love you, Casey.”

There’s nothing better than having the one person you love most in the world look at you the way he was looking at me and saying those words out loud. Sutton wasn’t a man who gave away his love freely, and I was overwhelmed by the thought that he had given it to me. It made my world stand still. I wanted to stay there, tangled in his arms forever. I never thought I’d find a love like this, and now that I had, I would never let it go.

“And I love you. More than you’ll ever know,” I whispered.

He lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me, slow and gentle, showing me just how much he really meant the words he’d said to me.

He released my hands just long enough to ease my t-shirt over my head, then slowly began nipping and sucking along the length of my neck. He hovered over me, the warmth of his body fueling my need for him, and I could see that he wanted this just as much as I did.

We made love for hours, and once we were both completely sated, we fell asleep in each other’s arms. I woke the next morning feeling like I’d barely slept, and even though I just wanted to drift back off, we needed to get to Toby’s doctor’s appointment. So, I forced myself out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

I was about to close the door when Sutton rolled over and mumbled, “Come back to bed.”

“I can’t. We have Toby’s appointment.”

“Oh, yeah.” He stretched with a long yawn. “Give me a sec, and I’ll make us some coffee.”

“Coffee would be great.”

After a quick shower, I got dressed and went to wake up Toby. When I got to his room, he was still in bed, sleeping soundly. I wasn’t exactly surprised. I’d stayed with him for a good bit of the night, talking to him, and I just couldn’t leave him until I knew he was okay.

I was pleased he understood that Sutton had done what he had to and that our nightmare was finally over. And like me, he was relieved to know that we’d never get hurt again.

It was a thought that stuck with me as I watched him finally fall asleep.

I walked over to his bed and gave him a slight nudge, “Hey, buddy. It’s time to get up.”

“Mmmm,” he groaned.

“I know it’s early, but you’ve gotta get ready for your appointment.”

He stirred, and his eyes fluttered open. For a second, he looked confused, and then he remembered. He glanced down at his wrist and frowned in a way that made my chest ache. But he didn’t complain. He never did. He just nodded and started to sit up.

“How’s it feeling?”

“It’s okay. Just throbs a little.”

He shrugged like it was no big deal, but I could see the pain in his eyes, and it killed me inside. “We’ll see the doctor today, and they’ll take good care of you, okay?”

“And I can get a blue cast?”

“Absolutely.”

“Cool.”

He finished getting ready, and Sutton drove us to the appointment. After a round of questions about what had happened to his wrist, the doctor took a few more X-rays. He determined that it was a clean break that didn’t interfere with his growth plate, so no surgery was needed. Toby got his blue cast,and for the first couple of hours, he thought it was the coolest thing ever. Then, reality set in, and he realized it was just the opposite.

We were on our way back to the house when I asked, “Has there been any word on Zeke?”

“Blade said he had a rough night, but he’s holding his own.”

---