Page 43 of Ghost

'You can trust me, Whitney. I’d never hurt you.’

His words lingered in the air like an early morning chill. I kept playing them over and over in my mind. I wanted to believe them. Oh, how I wanted to believe them, especially after that unbelievable kiss.

Every single nerve in my body came alive as I watched him slowly lower his mouth to mine. The man who’d done everything in his power to keep me at arm’s length gave in and kissed me long and hard. I’d never felt anything so incredible.

I lifted my hand up to his face, inching my body closer to him as his tongue delved deeper into my mouth. The bristles of his beard were rough against my palm, but his lips were soft and warm, luring me in for more. He threaded his fingers through my hair and tugged me closer, and my heart started to race so fast I thought it would beat right out of my chest.

His hand drifted to the nape of my neck, then snaked down to the small of my back. He felt so good, smelled so good, and it was all I could do to keep from completely losing myself in him. It was all too much, too fast, so I broke our embrace. I immediately missed his touch and wished beyond measure that he would kiss me again.

Instead, he promised me I could always trust him, and he was willing to prove it to me.

“I do trust you,” I had reassured him, although I wasn’t quite sure, I knew I felt completely safe around him, and he aroused feelings in me I hadn’t felt in quite some time. But after what I had been through with Dylan, I wasn’t sure I could entirely put my faith into someone so soon.

He gently raked his knuckles against my cheek and smiled as he leaned in for another kiss. He leaned back and was still holding my gaze when Kay came back into the family room and announced, “The goods are on the way! Now, we just need to get you prepped. I have everything set up in my room when you’re ready.” She abruptly stopped walking when she saw the two of us.

“Oh, umm.” I wasn’t sure how to respond. I was still in a whirlwind over that insane kiss, so I muttered, “Okay.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, we’re good,” Ghost answered, then turned his attention back to me. “Get your hair done. It’ll do you good, and I’ll see you when you’re done.”

I nodded, then turned to Kay and said, “I’m ready when you are.”

“Great! Let’s get to it.”

Kay gave me a warm smile, and I couldn’t help but smile back. It meant the world to me that she was so excited to fix my hair. When we reached her room, she opened the door and motioned for me to come inside. It was small, like mine and Toby’s, but her desk had been transformed into a hair and makeup station like you’d find in a salon.

“Come over and have a seat.”

She patted the chair in front of the vanity and waited for me to sit down.

As soon as I was settled, I glanced up at the mirror and grimaced at my reflection. The bruises were gone, and all the scratches had healed. I was basically back to my old self—except for my jet-black hair. It looked so stark against my pale skin and made me look like the girl from the Ring movie. Not only that, but it was a mess, tangled and lifeless.

Kay ran her fingers through it gently, inspecting the damage. "So, just the color, or do you want a trim, too?”

“Oh, it could definitely use a good cut,” I laughed nervously. "It’s been ages since I’ve done anything to it.”

“Alrighty. We’ll get you fixed up.”

She quickly emptied the bags full of products that Zeke had bought, then whipped out her comb and scissors and got straight to work. She cut off a few inches and added some layers before starting on the color. The entire time she was working, she was talking. I tried to pay attention, but my mind kept drifting to Ghost and the kiss we’d shared. It was so unexpected, and it scared me a little—mainly because I liked it so much.

I’d made such a mess of things when I brought Dylan into our lives. I thought he was such a good guy, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. I would never forgive myself if I made a mistake like that again, especially when Toby was finally starting to come out of his shell again.

Ghost had never given me any reason to think he wasn’t a good man—just the opposite. He’d watched over us and protected us, making sure we had everything we needed. And he was always there when I needed him, even in the middle of the night when I was having an awful nightmare. That was enough to have me wondering if I’d found my knight in shining armor, but I knew better than that.

Ghost was a member of Satan’s Fury. I’d heard stories about MCs like his. They lived in a world filled with secrets and danger that would have most people running for the hills, but I’d seenanother side to them. These men were loyal to a fault and would give everything they had to keep their families safe.

I was mulling everything over in my head when Kay asked, “Are you ready to see your new do?”

“Absolutely.” She turned me around so I could see myself in the mirror, and I was absolutely stunned. “Oh, Kay! It looks so good!”

“You like it?”

“Are you kidding? I love it!”

“Oh, I’m so glad.” Kay ran her fingers through it one last time. “It really does look great. I’m so pleased it turned out so well.”

“Me too!” Unable to control myself, I got up from my chair and wrapped my arms around Kay, hugging her tightly. “Thank you so much for this. It really means a lot to me.”

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