Page 56 of Ghost

He closed the door, and for a moment, neither of us said anything.

I swallowed, feeling that lump in my throat I’d been pushing down for weeks now. “Why do you have to be so good?”

He didn’t respond.

He just stood there holding my gaze as I said, “You’re good to him, and you’re good to me, and you don’t expect anything in return. How is that? How do you make it all so easy?”

“You’re the one who makes it easy. It’s you. All you.”

There was a magnetic pull between us. It was so strong it made every nerve in my body tingle. I felt it any time we were close, but at that moment, it was stronger than ever. Before I knew what I was doing, I took a step closer and inched up on my toes, carefully pressing my lips to his. I thought he would push me away or tell me to stop, but he didn’t.

Instead, he kissed me back.

At first, it was soft and gentle, like we were both feeling it out. But then his hand came up, cupping the side of my face, and he pulled me closer. A light moan escaped my lips as he delved deeper into my mouth. I could feel everything in that moment—the safety, the comfort, the promise of something more.

My hands began to wander on their own, roaming over his chest as they explored the curves of his perfectly defined muscles. I was just starting to get lost in the moment when Sutton inched back, breaking our embrace. Confused, I looked up at him, and the second I saw his expression, I knew I wasn’t going to like what he was about to say.

“This isn’t a good idea.” His eyes never left mine as he said, “It’s too soon.”

“But...”

“It’s too soon. End of discussion.”

I longed for the moment when he would stop resisting and give into whatever this thing was between us. But that wasn’t going to happen tonight, and I feared it wouldn’t happen any time soon. I wondered how much longer I could wait.

Ghost

I hadn’t meant to kiss her—not like that, but when she inched up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine, I lost it. All my restraint broke, and I couldn’t resist her a second longer. I knew it wasn’t a good idea. I knew it was too soon, but I couldn’t stop myself. It felt too good to have her in my arms again.

I needed to feel her body next to mine, so I slipped my hand around her waist and pulled her closer. She gasped, opening her mouth long enough for me to delve deeper, to relish every single detail of her mouth.

Her taste.

Her scent.

The way her tongue tangled with mine. I wanted to stay right there in that moment—just the two of us, where nothing else mattered. But I couldn’t. It was clear that she was still dealing with some shit. Every bump or loud noise would have her jumping out of her skin, and I got it. She had been to hell and back with that crazy ex of hers, and it was going to take some time to move past it.

So, I told her, “This isn’t a good idea. It’s too soon.”

“But...”

“It’s too soon. End of discussion.”

She stepped backand crossed her arms as she snapped, “Not up for discussion? And why is that?”

“Nothing you have to say is going to change my mind.” I kept my tone calm and steady as I added, “You need time.”

Frustration flashed through her eyes as she insisted, “I’m fine.”

“No, you aren’t.”

She wasn’t happy that I’d put her off. I wasn’t exactly happy about it either. She had to know that I wanted her. Hell, I wanted her more than I thought possible, but I wanted to do right by her. I reached over and placed my hand under her chin, forcing her to look at me as I said, “We got something good here. I know it. You know it. And I’m not going to mess it up by rushing things.”

“It’s been months, Sutton. That’s far from rushing.”

“And it might be months more, or it could be a couple of weeks or a day. Only time will tell, but I can promise you this. I will have you, and when I do...” I ran my thumb across her bottom lip as I told her, “I’ll make it worth the wait.”

She held my gaze like she was trying to figure out her next move. After several moments, her eyes drifted to the ground, and she started down the hall. “Goodnight, Sutton.”

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