Page 83 of The Ghost of You

“What am I supposed to do? I like her. A lot. We have this connection I have never felt with anyone before.”

“Anyone?” Carson cuts in.

“Anyone,” I stress.

“Damn man. Not even Claire?”

I shake my head. “That’s why it’s been so hard for me. The way I feel connected with Anna, the way I feel when I am around her, it is nothing like with Claire. And I don’t know what to do about it or what to think. Was Claire never right for me?”

“Don’t think that way, Noah. You and Claire loved each other. And she was right for you then but things change, we grow older. What we want and need in our lives change.” He pauses. “Claire might have been right for you a long time ago but with everything that happened in our lives she wasn’t right for you anymore.”

“How do I know if Anna is right for me?”

“I don’t want to sound all sappy but I am going to. Because it’s the reason I know Tiffany is right for me. You feel it in your bones. That anger you had with Mason, if Anna didn’t mean so much to you, feel so right, then it wouldn’t have been there.”

I grip the back of my neck. “Do I ask Anna about Mason?”

“Yeah, you should. From what Mase told me, it was nothing. I honestly think he was trying to kick your ass into gear with her.”

“He told me last night he only asked her out so I would finally make a move.”

“Well it worked.”

“Yeah.” I nod. “Yeah, it did.” I sigh as my mind filters back to last night. “Being with her last night was amazing. It felt so right. We felt so right together.”

Carson cocks a brow at me. “I thought you didn’t sleep with her.”

“I didn’t. But we made out like a couple of love-drunk teenagers.” I can’t keep the smile off my face.

“I think you have your answer then.” Carson stands up. “And get that fucking grin off your face, you look like a pussy.”

I get up off the couch and punch him. “Let’s go check on the countertops.”

* * *

I putthe heat on low as I let the pasta primavera simmer in the pan. It feels good to be able to use my kitchen for the first time in almost a year. I’ve been relying on cold cuts, takeout, and mom’s leftovers for far too long.

I check the time. It’s almost six. Anna should be here any minute. From the time I have spent with her I know she is punctual, meticulous, and slightly OCD.

I want nothing more than to kiss those soft lips, bite those petal pink nipples, and sink myself inside that hot body. But I need to ask her about Mason.

Carson’s advice helped but there is still that small inkling in the back of my mind. I need her to be one hundred percent committed to this. I can’t put my heart on the line for her to just walk away from me. I don’t know if I can handle another woman walking away from me.

My doorbell rings. I look at my phone. 5:59. Right on time.

I walk over to the door and open it. My breath leaves my lungs.

Anna is wearing a black dress that is tight around her chest but flares out right at her hips. There is a deep V in the front showing off her ample cleavage. An army green sweater sits on top of the dress, hanging off a shoulder, letting her tattoos peek out.

A soft breeze outside blows her curls across her face. She pushes her hair back and I study the freckles across her nose, the green of her eyes. Her perfect pink pout smiles when she sees me staring at her, licking my lips as I take her in.

“Hey Detective.”

Those words undo me.

I grab her hand and pull her into the house. I shut the front door and push her against it, my mouth claiming hers.

She groans at the first touch of my lips on hers. Her hands gripping my neck hard as we devour each other at the front door.

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