Page 37 of Ghost's Obsession

My hand comes up to rest against her belly. “Yeah, there is. The problem is, it’s not just your life that you’re risking this time.”

Her head lowers to watch my hand slowly rub her flat stomach. We both know what’s in there, something innocent that needs to be protected at all costs. “Now isn’t the time to risk yourself or your unborn baby. Let me be the protector I was born to be, darlin’.”

She lowers her head again, looking all kinds of sweet and submissive. Although I know Heather is not submissive by nature, in this moment her surrender makes me feel things. My grip on her tightens slightly without me meaning to.

She murmurs, “Alright, we’ll do it your way.”

“I moved you into the house so you would be safe,” I tell her. “You don’t have to like it or me taking control. You don’t evenhave to say thank you. You and your baby just have to stay safe, no matter what comes.”

Her eyes lift to mine, and I add, “I need that more than I have words to say.”

“I know I need help protecting myself and my baby. I just want you to know that I’m not weak.”

“I know that,” I say, my voice softening a bit. “I’m not treating you like you’re weak. I’m treating you like you’re worth protecting. There’s a difference.”

For a few seconds, she just stares at me. Her mouth is parted slightly, and then her gaze grows warm. Eventually, she nods. “Okay, I get what you’re saying, and I appreciate that you’re risking yourself for me.”

I reach up and cup the side of her face with one hand. “I wish I could let you get away with thinking that I’m making some kind of sacrifice for you. But the truth of the matter is, I don’t think Carnage poses much danger to me, not physically anyway. I can hold my own with him. But you need to know our club has been after him for a long time. He was partially responsible for Claw’s murder. Siege and Rider were in the military when Butch and Carnage killed Siege’s father. Me and my club would have protected you either way, but that bastard has more to answer for than abusing you.”

She looks at me with big eyes. “I hope you know that I didn’t know anything about him being in an MC. He always talked shit about bikers. If I’d known he was responsible for a man’s death, I wouldn’t have given him the time of day.”

I glance away, trying to organize my thoughts. “I can’t imagine how Carnage managed to get a woman like you in the first place.”

“He was good at acting normal. I never thought he was a smooth talker, but he seemed kind and considerate when we first met. There were a few bumps prior to me moving in with him, but nothing that marked him out as potentially abusive.”

“That fucker is evil through and through,” I grit out, pulling her closer.

She sighs. “Yeah, I figured that out too late. We’d been living together for about six months before he started getting belligerent. It was annoying, and I started rethinking my relationship with him. But then he talked to me about how his mother abused him and said he’d get himself into therapy.”

“And you felt sorry for him, right?”

“Well, yes. I tend to have empathy for people who’ve experienced trauma.”

“Being through trauma doesn’t give you the right to take it out on other people,” I tell her firmly.

“I know that. I truly do. By the time things escalated to physical abuse, I knew I needed to get out. Only by then, he’d sabotaged most of my friendships, and the few remaining were afraid that helping me would piss him off to the point that he’d turn on them.”

“Didn’t you have any family you could turn to?”

“Just my parents and grandmother. They all live together because my grandmother can no longer live on her own. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was run to them and take achance on him following me. He would have torn them up just to get to me, and I couldn’t take a chance like that.”

“I’m sorry. Men like Carnage prey on women with limited support.”

“If I’m being honest, I wish that I’d never met him.”

I pull her closer and kiss her forehead. “I wish you hadn’t met him either, sweetheart.”

When she leans her head against my chest, I can feel her tremble slightly. She’s scared, and I don’t blame her. It’s fuckin’ heart-wrenching to see such a strong woman brought low by an asshole like Carnage. I’m not letting her carry this burden alone, not tonight, not ever.

Chapter 13

Heather

We’re still sitting on the edge of his bed. Talking to him is getting easier. Sharing with him how I got snared by Carnage was embarrassing. I should have been more cautious about moving in with him. Ghost was right about him being manipulative. He manipulated me pretty easily.

I like the feeling of being held. It’s fine that he’s got a huge boner. I manage to make myself comfortable on his lap in spite of it. It’s also flattering that he’s so attracted to me. The feeling is definitely mutual. Lying my cheek against his chest lets me hear the thump of his heartbeat. The way his arms tighten around me feels possessive. But still, in his arms is where I finally find my calm. “You’re safe now,” he tells me.

I know. I can feel it. The thing is, I want to feel something more. “Can I ask you something?” I murmur, surprising myself with how steady I sound.

---