Page 56 of Lost to the Woods

I hung up, and her notification pinged. Then, I leaned over, pressing my lips against her bare shoulder. She was still shaking slightly with aftershocks of her release, her breathing heavy.

I loathed everything about her.

And yet, I still wanted her just the same.

“Happy fucking birthday, you bitch,” I murmured, zipping up my pants before slipping into the night.

She texted me the next day with a simple thank you, and we slowly started talking again. Just as friends, mainly in the group chats. I was proper. Patient. Planning my revenge.

And now we’re here.

Funny how things work out sometimes.

15. Bunny

Ihave never been this confused in my entire life.

Like, what the hell happened last night?

I’m trying to piece together what’s real and what’s just my imagination, but it only gives me a headache. The lines are blurry—so blurry they might as well be bleeding.

As I descend the stairs with Kendra, my eyes land on Ghost. He’s standing by the kitchen island, talking with Dev, who sits lazily on a stool at the breakfast bar like this is just any other morning. Nate is off to the side, quiet, sipping his coffee.

Ghost lifts his head to look at me. He’s wearing his damn mask and a pair of low-hanging sweats, but nothing else. His ink-covered muscles look even more intimidating in the daylight.

“Can’t believe you pulled that,” Kendra whispers, giggling, nudging me with her elbow.

“Wow, thanks,” I mutter, dry. I know she means it as a joke, but it doesn’t help the roiling anxiety tightening my chest.

He’s stillGhost Daddy. The kind of man mothers warn their daughters about and therapists build their careers on.

And that’s what freaks me out.

I’m scared to love him. Scared to let him in. Because guys like him are never good news. They’re never just guys. They’re events. Natural disasters in human form. You don’t date them—you survive them.

But beyond his stature and that fucked-up allure, and even aside our messy history, what happened last night was… strange. I could swear I saw something scarier than shifting shadows, scarier even than the figure outside the window. I saw something in his eyes. Not just lustful, not just intense, but something that wasn’t natural. Something inhuman shimmered in his eyes. And I hate myself because, despite the way it shook me, he made me feel so good. But now? I literally can’t even look at him without being afraid of him.

Why do I feel this way?

It’s like an instinct—raw and primal—screaming:Danger.

Kendra hops up onto the barstool between Dev and Nate, changing the subject with a bright, “So, what’s the plan for this big spooky hike?”

Dev bites into toast, and Nate shrugs, still avoiding eye contact. Before I can process anything else, Ghost’s arm wraps around my waist. My breath hitches as he pulls me up onto the counter, stepping between my legs like he’s entitled to the space.

He nuzzles his masked face into my neck. “You slept so peacefully, I didn’t want to wake you,” he whispers in that low, raspy voice that sinks into my skin. My stomach clenches. It feels like his tongue lapping at my pussy all over again. “I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed, though.”

“That’s so sweet,” I say, trying not to sound too flustered. My fingers instinctively draw slow circles on his back, as if remembering where they clung the night before.

“Last night was amazing,” he adds, his muscles flexing below my touch.

“Mhm, yes.” My voice comes out thinner than I’d like.

His head lifts suddenly. He stares at me, quiet, studying. His silence is heavier than any words, and my nerves spike.

“What’s up with the energy switch?” he asks, flatly.

“No, I just… I’m stressed about going into the woods,” I lie. Which isn’t necessarily a lie. But also not the full truth since it’s not the only reason.

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