Page 10 of Ghost
For a heartbeat, she freezes, and I worry I’ve pushed too far, too fast. But then a small, breathy sigh escapes her, and her lips part for me. It’s all the invitation I need.
I plunge my tongue into the sweet, wet heat of her mouth, and a groan rumbles deep in my chest. She tastes of sleep and something uniquely, intoxicatingly her. Her initial stiffness melts in an instant, her body warming beneath my touch as if I’ve lit a fuse.
She’s a quick learner, her own tongue meeting mine with a shy, then eager, curiosity. The tentative flicker soon becomes a dance, a desperate, hungry exchange that steals the air from my lungs.
My other hand slides from her cheek, skimming down the delicate column of her throat, over the frantic pulse beating there, and down to the curve of her waist. If I could, I’d want to take hours memorizing every curve and dip of her body using nothing but my fingers.
A low, wanting sound vibrates against my mouth, and I realize it came from her. The sound of her desire turns one kiss into a second, then a third.
I kiss her like I’m a drowning man and she’s my only air. Deep, claiming strokes of my tongue, punctuated by nips at her full bottom lip. I drink down every one of her soft whimpers, each one fueling the fire coiling tight and hot in my gut.
Her hand comes up to clutch at my shoulder, her nails digging into the fabric of my tank top and my skin, holding on as if she’s afraid I’ll vanish when my mouth leaves hers, then sighs in relief when I drag my mouth to her jaw, then my teeth to her throat.
I want to leave a mark, to show every man here that she’s already taken. I almost cave.
As good as this is, I’m the one who has the strength to break away before this turns into something more. If I’m not careful,I’mgoing to be the one to ask her if I can start kissing elsewhere.
I’d kill a man to get the opportunity to taste her without a single regret.
“You okay?” It’s a stupid question, but seeing her current state, I have to ask.
Her eyes are heavy-lidded, filled with a mirroring hunger that she might not even understand. She doesn’t speak, just gives a dazed, breathless nod before moving to her back.
“Does this place have a shower?” Covering her eyes with the inner bend of her arm, she bites down on her bottom lip. “I need one.”
The stiffness resting against my thigh pulsates at the thought, but it’s the realization that she’s going to have to use one of the stalls that makes this possessive urge claw at my chest.
“Sure.” Running a hand down my face, I try to calm myself. “Need one myself.”
Thanks to her, I’m going to need to get this hunger out of my system one way or another.
“Grab what you need. Once we’re done, we’ll take on the day.” Already dreading talking to Judge, a conversation that is unavoidable with the parties involved, I can only hope that I can clear the fog this woman brings with her, so I can think of a way to keep her at my side.
Now that I have her flavor on my tongue, there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to give her up now. She’smine.
* * *
Eliza clings close to my back as we step into the bar area. Unlike the night before, it’s quiet, bathed in the pale, dusty light ofmorning. The air smells of stale beer and disinfectant. She looks over my shoulder at Penelope, who is methodically cleaning, wiping down the sticky surface of a table.
“She’s still working?” Eliza murmurs, her voice soft with surprise. She follows my eyeline. “Talk about a hard worker.”
I can’t help the small smile that cracks my stern expression. “Yesterday, you probably saw Raven. This is Penelope.”
Runaway twin sisters adopted by the club before I was introduced. Pen helps out during the day as an early bird, and her sister takes care of the ruckus as a night owl. The one currently scrubbing the table raw is the one who refused to pour me drinks when I was meant to be kicking a bad habit all those years ago.
Hearing her name, Penelope lifts her gaze. Her eyes find me first, then flick to Eliza, who is still pressed against my back. I see the surprise there—a quick, assessing look. After all, I’m one of the few who have never entertained any of the women who have thrown themselves my way.
But the surprise doesn’t linger. It melts into something else, something warmer. A slow, genuine smile spreads across her face, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she looks at us. It’s an expression of quiet approval, of happiness for what she’s seeing.
Before the moment can stretch, I look around for any signs of life yet. “Judge made an appearance yet?”
Penelope’s smile tightens slightly, and her nose scrunches. “He’s outside the last time I saw him. Careful, though. I think he woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”
Great.Just my luck. I guess I don’t have to worry about ruining his mood if he’s already annoyed.
“Come on.” Shifting to the side so I have the excuse to touch her, I press my hand to the middle of her back and guide her toward the exit. “Let’s get this over with.”
We step outside, and the world is swallowed in a thick, silent fog. It muffles the morning, clinging to the pines and casting the compound in a ghostly, isolated shroud. Eliza pauses beside me, her eyes widening as she takes in the endless, misty woods surrounding us.
