Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
“You haven’t left my head since I saw you. Burrowed in deep and took your place as the sole owner of it,” I say. “I didn’t do this out of pity or some false-hearted obligation. I did it out of burning fucking need. Soon as I saw you, I had to have you.”
I raise a hand, testing the waters to see how far I can take this. Her eyes watch it close in, focused on the digits slipping over her shoulder and tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear.
Gemma sucks in a breath, and it gets locked in place. No exhale, like her lungs aren’t sure if they should keep going.
“I’m not just here to protect you.” I lean a little closer, moving my hand to the side of her cheek. “I want you as mine. Forever.”
“Oh, fuck,” she whispers as her eyes flicker over my mouth.
It’s all the permission I need. I lean in slowly, not wanting to scare her away after the bombshell I dropped. If she pulls away and wants to run, so be it. I won’t fight her.
She doesn’t.
Our mouths meet, a gentle brush to start, before the monster burbling inside me takes control. Slow morphs to intense in an instant. A tender graze replaced by devouring lips trying to taste every last inch of her mouth.
I have to force myself to break the kiss, and when I do, I’m met by the brightest smile I’ve ever seen. Almost like while I was on the hunt for her, she was playing her own game of catch the cat.
“Still think I did this out of some misguided sense of honor?” I ask, never moving far enough to lose the warmth of her breathing against my lips. “No, little Gem. I saved you for me.”
5
GEMMA
No part of me can make sense of this. Not my mind, which can’t grasp Ghost’s confession and what just happened, nor my body that refuses to part with him while he cradles my cheek like I’m too delicate to squeeze.
But through it all, I hear that word echoing in my head.
Mine.
“I bet I’m smiling like an idiot, huh?” I’ve gotta make a joke. Keep it light. Hold onto the little glimmer of whatever this is for as long as I can.
“More like an adorable goofball,” Ghost answers.
Then it hits me all at once. I got so wrapped up in this moment, I could’ve forgotten the world out there exists. That I could be in danger, and Ghost’s the only one who can protect me.
But the thing at the forefront of my mind?
“I don’t even know what your name is,” I say, shifting the conversation back to one grounded in reality. We can live in this dream forever, but only once the hardship is behind us.
Ghost chokes on a laugh and pulls away from me. Each inch creates an uncomfortable void between us. The place where I should be instead, coiled tightly against his firm chest.
“Hank,” he says, like a throwaway comment. “Haven’t used it in years, and don’t suppose I’m gonna start anytime soon.”
“Hank.” I play with the name in my mouth. “For whatever it’s worth, I like it.”
But it doesn’t hold the same sense of eerie want that The Ghost does.
His hand moves next, sliding off my cheek while the thumb gets one last brush against it. The sudden chill where it warmed is almost enough for me to throw myself back into him. One more kiss, one more anything, just to keep him close.
But we’ve got work to do.
“Hope I didn’t overstep my bounds,” he says, staring into my eyes squarely. “I couldn’t stop myself.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” I gulp down hard. “I always wondered how my first kiss would be.”
“First kiss?” Ghost’s brow scrunches as his eyes widen the furthest I’ve seen them go. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.” Heat floods my cheeks for the millionth time today. “Never had time for relationships.”
“Then I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing.” The smirk on his face doesn’t match the words he’s saying. “The first man who caught your eye being me.”
“So far? I haven’t seen anything bad about it.” My breathing comes to a complete stop as Ghost raises his hand back to my cheek. Still gentle, but this time, cupping it harder to guide me into his lips.
Our mouths lock together, tongues dance against one another, and I all but melt into him.
“Exactly what I wanted to hear you say,” he whispers when we part. “And I won’t disappoint.”
Before I can make a move to steal another kiss, his phone starts buzzing. A low, rumbling sound emits from his chest, and he shoves his hand into his pocket to grab it.
“I’ve gotta take this.” Ghost’s face turns to stone as he scans the screen. “Make yourself comfortable. Fridge is full and take whatever you need.”