“I can’t believe Finn’s doing this.”
She didn’t resist when I lifted her chin so I could see her eyes when she answered my next question. “Why not?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. He’s always talked tough, but never follows through, you know?”
I did; we shared her opinion. “Do you think he’d hire someone to harass you?”
“He might. How do you find someone willing to do this kind of stuff?”
“It’s a lot easier than you’d think, especially if you have a lot of money and no conscience.”
“It’s a shitty way to try to win me back.”
Mine. My arm tightened around her shoulders.
She patted my chest. “Don’t worry, Casper, I don’t want him.”
“Do you think you’ll stop calling me that anytime soon?” I didn’t hate it, but it reminded me of things I’d rather not think about.
She buried her face in my chest and laughed. “Maybe. Would it help to know I think of you as my gorgeous protective ghost?”
Hers. I smiled before kissing the top of her head. “A little.” I was totally and completely hers.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” she mumbled into my chest.
“How’d you end up with a guy like Finn?” I sounded judgmental, but was legitimately curious. She’d dated AJ and was attracted to me. Ashley clearly had a type, but Finn was so far from it he might as well be a different mammal.
“I wanted to try something different. He seemed nice and was easy on the eyes.”
My free hand lifted to my scarred face without conscious thought.
“You have nothing to worry about, my ruggedly handsome ghost.” She ran the back of her fingers down my scar. Her gentle caress had the dual effect of calming my nerves and exciting my body.
“Thank you.”
“Sadly, Finn isn’t the first ass in my life.”
I growled as I ground my teeth hard enough to crush stone. If I hadn’t, I would’ve demanded the name of every asshole who’d dared to touch her. My mind was already thinking up creative ways to make them pay.
“Breathe, Casper,” Ashley whispered. She reached over, her fingers forcing mine to unclench. She laced hers with mine and squeezed.
I needed to know. “Who hurt you?”
“No one.” My left eyebrow lifted in disbelief, so she added, “I swear.”
I tilted my head and waited for her to explain.
“They were assholes, and I refused to put up with their shit. I kicked them to the curb once I saw their true nature. You don’t need to worry about me.”
My free hand lifted, caressing the side of her face. “Just because I don’t need to doesn’t mean I won’t.” I saw her pupils dilate before I glanced at my laptop.
Ashley bragged about her independence, but she liked that I was worried, and when I got jealous.Good. I just hoped she’d like it when I acted on that concern.
When she started yawning, I stood and offered her a hand up. “Let’s get you back to bed.”
“Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?” Hearing her sound small and scared again invoked two feelings: empathy and anger.
