His smile fades, and his eyes darken. “Nope. And to answer your question: I did it because I could.”
For a moment, there’s nothing but silence between us, the tension thick in the air. I can’t tell if he’s being honest or if this is just another one of his games. But I can feel the weight of his words pressing down on me, and the disturbing part is… I almost understand. I’ll never stop asking why. It’s my obsession, the same way murder is his.
“I knew you’d come back to me, Dr. Andrews.”
The way Ghost addresses me should be a barrier, a professional title that creates formality. But the way it rolls off his tongue is soft. Intimate. Like the brush of fingers over skin. Like he’s reminding me who I am when I’m with him… and who I pretend to be when I’m not.
“It would seem that you know a lot, Ghost. More than you should.”
Like my fucking phone number, for instance.
His smile widens, turning puckish. “I suppose I do. Information is the only thing I have to keep me company. It’s lonely here, and you’re my only friend.”
I roll my eyes. “We arenotfriends.”
“We could be. You’re not going to ask me for my real name?”
“Do you want to give it to me?”
He grins. “No. No. No.”
“Then why waste time?”
“Why indeed?” His eyes shine with satisfaction, and something devilish. He spreads his powerful thighs as he settles deeper in his chair. “So cold. So distant,” he murmurs. “But I suppose that’s what makes you so good at what you do.”
I put my elbows on the table and steeple my fingers, using this posture to send a message of confidence and control. “I’m not the only one who’s good at what they do. From my understanding, you’ve manipulated someone into giving you certainprivileges?”Like a cell phone.
Ghost shakes his head, his smile never wavering, as if we share some private joke. I suppose we do. “Me? Manipulate?Never. I haven’t been given anything that hasn’t been approved by the great state of New York.”
“Then I guess you foundotherways to get what you want.”
“Loneliness breeds creativity. One has to be innovative if they want something that’s unattainable, Dr. Andrews.”
I hold his stare while my mind churns. There’s something different in the way he’s looking at me this visit. It’s a subtle shift, minuscule, but I sense it. It’s how his eyes trail over my face as though he’s captivated by every inch of skin, every eyelash, every freckle. It’s intense, unnerving, and… fascinating.
For the first time since I met him, I feel likeI’mthe one being studied. My insides clench and I instinctively squeeze my thighs together to eradicate the sensation of desire.
I peer at him from behind my steepled fingers. What was oncea gesture of self-assurance has now become a shield. Against him and my unwanted attraction. “Have you always been good at getting what you want, even when it’s impossible?”
“Oh, yes,” he purrs, his voice a deep rumble. “Nothing is impossible. Some things just require more patience. More… finesse.”
“Finesse is a decent strategy, but it won’t do you any good with something as immovable as a mountain.”
He laughs softly. “Even a glacier will melt, given time and the right circumstances.”
His reference to me doesn’t go over my head. It’s not the first time Ghost has called me cold and guarded.
“Why me?”
The question I’ve been agonizing over falls from my lips and into the silence between us with the impact of a bomb. I may have detonated it, but I’m not ready for the explosion. For the destruction that follows.
At first, there’s nothing. Then his gaze sharpens, and something flickers behind his eyes—something that feels almost like recognition.
“Because,” he says slowly, his voice soft but deliberate, “you’re just like me.”
I rear back, a mix of anger and denial surging through me. “I’m nothing like you,” I say through clenched teeth.
His smile doesn’t falter. “Oh, but you are, Dr. Andrews. The only difference is that you’re still trying to bury your ghosts, but I invite mine to dinner.”
