I fell apart under Ghost’s skillful touch. Now, I’m nothing more than a visual testament to the unraveling of my composed and controlled exterior. It’s terrifying and yet, I’m fascinated by my complete surrender.
Eventually, I flick my gaze to Ghost. Only to find him already looking at me. The hunger in his eyes is expected. The tenderness isn’t.
His expression softens further before he removes his fingers from my mouth to lean down and press his lips to the side of my neck. Closing his eyes, he prolongs the kiss as though enjoying the taste and feel of me.
His actions are incongruous with the man I’ve come to know in the confines of these walls. Ghost is someone who’s defined by his cunning and control. And this display of affection, gentle and tender, disrupts my understanding of him.
Is this an act designed to manipulate me further? Or is it a genuine glimpse into a part of him that he rarely reveals? A part that maybe he himself struggles to understand and control?
As Ghost pulls back, the cool air of the room brushes against my neck where his lips just were, leaving me bewildered. My physical reaction to the sweet gesture is nothing compared to the emotions stirring inside me. Something I’m not able to handle right now. Or ever.
“Why me?” I whisper. Or maybe I make no sound at all? Because I’m scared to hear the answer. Scared to break our connection. The very thing I’ve been denying since I first felt it.
Ghost tilts his head, considering my question. “Because I wanted you,” he answers simply, as if such a thing should make sense. As if his personal desires haven’t shaken me to the core.
“But why?” Despite my fear, I need to understand, to find a reason that agrees with the logic I’ve always protected myself with.
Ghost reaches up, trailing his fingers along my jaw and down my neck. The handcuffs clink with his movement, a reminder of his status as a prisoner. Something that failed to keep us apart.
“Because, Geneva, even chaos has its moments of clarity, and in you, I found mine.”
The sincerity in his voice is my undoing.
I hug my middle, attempting to fortify myself as I look away. Every touch from him should be a lie, should be something manipulative and dangerous. Yet here I stand in his arms, soaking it in like the first rays of sunshine.
“Look at me,” he says softly, his voice threaded with a quiet intensity that pulls at something deep inside me.
Slowly, I lift my eyes to meet his, and the force of his gaze nearly undoes me. It’s raw, unguarded, and full of something I don’t have the words for.
“You scare me,” he says. “You’re the only person that does.”
I blink over and over. Of all the things he could’ve said, this is the most unexpected. “I scareyou?”
His lips twist into a bitter smile. “Don’t look so surprised, Doc.” He pauses, his hands twitching against my skin, the only sign of the tension beneath his calm exterior. “You’ve managed to do what no one else ever has.”
I shake my head, struggling to process his words. “People like you don’t—”
“People like me, huh?” He interrupts, his tone sharp, but there’s no anger in it, only frustration. “Listen, I’m not afraid of what I am or what I’m capable of. But for the first time, I’m afraid of what I’ll become… without you.”
This doesn’t make sense.Hedoesn’t make sense. My chest tightens, my breath coming in shallow gasps as my mind racesto find an explanation. But there isn’t one. Not a logical one, anyway.
I open my mouth to respond, to say something that will force him to explain further, but before I can, a shout echoes from the hallway.
“Dr. Andrews!”
The voice is loud and urgent, scattering my thoughts. I rear back, my heart leaping into my throat as the spell between us shatters. Footsteps thunder down the corridor, growing louder with each passing second.
“Looks like the cavalry’s here,” Ghost says, his tone casual, but his eyes remain locked on mine, searching, probing.
Begging for understanding.
CHAPTER 33
GENEVA
The warning gives us a few precious seconds.
We hastily separate to revert back into our respective roles as prisoner and psychologist. No longer lovers and liabilities.
