CHAPTER ONE
STAR
“What the fuck are you doing?”Ghost snaps, striding over from the kitchen.
“Do you always have to look so arrogant?” I ask as I try to stretch to the top of the tree, with the ladder wobbling beneath me. Probably not the best time to be wearing my six-inch stiletto heels. I feel Ghost firmly grab the ladder with one hand, palming my ass with his other hand. I look down at him over my shoulder and arch my brow, but he just stares back at me with those glacial eyes. “You know that look doesn’t work on me, Casper,” I point out.
“You are standing on top of a six-foot fucking ladder, trying to put the star on top of a fifteen-foot fucking tree in fucking heels,” he growls in his ‘don’t fucking test me’ tone, which of course just makes me want to push it further.
I tilt my head. “You telling me what to do?” I press.
He exhales a long, slow breath. “Yes. Now get your ass down and off that ladder before you fall and break your fucking neck.”
I turn slightly on the ladder, keeping my face neutral as it wobbles. “Ask me nicely,” I whisper.
“Woman,” he seethes, his face set in stone, void of any amusement. Meanwhile, I can’t stop grinning.
He moves quickly, grabbing my hips and throwing me upside-down over his shoulder. I scream as the ladder falls and crashes to the floor. Ghost slaps my ass hard for good measure, making me laugh.
“Harder, baby,” I tease. Ghost grunts a laugh, slapping his palm down harder, making me cry out.
“It’s Christmas, a time for children. Not for seeing your foreplay!” Queenie snaps as she walks in with the kids.
Ghost slides me down his front slowly, his hands gliding along my body. His eyes are alight and playful, making me grin as I place a kiss on his lips before I sidestep him. “Hey babies!” I coo, crouching down and wrapping my arms around Enzo and Storm, smothering them with kisses.
“Mommy!” Enzo protests, trying to push my face away. “Stop!”
“Never!” I laugh, showering him with more. Storm just giggles, her chubby little cheeks turning red.
When I stop, Enzo glares at me with his father’s eyes. I smirk. “Why do you do that? I’m a man now,” he huffs.
I fight back my laughter. “A man, huh?” Ghost walks over and scoops his baby girl up in his arms, kissing her cheek before he bends down and places a kiss on top of Enzo’s head.
“You ain’t quite a man yet, son. Not until you get hairs on your balls,” he states.
I glare at him in response.
“How long until I get those?” Enzo asks, furrowing his little face. The kid is six, but he acts like he is a teenager. Ghost had made him his own Cut, which he always wears. I had to fight to get it off him at bedtime. Only when Ghost told him that he doesn’t wear that shit to bed did he let me take it. Now the problem I have is getting him to wear pyjamas. So now Ghost has to wear them in front of him. He copies and does everythinghis father does, wanting to be just like him. It’s adorable. Exhausting but adorable.
Whereas Storm is Ghost’s princess. When she was born there was a horrendous storm, the worst in over twenty years; roads were flooded, and the ambulance couldn’t get to us, so Ghost had to drive me in the truck to the hospital, where the lights kept flickering on and off due to their power cutting out. I was just grateful not to be on the operating table. She was three weeks early and born in a storm. Plus, she came out screaming, creating a storm. So, there was only one name that was perfect for her. She is adorable, and Ghost gives in to her constantly. She’s stubborn, does what she wants, and already breaks the rules whenever she can. Ghost often reminds me she is just like me. Then I remind him of what’s to come when she is a teenager behaving like this with boys. Let’s just say he now wants to homeschool her or send her to an all-girls school run by nuns.
“Thanks for picking them up, Queenie. I was hoping to have the tree done by now, but someone stopped me from putting the star on,” I state, giving Ghost the side eye.
“It wasn’t safe,” he grits out, and I just roll my eyes.
“I don’t know why you’re bothering to put a tree up when we are all going to the cabin for Christmas,” Queenie states.
“Because we are not going for a few more days, and I want it to feel Christmasy in our house.” I shrug.
“Mommy, will Santa come?” Storm asks.
Only Ghost answers before I can. “He will come because I will fucking make sure that he does.”
“Jesus, easy there, Casper. I’m sure you won’t need to hunt down Santa and kidnap him,” I state.
Ghost gives me a smirk. “They want Santa, then I will bring them Santa.”
I walk up to him and press my lips to his. “Now that is the kind of thing that will get you laid,” I whisper.
