I twisted my hands together. The shakes had settled this last day or so, but nowhewas back, and so were they. “I know he’s not real, but I still see him. I still hear him.”
There was a moment of silence. “What’s he saying to you?”
I shook my head. I was more than grateful that Stone was in my corner, especially when he had better things to do than babysit me while I was so pathetic, but there was no way I’d ever tell him what my father said to me. I was too scared he’d agree. I mean, he already thought I was dangerous to everyone he loved and that I was a liability. But, somehow, admitting my father’s predictions out loud would make him right, and I couldn’t because if I admitted that, what would I have left to live for…?
“Shannon.”
I jumped, my attention flying back to him. “I-I can’t.”
His lips pressed together, and I looked away, unwilling to weather his disappointment. I was surprised when the side of the bed dipped, and I tilted towards where his bulk squashed the mattress. His big hands curled around my upper arms. Not hard, but firmly enough that I couldn’t ignore him. I blinked. Or perhaps he was just trying to stop me from falling off the bed. I suddenly felt tiny compared to him. It wasn’t a new sensation, but I’d always fought it, determined to be seen as stronger and tougher than I really was.
I was a bitch on purpose because it was the only way I could cope with the confused feelings that surfaced when he was near. My control was shredded when he was close, and I wanted things I had no business wanting. But there was no escaping him now. His scent drifted up my nose, and I wanted to curl against his solid chest and melt into the comfort he offered. I fisted my hands in the sheets, the desire to wrap my arms around his waist almost my undoing. My eyes burned as my father stood beside us, laughing derisively.
You are not good enough. He’s only here because of Connor. He has to be here. He doesn’t want to be. You’re wasting his time….
“Shannon, No matter what bullshit he’s cemented into your head in the past, it’s not true.”
What a lying piece of shit. You’re a fucking waste of space. He’s going to leave you soon…
A hot tear escaped and ran down my cheek. I wanted to wipe it away, but Stone caught it on his thumb. His soft curse as he scooped it off my skin made me look at him. His face softened, but his eyes remained as intense as ever. My breath caught as he slid his thumb between the softness of his lips and sucked. Heat bloomed on my cheeks despite my exhaustion, and the soft skin between my legs pulsed. I watched, fascinated, as he swallowed my tear and pulled his thumb from between his lips. It glistened, and all I wanted was to catch his wrist, slide it between my lips and taste him. Fuck, I was screwed. I’d always thought Stone the sexiest male I’d ever seen, but now that I’d admitted it to myself, I couldn’t push him away, and it was getting so hard to fight his pull.
In a gentle move, he hooked his fingers under my jaw. “Whatever he’s saying to you, he’s wrong. Don’t shed one more single tear because of him. Your tears belong to me now.”
My eyes widened. Did he really mean that?
His mouth stretched into a slow and sexy smile when I continued to stare at him, my mouth slack.
“Speechless? Well, that’s new. And, just in case you don’t believe me…” He leaned forward and brushed his lips against the corner of my mouth, and then he shocked the fuck out of me by kissing the corner of each eye, the tip of his tongue flicking out and scooping up any remaining dampness. By the time he pulled back, I was a mess of heavy breaths and a pounding heart.
He licked his lips and sat back, his eyes glinting dangerously. I tracked his movements. He'd said I was his, that he wasn’t letting me go. I remembered that even through the mess of foggy memories of the past few weeks, but I hadn’t believed he really meant it. We were always fighting and pushing each other away. Or had it always just been me? The air crackled between us. I fought to hold that heated stare, but it was doing things to me that I couldn’t deal with. Instead, I dropped my attention and stared at the pulse beating strongly in his throat.
Even if he did mean those words, nothing changed the fact that I was an alcoholic and still wasn’t good enough for him…
“Where is he?”
Stone’s growl pulled my attention back to him.
“I-I….” My father was standing right in front of Stone, a dangerous as fuck glint in his eyes that had always terrified me. It meant there was more coming than just words.
“I know he’s real for you, Shan, but we can fight him together until he really is nothing but a bad fucking memory.”
Together? Did he really mean that? I bit my upper lip, pulling the soft pulp between my teeth. Stone’s eyes dropped to my nervous movement, purple flashing across his pupils before he abruptly stood.
“Tell me where he is.”
I had no idea what he would do, but Doherty’s ghost just smirked as I looked between him and my self-proclaimed protector.
“Shannon? Where is he? Don’t make me repeat myself again.”
Shit, he sounded pissed off, but that warning flare of magic in his eyes was so pretty that it almost made me want to defy him longer. Yet, I was also desperate to wipe out my father’s presence. Stone was right; Doherty had fucked up my life for long enough; maybe he really could help me get rid of thatsmarmy fucking ghost. I pointed to a spot by the bed. Standing there, in his usual grey business suit, my father crossed his arms and glowered at me. Stone stepped right into the exact spot, forcing the apparition to disintegrate. If only it was that easy to get rid of his voice grating through my brain.
Stone cocked his head. “Here?”
I nodded, expecting my father to appear next to the giant that was Stone, but he didn’t.
“Keep your eyes on me, Shan. Whenever he appears, and I’m here, you tell me, and we eliminate him together. You understand?”
My heart squeezed. He meant it. I could see it in his eyes and the determined set of his jaw. Stone was a stubborn motherfucker when he wanted, and if he’d decided we were going to defeat my father’s ghost together, then he’d not take no for an answer. For the first time in…forever, it truly felt like someone was in my corner. Tension bled from my neck and shoulders, and I reached out, my fingers grasping onto his. His expression, as he cocked his head and studied my fingers curled around his, sent butterflies into flight in my chest. It was strange to feel shy, almost nervous, around a male I’d known for so long.
