Chapter 16 #2
Part of her wanted to come clean. To go to the police and confess. She was a killer...
But no. In her heart, she knew she wasn’t a danger to society. She’d be happy never taking another assassination job as long as she lived.
Fear was thick and heavy in her gut, though. Because at the end of the day, her terror of Irinia was so deep-rooted and ingrained in her psyche, she might not be able to change.
Irinia would retaliate.
Then there was Ghost. She sighed and gazed out the window toward the shop he’d kept her in.
Freezing and alone.
He had no idea how cathartic his torture had been. She felt as though she’d come full circle. Sure, she’d been scared. Hadn’t wanted him to kill her. But getting caught by him in his bedroom in Seattle, and then plunging through the lake in the woods—it had been the wake-up call she’d needed.
Sadness pulled at her heart.
Sex with Ghost had been everything she’d needed to temporarily fill the void in her. But it was a small fix. A bigger problem lay beneath.
The lack of snowfall promised freedom tomorrow. Whether she wanted it or not.
Footsteps creaked on the floor behind her but she didn’t turn. His hand circled her waist, pulling her back to his front. “You’re so quiet.”
She wet her lips, fighting the tears that wanted to break loose. No, she wouldn’t cry over a man she barely knew. Her attachment to him made sense, considering her trauma. He’d offered companionship and affection, which she’d gone without for most of her life.
Whatever feelings she thought were forming were nothing but a trick of her mind. A desperate coping mechanism.
“Just thinking.”
He kissed her neck, and just like that, her bones melted. She softened into him, but his hands didn’t roam. Instead, she felt his head shift. He looked out the window alongside her. “Do you celebrate Christmas?”
The question was so abrupt and unexpected, she frowned. “Um, not really.” Memories of her childhood rushed back with the force of a freight train. She closed her eyes, waiting for them to pass.
“But you did?” he asked softly.
She nodded. One memory was prominent: She and Igor sat on the floor in front of the wood-burning fireplace, their stockings spilling out. They compared treats and swapped for their favorites.
“On Christmas morning, my brother Igor and I always stayed in our pajamas until almost noon. We opened gifts, played with our toys,” she said, sniffing.
“Then we’d have a snowball fight with our parents, then we’d go to our aunt and uncle’s, where we’d play with our cousins and stay up until midnight.
Finally, we’d stumble to our car, head home, and fall asleep in our own beds. ”
She wiped her eyes. “God, I miss them.”
He held her tightly, murmuring softly in her ear. But she stayed trapped in the past. Had her family’s Christmas traditions continued after she’d been taken?
She’d always wondered. Every Christmas she’d spent in that barn, she’d thought about her family. Pretended she was there with them. In her mind, Igor never got older. He was still eleven and she was still nine.
Her heart wrenched. She fought a sob, but Ghost must have felt her shoulders shake.
“Hey.” He squeezed her and rested his cheek against hers. “Christ, I’m sorry. I wasn’t even thinking.”
“No, it’s okay.” She brought her palm over her shoulder so she could touch the stubble on his jaw. “It’s not a bad thing to remember.”
His lips pressed to her cheek, soaking up her tears. “It hurts you. I don’t want to see you in pain.”
She closed her eyes.
This pain is only beginning...
Tomorrow, Ghost’s warmth would be gone. His kisses, touch, and presence would be nothing but a distant memory. She needed to slow down time. To have more hours in this cabin.
She lifted her gaze to the dusky sky and silently begged for another storm.
She tilted her head closer to his. “What about you? Do you celebrate Christmas?” The idea of such a gruff, brooding man celebrating the holidays almost made her smile.
He was silent for several beats. “Not anymore. I did a long time ago. When I had reason to.”
Questions percolated in her mind. She didn’t want their relationship to die on this mountain. She wanted to know more about him.
Which was dangerous. Reckless. And not just because Ghost was menacing and lethal. Getting closer to him would only endanger her—and him.
She wouldn’t pry, but she would savor the few hours they had left together. She turned her mouth to kiss the corner of his lips.
His hands twitched on her abdomen and fire scorched her flesh. He coasted his fingers over the top of her pants, right at her V, and she gasped. She tilted her head back to rest on his shoulder as he teased and played.
Desire heated her loins. Already, she wanted him again.
Pushing her ass back against his groin, she moaned.
A curse sounded from his throat as he shoved down her leggings and underwear. Her skin tingled as the cool air danced over her bare flesh. Fully exposed for him.
He coasted his palms over her hips, splaying her ass. “Lean forward, baby.” He nudged her arms to grasp the counter.
Naked from the waist down, her legs hip-width apart, she’d never been so sexually vulnerable in her life. The erotic scene sent a thrill through her. Ghost lifted her shirt over her body and kissed the center of her spine.
“You’re so goddamn perfect,” he murmured.
His fingers trailed down the crevice between her cheeks.
She sucked in a breath and gripped the counter. Snaking a hand around her hip, he cupped the front of her sex, his fingers so large and rough she gasped.
“You’re so wet.” Dark and husky, his words came to her through a fog. His middle finger dipped into her folds, spreading her heat.
Pleasure swarmed her. She pushed back against him, needing him right here and now. The rustling of his pants met her ears, followed by the tearing of foil. She panted as she waited, unable to catch her breath.
He grasped her hips and tilted her further. A second later, he pressed into her, filling her to the brink.
“Oh, god,” she cried.
He kissed her shoulder, then her neck, pulsing into her from behind. He was so big. The breadth of his cock spread her wide. Even though they’d just had sex hours ago, her body still had to adjust to his size.
He brought his fingers to her clit and she shuddered. Her legs trembled, and her knees were ready to give out. Unbridled pleasure made her rasp out his name.
“That’s it, babe. Come on my cock.” He moved his fingers side to side, over and over, and the pressure combined with him burrowed deep was almost too much.
She spasmed, coming fast and hard. She closed her eyes and dropped her head back as he continued working his fingers. A scream tore from her lungs. Wave after wave of ecstasy exploded behind her eyelids.
He wrapped his arms tightly around her belly, arching her back as she folded forward even more.
“Goddamn.” He shuddered. “ Mila. ” He continued to move in and out, his movements gradually slowing along with his breathing.
One palm settled over her lower abdomen and the other pushed her hair aside. Slowly she straightened, but he stayed inside her.
“You okay?” His voice was thick with sex.
Her nerve endings tingled, still acutely aware of how he swelled inside her. “Yes,” she breathed. More than okay. When she was lost in orgasms with Ghost, she didn’t have to think about anything else.
He took her hands and placed them on the counter. “I’ll be right back. Don’t fall over,” he said teasingly, as he slipped out of her.
She gripped the laminate edge because she very well could sink to the ground. His footsteps retreated to the bathroom. Her heart pounded against her breastbone, slowly returning to its normal rate. Before she could pull her pants up, he was back.
Her cheeks buzzed with embarrassment as she bent to grab her clothes from around her ankles. He caught her arm. She froze and met his stare.
His face no longer held menace when he looked at her—hadn’t since he pulled her from the river. But it still carried a formidable scowl that she couldn’t picture him without if she tried.
His lips quirked, and his gaze traveled down her legs. “How about you stay like that until we leave tomorrow?”
She chortled. “With my pants around my ankles? That’s attractive.”
He reached between her legs. Fresh thrill raced through her before she recognized the warm dampness of a cloth.
The blush already warming her cheeks turned prickly. “Thank you.” She moved to take the cloth from him, but he held fast.
“I’ve got it.” After gently swiping a few times, he knelt to pull up her underwear and leggings.
There was a strange fluttering behind her ribs. “You don’t have to do that.”
He didn’t stand. His palms rested on the backs of her thighs. “No one’s taken care of you Mila.” He stood then and brought his bent index finger beneath her chin. “Not once in the last twenty years.”
Her stomach twisted. She forced a lightness she didn’t feel. “I take care of myself just fine. Besides, I’m not a kid anymore.”
Ghost’s expression softened. “Doesn’t mean someone shouldn’t take care of you now.”
His words circled her heart, nearly making a crash landing.
One she couldn’t afford. It was possible he felt some kind of responsibility for her welfare given that he’d brought her here and triggered her to rethink her life path.
Maybe, just maybe, he’d miss her. But that didn’t mean he needed to watch over her.
She placed her hand on his chest. “You don’t have to worry about me. Did you already forget the kick to your face?” She feigned innocence.
Ghost’s mouth broke into a wide, toothy grin. “That was good, but your ground fighting could use a little work.”
She propped a hand on her hip. “Oh yeah?”
“Mm-hmm. Actually,” he said, turning to grab a glass from the cabinet. He filled it with water. “I just came in to hydrate before you distracted me.”
She scoffed. “I did not.”
“Yeah, you did. Those pants and that ass are a constant distraction.”
Heat scalded her belly.
“Why don’t you come train with me? We’ve got some time to kill and I’ve got an extra set of gloves.” The amusement in his eyes and the boyish grin on his lips made it an offer she couldn’t refuse.
“You’re on.”