Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
GHOST
The Code: Rule #18
Fornication muddles the mind and is strictly forbidden.
Brett’s head is on my chest.
I can’t believe my luck. I thought for sure I wouldn’t get to touch her anymore tonight by the way she was acting before she fell asleep. But almost immediately after she drifted off, her subconscious started looking for me. She reached out for me—for me —and then she rolled over, nestling deep against my side.
Brett Evangeline’s head is on my chest. I can die happy now.
I pull her tighter into me, breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo as I tuck her head beneath my chin. This… is heaven. I glare at the morning light streaming in through the window, knowing it means Brett will awaken soon. Soon, I will have to let her go—give her space.
Space. I frown as the word bounces around the chasm of my mind. Space is the last thing I want from Brett. If I could, I would sew her inside me so she would never have to leave. So she would always be safe.
Brett’s face begins twitching, and my heart drops, knowing it won’t be long now. I pull her impossibly closer, wishing I could make the seconds stretch. Wishing I could control time so I could have just a few more hours like this with her.
Brett’s eyes crack open, and I wait for my heart-shattering reality to kick in. However, she surprises me by gifting me a small smile, her beautiful lashes fluttering enticingly.
“Good morning, darling,” I whisper, wanting so badly to place my lips against her forehead. If only this horrible mask wasn’t in the way.
“Good-good morning,” she stutters, lowering her eyes but still not pulling away. “Um… how long have I been like this?”
“All night.” My face breaks into a grin as I remember the hours I stayed up, reveling in the electricity passing from her body to mine.
“Oh.” She raises her head to look at me, that little smirk still playing at the corner of my mouth. “I thought I felt something poking me.”
I chuckle, though it dies in my chest when she moves to sit up. No. Not yet. Please stay. Just for a little longer, just until I have enough of you to survive the day. Shaking those embarrassing thoughts away, I join her, my back spasming as I sit up.
Brett smiles at me, tucking a strand of midnight hair behind her ear. Then she looks down, and her entire demeanor changes.
“Oh fuck. ”
“What is it?” I demand, reaching for her. She jerks back, pulling the sheet up to her chest with a face as pale as snow.
Now I’m freaking out. I yank the sheet off her in one fell swoop—and then I see it. Red. So much red coming from my darling.
I jump out of bed, running over to Brett’s side and holding her face between my hands, checking her for injuries. “Brett! Talk to me, darling. What hurts?”
How could I have let this happen? How did this happen? If she’s really, truly hurt, I don’t know what I’ll do with my ? —
My thoughts come to a halt as Brett’s lips part, letting out a small laugh.
“This is no laughing matter, Brett!” I curse, checking the back of her head. Did she hit it? Is that why she’s acting this way?
“G-Ghost, stop. I’m fi-fine,” she says, her laughter causing her words to break. “It’s… I’m not hurt.”
“You’re bleeding!” I insist, jerking my chin toward the massive blood stain on the sheets. Brett laughs harder, and I pull my brows together, trying to piece the clues together. And then—and then it hits me. It’s that time of the month.
My face is on fire as I loosen my grip on Brett, slowly standing from the bed. “I apologize. When I saw the blood, I was not in my right mind. I thought—” I thought you were hurt. I thought I was going to lose you. “Here. Let me help you clean off.”
“No!” She jerks back, refusing to look at me. “Sorry. I just mean… I can do it by myself.”
I shake my head, reaching for her again. “I have heard this time of a woman’s cycle is most painful. I would like to help—to ease your discomfort.”
Brett crinkles her nose but ultimately lets me pick her up from the bed. I hold her gently against my chest as I walk to the bathroom, running a hand soothingly over her hair the whole way. I hate the fact she could be in pain right now. I want to take it all away—would gladly feel all of her hurt if I had the capacity. But, alas, I am just a man.
I adjust my grip on her to hold her with one arm, using the other to turn the faucet on. I look from Brett to the water filling the tub, a wave of anxiety overcoming me. I do not know if the water will be too hot…but I also do not want to ask her to do anything while she is hurting.
“What’s up?”
I look down at Brett, noting the little smile at the corner of her mouth. “I am… trying to make sure the water is not too warm.”
Brett frowns like she can’t understand. “Just hold your hand under it—duh.”
I shake my head. “That will not work. I cannot sense temperature.”
“Oh.” She looks up at me, a deep eleven between her brows. “You never told me that.”
“I did not think it was important.”
Brett sighs, reaching an arm out toward the water. I grab her hand, pulling it back to my chest. “ Brett, you are in pain. I do not want to ask this of you.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m not a vegetable, Ghost. I have a period every month. I can put my hand under the water.”
“But it might be too hot?—”
I’m cut off as Brett shoots her arm out, testing the water. She smiles up at me, a glimmer in her pale blue eyes. “Feels great. Wanna put me down now?” I shake my head, and Brett’s nose crinkles. “Well, I’m sure as shit not letting you give me a bath. Especially not now.”
Her eyes drop as if she is embarrassed. I place a finger under her chin, pulling her face back up to mine. “You should not feel shame for your body's natural functions. It would make me happy if you let me help you. Just for today.”
Brett looks dubious but eventually nods her confirmation. “Fine. Let's get this over with.”
I place her gently on the edge of the tub, listening as the water laps at the walls of the porcelain. Running the edge of her top between my thumb and forefinger, I look into her eyes, asking my silent question. She nods again, and I lift her shirt over her head. My eyes take in Brett’s full breasts greedily, trying to find the willpower to refrain from touching her.
My heart beating erratically, I reach around her, pulling the towel from her body with trembling fingers. I swallow hard as I glimpse her perfect chest, full breasts begging to be held and toyed with. Her nipples harden, begging to be licked, and it takes everything in me not to rip my mask off and take her into my mouth.
“Oh, Brett,” I whisper, my eyes roaming and memorizing every inch of her. “You’re so beautiful.”
“I’m bloated,” she grumbles, crossing her arms over her chest self-consciously. “And these things? They hurt like a motherfucker.”
A growl sounds low in my chest, and I take a step forward so I’m situated between her thighs. My palm works its way around her throat, and a gasp pours from Brett’s mouth when I give a little squeeze.
“ Never talk bad about yourself in my presence. Are we clear?”
Brett blinks, her face purpling slightly as her oxygen is cut off. Her mouth parts, and her lips move into a yes, quelling some of the rage burning in my lungs. I release her, stretching my hand out at my side as Brett heaves in gulping breaths .
“Jesus. I thought you were supposed to be nice to me on my period.”
“Oh, darling,” I whisper, my hands trailing down to the waistband of her pants. “I’m never nice.” I rip her pants from her, smiling as the rip of fabric echoes off the tiled walls.
Brett gasps, looking down at her bare thighs. Streaks of red mar her beautiful skin, covering most of her inner thighs. I take a deep breath, my pupils blowing as the metallic scent of Brett invades my senses. Fighting the animalistic desires, I peel off her lacy black thong, then place her gently into the tub.
Brett lets out a satisfied sigh as the water envelops her, easing her muscles and hopefully taking away some of that pain pinched between her brows. Her blood mixes with the water, turning it a pale shade of yellow, and I watch Brett’s cheeks slowly change color.
“Sorry, I?—”
A growl tumbles from my lips, and Brett’s words cut off, her thighs squirming together uncomfortably. “Right. Never mind.”
“Good girl,” I murmur, placing a kiss on top of her head as I get up to grab a washcloth. When I crouch at her side again, I fist my gloved hand at the back of her head, lowering her delicately into the water.
“Ghost, what are you?—”
“Shh. This will feel good,” I murmur, letting her back up and squeezing a good amount of shampoo into my hand. Brett looks over at me, seemingly confused by something.
“Why don’t you take your gloves off? It can’t feel good to wear soaking wet gloves all day.”
I shrug, working the shampoo into Brett’s scalp. Her eyes close, and she lets out a little moan when I work my way around to her temples, and my heart leaps with joy. I made that noise. I made her feel good.
“Well?”
I jerk, nearly having forgotten she asked me a question. I guess a shrug didn’t suffice. “I cannot feel it, but you are right—it is not good for my skin to sit in wet gloves all day. But I would rather do it this way—for your comfort.”
“My comfort?”
“Yes,” I say, lowering her head back into the water to rinse away the shampoo. The black tendrils splay out like I dumped a bottle of ink into the water, and I’m caught off guard by how beautiful it looks like this. I don’t think there’s a single thing about her that I won’t find enchanting. “My skin is… unseemly. I do not wish for you to feel it against yours.”
Brett hangs her head back, those ocean eyes staring directly into my soul. “Show them to me.”
I shake my head, reaching for the bottle of conditioner. Brett grabs my arm, stopping me with a glare. “This is ridiculous. Just take your damn gloves off.”
“No.”
Brett sighs, rolling her eyes. “Fucking men, I swear.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“That you’re stubborn. And slightly stupid.” She crosses her arms over her chest, and my heart falls when I can’t look at her any longer.
“If I take my gloves off… will you stop sitting like that?” I ask, slightly desperate.
“Like what?” She looks down at her arms, and her mouth pops. “Oh. Um, yes. But only if you take your gloves off.” To drive her point home, she squeezes her arms tighter around her.
I sigh, rinsing the leather off in the water before removing them. I look down at the raw, mutilated flesh, my stomach turning. I look away, reaching for the bottle of conditioner blindly. Again, Brett grabs my arm to stop me. Only this time, she brings my hand closer to her face.
I flinch, my heart beating erratically. She’ll take one look at you and scream. Or better yet, shoot you in the fucking face. I guess I should be thankful there are no weapons in the bathroom.
Brett inspects my hand with a curious gaze, twisting and turning the appendage as if she’s looking at a rare jewel and not some massacred hand. Then—oh God—she presses her lips to my knuckle.
ZAP!
I reel back, my eyes wide as I hold my hand to my chest. That was… intense.
Brett frowns. “I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?”
I can’t speak, so I just shake my head. This time, Brett allows me to grab the bottle of conditioner, and she remains silent as I work the substance into her long hair. It’s only when I’m dipping her back to rinse it out that she speaks again.
“Why did you pull away, then?”
I freeze, blinking down at that inquisitive gaze. “I…” For some reason, I can’t say it. I pulled back because I felt you. You are the only thing I can. “It just surprised me. ”
“Oh.” Her mouth turns down into a frown, and my chest squeezes.
“I… cannot normally feel things. Pain or temperature. But when you kissed me just then…” I turn away, unable to face her as I say the next part. “It’s like I stuck my finger in a light socket. Every time you touch me, I feel it . Lightning—but pleasant lightning. Like all my nerve endings are firing at once.”
She doesn’t speak for a long while, and when I can’t take it anymore, I face her. She doesn’t look scared or freaked out like I expected. She looks… fascinated.
“So… you’re telling me I’m the only thing you can feel?”
I nod. “Precisely.”
Her smile widens. “That’s pretty fucking cool. I’m basically, like, a superhero or something.” She falls into a fit of laughter, and I can’t help but join her. That sound is infectious, and now that I’ve heard it, I don’t want her to ever stop.
My body is light as I grab the washcloth and begin washing her body. I go slowly, savoring each dip and curve of her delicious frame. She’s not thin by any stretch of the imagination, and it makes me want to sink my teeth into her, to grab fistfuls of her as I shove my cock deep inside her. She’s fucking perfect.
When I start washing down her abdomen, Brett’s body tightens. I look at her in alarm, worried I might have pressed too hard on a sensitive area. But when I catch a glimpse of her face, she’s biting her lip, her eyes downcast and cheeks flaming.
“Brett? Are you okay?”
She nods, wriggling her thighs together as I continue my journey down. “Yes,” she says, slightly breathless. “I’m perfect.”
I shrug, returning my focus to the washcloth. I push it between her folds, making sure to clean every nook and crevice of her body. Brett’s breath picks up pace the longer I go, and for the life of me, I can’t imagine why.
When I look at her this time, there’s a sheen in her eyes I’ve never seen, and it makes my lower abdomen tighten. “Brett…?”
Dropping the washcloth, I run my fingers through her folds, exploring the parts of her I haven’t had a chance to up until now. My index swirls around her hole, and when I dip the tip in ever so slightly, a breathy moan pours from Brett’s mouth.
“Ghost… not… not there. ”
I frown, pushing the digit farther inside, wondering how much of me she can take. I know enough about a woman’s anatomy to know where everything is located, but I’ve never had this opportunity to explore it before. Much less with someone like Brett.
A gentle thrum of electricity flows all around my finger, and when her walls contract around me, I actually feel it.
“Holy shit,” I murmur, hooking my fingers against the rougher, spongier area along her front walls. That feels really good. Like a stress ball. I continue toying with that spot, loving the different sounds the varying pressure points elicit from Brett. When her moans grow louder, I pick up my pace, hitting her favorite spot relentlessly.
Brett hangs her head back, an ear-shattering cry falling from her parted lips. Her walls collapse around my fingers like they’re holding me hostage, and Brett’s entire body begins convulsing. I jerk back in alarm, removing my hand before I lunge for her head, palming it gently between my hands as I look over her face. She’s flushed, and her breathing is ragged, but she doesn’t seem to be in any pain. In fact, she looks almost euphoric .
“Holy… holy fuck,” she murmurs, her eyes drooping closed. “I think you just made me come.”
I reach into the water, pulling her soaking body out of the water and against my chest, far from worried about the state of my suit. I look down at the precious creature in my arms, unable to understand how I got so lucky.
Her teeth chatter, and I blink in alarm. “What is wrong?”
“C-cold,” she murmurs, burying her face into my shirt. I grab a towel from the rack and fold it around her before moving into the bedroom, where it will most likely be warmer with the sun streaming in through the window.
I place Brett onto the armchair opposite the bed, wrapping the towel securely around her shoulders and rubbing them, hoping the friction will provide an extra layer of warmth.
“Stay there,” I order, pointing a finger her way. “Don’t move.”
“Yes, sir.”
My heart jumps, but I say nothing of the effect those two little words had on me as I strip the bed. I put the soiled sheets into the laundry room, then return to the bedroom with a fresh set. Once the bed is made, I walk back to Brett, picking her up from the chair and placing her squarely at the foot of the mattress, where I continue my furious rubbing.
“Is this helping?” I ask, praying I’m doing more good than harm. Brett says nothing, just grins up at me, blue eyes twinkling.
“What’s that look for?”
“Nothin’...” she murmurs, her eyes dipping below my belt. They widen at the same time she takes her lip into her mouth, biting down hard. “Oh wow.”
“Hmm?” I follow her gaze to the sizable bulge in my pants, and I turn from her. “My apologies. I didn’t realize…”
My brows shoot up as Brett twists me back toward her by the loop of my belt, her eyes taking on that lustful sheen once more. She looks up beneath her lashes, and my heart stops for a full two seconds.
“Can you… can you feel this?” She reaches a hand out, running the tip of her finger along the zipper. I close my eyes, tilting my head back as a gentle thrum of electricity builds in the area.
“Yes,” I choke. “But just barely.”
“Oh.”
I wait for her to say something else, but the only sound in the room is her undoing my zipper. My blood turns to lava, and I buck forward involuntarily, desperate to feel her on that part of me.
Brett works my cock out, then sits back, her mouth open wide as she takes in its size.
“Jesus fuck,” she murmurs, reaching out and wrapping her hand around the tip of my cock. I hiss through my teeth as red-hot electricity crackles in my veins, and I buck forward again, causing her hand to shift along its length.
“You’re going to kill me, Brett,” I groan, moving my hips back and forth so she’s stroking me. “Fuck , you feel amazing.”
“I… I’m not doing anything…”
I growl, pushing her shoulders back so she falls against the mattress with a plunk. Everything in me cries out as her hand leaves me, desperate to be wrapped in her again. However, all of those thoughts fly out the window as her knees fall open, revealing her beautiful pink pussy. I lick my lips, literally salivating as I take in every perfect inch of her. I want to taste her. No, I need to taste her.
I lunge forward, holding her chest down with one arm while I dip my head low, stopping inches from her dripping slit so I can breathe her in. Brett’s delicious scent mingles with something metallic, causing drool to pool from the side of my mouth. She’s going to kill me. I swear to God one of these days my heart is going to stop just from looking at her.
“ Brett. ” Her name pours from my mouth like a prayer, and before I realize what I’m doing, the bottom half of my mask slides up, revealing my parted lips and desperate tongue. I lean forward, lapping against her pulsing pink nub at the apex of her cunt.
Her entire body shudders, and a moan peals from her mouth before she seems to realize what’s happening, and she tries to wriggle away.
“Ghost,” she whimpers, placing her hands on my head and attempting to shove me off her. “I-I’m on my period.”
“And that’s supposed to mean something to me?” I growl, lashing my tongue against her clit.
“G-Ghost. Wait,” Brett whines, bucking her hips as I plant the tip of my tongue on that sensitive nub. “I’m—gross.”
My hand leaves her chest and grips her throat, and she lets out a little whine at the pressure. Easing up, I nuzzle her cunt with my nose, placing delicate kisses along her soft, perfect skin. I trail my kisses up her abdomen, to her chest and neck, stopping at her earlobe to give it a nip. Goose bumps raise along Brett’s skin, and I sense that tightening between my legs as she throws her head back in a moan.
A malicious grin lights my face as I tighten my hand, listening with glee as Brett’s moans are cut off. Taking her lobe between my teeth, I bite down hard enough to draw blood. The poor little thing tries to squeal, but my palm closing around her windpipe makes that impossible.
“If you ever call yourself ‘gross’ again, I will cut you ear to ear. Do you understand me, darling?”
Brett nods feverishly, her chest rising and falling with increasing speed.
“Good girl. Now, tell me the name of the man who made you feel that way,” I murmur, sliding a finger along her cheek. She feels so perfect I could die.
“N-no one! I just?—”
I squeeze tighter, cutting off her perfect, hoarse voice. “You’re lying. But that’s okay.” My lips spread in a dark grin, and I revel in the way it causes her eyes to widen. I love seeing those perfect whites. “I’ll get it out of you eventually.”
Letting go of the grip on her neck, I lower my mouth back down to her pussy, taking one last deep breath in before pressing my mouth to her. I lap at her cunt like a starved man, savoring the metallic taste of Brett on my tongue. My pupils blow as she overwhelms me, and for a moment, I have to fight to remember how to breathe.
God, it’s better than I imagined.
I lose track of time—between the symphony of her moans and the intoxicating taste coating my tongue, I doubt I would be able to remember my name if someone asked. I lick every inch of her until she’s writhing, and even then, I don’t stop.
At some point, Brett’s hands return to my skull, and I’m vaguely aware of a primal growl filling the room as she tries to push me off.
“Ghost, please,” she whimpers, her hips bucking wildly. “It-it’s too sensitive.”
Painstakingly, I pull my tongue back into my mouth and raise my head, meeting Brett’s flustered gaze head-on. Her cheeks are flushed, and her hair—usually so glossy and smooth—looks like it’s been through a category 3 hurricane.
How the fuck is it possible for this woman to be hotter? It’s really not fair.
Her chest heaves, and my mouth waters as I get a good look at her perfect, peaked nipples. If her clit is too sensitive… I wonder if she’ll let me play with something else.
“I see that smile. Keep it in your pants,” she mutters, her head slumping back onto the pillow. “You wore me out. I need a damn nap now.”
A satisfied sound rumbles low in my chest, and I flick my tongue against her clit one last time before climbing to the head of the bed.
“Ah! Hey!” she squeals, burying her face behind her hair as I scoop her into my lap. “What are you doing?”
“Aftercare is important, Brett. I’m surprised you don’t know this,” I say, running soothing circles along her back and hips. In a moment of insanity, I press my lips to her hair like I did this morning. I freeze, expecting her to pull away—-or possibly deck me in the jaw—but she does neither. Letting out a satisfied humming noise, Brett snuggles deeper into me, going so far as to press her lips to my chest in return.
Several minutes pass before her breathing evens out, and I adjust my body slowly so we’re lying down. In her sleep, she reaches out, holding her body close to mine, and electric fire spreads wherever her little hands touch.
Brett. Darling, indescribable Brett.
Her name echoes throughout my mind as I follow her into the darkness. And it is the warmest embrace I have ever known.