Page 23

CHAPTER 22

EMBER

We can do that.

The pounding in my head wakes me up, and I roll over as my stomach pitches. Fortunately, I don’t puke because the last thing I want to do is clean up a mess. An arm settles on my side, startling me, and my eyes fly open.

“You okay?”

Ghost?

“Um…” Cotton coats my tongue, and I try to swallow past the thickness. “No.”

He chuckles and sits up to lean over and stare into my eyes. “You didn’t even drink that much.”

I narrow my eyes. “Asshole.”

His face disappears for a moment and then returns, his grin still present. I’d like to slap that grin away, but I’m afraid if I move too much, I’ll die.

“Here,” he says, handing me a glass of water and two Tylenol. I shake my head, instantly regretting it. “It’ll help, Em.”

“Can’t sit up,” I mumble. “Too hard.”

He slides an arm under my back to ease me into a sitting position. My stomach rolls, and I slap a hand to my mouth.

“Breathe,” he urges. “In through your nose, out through your mouth.” I follow his lead, and the nausea abates. “Better?”

“Little bit.” I take the water and wash down the Tylenol with a small sip. My head clears slightly, and I glance around before my eyes land on him… specifically, his bare chest. “Uh…”

“Nothing happened,” he assures me. “You got naked and were very tempting, but all we did was sleep.”

“Right.”

“How much did I drink last night?” I ask, afraid of the answer.

“You only had four beers,” he tells me. “You used to be able to tolerate more than that.”

“What about the shots? How many of those did I have?”

It had to be quite a few because I don’t recall a time I’ve ever been this hungover.

“You didn’t have any.”

“I did, though. I know Addison gave me a few.” I squint as I try to recall who else handed me shot glasses throughout the night. “I’m sure there was more, but I can’t remember who gave them to me.”

Ghost tenses beside me. “I must’ve missed it,” he snarls, and I lean into him in an effort to calm him down.

“It’s okay,” I assure him. “It’s not like anyone forced me to drink.”

“It’s not okay,” he insists. “I should’ve paid more attention.”

“You can’t watch me every second,” I scoff.

His scowl turns to a grin. “I sure as fuck want to.”

Rolling my eyes, I scoot to the edge of the bed and set my feet on the floor. Just then, a memory slams into me, and I stiffen. “Did you threaten one of your brothers last night?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder.

“Maybe.”

“Yes or no?”

“Yes.” He scratches the side of his nose. “Python had it coming though.”

More of the incident surfaces in my mind. “Oh my God,” I say on a whoosh of breath. “You told them all that I belonged to you.”

“I did.” There’s not the slightest bit of apology or regret in his tone.

Not that I want there to be.

“Why?”

Ghost shifts on the mattress so he’s sitting behind me and slides his arms over my shoulders. “Em, I know we’re just supposed to be friends, honestly, I do. But…”

My heart stutters. “But what?”

“What if we’re meant to be more?”

“What if we’re not?”

He sighs, releasing me so he can move to stand in front of me. “Em, look at me.”

I lift my eyes to his. “I’m scared.”

“Fuck, I am, too. But I think it’s worth a shot. We’re worth a shot.”

“This is crazy.”

He grabs my hand and pulls me to my feet. “Embrace the crazy with me, Em.”

I can’t stop the tilt of my lips. I want to embrace it, embrace him. It’s not like we’re strangers, not really. I’ve tried to fill the void left after breaking up with him, and the only thing that came close to making me whole again was work, always work.

“We can’t go back to what we were before,” I say.

“No, we can’t,” he agrees. “We were broken before. I don’t want that any more than you do.”

“And we have to take things slow because… well, just because.”

“I can do slow.” He must sense my continued hesitation because he continues. “Em, forget about labels, about the past or what the future might hold. Just think about this, us, right here, right now. We’ll take it one day at a time. No expectations. We’ll simply be together in whatever way feels right in the moment.”

That is why no one has ever compared to this man. He gets me on a level that others don’t even bother to try for. And it’s exactly why I’m going to give in.

“Okay. I can do that. We can do that.”