Love Thy Neighbor (14 page)

But this is Ghost. It’s different with him.
Different in a way I can’t explain.

His muscled arms cocoon me, squeezing me
tighter. We’re flush against each other and I feel the hard bulge
at the front of his pajama pants press into me. I smile into his
neck and I know he feels it when I feel his cheek muscles form a
smile too. Feeling bold and empowered, I do something I didn’t plan
on doing.

I lift my head off his shoulder but keep my
arms around his neck. I’m surprised to see that Ghost still hasn’t
opened his eyes. I’m secretly thankful for it. I slide my hands
from the back of his neck, forward and up to cup his cheeks. Before
I overthink things, I lean forward and press a soft kiss against
his lips.

An electric current jolts me, and from his
sudden intake of breath, I’m sure he feels it too.

Then I remember something.

Holy shitballs! This is our first kiss!

I feel constricted in the best way when
Ghost’s arms wrap tighter around me, warming me. I feel his mouth
open a little against mine.

Is that an invitation?

I have no idea but I’m totally taking
it!

Rather than plunge my tongue in, I lift my
face and open my mouth a little, breathing into him and placing my
full bottom lip into his parted mouth. Ghost groans into me and
sucks my lip gently.

And, holy shit, it’s hot!

I feel that slight suction spark all the way
down to my vajayjay. My core moistens and I clench my legs together
but it doesn’t help. His lips are warm and soft and he tastes
delicious. His sweet minty breath mingles with mine.

It’s incredible. I wish I never have to
breathe so I can kiss him forever.

This is a sweet kiss. There is nothing sexy
about this kiss, but I am so hot, I’m burning up.

This was not part of the plan!

Oh, yeah. Right. Stick to the plan.

Knowing I’ll be pulling away from this
awesome kiss in a moment is seriously breaking my heart. My stomach
dips. I don’t want it to end but Ghost and I are friends. Making
this unplanned kiss a little awkward. Call it a thank you, if you
will.

My body feels light as a feather. I’m
swimming in bliss. I have never been so turned on by a kiss
before.

As in ever.

In my whole life.

Loosening my hold on his neck, I slide my
hands to rest on his shoulders and move my face back from his.

What happens next, I do
not
see
coming.

Ghost growls and pushes his face further
into mine, reconnecting our lips. I feel that growl vibrate through
my crotch. My panties are soaked.

He’s not letting me go!

I push unconvincingly on his shoulders but
he fights to win this battle. His arms loosen, his hands slide down
my back, further down til his palms rest on my ass. Goddamn, I like
that. My eyes roll back and I sigh loudly. He nips my bottom lip
and grips my butt, squeezing both cheeks with his large hands. A
moan escapes me and I press into him.

So much for ending this on my terms!

It’s on, motherfucker!

A whimper bursts out of me. I assault his
lips with deep, open mouthed kisses and I wrap my arms tightly
around his neck once more. His hands knead my tingling ass,
fuelling me on and it feels amazing.

My stomach flutters.

Using his shoulders as leverage, I jump a
little and wrap my legs around him. Ghost groans against my lips,
“Fuck me! You’re sweet as honey, pretty girl.” He holds under my
ass with one hand and slowly slides the other hand under the
elastic of my pajama pants. I tear my mouth from his and gasp,
“No!”

Ghost’s body stiffens. He stills awhile
before slowly letting me down to my feet. His hold on me loosens
and he steps back. I search his face, not quite understanding his
sudden withdrawal. He won’t look at me but his eyes are full of
remorse. He almost looks ashamed.

My head swims while my lips throb
deliciously.

Whoa! That kiss has left me in a daze.

Forgetting the phone books, I take a step
back into air and stumble. My shaky legs wobble for a moment before
I straighten. I adjust my tank and clear my throat before walking
backwards to the door. “So, yeah. Um, thanks again.” Still in a
kiss coma, I ramble. “But I already said thank you. So you know
that I, um, thank, uh, you. And you’re good at hugging too, so
thanks for that also. You are very warm. Like a person blanket.” I
walk back into a wall with a thump. Annoyed at my failed exit, I
turn around and glower at the wall. Looking back at Ghost who
watches me through furrowed brows, I point my thumb back and
whisper, “There’s a wall there so, um, be careful.”

His lip twitches and he nods once.

Having finally located the door, I turn the
handle and step out. I turn to face him and say, “Good night,
Asher.” Without waiting for a reply, I close the door behind me and
go back to my apartment. Once inside, I tiptoe back to my room and
get back into bed.

I don’t really understand what just
happened, but I know one thing.

Ghost can kiss the fuck out of a woman.

I fall asleep with a huge smile pasted on my
face.

Chapter
Ten
Hot Lips McGee

Waking this morning with a boner so hard it
could cut through glass, I gotta say, I’m not surprised.

What the fuck happened last night? Not that
I don’t want it to happen again, but can somebody please explain
what the fuck that was?

That
was not a kiss.
That
was
something else altogether.

I palm my erection and smirk to myself.

That
was Nat. Plain and simple.

I think I’m gonna have to call her Hot Lips
McGee from now on. I chuckle quietly knowing just how much that’ll
piss her off. I get a sick, twisted sense of enjoyment seeing her
all riled up. Her cheeks flush pink, and although I’d bet she
doesn’t even know she does it, she pouts those full, sexy lips.

Lips that I never got to taste til last
night. Lips that I’ve been thinking about since we fucked over a
year ago. Sweet as sin, cherry-flavored lips that I want to taste
over and over again.

I don’t think Nat realizes what she’s done.
She’s unknowingly opened the floodgates.

Palming myself harder, I close my eyes and
think of her lips on me.

My erection starts to deflate. Disgust turns
my body cold.

Why would she want you? Once she gets a look
at you, the real you, she’ll never have you again.

With a sigh, I get out of bed and walk over
to the bathroom. I undress and turn on the shower. While I wait for
it to heat up, I stupidly look in the mirror.

My eyes remain focused on my torso. Pink and
faded ugly-as-hell scars scattered all over my chest and stomach.
The forced memories of my dad invade my head.

Never loved you. Never even wanted you.
Always a burden. Always will be.

My stomach boils as rage controls my
body.

Smash

My chest heaves rapidly as I breathe heavily
through my nose. I look down at my clenched and bloody fist.

Damn it to hell.

The man’s been dead for years and he still
controls you. You’re so fucking weak.

Fuck this.

I skip the shower, get dressed and wrap my
wound. Then I head to work with a scowl on my face.

Cleaning the broken mirror can wait.

***

My phone blasts ‘Blister in the Sun’ by
Violent Femmes and I smile. I hold the phone to my ear and answer,
“Ahoy hoy.”

Tina squeals dramatically, “Oh my God! She’s
alive! Muahahahaha!”

I hear the muffled cheers of Mimi and Lola
in the background. I put on my best nasal voice and say, “Mommy, I
still don’t feel well.”

Tina laughs. “Hold on, I’ll put you on
loudspeaker.” She fiddles around with the phone a few seconds
before I hear her voice echo, “We miss you, hon! When are you
coming back?”

I smile hard at the sound of her pitiful
tone. “Tomorrow, guys. I’m a little better today, but I’m sure I’ll
be fine tomorrow. Guess what?”

“What, ho bags?” That’s Mimi.

I crow, “My sisters are here!”

Tina gasps then whoops excitedly. “You’re
kidding! That’s awesome. They have to come to the store tomorrow,
we can all do lunch at The White Rabbit together!”

Lola joins the conversation, “Who with the
what now?”

I chuckle, “My sisters are here and we’ll
see if we can do lunch. They’re leaving in two days so I want to
spend as much time with them as I can.”

Tina says, “Okay, honey. See you tomorrow.
Just take some ibuprofen and drink lots of water.”

And that’s Tina in a nutshell. Always caring
and looking out for others. And tomorrow I have to tell her about
Cole. My eyes prickle.

I clear my throat and force out, “Okay guys,
I miss you. See you then.”

All three girls yell out at once. I hear a
chorus of “Get better”, “Take a shower you dirty girl” and “Miss
you too!” I laugh and hang up.

I get out of bed smiling.

Today’s gonna be a good day.

***

Ghost: You good to come to The White Rabbit
tonight?

Lounging on my sofa watching crappy daytime
TV with my sisters, my brow furrows at the text while I reply.

Me: Sure. What for?

Ghost: The club’s closed. It’ll just be us
and the others. Bring your sisters. 7pm.

Nat: Okay. Do I need to bring anything
else?

Ghost: Just wear sweats and comfortable
shoes.

Curiouser and curiouser.

We decided to skip lunch with the girls, so
bringing my sisters to the club is actually perfect. That way
everyone can see them and we can all catch up together.

Nat: Okay. See you then.

Ghost: Text me when you get here.

I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m
already sweating.

***

My sisters and I arrive at The White Rabbit
at ten to seven dressed in our gym wear. We all wear our hair in
high ponytails and have matching outfits of three quarter length
gym tights, black t-shirts and sneakers. My sneakers are white,
Helena’s are pink and Nina’s are black with pink trim. Seriously
though, we buy things in threes. Most of our clothes are exactly
the same because our tastes are.

We stop when we reach the security door side
entrance and I text Ghost to let him know we’re here. The door
opens and I just about swallow my tongue. There he stands wearing a
tighter-than-hell black muscle tank, black sweatpants and white
sneakers.

Gah! Those arms.

My high deflates a little when he doesn’t
even look at me. He says to my sisters, “Helena. Nina. Give us a
minute will ya?” Both my sisters nod and he instructs, “Follow the
hall then turn left at the end. They’re all here.” Helena smiles at
him and squeezes his arm and Nina winks at him before closing the
security door to leave us in the alley alone.

His eyes search me. We stare at each other
for a long moment before I ask quietly, “What am I doing here,
Ash?”

He rubs the back of his neck nervously and
states, “This was gonna be hard, you know? Any way you did it
would’ve been hard. We should just get it out of the way with
everyone here, so you don’t have to explain it over and over. I was
gonna wait til you were ready, but I can see you’re putting it
off.”

I shrink into myself. I’ve been set up.

Avoiding his eyes, I focus at his shoulder.
“That wasn’t your decision to make, asshole,” I say quietly.

Ghost reaches up, takes my chin in his hand
and gently forces it up. I turn my pitiful gaze to his soft one.
Anxiety settles in the pit of my stomach. I whisper, “I don’t want
them all to know.”

His eyes flash in anger before immediately
softening. Still holding my chin in his firm fingers, he says
quietly, “You need to tell them, pretty girl. If you don’t tell
anyone about it, it’ll eat away at you. You’ll stop seeing your
friends and you’ll stop going out. You’ll be a fraction of the
person you were without their support. You’ll lose that fierce
about you and just become cold.” He exhales loudly and continues,
“You’ll become me.”

He holds my questioning stare but doesn’t
say a thing. I feel weak and exposed. I know I have to do this, but
I was hoping to do it in a way that would tone down the situation.
I tell him, “I can’t tell them.”

His face falls. He doesn’t mask the
disappointment he wears. He drops his hand from my chin, nods once
and replies on an exhale, “Okay. I’ll take you home.”

As he moves to step away from me, I take his
hand and entwine my fingers with his. He looks up at me and I
explain, “Shit, Ash. I meant
I
can’t tell them. I was kind
of hoping that you…” I don’t finish the sentence. Realization dawns
on his face. He knows what I want. My expression pleads with him to
take on this responsibility.

With smiling eyes, he comes forward once
again, grips the back of my neck in a firm hold and states, “All
you had to do was ask, Hot Lips.”

With narrowed eyes, I ask, “Hot Lips?”

Ghost’s smiling eyes peer into mine, he nods
his head and informs, “Hot Lips McGee, actually.”

I place my hand on my hip, my face set in
disbelief. “You have got to be kidding me? That’s the best you
could come up with?”

He lowers his head, his body shaking as he
silently chuckles. “It’ll grow on ya.”

Leading us inside by our joined hands, I
mutter under my breath, “Oh, sure. Like a freakin’ fungus.”

We walk down the hall together and just
before we enter the main hall I pull him back by his hand. He stops
and turns to me. I can’t help myself, I’m dying to know. “Why are
you doing this for me, Ash?”