Page 28 of Ghost

Gavin looked at me like the answer was obvious. “I’m inside.”

I couldn’t argue with the fact that having him in the house with me was infinitely more reassuring than being watched by a camera. “Good.”

“If there’s anything you don’t want touched, let me know.”

“The trim.” I glanced up at the casing around the window directly above us. “My grandmother chose it.”

He glanced at the proposed mount for the camera that was about to go up, then tipped his chin at a different stretch of siding. “Move it.”

While the brothers worked outside, we went inside. Another bag sat on the couch.

I looked from the new duffel to the small one he brought. “That one’s bigger.”

“Threat level changed.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I quirked a brow. “Apparently so did your wardrobe.”

“Preparedness saves lives.”

I pointed at the shirts near the open zipper. “Those are protecting me?”

He slung the bags over his shoulder and smirked. “You’ll appreciate them more when I’m not wearing one.”

My cheeks filled with heat over how right he was, but I didn’t mind because his real smile finally came all the way back.

He headed toward my bedroom.

I trailed him. “You know there’s still a couch.”

“I remember.”

“You slept there the first night.” As much as I wish he hadn’t.

He set the bags beside the dresser. “That was before I knew how well you fit against me.”

We both knew I had slept better wrapped up in him, so I stopped arguing as my cheeks got even hotter.

As he unpacked, his things mingled with mine. The attack hadn’t taken my home from me because Gavin made sure I was safe here.

He checked the bedroom window, then turned and caught me watching him. “What?”

“I’m deciding whether you moved in.”

His gaze swept the room before coming back to me. “Take your time.”

He closed the distance between us, slid a hand around my waist, and pulled me close. “I’ll be here while you figure it out.”

I didn’t find that alarming since he made me feel safe. So I soaked up the comfort of having his arms around me for a little bit before stepping back. “I’m going to take a shower.”

The invite sat right there on the tip of my tongue, but I chickened out.

He nodded and left to check the rest of the house, so I grabbed one of his shirts and a pair of sleep shorts and shut the bathroom door behind me.

12

GHOST

Isat on the edge of Tamsin’s bed with my forearms braced against my thighs and listened to the steady rush of water behind the closed bathroom door. My brothers covered every approach to the property. The cameras were active, and the reinforced locks had been tested multiple times. No one was reaching her tonight, and the men responsible for putting a device beneath her truck would be found. My confidence in that never wavered, but knowing she was safe did nothing to lessen the need riding beneath my skin.