Page 42 of Ghost

I swallowed a laugh and kissed him before that smile got any worse. He quickly took it over, locking a hand at the back of my neck while the other dragged me across his thighs until I straddled him. What I had meant as a way to shut him up turned hungry enough that I forgot why we had come in here.

My fingers gripped his shoulders as his hand slid under my shirt, spanning the bare skin at my waist. His thumb brushed higher, and a whimper slipped out of me. I rocked against the thick ridge behind his jeans, and he gripped my hips to pull me down harder.

The roughness of his movements sent heat through me because it made me feel claimed. And the softness that he only gave me was still in the gentleness he used while cupping the back of my head.

Then he stood with me wrapped around him, and my legs locked low on his hips. He turned and brought us down to the mattress, being careful not to crush me, his teeth scraping the sensitive skin at my throat.

I was too consumed by what his mouth and hands were doing to remind him to be careful of his injuries. But then a fist hit the door hard enough to rattle it.

“Ghost. Stryker wants you in his office. ASAP.”

Gavin’s mouth stayed on my throat. “He can fucking wait.”

The brother outside sounded way too happy about his job as he added, “Reaper says if you bust your stitches with whatever you’re doing in there with your woman, you can sew yourself back up.”

“Worth it,” he mumbled against my skin.

“Prez is still waiting.”

I buried my burning face in Gavin’s neck and tried not to laugh.

“Don’t encourage him,” he murmured as he lifted his head and looked at me.

I batted my lashes innocently. “I haven’t said anything.”

“You’re laughing.”

“Quietly.”

He stared at me like he was seriously considering ignoring Stryker’s order.

I touched the edge of the bandage I had just put on. “You should go.”

“Should is doing a lot of work in that sentence.”

He kissed me before straightening my shirt. “This isn’t finished.”

“I gathered that.”

His smile came back with a sexy edge. “How’d I get so fucking lucky?”

After he left for Stryker’s office, I stayed on the edge of the bed long enough to fix my curls so they weren’t quite so wild. My lips still felt a little swollen, but there wasn’t much I could do about that. But if I stayed in his room, I’d just keep replaying how he’d gotten hurt, so I got up and headed out to the lounge area again.

Now that I’d seen Gavin for myself, I didn’t need to pace to stop myself from screaming. So when I saw that Jacqueline and Bex were still on one of the couches facing the televisions on the wall, I headed in their direction.

“Come sit.” Jacqueline patted the cushion between them. “Drink?”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

They shared a look before Bex murmured, “Club soda.”

Jacqueline got up to walk over to the long bar along one side of the room and asked the guy behind it for my drink. As she returned, I noticed the slight curve of her stomach and wondered if Bex was pregnant too.

Jacqueline handed me the glass, and Bex shifted to make more room on the couch for us all to sit together. They treated me like I belonged, which helped me to feel more comfortable in the heart of the Black Crowns’ domain.

Now that we were all settled, Bex’s gaze drifted over my hair and my mouth. “You’d think a locked door meant something in a clubhouse.”

I laughed and blushed hard enough to confirm everything she hadn’t said. After that, our conversation was easy because Jacqueline and Bex treated me like someone joining their circle rather than a nervous guest who needed to be handled carefully.