“Brave. Cherished. Seen. Valued. Radiant. Important. Capable. Resilient,” I rattle off the moment I stop in front of him. “…Beautiful,” I add, huffing a breath and rolling my eyes.
I plant a hand on my hip. “Thank you for the words.” A beat. “They mean more than the house.”
“Here’s a sandwich to show my gratitude,” I say casually, tossing the paper bag at him.
He catches it easily, glances inside, then takes his sunglasses off. Is he moving in slow motion?
“Thank you, adorable,” he murmurs, a hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. “Iamhungry.”
His eyes darken.
Oh, shit.
“Very,veryhungry.”
By the way he’s looking at me, this clever asshole is definitely not talking about food. My brain barely comes back online before he opens the bag and pulls out the two sandwich halves.
He holds one up toward me. “Will you join me?”
I glance around the alley. “Uhhh… here?”
Iamhungry. And heisholding my actual lunch.
He shrugs, one corner of his mouth lifting. “Since we’re already here, why not?”
I lean sideways and peek behind him. “There’s a dumpster over there,” I point out, brows pinching.
His smile widens. “If you want, we can go to your back office at the bookstore.”
I freeze. I cannot be alone with this man in a closed space. Unsupervised. Not right now. Not with these stupid panty palpitations refusing to calm the hell down.
I sigh the heaviest sigh ever known to man, march closer, take my half of the sandwich from his hand, and immediately start unwrapping it. He does the same with his own.
“Bacon and cheese melt,” he says after taking a bite. “It’s delicious.”
“Yeah, just like me—” The words escape before my brain can stop them.
His body goes rigid instantly.
I decide to own the blunder.
“Dungeon throwback,” I chuckle awkwardly, forcing a smile as I tap my sandwich to his in mock cheers.
His body relaxes instantly and his eyes soften.
“Bike’s shiny,” I blurt, desperate to change the subject, jutting my chin toward the Harley behind him.
“Gave it a wipe today,” he murmurs. “It was needed.”
I nod slowly, staring at the ground. “Because you were gone. To Driftwood. Tolden City.” I swallow hard. “Willow Harbor.”
There’s a second of silence. Then he hooks a finger under my chin and tips my face up. When our eyes meet, there’s a fire burning in his. Black. Scorching. All-consuming.
“It will all be over soon. I made significant progress this time.” His thumb brushes my cheek. “You don’t need to worry. Enjoy your bookstore. Your friends. Make plans with your sister. Don’t waste another thought on those people in Tolden and Willow Harbor. They’ll be dead before you know it.”
A knot tightens in my throat. He doesn’t get it. He thinks I’m worried about my mother. About the cartel.
I step back and force a smile. “Okay, Ghost. I’ll follow your advice. For now.”
