Page 16 of My Ghost

I wash off the makeup, letting the water sting my eyes.I take a long shower, the hot water scalding me but I don’t care.It’s the only thing keeping me from shattering completely.I brush my teeth, tie my damp hair into a messy knot, and wrap myself in the oversized sweatshirt.The motions are automatic, familiar, grounding.Then I sit on the sofa, curl my legs underneath me and stare out at the city lights.And that’s when the tears come.Slow at first, like the steady drip of raindrops falling from leaves, then heavier, the light drizzle turning into a tropical storm.I let them flow, just for tonight.

Everything comes crashing back, threatening to drown me, the burn of rejection, the sting of humiliation, the ache of wanting someone who made it very clear he doesn’t want me back.

I bury my face in my hands and let myself fall apart.There is no one here to witness it, no one to remind me that I should have known better.

Tomorrow, I will put myself back together.

Tomorrow, I will be Erin again—strong, composed, and blissfully indifferent.

But for tonight…I let my heart shatter.

Chapter Ten

Erin

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know, I am back there, the night of Lily’s wedding, standing in that moonlit hallway with the sound of laughter and music wafting in from the reception outside.And Matteo is leaning on the opposite wall, watching me, his brown eyes so dark I can’t separate the irises from the pupils.His burning gaze sends licks of fire over my skin as I bring the glass to my lips and take a long sip, welcoming the sting of the expensive whiskey in my throat.I stole his glass a few minutes ago, a bratty little move because I don’t like champagne and also because I wanted his attention.I am not sure if the flare in his eyes is anger over the theft, or something…else.But the look sends shivers down my spine as we face each other in the dim hallway.

The corridor feels too quiet.Everyone else is out in the garden and I am suddenly aware that we are entirely alone in a secluded space.His presence is suffocating in the most intoxicating way.

I take another sip and hand him back the glass with a shrug.“Relax, big guy.You weren’t drinking it anyway.”

He doesn’t answer.He takes the glass from my hand, his fingers brushing mine.The touch is like lightning coursing through me, hot and electrifying, making me jump a little.

He downs the rest of the whiskey in one gulp, his eyes never leaving mine, then sets the glass on the nearby console lining the wall.

My breath stutters but I cover it with a bold smile.“You always this talkative at weddings?”

His voice is low and rough when he finally replies.“Only when I’m trying to behave.”

The air thickens and sizzles with tension.

“Good thing you don’t try too hard,” I murmur, forcing myself to hold his gaze.I know that it is reckless, flirtatious…and entirely unlike me.But something in him makes me want to be reckless.

He pushes off the wall slowly, his movements fluid and controlled.Like a predator circling.“I don’t think you know what you’re playing with.”

That should make me take a step back.But I don’t.I tilt my head up, pulse hammering.“Maybe I do.”

A beat of silence falls.He is close enough that I can see a muscle twitch in his jaw, the heat sparking in his eyes and the rise and fall of his chest.

My heart is slamming against my ribs.

Then we crash.

He kisses me like he is starving and I am the only food left on earth.He cups my jaw with one hand, fisting the other in my hair.I melt into him with fire running through my veins.

My back hits the wall hard, but I don’t care.I kiss him back harder, hungrier, until I am dizzy and aching and so tangled up in him I don’t know where I end and he begins.

He breaks away just long enough to rasp, “This is a mistake.”

But he is already pulling me back in, kissing me like his life depends on it.And God help me, I kiss him back with everything I have, the taste of the whiskey on his tongue making me lightheaded.Or maybe it’s him, overwhelming me with his heat and hands and the sound of his rough breath mixing with mine.

He lifts me effortlessly, and I wrap my legs around him, needing more.I am vaguely aware of a door opening, of him carrying me inside and kicking it shut behind us.Seconds later, he lays me down on a bed without breaking the kiss.His hands are everywhere, and I fist his hair to pull him closer, our teeth clashing, tongues tangling in a desperate rhythm.

I push his jacket from his shoulders, and he leans back a fraction to help me shrug it off.Then I grab the lapels of his shirt and rip it open, sending buttons flying everywhere.I let my hands wander the expanse of his chest, exploring, reveling in the way his muscles shift under my touch.God, he is ripped, and his tattoos are mesmerizing, they are crawling over his skin like tendrils of darkness.

Matteo runs his hands over me, in my hair, on my breasts, massaging my nipples through the fabric of my dress and bra, on my ass to pull me against him.When he reaches between my thighs, he groans when he finds my panties soaking wet.“Goddamnit Skye, you drive me crazy.”His hungry growl against my ear spurs me on and I push his shirt off his broad shoulders, then reach down to unbuckle his belt.But his hands stop mine, he gathers my two wrists in one of his hands and pins my arms above my head.

“Not yet, beautiful, let me taste you some more.”And he does.He brushes his lips over the sensitive skin of my neck, sucking gently before he traces a slow, heated path toward my collarbone with his tongue.