Page 59 of The Ghost

I stood on my knees on the mattress, feeling chilled. I hugged myself, and he hugged around me, kissing my bare neck as he undid one hook and eye after the other. Then he slipped the bra off, his fingers whisper-soft against my skin.

I stretched my arms up to circle his neck from behind. He cupped my breasts, doing everything he could to make the moment special. I wanted to see him, to lay on top of him, to feel his chest against mine, but I couldn’t do any of those things. Instead, I had to imagine the look in his eyes, based off the love he communicated through his touch.

I shivered, and then my internal walls came crashing down. I held myself together for so long with nothing but resolve and anger. I didn’t have to continue any longer. I was free to breathe, to love and to allow myself to be loved.

“I want you inside me,” I whispered.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes,” I breathed.

He pulled his pants down and stripped his shirt off, setting them both on top of the dresser. When we were both fully nude, he came up behind me. Pressing his palms to my buttocks, he traced circles on my flesh, familiarizing himself once again with the way my ass curved.

The whole thing felt like a dream. I kept wondering if I was going to wake up in bed alone, with nothing but my pillow in my arms. When Theo spread my lower lips and guided his manhood home, I realized that all my dreams had come true. There was no denying it once he was firmly established inside me.

He gripped my hips, and I could feel my body respond. I stretched out, as if it had been months since I’d had any kind of pleasure whatsoever. He helped himself, pumping in and out as I moaned.

My pussy was tight and swollen. She hadn’t been used at all since the explosion of the New Dawn facility. Theo rode her like a champ, not giving her too much or too little. With each thrust, I felt a burst of satisfaction. This was the way life should be. This was true love, and everything else had been the dream.

I came before he did, wearing myself out before we even got started. It was the most blinding, earth-shattering, toe-curling orgasm I had ever experienced. I didn’t know if it was because of the pregnancy or the longing for Theo that made me come so hard. Whatever it was, I wanted more of it.

He felt my orgasm and burned his way toward his own. I took it hard for a minute until he ruptured and gripped my sides so hard it felt like we were fused together. Our bodies throbbed in tandem, like musical instruments that had just been played.

Theo eased his way out of my body and climbed onto the bed. With expert care, he helped me turn over, pulling me close and letting me lean up against him. He was behind me again, but this time as a pillow rather than a lover. I rested my head against his chest, and he kissed my temple.

I felt myself drifting toward sleep even though it was still the middle of the day. I didn’t care at that point. There was nothing I needed to do, no job or mission to complete. I made my own schedule, and I could afford to take a nap.

Theo reached for the blanket and pulled it across my lap. I lay there, soaking in the glory of his company, relieved to have found him once again. It felt like heaven, like a happily ever after. Our little family was whole, and the world was our oyster. I couldn’t wait to see where life would take us.

Chapter 28

Theo

Four Years Later

Gentle waves lapped the shore, skirting the little girl who was crouched just beyond their reach. She wore a bright yellow dress, her bare feet planted firmly in the sand. I watched as she pushed a cadre of seashells around, first burying one and then uncovering it. The rest of the shells waited patiently for their turn, surrounding the buried one like a troop of soldiers, waiting for orders.

“Eliza!” I called, waving her over.

She picked up the whole collection of shells and thrust them into her pocket. “Daddy!” She skipped across the beach toward me, her perfect smile reminding me of Clark.

I took a sip of lemonade, offering it to her as she got closer. Eliza leaned over, scooping the straw into her mouth with her tongue. She took a thirsty gulp, then made a smacking noise with her lips.

“Is that good?” I teased.

“Where’s Mommy?” Eliza asked.

“Inside,” I answered, smoothing the feather soft hair out of her eyes.

“Where’s Gammy?” Eliza chirped, taking two shells out of her pocket and balancing them on my knees.

“Remember, Gammy went to visit her friends?” I said, explaining the situation for the thousandth time.

We were staying with my grandmother in her private beach house. She’d already established a safehouse far from all the violence and corruption of the modern world. We’d had a difficult conversation before Eliza was born. Clark didn’t know if we should take the child away from civilization, but I disagreed.

“I want her to be safe,” I argued, holding Clark in my arms in that apartment off the coast of Portugal. “Her parents have too many enemies. I can’t be sure that New Dawn is dead, and that puts all of us in danger.”

Clark had finally agreed, and I contacted my grandmother to ask her if we could stay.