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I didn’t know how long I’d been staring at the ceiling when I heard my phone buzz. I looked at it and saw a text from Ghost
Are you awake?
I quickly texted back. Yes. Do you need something?
Not really. I just can’t sleep.
Neither can I.
A few seconds went by then he typed, Did I see a cake on the kitchen counter?
I laughed out loud as I responded. You did. Jacob made an apple cake.
I don’t suppose you’d be willing to bring me a slice.
I rolled my eyes. This better not be a trick to get me into bed.
I wish. I can barely move right now.
Poor baby. I’ll bring you some cake.
He sent a grinning emoji.
When I cut a piece of cake for Ghost, I realized I could use one too. I pulled out one of the serving trays Jacob had bought for the kitchen, put our plates of cake and glasses of milk on it, and headed to Ghost’s room.
I hesitated at the door. I’d had a hard enough time leaving once. Would I be able to do it again? It wasn’t that I thought he’d seduce me. He needed more recovery time, but if I let myself cuddle up with him, touch him, smell him, I was going to be so caught up in him again I didn’t know if I’d be able to hold back any part of me.
I loved the way his eyes widened when he saw the cake. I handed him a plate and set his milk on the bedside table.
He looked down at the other plate on the tray. “Are you staying?”
Was I really going to go eat cake alone in my room? “If you want me to.”
“Rogue, I want you to stay as long as you’re willing to. If you stayed forever, I wouldn’t mind.”
When I’d thought he wouldn’t seduce me, I’d been thinking with my dick. I hadn’t realized he could seduce my heart. “Don’t… That’s…”
“Too much?”
“Maybe.”
He patted the bed beside him. “Have some cake with me.”
“Okay.”
Other than complimenting Jacob’s incredible baking, we ate our cake in silence. When Ghost had finished his, he set his plate down on the tray, glanced at me, then looked away. I had the feeling he wanted to say something but was hesitant. “Whatever it is, just tell me.”
“Do you still want to know more about me, about what my childhood was like and how I ended up in the marines?”
“I’d like to know anything you’re willing to tell me. If you’re ready. I know how hard it can be to talk about things from your past. If I didn’t have Rhys and Grant, I don’t know how I would have healed to the extent I have.”
A few moments later, Ghost started speaking again. “I grew up in a small town in Indiana. That right there is enough to tell you my childhood was likely unpleasant.”
I laughed. “I didn’t think you were from around here, but other than that, all I knew was that, sadly, you didn’t grow up with horses.”
“It sounds like even with the horses, things still weren’t great.”
“Far from it, but this is your story.”
“Being a gay kid in a conservative town isn’t a good thing, even with the best family. I didn’t have the best family.”
I laid a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.”
“My father finally drank himself to death when I was twelve. He had been out of work for a while, so my mom had already mostly been supporting us with the help of my older brother. The stress of dealing with my father made Mom grow colder and meaner every year. My brother was the only one of us she seemed to like.”
I brushed Ghost’s hair from his face. “I like you.”
His soft smile made me want to wrap him in my arms, but he needed to talk, and I needed to remember that I was going to stick to moving slowly.
“My brother was an asshole who put himself first but worked hard to make others think he cared. And my sister… She did her own thing, which by then involved almost as much drinking as my father. She left town with her boyfriend right after she turned sixteen. My mom didn’t even try to look for her. She just wrote her off.”
“I’m so sorry. Have you thought about trying to find your sister?”
Ghost shook his head. “I’ve been scared to find out what happened to her. I hate myself for that. What if she needs help?”
“You’ve not done anything wrong. You have every right to not want to know. I’m sure it hurt having her leave like that.”
“It did,” Ghost said, “but X would help me find her. Maybe now that I’m done at the FBI… Maybe now is the time.”
“I’ll help you if you want.”
“Thank you.” His smile made me feel warm inside.
