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KOOKABURRA
“That was covered for a reason,” a sullen voice says, breaking the silence and making me jump. I spin to see Ghost standing behind me, so close we could be touching. How didn’t I hear him creep up on me?
With the heels on my boots, he’s only about an inch taller than me, but the difference between us feels vast.
“Ghost,” I say, trying not to clutch my chest and let on how much he startled me, “this is incredible. Who is she?”
Ghost looks at me with an unreadable expression, his sharp cheekbones and arrow straight nose giving him a haughty air.
“No one you know,” he says, his tone much softer than the angles of his beautiful face.
I raise an eyebrow. “Is she a lover?”
He shakes his head. “No, just a fantasy.”
I can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. The woman in the painting is so beautiful, so perfectly made. All curves and sweetly parted lips. I’ve never been sweet. Even as a child. But this woman…I can’t tear my eyes off her.
She can’t be me.
He’s watching me intently, and I can’t help but ask. “What is this? Why me?”
I can see the fire burning in his pale eyes and the way his fingers twitch like he’s perfecting the painting still with a brush. Then I realise he’s fighting the urge to touchme.
“That, my little pet, is a secret,” he whispers huskily. The term of endearment sends shivers down my spine. It makes him sound so much…older and wiser than me. But I swear there’s barely two years between us. The words change the dynamic, a definite power shift clear in the air, and I urge to rebel against it.
“No,” I say firmly, taking a step forward so that we’re toe to toe, “I want to know. All of your secrets, I want to know them all.” I can feel the heat emanating from his body. He’s so close to me, his breath warms my face.
“I want to know, so tell me,” I whisper, less aggressively this time. I sound like I’m almost pleading, and that’s ridiculous. I don’t beg for anything.
“You don’t know what you’re asking,” he breathes, his lips brushing mine in the ghost of an almost-kiss.
But I do know, I think to myself. I know exactly what I want. I want him. And I know he wants me too. The way he looks at me, the way he’s painted me. It’s not just lust, it’s something more.
I take a step closer, closing the distance so that there’s not a sliver of air that can come between us. “Please, Ghost,” I implore. Which is definitely not begging. It’snot. “I want to know.”
He hesitates for a moment, his eyes darkening with desire. “Fine,” he says, relenting. “But you have to promise me something.”
“Anything,” I say without thinking.
“Promise me that you won’t run away,” he says, his voice low and intense. “No matter what I tell you.”
“I won’t run,” I promise, my heart racing.
He takes a deep breath, his eyes never leaving mine. “The woman in the painting,” he begins, “she’s notjusta fantasy. She’s a representation of everything I want but can’t have. She’s also real because she’s you. But you already knew that, didn’t you, Kayla?”
My heart stops for a moment as his words sink in. “What do you mean she’s me?” I ask, shuddering at the chill running down my spine. Why would Ghost paint me? We’ve just met and barely exchanged two words with each other before now.
“She’s you,” he repeats, his eyes boring into mine. “Or rather, she’s the you that you could be. The you that you’re afraid to be.”
I take a step back, feeling a sense of dread rising in me. I feel exposed.Seen.And that is not okay. “I don’t understand,” I say, my voice trembling. “What are you saying?”
He steps forward and reaches out to almost touch my cheek, but doesn’t quite make contact. I swear I can feel it though.
“You’re holding back,” he says softly. “You’re afraid to let go, to be yourself. But in that painting, I captured the essence of who you could be. The woman beneath the tattoos and the tough exterior. The woman who’s not afraid to give in to her desires.”
He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. All my life I’ve been giving in to my desires; namely, the desire to fuck and kill as I please. What more could I want?
“You don’t believe me, not yet. But you will. You’ll see, Kayla, you can be so much more than this facade.”
