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Greyson looked like he wanted to argue but held his tongue. With a final nod, I walked away, my heart heavy and my thoughts still tangled in the chaotic web of emotions that I couldn’t seem to shake.
Chapter 20
Greyson
With Remi gone, a heavy weight settled over me as I sipped my drink, looking out over the dance floor from the safe confines of the VIP section. The nightclub’s pulsing music and neon lights felt distant and uninviting.
Ghost staggering toward me, stumbling off the dance floor with a pretty girl latched onto his arm. She eyed me with recognition, her gaze wandering over my body before she quickly abandoned Ghost to cozy up next to me. My stomach twisted in discomfort; this wasn’t what I wanted.
I retreated to the couch and turned to the girl who followed me. “Would you mind giving me some space?” I asked her gently, trying not to let my unease show. Her eyes flashed with disappointment, but she nodded and slipped back into the crowd. Ghost, now slumped on the couch beside me, scowled at the loss of his companion.
Ghost took another swig from his nearly empty bottle. “What happened to Remi? She disappear on you? Guess she’s not too excited to see you.” His words were slurred, and his grin held a cruel edge.
“She went back to the hotel with the photographer to do some work,” I replied, forcing a calm tone in the face of his mockery.
“Is that so?” Ghost smirked, taking another sip.
“I’m heading back too,” I announced. I had no desire to be the subject of Ghost’s ridicule while I watched him hooking up with random women. “Do you know which hotel she’s staying at?”
Ghost laughed derisively, his dark eyes glinting under the club lights. “What, she didn’t tell you?” He taunted, enjoying my discomfort.
“Never mind, I’ll find out myself,” I muttered, signaling to the security guy who’d been keeping an eye on us from a distance. “Get me a car back to the hotel, please.”
“Wait, I ... uh, I need to go back too,” Ghost slurred, quickly making up an excuse. “I forgot something at the hotel.”
He was probably too wasted to realize how dumb that sounded. “Alright, fine. Let’s go,” I said, my patience wearing thin.
The security guard, a tall and broad-shouldered hulk of a man, swept the crowd with his eyes and then glanced at me. “The car is ready for you, Mr. Durant. You can follow me when you’re ready.”
“Thank you.” I stood and Ghost followed behind me, still gripping his bottle, completely unaware of the emotional storm brewing within me. I’d be in a car alone with him. I gritted my teeth. Even when he was acting like an utter dickhead, I was still drawn to him.
We exited the club through a private exit and slipped into the waiting car. The leather seat creaked under Ghost as he shifted beside me, the heat of his thigh burning into mine. My heart thudded at his nearness, a volatile cocktail of lust and loathing churning in my gut.
Ghost was searching around the backseat with a frown on his face.
I ground my teeth, staring out the tinted window at the neon-lit streets sliding by. “You don’t need anymore to drink.”
“What’s your problem?” His gravelly voice was a match striking in the dark, igniting my temper.
I bit back a sharp retort, clenching my fists in my lap. I wasn’t going to rise to the bait.
“You’ve always been a big dick,” he muttered, his gaze sliding my way through messy strands of hair.
Goddamn, he was such a punk. “Oh yeah? How have I ever been a dick to you or your friends?”
Ghost’s eyes narrowed, gleaming shards of obsidian in the shadows. “I’m not impressed by your celebrity status like the rest of the world.”
“You’re not impressed? Just envious, then.” The word was a knife slipping between his ribs, and satisfaction flickered as hurt flashed across his face.
“I don’t give a fuck about you. I hate you,” he spat, shifting away to stare out the window.
A rumble of bitter laughter escaped me as I pretended his words didn’t affect me. “I see the way you look at me, and it’s not hatred, Parker.”
His head snapped back to look at me. He was sitting dangerously close, his half-lidded gaze smoldering with intensity. His eyes traveled slowly down my body, and I felt a flutter in my stomach.
He glanced at my mouth. “Nobody calls me Parker.”
I leaned closer, our shoulders brushing, and relished the hitch of his breath. “Everyone calls you Ghost, but you don’t look like a ghost to me.” I turned to pin him with a stare, pulse racing. “I see you.”
