Page 55 of The Phantom's Vice

“Dear Lord, because youcan’t. Society frowns on letting random strangers help you shower—especially ones whokillpeople. Oh, and let’s not forget about the kidnapping situation.” Ghost tilts his head, seeming to process my words before taking a step back, and I can finallybreathe. “Thank you,” I murmur, holding a hand to my pounding heart. I look around the bathroom, realizing I have no idea where any of the soap or towels are. “Um… I hate to ask this since I was kind of a bitch to you a minute ago, but… where do you keep your towels?”

To my surprise, a chuckle shakes Ghost's chest. “I will get you everything you need.” He’s halfway across the room before he stops, turning his head over his shoulder. “Before you say it—I realize you are capable of doing it. But it would make me… happy to do this for you.”

His words make my head spin, and there’s nothing I can do except nod as he glides around the room, pulling various bottles and tinctures from the mahogany cabinets. While he’s busy, I step over to the tub, a small smile pulling at my lips as I turn the hot water on. I hold my hand under the water, adjusting the cold and hot knobs a few times to get the temperature just right.

When I look up, I’m surprised to see Ghost staring at me—or rather, where my hand is resting under the water.

“Everything okay?” I ask, chills going down my spine at the eerie stillness he can maintain.

He nods, shaking out of his trance before gliding over to me. He places at least eight different bottleson a small table at the side of the tub, and to my surprise, they’re the same brands as the one I use at home.

What a coincidence—oh.I frown, palming the same bottle of ginger and vanilla conditioner I have in my apartment. I pop open the cap and bring it to my nose, a wave of relaxation taking over me as I breathe in the familiar scent.

It’s kind of sweet that he did this, actually. It shows that he was thinking about me, taking notes of the things that I like.

Yeah, because he’s a manipulative killer. Focus, woman.

I shake my head, turning to give Ghost a meek smile as my anxiety peaks. “Thank you for this.” I shake the bottle for good measure, hoping he can’t see the terror hiding in my eyes. “You got the extra shine and gloss version, too. My favorite.”

Ghost nods, pulling a towel from the cabinet and placing it on the floor beside the tub. “No little detail will slip past me when it comes to you, Brett. I have memorized the smallest twitch your lips make in your sleep, so knowing your favorite conditioner is hardly impressive.”

Yet it’s pretty damn impressive to me. Or highlydisturbing—I still haven’t figured out how to feel about it yet.

When Ghost turns and steps out of the bathroom, I decide I don’t want to think about it. After stripping out of my clothes, I place one leg into the tub, leaning my head back with a moan as the warm water laps at my tired muscles. I sink down to my neck in the tub, resting my eyes for a moment and letting the heat work its way through the knots in my back.

This—this is heaven.

I spend far too long in the tub, scrubbing and soaking until my palms are pruned. It’s a difficult decision to hop out, but by this point, the water is barely lukewarm, and soon it will start to be unpleasant anyway. I sigh, stepping onto the tile and wrapping the plush white towel around my chest.

The moment it is secured, Ghost bursts through the door, his gloved hand clenched tightly around the doorknob. His head shifts as he takes in my dripping form, his shoulders shaking slightly from some unknown emotion.

“I… have prepared the bed for you.”

“Oh. Thank you.” I tilt my head, reaching up to wring out my hair into the back. The side of my neckis exposed with the motion, and I watch Ghost’s throat bob in a thick gulp.

“How was your bath?”

I sigh happily, my lips tipping up with a teasing smile. “Practically orgasmic.”

This is apparently the wrong thing to say because as soon as the last syllable passes my lips, Ghost is in front of me, his gloved hands wrapped around my shoulders. His chest is heaving, and when I glance down, I can’t help but notice the sizable tent in his pants.

“Ghost? What are you—Ah!” A squeal echoes off the walls as Ghost slings me over his shoulder. My head nearly smacks into his lower back, and I have to use my hands to prop myself up, my face heating with mortification as a gust of air hits my bare pussy.

“Put me down!” I demand, thumping my fist against his back. Ghost doesn’t react, moving us silently into the bedroom. He places me gently on the mattress, and my hands move to grab the towel around my chest before it falls off.

“What the fuck was that for?”

Ghost has the nerve to shrug. I’m about to demand answers when he crouches between my spread legs, putting his mask within inches of mycore. My face heats as he takes a deep breath. I would pull away, but the sight of his trembling body has me frozen in place.

“Fuck, Brett. I—” With a growl, he pushes away from me, straightening with what seems to be an incredible amount of effort. “I can’t seem to help myself around you.”

That seems a bit of an understatement.

“It’s okay,” I murmur, surprised at how his words cause warmth to spread through my body. To distract myself from the traitorous feelings, I look around the room, scanning my surroundings like I’ve been taught.

“This isyourbedroom?” I ask, noting the various weapons and screens lining the walls. It looks a lot like the computer room, although these screens are all turned off. I’m currently sitting on a bed so large it couldeata king-sized one, with the most intricately carved wooden headboard I’ve ever laid eyes on. Several large dressers line the walls, and my curiosity demands to know what’s in the locked drawers at the top of the golden one closest to the bed.

What secrets are you hiding in there, Phantom?

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