Page 49 of All Our Ghosts

My eyes narrow for a moment before gently lifting her chin again. “Never what?” I ask in a whisper.

“I’ve never felt this way about someone before,” she says after a moment. “It’s terrifying.”

Her brows knit together as she studies me. I can feel her reading and analyzing every twitch and emotion that masks my features. Unsaid words drift between us as I dip my head, pressing my lips to hers in a soft, long kiss. I feel her tongue dart from between her lips, wanting more from me. Everytime we touch I swear she melts into me. The feeling is addicting and the more my hands explore her body and sweet symphonies of sounds fall from her lips the more I want to stay right here. Next to her.

But I pull away, hating myself when a frustrated whine leaves her.

“We’ll have plenty of time for that, Sunflower.” I drag my index finger along her collar bone watching a wave of goosebumps roll across her skin, moving to draw a single line down into the collar of my shirt that she’s wearing, “thatI can promise you.”

I smirk down at the frown she’s flashing me.

“Are you as terrified as me?” She asks after a moment.

I chuckle. “Yeah, I am.”

“Why are you laughing?” Kade’s frown curls up softly as she tries to bite back a smile.

“Because if you would have told me a week ago I’d be spending every waking moment thinking about a woman and feeling things I don’t think I’ve ever felt, I would have told you you’re fucking crazy.”

I smile again pressing my palm firmly over her heart. It’s light flutter beating against my hand. I want to feel her, feel what ticks inside of her that makes her this addicting.

“Well youarecrazy,” Kade teases, gripping my chin gently with her fingers, the smile on her face falling for just a moment, “but I think I am too.”

“Oh,” I scoff playfully, “you’re definitely crazy if you’re with someone like me.”

That beautiful glowy smile returns to her.

I duck my head, pressing featherlite kisses along her jawline, trailing them down to her neck just to hear the sounds that I hope will spill from those perfect lips. I feel myself grinning as she whimpers below me. I have to stop. Otherwise, we will never leave this bed, and even though I won’t mind that the last thing I want to do is suffocate her with my shit.

“Coffee darlin,” I hum against her skin before lifting my head, “before I trap you in this room.”

“I wouldn’t complain,” she teases, tugging gently on the chain of my dog tags.

I laugh and shake my head, “Neither would I, Sunflower, but I should probably go talk to Cole as well.”

Even if I don’t want to. Cole is the last person I want to have a conversation with right now but if I don’t I know that whatever fucked up tension is building between us would only separate the club more than it already is.

Kadence reaches up, running her fingers gingerly along the bruise under my eye. Her brows knit together as I search her eyes.

“It’s not your fault,” I say, moving to sit next to her, leaning against the headboard.

She follows, angling her body towards me and bringing her knees to her chest.

“Why was he so angry that I was with you last night?” She asks, her head tilting to lean against the wood. “He acted like you were Satan incarnate when we got back.”

“Cole is protective of the things he cares about,” I say plainly.

“Aren’t you one of those things?”

I glance up at her, her face scrunching into a wince. She thinks she’s pushing me too far, intruding on a relationship with Cole that by now is far too complicated for even myself to understand.

“He’ll always be my brother,” I start, my fingertips tap along the top of her knee mindlessly, “but things change, we’ve changed. I wasn’t the same person that I was when he picked me up from Stockton. The club wasn’t–isn’t the same club that we left… That we built together after his dad passed.”

I suck in a breath, shaking my head. “I don’t know if we’ll ever be back to what we were before everything went down.”

“The bar fight?” She asks softly.

My head lolls to the side. “The bar fight, Becca… it all made everything too–” my voice trails off.