Page 89 of All Our Ghosts

A chuckle comes through the door that makes me smile and a soft blush creeps up my cheeks. I’ll never get tired of hearing him laugh. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite sounds.

“Sunflower, you don’t need time to get ready when you’re already so damn pretty,” he says through the door, his voice muffled but doing nothing to tamper down the charm flowing from him. “I need time to fix this ugly mug.”

I make my way to the bed, sitting on the edge to pull on my boots. “Holden, you are not–” The bathroom door opens, and my gaze trails down his body, taking in the more than worn-in jeans that hug his muscular thighs, the white t-shirt thatstretches across the broadness of his shoulders, doing nothing to hide the strong muscles there. But it’s when I finally look at his face that my mouth drops open and my eyes go wide.

He turns towards me, raising a brow. “What?”

I stare at the now clean shaven stubble that peppers his skin, a little thicker around his chin and mouth but not much. It makes the lines of his face look sharper, yet stronger somehow and his hair is cropped shorter. No longer the long chestnut locks that I love to tangle my fingers in, but now buzzed on the sides and cropped up top.

Holden laughs softly. “You like it?” he asks, rubbing one hand on the back of his neck in a nervous motion. My eyes flit to his bicep straining against the sleeve of his t-shirt as I stand.

“Are you sure we have to show up tonight?” I ask, the corners of my mouth turning upwards as I slide my hands up and over his shoulders. Holden’s hands drop to my waist, wrapping me in his arms as a wicked smile grows on his lips.

“Yes, sweetheart, we do.” He dips his head, his lips latching onto the spot between my collarbone and neck that sends shivers down my spine. A whimper falls from me as my hands continue up the back of his neck, the short hairs there prickling at my fingertips. Holden groans against my skin before pulling back from me and planting a quick kiss on my lips. “We have to quit it,” he rasps, “otherwise we’ll never leave this room.”

I smirk softly. “That still doesn’t sound so bad.”

Holden grins and shakes his head as he grabs his own boots and takes my spot on the bed. His eyes rove down my body as I wait for him. “Be careful Kade, keep talkin’ like that and I’ll have no choice to tear that dress off you later and it’s a really good lookin’ dress.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “Is that a challenge?”

He finishes slipping into his own boots and stands to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “It's a promise, Sunflower.” Holden smirks.

He drags his index finger down my skin slowly, barely touching me but leaving goosebumps in his wake. He hooks his finger into the top button of my dress just above the swell of my breasts. A wicked smile grows on his lips and with a quick flick of his hand, the top button pops open.

I let out a small gasp, my fingers itching to touch him. To push him back against the bed and keep him here. Something tells me that he won’t mind, but I know that we have to make an appearance downstairs. My newfound need to explore my desires would have to wait.

“Leave it open,” he rasps, “I want to be able to see you.”

My gaze flicks down to my chest. Not much more of my cleavage is showing, just enough that the blue lace bra I have on barely pokes out from between my breasts. “You’re playing with fire, Holden.”

He throws his arm around my shoulders, tugging me with him to the door. “Baby, you should know by now I like to get burned.”

A laugh escapes my lips, shaking my head. “You’re crazy.”

“Only for you,” he mumbles against the side of my head as he leads me down the stairs.

The parking lot is already full of members, some I recognize and others that I haven’t met yet. The wolf mural seems to glow in the afternoon light and glints of chrome glitter off the wall with the long row of motorcycles that line up underneath it. Grill smoke fills the air around them and the sounds of boisterous laughter echo through the compound.

The gate that normally stays open during the day is closed and I can see a couple of members standing on either side of it, holding their ground as if they were guards watching over a fortress. I glance up at Holden. His eyes flicker left and rightwith his jaw ticking in overtime, taking in our surroundings and I don’t miss the way his body tenses the further we get to the bottom.

Pulling from his grasp, I spin in front of him as we step off the last stair. His arm falls from around my shoulders and I quickly take his hand, intertwining our fingers. “What’s wrong?”

Deep blue eyes glance down at me. “I’m second guessing this.”

“Why?” I ask gently, knowing it takes a lot for him to open up.

“Because as much as I want to watch you walk around in this dress, tits on display for me…” He pauses, eyes flicking up to the sound of heavy boots on pavement behind us. I lift my hand cupping his cheek to catch his gaze again, “If anyone but me touches you, I’ll take their hands.” His voice is low and raspy with the warning that sends a shooting tingle up my spine.

I suck in a breath before standing on my tip-toes, dragging my lips over his. “Then you show them who I am.”

A low rumble vibrates in his chest as his hands tangle into my hair and he closes the breath of a distance between the two of us. His lips crash down hard against mine, sending a thrill of goosebumps up my skin even in the high afternoon heat. I melt into him, holding onto the lapels of his cut with my hands trapped between us.

Holden pulls away, his lips bitten red and mine tingling from his newly shaved stubble.

“Wherever this spitfire came from,” he breathes, running his thumb along my bottom lip shaking his head. “I owe it a thank you.”

I grin and tug on his leather cut. “I think you’ll need a mirror for that.”

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