Page 57 of Ghost Note

Danny slid his hand over mine, and before long, I was curling my fingers in his and staring up at the stars above with him…

Thinking about how I wished Hope Cove had been enough for him, too.

Hope Cove… and maybe me.

Nineteen

Iwoke pressed against something warm and comfortable. My hand slid up over material that covered smooth waves of rippled skin, and I could already feel the stinging of the sun beyond my eyelids. My entire body was relaxed into another in a way it hadn’t been for so long, and I revelled in the moment, a soft smile playing on my lips until I inhaled deeply and smelt that familiar aftershave invading my lungs.

Danny.

My eyes flew open, and I tensed. Our bodies were curled together the same way we used to sleep, with my head on his chest, and an arm and leg draped over him.

We were still on the roof, and the sun was rising.

“That lasted longer than I thought it would,” Danny’s sleepy voice mumbled above me.

I tried to peel myself off him, but his arm tightened, holding me in place.

“Please, don’t,” he whispered in a voice I’d almost forgotten. That soft voice I used to wake to every morning. The one that didn’t belong to the villain I’d created, just the one that used to right all my wrongs and soothe my demons. “It’s been a while since I’ve listened to you sleeping like that. I’d forgotten how relaxing those deep, peaceful breaths were.”

With flushed cheeks, I buried my face into his T-shirt and let out a groan I couldn’t keep in before I pushed up and tore myself away from him. It was far too easy to lose myself in what was familiar, and that loss of control unnerved me. I’d become stronger in recent years, just not strong enough to resist Danny Silver.

The sun was lighting up the view in front of me with pinks, reds, oranges, and deep yellows, and with a glance at my watch, I saw that it was 4:58 a.m. I turned on my bottom, feeling the aches of sleeping on a hard roof, but they all faded away when I saw Danny’s sleepy eyes and his familiar, yet distant face

“I can’t believe we fell asleep up here,” I said.

“Yeah, I lost you for a while there.”

“You haven’t slept?”

Danny shook his head, rolling it on my backpack. He’d obviously decided to use that as a pillow when I’d turned over to use him as mine. “Some things are worth staying awake for.”

I winced. “Danny, don’t…”

“Can’t stop me.” He smiled softly. “Like I said, Zee. You can dictate the time you offer up but not my curiosity… or my fantasies.”

Pressing my lips together, I squinted and looked back out at the ocean. “I think I should go.”

“If you think that’s for the best…”

With a roll of my head, I raised my brow at him. “I think webothknow it’s for the best.”

“What’s for the best isn’t always what you want though, is it?” he challenged smugly. “What happened to your whole ‘enjoy what you have while you can’ philosophy from a few hours ago? I’m right here. Enjoy me.” He patted his chest.

My attention drifted down to where I’d fallen asleep, my body longing to slide back into place for just an hour more.

“Daisy,” he whispered, drawing my eyes back up to his. “No one’s going to know, and no one is going to judge you if they ever find out.” His smirk turned into a smile I recognised, and before I could stop myself with more worries, doubts, and fake hate, I slid back into place in Danny’s arms.

“Don’t make me regret this,” I warned him as I looked out at the sunrise.

“What kind of person regrets a cuddle?”

“A person whose mind is a clusterfuck.”

“Sounds intense in there.” He pressed a tender kiss to my forehead.

I opened my mouth to say something and quickly thought better of it. There were so many things I could have said, and so many snarky comments I could have made, but for just one moment, I wanted to revel in the calm that flowed through my body. In harmony I hadn’t felt in so long, and serenity I’d missed.

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