Page 108 of Ghost Note

Glancing over my shoulder to make sure Danny was close by, I reached out for his hand, and he took it, letting me lead him outside.

I took us to the edge of the beach, and I walked along the thick harbour wall that curled into the ocean. Once out of sight and earshot of everyone, I turned to Danny.

“Listen, Zee, about what Halo and Theo said back there—”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t care how pretty that woman is—”

Danny raised a brow. “Absolutely fucking nothing compared to you.”

“That’s… nice. But I don’t care what happened—”

“It was barely a moment.”

“I hear you, but I don’t want to know the details—”

“I didn’t even fucking come!”

I blinked, and pulled back, looking up at him. “Okay. Ireallydidn’t need to know that.”

“You did.” He closed the gap between us. “You need to know because it matters, and you know, her name might pop up again, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. What I can do is be honest and tell you it was a fucked-up drunken thing back at the hotel one night in London. I was high—”

“High?” I squeaked. “Drugs? Danny…”

“A little bit of weed, Zee. That’s it. I swear. I don’t need to do what the other guys do.”

“What do the other guys do?”

“That’s not the point. The point was that JJ was there and looking for anyone to throw herself upon. I was the only one not already sucking someone else’s face off—just slumped in a corner, most likely daydreaming about you… and that’s what got me hard, even when I was high. Not her. Not some socialite I can’t bear to look at. I didn’t even make it to the end before I pulled out, zipped myself back up and asked her to leave.”

He ran his hand through the side of my hair.

“She was nothing. All of them were nothing,” he whispered.

“All?”

Danny’s chest rose as he sucked in a breath. “Yeah.”

“I’m begging you not to elaborate on a number.”

“Are you telling me that Ben was the only guy you slept with while I was gone?”

“Yes.”

“Wow.”

“But we did a lot.”

Danny winced, scrunching his eyes together. “Please… end this conversation now.”

“It’s over.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, forcing him to look at me. “Done.”

“You give in to me too easily.”

“You weren’t saying that at the start of the week.” I chuckled.

“You know what I mean.”

“It’s noteasyforcing down the vivid images my imagination throws at me of you with other women—faceless women—but the only other choice is for me to harbour jealousy and hate towards everything I can’t control. I’m tired of those things controlling my life. I’m trying to live for the moment here. To do what makes me happy, just like you made me promise you I would do.”

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