by Susan Stoker, Cristin Harber, Cora Seton, Lynn Raye Harris, Kaylea Cross, Katie Reus, Tessa Layne
Rayne’s mouth hung open, but he continued, not letting her speak.
“All I have to do is remember your taste and the feel of your hot body clenching mine as I made you come all over my dick and I lose it as if I’m a teenager. Every time, without fail. As for what I want out of this? You. I want you. I regretted leaving you as soon as the door closed behind me, hell, even before that, but I honestly didn’t see a way I could make it work. But now? Seeing you again? Seeing you lying on that fucking cot scared out of your mind, feeling how you clung to me and trusted me to make it right for you? I’m willing to do whatever I can to make it work between us.”
“What if that’s not what I want?” Rayne managed to ask, honestly floored this virile, tough-as-nails man was laying it out like he was.
“Then I hope I can change your mind.”
Rayne didn’t know what to say to that, but Ghost continued, not waiting for her to reply.
“You’ve got some sick time coming to you…right? Why not spend it here in Killeen with me? My colonel is allowing me to take some time off and I want to spend it with you. Stay with me, at least for a while. I have a guest bedroom. It’s all yours for as long as you want it. Let’s get to know each other, and I don’t mean in the biblical sense. If we decide we can’t stand each other out of the bedroom, at least we’ll know. But, Princess…if you decide to stay, I expect you’ll give us an honest chance. I’m not taking this lightly.”
Rayne was floored. She hadn’t expected this. “But I live in Fort Worth.”
“I know. I didn’t say there wouldn’t be some challenges we’d have to work out. But let’s not put the cart before the horse.”
“I don’t know…you hurt me, Ghost. I…this will be worse if you—”
“It’s different now, Rayne. Swear. I’ll do whatever I need to in order to take care of your heart.”
“Can I think about it?”
“Of course,” Ghost answered immediately. Then ruined his seeming generosity with, “You have until you’re discharged.”
“Ghost!” Rayne admonished. “That’s not really that much time to think.”
“If I let you go back up to Fort Worth, I’m afraid I’ll lose you. You’ll start second-guessing what I want, and what you want, and you’ll let others talk you out of it. Then you’ll go back to work and it’ll just become harder and harder. You won’t have the time off, and I’ll be going on missions. Give us this, Rayne. Give us time to see if there’s anything between us other than the awesome sexual chemistry we have going on.”
“You have a guest room?”
Knowing she was going to say yes was such a load off him, Ghost let out a huge breath. “Yes.”
“And when I want to go home, you’ll let me?”
Ghost swallowed, not wanting to agree, but doing it anyway. “Yes.”
“Then okay, I’ll stay with you…for a couple of days and see how it goes.”
Ghost picked up her hand, careful not to hurt her, and kissed the fingertips peeking out from the bandages. “Great. Now scoot over, let’s see what’s on TV.”
“What?”
“You aren’t ready for bed yet are you? It’s early, and I’ve ordered our dinner, it should be here in thirty minutes.”
“Ghost! You can’t order dinner into a hospital.”
He shrugged. “Okay, you got me. I didn’t order it in, but Fletch is bringing it by in thirty minutes.”
“What’re we having?” Rayne asked with interest this time. She’d only been there a day or so, but she was so ready for some real food.
“Burritos from Moe’s, and some of their chips and salsa.”
“Oh my God, are you kidding?”
“No.”
“I love Moe’s! Their chips are the best! They’ve got those big salt granules that are so good. Wait, what kind of burrito did you get me? Because I don’t like beans, and I don’t—”
“Veggie burrito, extra rice, no meat, no beans, extra tomatoes and pico. Sour cream, lettuce, cheese, and a side of hot salsa.”
Rayne looked at Ghost incredulously. “How in the world—”
“I bribed Mary to tell me what you liked.”
“Thank God. I think you and me might get along all right, after all.”
Ghost pulled Rayne into his side. He didn’t gloat, but simply said, “Yeah, I think so too.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Rayne rolled her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time. She was finally allowed to leave the hospital and she’d been dealing with not only her brother and Ghost, but all six of his teammates as well. They were hovering and driving her absolutely crazy. It should be illegal to allow so much testosterone in one room at the same time.
“You know you can come and stay with me,” Chase told her for the third time.
“We’ve talked about this, Chase. We’d probably kill each other within a day. Your place is too small, and besides, you’ll be working. Ghost has the next week off. It’ll be fine.”
She watched as Chase glared at Ghost and he smirked back. For the millionth and one time, Rayne rolled her eyes.
“Fletch,” Ghost called and flicked his keys through the air toward his friend, “bring my car around.”
Fletch caught the keys easily and nodded before heading out of the room.
“Beatle, want to see where the doc is? He should’ve been here by now,” Ghost asked.
Rayne sat in the chair in the corner of the room where Ghost had plunked her ten minutes ago. She’d tried to tell him she was fine to walk, but he’d simply told her he liked having her in his arms and proceeded to pick her up and put her where he wanted her.
The doctor had been impressed with how her wounds were healing, and while walking wasn’t the most fun thing at the moment, she could do it. Slowly but surely the pain was lessoning. She’d be stiff for a while, okay a long while, but she was mobile.
Finally, a nurse stepped into the room, pushing a wheelchair. “All right, Ms. Jackson, it looks like—” Her voice cut off abruptly at seeing the bevy of huge men in the room. She cleared her throat and tried again. “It looks like you’re all set to get out of here. The doctor signed your discharge papers and regrets he couldn’t be here to let you know himself. He knew you were anxious to leave, and when an emergency came up, signed the papers to free you.”
She handed Rayne a stapled set of papers. “Here’s your instructions about those wounds. Come back in a couple of days and get the stitches checked out; if they look okay, they should be able to come out not long after that. Try not to get them soaked, only quick showers, no baths, and keep the bandages on. He’s written you a script for painkillers if you need them, and make sure you fill the antibiotic prescription so you can start on those tonight. Do you have any questions for me?”
“What kind of physical activity is she cleared for?” Ghost asked with a straight face.
“Oh my God, you did not just ask that,” Rayne hissed and smacked Ghost lightly on the arm. She wanted to hit him harder, but it would’ve hurt her wrist. He was sitting on the arm of the chair next to her and he simply turned his head to her and smiled. Rayne blushed a deep red, embarrassed that not only his teammates, but her brother had heard the question.
The nurse smiled indulgently. “I’m not suggesting she should go out and run a marathon, but pretty much whatever she feels up to, she can do.” The nurse addressed her next words to Rayne directly. “Just don’t overdo it and if anything changes with your pain levels or with how the wounds look, come back in immediately.”
Ghost nodded as if he’d expected her answer. “I’ll be sure to monitor her carefully.”
“Seriously, just kill me now,” Rayne muttered, putting her head in her hands.
Ghost laughed again and scooped her out of the chair. Rayne screeched and grabbed hold of his T-shirt at his chest with frantic hands.
“Easy, Princess. I wouldn’t ever drop you. You’re safe.”
“Warn a girl next time, would ya?”
Ghost winked at her. “You got it.” He placed her carefully in the wheelchair and put a duffle bag in her lap. It held the few outfits Mary had brought down with her and some of her, “girly shit,” as Chase had called it. Ghost put his hand on her shoulder as the nurse pushed her out of the room and down the hall toward the sliding glass doors at the front of the building.
The other men trailed behind her as if they were in some sort of weird military parade or something. Rayne smiled at the second and third looks all of Ghost’s friends were getting as they made their way to the exit.
Finally, the nurse stopped just short of the doors. Ghost went to pick her up, but Rayne put her hand on his arm. “I want to walk. Please?”
Ghost nodded, but motioned for Hollywood to stand on her other side, just in case she needed either of them.
Everyone held their breath as she hobbled toward Ghost’s car, now idling at the front of the building thanks to Fletch. Chase wrapped her in a big hug before she got in. “Take care, sis, and call me if you change your mind and want to stay with me or if you need anything.”
“I will. Thanks, Chase. I love you.”
“Love you too, Rayne. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Rayne nodded and smiled as Ghost carefully helped her into the front passenger side of his car. He shut the door behind her and she watched as he fist-bumped and gave a chin lift to his friends. Before too long they were on their way.
“Finally.” She breathed the word on a sigh.
“Long day?” Ghost asked.
“Not really, but dealing with all of you guys and your over-the-top macho bullshit is exhausting.”
Ghost looked surprised for a moment then laughed. “Yeah, I guess we can be a bit much all at once, but it’s because we care for you.”
Rayne looked at him with a question in her eyes. “Your friends don’t know me.”
“Yeah, but they know you’re important to me. Since you’re important to me, you’re important to them. And since you’re important to them, they care about you.”
“I don’t get it.”
“You will.”
“God, I hate it when you talk in riddles,” Rayne mock-complained, crossing her arms on her chest, careful not to jostle her wrists. The thought that all of Ghost’s men liked her simply because Ghost did was startling, but felt good. After the last day and a half of all of them visiting her in the hospital, she’d begun to think of them like brothers.
Fletch seemed to be the closest with Ghost. They joked with each other, but she could see the genuine respect between the two of them. Fletch was tall, maybe a couple inches past six feet, and had colorful tattoos on both arms, but it was his clear blue eyes that really made him stand out.
Coach was quiet and reserved, but Rayne thought he was actually the most dangerous of the group. There was just something about him that made her think he was constantly looking for a threat, and that he’d easily be able to neutralize it if one did arise. Hollywood was gregarious and outgoing and loved to tease her unmercifully. If she hadn’t known he was a part of Ghost’s top-secret team, she never would’ve guessed he was able to kill a man with his bare hands.
Beatle was the shortest man of the group, probably around five-eleven or so, and was their nautical expert and knew everything there was to know about sailing and the ocean.
Blade was tall and skinny, like his namesake. When she’d remarked that she saw why he’d received his nickname, everyone had laughed. They’d told her he wasn’t named Blade because of his build, but rather because of his skills with a knife. Rayne hadn’t asked any more about it.
And then there was Truck. He was huge, and if Rayne was being honest with herself, he wasn’t that attractive, not like the other men on the team. But it had only taken being around him for a little while to see he was self-conscious about his looks, but tried to play it off. And of course, watching him and Mary go at it like two little kids who liked each other but didn’t want to admit it, so they instead picked at each other, was entertaining enough to forget that the man could squash someone as if they were a bug if he so chose.
“I like your friends,” Rayne told Ghost as they pulled into traffic and headed toward his place.”
“I’m glad.”
“Where do you live again?”
“Belton. It’s just off I-35. Close enough to the base, but not so close as to have to deal with all the crap that comes with living near a military base.”
“What kind of crap is that?”
“Pawn shops, tattoo places, strip joints, pay-day loan stores…that sort of thing.”
“And you have an apartment?”
“No, it’s a small house. Built in the seventies. It’s not the fanciest place, but it’s clean and in a good neighborhood with families. I didn’t want to live in an apartment this time. I enjoy the quiet.”
Rayne nodded. Suddenly unsure as to what she should talk to him about. It’d been easy joking and laughing with him when they were in the hospital together. But now that they were alone, it seemed weird.
“Are you up to stopping on the way to get your prescriptions filled, or would you rather get home to nap and I can go out later and pick them up?”
“I’m okay with stopping now. It feels good to be up and about. I’m sure I’ll be tired later, but for now, I’m enjoying being free.”
Ghost chuckled. “I bet.”
They were silent until Ghost pulled into the drugstore parking lot and made for the drive-through.
“I’d like to go in,” Rayne told him.
Ghost frowned. “I’m not sure you should be on your feet yet, Princess.”
“I need stuff.”
“I can get what you need later.”
“Tampons? Can you get me tampons? And deodorant?”
Without missing a beat, Ghost responded, “Yeah, Princess. I can get you tampons without spontaneously combusting.”
“Have you ever bought them for anyone before?”
Ghost sighed and pulled into a parking space. He turned to Rayne, who was glaring at him. “No. I’ve never made a midnight run to the store for tampons or maxi pads or any of the other mysterious feminine products you might think up. But even though I’ve never done it, I’m not scared of it. Especially not for you. If you need them, I’ll gladly buy them. But Rayne, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be pushing yourself so fast. You just got out of the hospital. It hasn’t even been a week since I found you strapped—”
Ghost cut himself off, mentally smacking himself in the head. The last thing he wanted to do was remind her of what had happened.
Rayne sighed and looked down at her hands in her lap. She wanted to clench them together, but knew it’d hurt. “I don’t have any of my things. Mary brought me some, but it’s not the same. I feel…I feel out of my element. I just wanted to walk around a store as if I was normal again. I want to try to get back to doing everyday stuff and not think about…it. I’m sorry about the tampon thing. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Ghost put his finger under Rayne’s chin and gently tugged upwards, imploring her to look at him. “I’m sorry for reminding you. It’s too soon, I know. Come on; if you lean on me, I’ll walk you through the store and you can get whatever you want. Hell, buy twelve boxes of tampons and three bottles of prenatal vitamins. That’ll confuse the clerk for sure.”
Rayne smiled. Ghost was funny, and being sweet and understanding made her like him all the more. “Thanks.”
“But I should say,” Ghost smiled mischievously, “I won’t look twice about you buying tampons if you won’t be embarrassed if I buy condoms. That will really confuse the poor person who checks us out.”
He watched as Rayne blushed. Ghost leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips, wanting to prolong it, desperate to have her taste on his tongue again, but he forced himself to pull back. “Come on, Princess. Let’s see what we can find to make you feel normal again.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Ghost’s h
ouse was just as he said it was. Smack-dab in the middle of a small neighborhood. It had three bedrooms and was just big enough not to feel stifling. The first two days, Rayne had done a lot of sleeping. Ghost had slipped her a nighttime aspirin the first evening and she’d slept for fourteen hours straight.
She’d woken up feeling much better. Ghost had made a huge lunch and they’d sat around the table talking for at least two hours. She hadn’t slept as long the next time, but still managed to sleep through the entire night without budging.
They’d fought for the first time when Rayne had wanted to take a shower. Ghost had reminded her the doctor said not to get the stitches wet, and Rayne countered that he’d said not too wet.
Rayne knew Ghost was just trying to take care of her, but she felt disgusting and needed that shower like she needed air to breathe. The sponge baths she’d received at the hospital, while refreshing, weren’t the same as being able to fully wash herself.
Finally just walking away from Ghost, she stomped—as well as she could stomp with her still-aching ankles—to the bathroom. She thought about locking the door, but felt better about Ghost being able to get to her easily if something did happen.
Stepping under the hot water was one of the best feelings in the world. She swore she could literally feel the Egyptian dust sluicing off her.
After the way-too-short shower, she sat on the toilet seat with a damp towel wrapped around her body and examined her ankles and wrists for the first time.
Rayne wasn’t vain, she’d never been the kind of woman men immediately hit on when she went out, but she wasn’t hideous either. She had curves in all the right places, too many for some men, but she’d been asked out enough to know men generally found her attractive.
But staring at her torn and scarred skin, seeing the black stitches in her skin and remembering how she’d gotten the wounds, was…upsetting to say the least.
