Ghost (Executioners Book 1)

by J. M. Dabney

  He knew it was more than that. The breakup between King and Melanie was amicable, she was off finishing college. King was raising Mal. He wondered how Lincoln didn't know King had a thing for him. Yes, the situation with dating the ex-brother-in-law would be weird, but they made a cute little family.

  There was a feeling in his gut that King played the game of player out of necessity. King picked the worst guys to hook up with, and the man didn't see the same one twice. Lincoln was a science teacher and football coach at the high school. When Lincoln wasn't working, he spent all his time with King and Mal.

  “What about you, man, things going good with Harper?”

  “Shit, I don't know.”

  Joker stepped up to the table with a chair and spun it, then straddled it. The look in his eyes wasn’t friendly. His so-called friend had made himself scarce since the night Pelter had let him go. Harper was anxious to give the man his gift.

  “Don’t make me have to hide a body, Ghost. I might like you but I love Harper, I’ll take you out without a second fucking thought.”

  “Thank you for the vote of confidence, Joker.”

  “Just saying,” Joker said with a shrug.

  “Joker, lay off, think about it, Ghost is like the perfect man for Harper. He’s all sweet and gentlemanly without all those rough edges. He’s a nice—”

  His groan cut Bull off, and they all laughed.

  “Ain’t nothing wrong with being the nice guy.”

  “Nice guy is like the kiss of death.”

  “Not when it comes to Harper. Also, I’m sure you got some freak tendencies. You just ain’t sharing that shit with the class,” King stated.

  He didn’t even attempt to answer. He called these guys his friends and family, but they liked talking about sex way too much for his comfort. It wasn’t that he didn’t love sex, he did when he was having it. Yet since his break up with Joe, he didn’t have any urge to try even the dating thing again much less the sex. That changed when he met Harper, though.

  He wanted to date her. And it was quick as hell, he didn’t quite know how to process it. He knew what he wanted. The promise he made to himself and Harper was more important than the chance of sex. He had given Harper her first kiss, and from what he understood sex hadn’t been much better for her. Screwing up his chance with Harper wasn’t an option for him. He wanted her to have the dates and the cuddling, all the kisses she wanted, and if she was ever ready, maybe more.

  It wasn’t the time yet. First, he had to get her used to him. Make sure she was safe and happy. At that moment, they were friends, he loved that, and when it was time, he’d see how she felt about turning friends into lovers.

  The conversation thankfully flowed to safer topics, and he relaxed sipping at his beer. His friends had already drunk their three to his one, how the hell was he supposed to get home? He looked around until he spotted Hunter behind the bar. Hunter signed that he had him covered.

  Tank, one of the owners of Brawlers, didn’t speak and most of them knew sign language to communicate. He wasn’t great, his signing ability was intermediate at best, but he could get by. He nodded his thanks and went back to sipping his drink. He knew getting a ride from Hunter meant he’d be there to last call. It was what it was, nothing he could do about it now, and he wasn’t having Harper come out and get him.

  “Have you done the date yet?” King asked.

  “Fuck, man, he moved her in,” Joker spoke up. “He skipped a bunch of shit.”

  “Yes.” He ignored Joker. “We went to Vincent's.”

  He tried to get her to go out more, but she seemed content to stay home when she wasn’t working. She was back to sitting with Crave’s mom and Nightingale’s during the week. He understood he was worrying too much, yet he couldn’t help it while Bill was still lurking out there. Pelter didn’t know who was hiding Bill and they were doing a damn good job of it, no sightings at all since the incident at the bookstore.

  “Come on, drink your beer and stop zoning out on us.”

  “I just wished they’d find Bill so Harper could do what she wanted again without looking over her shoulder.”

  “They’ll find him. Powers is too small to stay holed up long.”

  “True. I’m just impatient to get it over with.”

  “Want to get rid of her—”

  “Joker, don’t fucking finish that. She’s staying right where she is.”

  He got it, Joker was hyper-protective of Harper, and as much as he understood that it was still hard to take. One of his best friends didn’t see him good enough. Yes, he was insecure, he would admit it to anyone. The six-pack of his dreams was hidden under the roundness of his stomach. It wasn’t bad, he kept in shape working the farm, and maybe it had a little jiggle to it, but it didn’t bother him. His friends like to call him cuddly, and he guessed he was. Harper liked it, and that’s all that mattered. But platonic cuddling wasn’t all he wanted. She didn’t shy away from his kisses, so that had to be a good thing. She snuggled up to him on the couch.

  “Joker, quit fucking being an asshole to Ghost, man, you should be happy a nice guy took an interest in Harper. I caught her smiling to herself the other day. That’s some good shit right there. She ain’t as uninterested as you think.”

  He smiled his thanks to Bull. All the hard edges and asshole nature, Bull was a great guy. He treated Gregory like gold. His cousin didn’t want for a thing.

  “I’m taking it slow. When she’s ready, it’s her decision.”

  “What if she says she ain’t interested,” Joker asked with a hard glare.

  “Then I’ll live with it.”

  It was a half-truth, and everyone knew it. To him, they seemed like a couple, they did everything partners would do, except for the physical stuff. That was fine with him. And if they were never anything other than housemates, as long as Harper was happy that’s all that mattered to him. She was special and important, and he would do everything within his power to make sure she believed it, even if that meant letting her go to find someone else. It was what it was, Harper was more important than his hormones.

  He just hoped when the time came she didn’t rip his heart out when she left. Even Joe hadn’t succeeded in doing that, but he felt something for Harper he’d only briefly felt for his ex—love.

  Fifteen

  This Isn’t Happening

  Her reflection in the full-length mirror in the corner of Gideon’s room drew her attention. She was still obsessed with Gideon’s shower, so she used it even though she was staying in one of the guest rooms. Inhaling deeply, she held her breath, then let the thick towel fall to the hardwood floor. She slammed her lids closed.

  “You can do this, Harper, it’s your body.” She gave herself a pep talk.

  She slowly opened her eyes. She rarely studied her body. Yes, it was different than it was the last time she contemplated it. Last time she’d been just starting puberty. She’d been a kid who didn’t recognize the form in front of her. Girls in her class were getting breasts. She remembered them whispering with their friends about getting their first bra.

  Harper wasn’t that lanky kid anymore. She raised her hands, and she paused as they covered shape of her breasts. They just filled her hands. Marla, Kyle’s wife, told her on more than one occasion she was jealous. Marla was a tall, large-breasted woman with full curves, the woman told her finding comfortable yet sexy bras was a nightmare.

  Her nipples were slightly puffy and dark pink, they’d always been sensitive, but since the hormones, they’d been more so.

  She danced her fingertips down her stomach. Tracing the slightly rounded surface. Goosebumps appeared under her ultra-light touch. She had the smallest curve to her stomach, soft and a bit mushy. She’d always kind of liked it. It made her feel softer, and her hips had a subtle curve to them. The weight she’d gained over the years was minimal, but she also went without sometimes to afford her medicine and rent. She gained almost ten pounds since she’d moved out to the farm and even that
bit of weight showed.

  She smiled to herself as she pinched the bit of softness of her stomach. Her smile fell slightly as her gaze moved lower. Her penis was small, and she had a neatly trimmed nest of blonde curls. She understood who she was had nothing to do with what was between her legs. She was firm, she ached and her nipples beaded.

  This was her greatest fear: pleasure. It wasn’t as if she didn’t think about sex; fantasize about it. She’d done a lot of it since she’d met Gideon. Her friends were open about sex. Lily, Lucky’s mother, there wasn’t anything that woman wouldn’t talk about. It wasn’t like she hadn’t walked in on her friends a time or two, they took every opportunity to catch a moment alone together. Psycho and Ben were infamous for outside sex.

  She’d seen it all, rough and gentle. She walked in on spankings and moments so sweet, the partners peering into each other’s eyes as they made love. When it happened, she backed out as quickly as possible, but sometimes the images became burned into her memory. Especially the sweet ones. They’d been in every position, but what she was jealous of the most were the times they were face-to-face.

  The few men who had used her never wanted to look at her. Simply bent her over, did their business, and moved on.

  She checked the time, Hunter had called her to let her know he’d give Gideon a ride home after Brawlers closed. It was only midnight, she still had a few hours, she could do this.

  “Sex is completely natural, Harper, people do it all the time. Shit, now, you’re talking to yourself. This is so attractive.”

  She huffed as she dropped her arms to her sides and stared at herself. Her hair was a mass of tangled waves. Her nipples were hard, she was there with a half-erection, and she was talking to herself. Thank fuck, she was alone.

  “Can’t do this,” she muttered as she leaned over and snatched her towel off the floor and started to wrap it around her.

  “Stimulating conversation,” Gideon’s deep voice came from the doorway.

  She squeaked and tried to cover all the essentials with the towel. Her gaze jerked in Gideon’s direction and found him looking away from her, his focus on the floor. It didn’t hide the fact he was smiling.

  “Are you laughing at me,” she demanded.

  “Naw, to be honest, you’re even cuter when you argue with yourself.”

  “You’re an asshole.”

  She started to back up as soon as the sentence was out of her mouth. Gideon looked up. She had a split second of fear and instantly felt shame when she realized he wasn’t angry. His eyes were wide, and his smile was a bit lop-sided.

  “Now, when I walked in I was a gentleman and looked away, I alerted you to my presence, and I’m an asshole.”

  “You’re smiling.” She sounded more antagonistic than she felt, but she wasn’t sure what was going on in his head. It also didn’t help she was naked except for a towel with the man she was just about to imagine having sex with while she got herself off. Which was embarrassing enough.

  “You make me do that a lot.”

  “Really?”

  Why did he have to do that? Be all sweet. She wasn’t used to it, and she didn’t know where they stood since she moved in. Did he still want to date her? Was she just his friend now? She grew more confused by the minute.

  “Yep.”

  “What are you doing home so early?”

  “Elijah came by to talk to Scary and Tank for a few, I caught a ride home. You might want to cover your ass, the mirror is not giving you much modesty.”

  “Dammit.” She whipped the towel around her hips and held it in place.

  “Shit, asshole, and dammit, within ten minutes of each other, that’s got to be a record.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with not cursing.” Yes, most of the people she knew used fuck like a noun, verb and adjective, she couldn’t forget punctuation as well.

  “I didn’t say there was, and you’re being very defensive. So, want to share?”

  She lowered her gaze to the floor. “I was wondering what I looked like.”

  “Looked like?”

  “Yeah, if, you know, I was attractive.”

  “You’re beautiful and perfect.”

  It emboldened some of her self-confidence because she knew Gideon didn’t compliment her just to be nice, but he meant it. “I’ve got scars, and I’m not,” she paused.

  “Not what,” Gideon asked.

  “I’ve always been jealous of curvier women.”

  “Oh, but that isn’t all you were thinking about.”

  She shot him a glare and almost went to flip him off, but her towel started to slip.

  “I was thinking about sex, okay, sex, fuck.” She bit her lip and turned back to the mirror.

  “Four cuss words, baby, you’re on a roll.”

  “I’ll make it five and an obscene gesture if you don’t stop.”

  “You know why I tease you?”

  “Because you’re secretly an asshole?”

  “You’re hilarious. No, because you’re sexy when you get all indignant and stand up for yourself. Your cheeks turn all pink, and your eyes brighten. I barely resist kissing you every time it happens.”

  She started to protest when he stepped out of the archway and strode toward the bed. He picked up her gown she’d left there. It was silk and fell to the floor, she’d splurged on it with her last paycheck. The silk the same shade as the first dress she’d bought herself.

  He slowly approached her, she observed as he stroked the smooth fabric before handing it to her.

  “I’ll turn around, and you can get dressed, I’m sure you’re getting a little uncomfortable.”

  Strangely, she wasn’t uneasy, but she didn’t admit it. She took her gown, and he turned giving her his back. She dropped the towel and pulled the gown over her head, smoothing it over her hips. It fit tighter, she’d gotten her usual size which meant the weight gain showed. It also felt strange on her bare skin. She was normally cotton and occasional lace.

  “What were you doing before I came home?”

  There was a gruffness in his voice she hadn’t noticed before. He cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets. With him turned away from her, she felt a bit braver.

  “I haven’t studied myself or masturbated in a long time. I’ve gained weight since I’ve been here. I love it. I think it’s because I’m happy here.”

  “I want you happy.”

  “You can turn around.”

  She crossed her arms over her stomach because she didn’t know what to do with them. When he turned, she had to tip her head back to look up at him.

  “This is new,” he whispered.

  He gripped the gown at her waist and gently smoothed the silk between his fingers. Her breath hitched as his touch stroked her skin.

  “I bought it before I came home from work Friday. I hadn’t bought myself anything in a long time.”

  “You look…beautiful in it and under it.”

  “I thought you didn’t look.”

  Large rough hands palmed her jaw and she didn’t have time to think before Gideon’s mouth was on hers. Her arms went around his neck as she tilted her head. She loved when he kissed her. The quick ones he did when he just passed her in the hall. The ones he brushed to her forehead and lips when they cuddled. But this one was different, more like the one in the kitchen that had given her thoughts she hadn’t known how to handle. Unlike last time, his tongue stroked over her lips, nudged them apart, and slipped inside. She arched her upper body fully into his. Her breasts smashed against his chest. The silk of her gown teasing the pointed tips.

  She moaned as her feet left the floor and she twined her legs around his waist. At the edge of her mind, she sensed them moving and then her back met the mattress, her head on a pillow. She leaned back and looked up at him, his eyes heated with desire. Oh hell, she’d never seen someone look at her like that before.

  “What are we doing?”

  “Ever had a good old-fashioned make-out session?”r />
  His mouth, mustache and beard tickled the side of her neck. “N…no.” She stuttered as he rested his weight on her. Nervousness tightened her throat as a thick ridge of hard dick pushed into her soft stomach. Involuntarily her legs fell open wider, made more room for him, and he shifted heavier atop her.

  “Well, we need to remedy that. You know what to say if I do something you don’t like?”

  She remained silent and nodded.

  He lifted onto his forearms and stared down at her. “No, I need to hear you say it. I want you vocal. If I do anything and you want to stop, what do you say to me, baby?”

  “No.”

  “So, yes or no, baby, tell me what you want?”

  “You.”

  A feral smile spread across his wide mouth, and the backs of his fingers caressed her cheeks. She squirmed at the intensity of his gaze. The emotion in them she couldn’t name. He placed small kisses over her face, throat and upper chest. His breath teased the shallow valley of her cleavage. For a minute she became insecure, sensed him start to move lower then his lips were on hers again. He changed tactics with each push of their mouths, soft and slow, deep and rough.

  She dug her fingers into the muscles of his cotton covered back. The powerful dance of muscle beneath her hands caused her to knead. The sounds coming from her would’ve embarrassed her if not for the fact his groans drowned out her labored breathing and whimpers. His hands fisted in her hair, and she arched, rubbing her nipples against his chest.

  Damn, they had to slow down. She opened her mouth to say so, but Gideon shifted on top of her and placed his hand on her ribs. His thumb nudged the underside of her breast. His lips, beard, the weight of him, and the strength in his touch made her brain go blank. The way her body shook mortified her. It was too much and not enough at the same time.

  She pushed her head back into the pillows as he stroked down her side to her hip, then lower to curve around the back of her thigh. A squeak sounded in her throat as his fingertips dug into her flesh. The skirt of her gown rose higher. The cool air in the room prickled her hot skin.