Page 15 of My Ghost

“Still sure you’re having fun?”I murmur when the silence becomes too heavy.

He doesn’t reply immediately, so I go on rambling.“Oh, I forgot that you never have fun, my bad.”I am not sure if his lips twitched again, but except for this small movement, his face remains impassive, his gaze locked on mine.

We keep swaying, our bodies closer now.I can feel the warmth of his hand at my waist, the hard wall of his chest mere inches away from mine, and suddenly I can’t seem to think straight.

“Are you always this talkative?”I tease lightly, rememberingthatnight.

“Only when I try to behave,” he counters, saying the exact same words back.

My pulse stutters and my reason flies out of the window.His eyes drop to my mouth.

There is a beat of silence.

“I’m not a good idea, Skye,” he grits out in a rough voice.“You should stay away from me.”

“And yet…” I murmur, looking up at him, “you’re the one holding me like…this.”

He clenches his jaw and leans down toward me, his breath brushing my ear.“Because I haven’t decided what’s worse, letting go or giving in.”

I shiver, goosebumps rising across my skin.His heat wraps around me like a noose, pulling me in, ensnaring me until I can’t think clearly.

And suddenly it’s all too much.I am tipsy, breathless, and far too attracted to him.So I do the worst thing possible.I rise on tiptoes and press a kiss to his mouth.

Barely a brush.A whisper of skin against skin, our breaths mingling for a heartbeat.

But it is enough to break the spell.

He stiffens like I just hit him.

“Don’t,” he snaps, rearing back.“Don’t ever do that again.”

I blink up at him, stunned.“I… Sorry.I thought—”

“Whatever you thought, you’re wrong,” he cuts in, stepping back, his jaw tight, eyes blazing with fury.“I don’t need complications.Especially not in the form of a spoiled brat playing with fire.”

It stings way more than it should.I swallow the burn in my throat and lift my chin.

“Understood,” I say with the brightest smile I can manage even if my voice is breaking.“I’m sorry I misread you.I won’t be bothering you again.”

And with that I spin on my heels and rush away, heart hammering in my chest, cheeks burning from humiliation.I can’t breathe.With every passing second, my throat constricts and my ribcage closes tighter around my lungs like a vise.I can’t see, my vision has narrowed into a tunnel and I stumble blindly through the crowd toward the exit.

In that moment, something inside me snaps.

This is it, Erin, you’re done.Your dignity is worth more than misery.

No matter how unfairly handsome he is, or how good he smells, or how my heart rate spikes when he is near.No matter that for one foolish, drunken second, I thought he looked at me like he might actually want me.I’mdonewith this infatuation.It is time to move on.

I walk away, head high, stepping over the fragments of my crumbling heart.I smooth out my dress with trembling fingers and force a smile as I weave through the crowd.

He doesn’t want complications?Fine.I won’t be one.

God, I wish I hadn’t given in and kissed him, and most of all, I wish his rejection didn’t sting so much.But now my eyes are open and I can move on from this crush.

I leave the gala on autopilot, my body and mind cold and numb.I barely remember what I said to Lily.Something about being tired and having a headache.She gave me a hug, her eyes searching my face, but I didn’t let her look for too long.She knows me too well not to see the splintered pieces of myself barely held together by sheer will.

The driver opens the car door and I slide into the backseat, grateful for the silence.As the car pulls away, I lean my head against the window, letting the cool glass steady me.The city lights blur past, lulling my mind into a haze.Slowly, my breathing evens out until it is almost normal again.

By the time I make it back to the condo, my body feels like it weighs a thousand pounds.I remove the heels the moment I step in and shut the door behind me.My clutch lands on the kitchen island with a soft thud and I make a beeline for the bathroom.