Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 38381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
I’m going to wait and talk to Ivan. He’ll know more about Iron and Shadow. He can also give me a list of the old members. I also trust Ivan to tell it to me like it is. I’m a ball of confusion at the moment. All I know for certain is that I don’t want to hurt Ghost. I do need to forget him, though. There’s no future for us. The fact that he goes so long without even talking to me is clue number one.
“Teddy, I sure do miss you. Things didn’t seem as complicated when you were around.”
I whisper those words up toward the ceiling, then exhale into a melancholy sigh. I miss him every day, but it’s worse at night when I’m alone. I must quit procrastinating. I need to give Mrs. M. my notice. She could rent this apartment out pretty easily and I don’t want to stand in the way of that. No matter what I do, I’ll be leaving Phoenix shortly after I talk with Ivan.
“Lennox! I worried when you haven’t been coming in for breakfast,” Mrs. M. says immediately as I enter the small coffee shop. It’s relatively quiet in here right now, but then their morning rush hour is over.
“Sorry, Mrs. M. I had some things to see to.”
“Never you mind that. You sit down and I’m going to bring you a hot cup of coffee and let you try my new Italian wedding soup. We’ve been kicking around selling soup throughout the day. You can tell me what you think!”
I laugh, because she just seems so excited. “Sounds good,” I tell her.
I’m not hungry. Soup is the last thing I want, but I don’t want to disappoint her. I already have to tell her I’ll be moving out at the end of the month. I’m actually going to miss this place. Mrs. M. has been really warm and kind to me. Those are two things that I’ve not had much of in my life—Teddy and Roberta being the lone exceptions. Roberta once told me that my mother was kind, but I don’t remember her, so I can’t say.
After a small wait, Mrs. M. comes back over. She presents her soup proudly and grins at me. “Thanks Mrs. M. Can you sit down? I wanted to talk with you.”
“That sounds serious. Is everything okay, Lennox?”
I reach out and hold her hand. “You’ve been so good to me, Mrs. M. This time with you has felt like home, and I’ve never had that before.”
“You’re leaving?” she asks, and I can hear the pain in her voice.
“I … well …”
“She’s moving in with me.”
My head jerks up to see Ghost standing there. My first thought is, what is he doing here? My second is the most worrisome. How does he keep sneaking up on me?
“What?” Mrs. M. squeals.
“I’m not—”
Ghost slaps his hand down on my shoulder, squeezing it in warning. “She’s not happy about moving out. She enjoys living close to you,” Ghost fabricates. I can’t say he’s lying—well, about anything other than me moving in with him. What the hell is he thinking?
“Oh, honey! Don’t worry. The Titans’ clubhouse isn’t far away. You can always come by and see me,” she assures me.
“I’ll visit you as much as I can,” I murmur, not exactly lying.
“Good! Would you like some soup, Ghost?” she asks, and suddenly it hits me that Mrs. M. acts like she knows Ghost.
“Nah, I’m good. Coffee, though.”
“You got it,” she answers, walking away.
I wait until she’s out of earshot and then I turn to look at Ghost. “What on earth are you doing?”
“Getting you out of your lease.”
“I don’t have a lease. I was just trying to say goodbye to her.”
“Well, now you don’t have to.”
“I do. I’m leaving Arizona.”
“When?”
“At the end of the month.”
He frowns. “Until then, you can live with me..”
“You’re insane. You haven’t even spoken to me since the morning I woke up in your bed alone. Ghost, this isn’t the way it’s done.”
“What’s done?”
“You don’t get to ignore me and then tell people I care about we’re moving in together when we don’t even have an actual relationship.”
“It felt pretty real when you were screaming my name.”
“That’s sex.”
“It’s damn good sex.”
“You don’t move in together for sex alone. You could, and probably do, have good sex with your numerous club girls.”
“Maybe I will when you leave. Until you do, I want you to be the only woman in my bed.”
“Not happening,” I mutter, not liking this entire conversation.
“Why?”
“Why? Maybe I just don’t like being your substitute club whore while I’m here.”
“You want more?”
“More? Like a relationship?”
He nods his answer.
“Of course not! That’d be insane. I’m leaving soon.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Maybe I just don’t want to sleep with you.”
“We both know that’s a lie.”
“You’re so full of yourself,” I huff.