Chapter 7 The bell over the front door jingled as I unlocked it and flipped the sign to OPEN. Sunlight poured through the bookstore, casting golden streaks across the polished hardwood floors that I'd got down on my hands and knees and cleaned just last week. Money was tight so I couldn't afford the luxury of hire people to clean up and polish the floors, I made it work though. The fresh scent of cinnamon banana bread and lemon scones drifted from the bakery counter, warm and inviting but my mind was somehow still upstairs. Still in the bathroom and my bedroom... Ghost. Ghost was a name that you gave someone when you didn't want your real identity to be known. That piqued my interest even more, but I knew better than to try digging into somebody that was clearly dangerous. I grabbed my apron and tied it around me before smoothing the front of it as I tried to gather myself and prepare for the morning rush. The early hustle and bustle of the town hadn't quite kicked in yet, but I knew once it did, things would get hectic. I paced behind the register, checking things that didn't need checking. Every day was the same routine, but my head was so full of chaos, I needed something, anything to keep my hands busy. The sharp ring of the bell above the door made me jump. "Morning, Ivy," Ms. Lorette called out. She was always the first customer when I opened up. "Morning," I said with a bright smile that barely made it past my cheeks. "I've got your coffee and banana nut muffin coming right up." She walked to the corner near the window and took a seat, like she always did, pulling her romance paperback from her tote. I made her coffee and slid her muffin onto the plate, moving like a robot. Every step, every blink, and every polite smile felt like I was pretending at this point. I had no clue how I would make it through the day and focus but the bills had to be paid so I pushed him to the back of my mind the best I could and got ready for the morning rush. The morning passed in a blur of latte foam and small talk, but my brain refused to stay downstairs. It kept drifting back to Ghost. I was behind the counter refilling the pastry case since the morning rush had left it empty. My book café was the only one in town which was a blessing and a curse because it kept me busy, sometimes too busy and I was the only one prepping, baking and selling. This was the main reason I had no time for a real life outside of here. I was hoping to hire someone part time to help prep in the early mornings soon but hadn't actually gotten around to post the hiring ad. Since, id opened up, it had always been me managing and working alone so the thought of letting someone else in my space worried me. Would they know how to prep and bake the delicious treats that my customers loved. Would they know a romance novel from a suspense? Would they even be a book lover? There were more questions than answers when it came to hiring help around here, so I did as I always do and pushed it to the back of my mind, promising to revisit it again sometime soon. The bell sounded off again just as I'd finished restocking the last batch of blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins. "Mmm... Ivy, you must really be tired," that familiar voice spoke out, causing me to roll my eyes before turning to face him. "Tired from running through your mind right, Jesse?" I snorted. "Alright, alright. You got me, Ivy Monroe." Jesse chuckled as he walked towards the pastry case, eyeing the muffins I'd just finish restocking. "Mhmm," I muttered, clearly over his daily shenanigans. "Your usual right?" He nodded, leaning on the counter as he watched me fix his coffee and muffins. "So, how are you doing today, Ivy?" He said, attempting to make the usual small talk after I'd shut him down with the flirting. It was harmless, but I didn't understand why he continued to try it every day since it never went anywhere. "I'm fine, Jesse. Same ole, same ole, you know?" "Yea... I can see just how fine you are," he mumbled just above a whisper. I slightly turned my head just in time to see him staring at my ass. He was damn near drooling on the counter with his mouth ajar. "Ahem." Jesse quickly looked up at me like a deer caught in headlights. "I know you like the view but if you gone drool all over my countertop, you might wanna keep your eyes on your coffee, not the curves." I said over my shoulder as I put the lid on his cup. Jesse chuckled. "Can't help it, Ivy. Seeing you is like my daily shot of dopamine." I rolled my eyes as I sat the cup of coffee down in front of him. "Look at her again like that and you gone catch a shot of lead to yo' chest nigga," Ghost voice cut through out of nowhere. I whipped around and caught sight of him standing in the corner over by the shelf of thriller novels. How long has he been standing there? Jesse's grin vanished and I watched him swallow hard, fumbling for his words. "I-Who are you?" Ghost stepped out the shadows slowly as his eyes remained locked on Jesse. "The last muthafucka you gon' see if I catch you looking at anything other than her face," his voice dropped lower. "And you don't need to know my name, just know she ain't yours to be looking at," he said through gritted teeth. Something about the way he said it made my skin prickle. I should've been pissed at him for saying anything to Jesse because he was harmless and one of my best customers, but I wasn't. No one had ever stood up for me like that except for my father. I could tell he really meant what he said to Jesse, and I was... God help me, I was turned on. Jesse between me and Ghost like I was supposed to explain what the hell was going on, but I was too shocked to even form the words. "Alright, damn," Jesse uttered throwing his hands up. "I didn't mean anything by it. My bad Ivy." He backed away and turned to leave while mumbling something under his breath that he dared not to say to Ghost's face. I stood still, in silence, staring at the man who scared me and thrilled me in the same breath. Ghost didn't look at me right away, just stared at the front door and Jesse had disappeared through as his jaw twitched. After a few seconds of deadly silence, he turned his head and locked eyes with me. "You just let muthafuckas come in here fucking with you like that, Specs? That nigga was undressing you with his beaty ass eyes." The words weren't loud, but they held weight, and I could hear the anger brewing in his voice. "I can handle Jesse," I said, quieter than I meant to. "He harmless," I shrugged, reaching for the cleaning rag and pretending to wipe down the counter. Anything to keep my eyes off him right now. He narrowed his eyes. "Nah," he said, stepping forward. "That nigga don't even know what you are. He think he got access to you because you allow him to come in here doing that shit." My breath got caught in my throat when he moved around the counter. He didn't stop until he was standing close enough for me to smell his minty breath. "What I am?" I echoed. His eyes dropped to my mouth, then lower. He tilted his head like he was studying me. "You're pure as fuck and you beautiful Specs, and I don't even think you realize how much sex appeal you got. The kind that make dumb niggas like that think they can fuck with you," he said, his voice low and deep, sending a tingling sensation past my stomach. "But they don't see what's underneath all that shit." "And you do?" He stepped closer, leaving nothing but heat between us. "I feel that shit." I didn't know if I wanted to step back or lean in and taste his plump, sinful lips that looked way too damn good for my peace of mind. I had never kissed a man before, but in that moment, he made me want to break every rule I'd ever made. I wanted to suck on his lips and let him devour mine. Shoot Ivy, get your head straight! He raised his hand up as his fingers brushed a curl off my cheek. Then he dipped low and close to my ear. "Next time a nigga try you like that, you better check they ass Specs, cause if you don't I promise I will and that shit won't be pretty. Your whole little bookstore will be decorated in their blood." He straightened as his eyes skimmed mine for a few seconds longer then, just like that, he walked away. Back towards the stairs, back into the shadows like he hadn't just turned my whole insides upside down. I stood there, thinking about how I should've run behind him and cursed his ass out for messing with my customers and I planned on giving him a peace of my mind about it later. BUZZ I pulled my phone out of the apron pocket and saw that I had a message from Tori. Tori: Bout to slide thru with those books I borrowed. You better have cinnamon rolls or I'm rioting! Panic set in as I remember that nobody knew Ghost was here. I hadn't told Tori anything and I wasn't ready to yet. I said a quick prayer that Ghost wouldn't make another off-the-wall appearance while she was here and then busied myself with tidying up the café to keep my anxiety from spiraling. I had just finished going over the kitchen floor with the swifter, when I heard the bell above the door jingling again. "Smells good as fuck in here friend," came the loud, familiar voice I'd grown to love. "You got my cinnamon roll or nah?" "Tori," I sighed as I rounded the counter to greet my best friend. She walked in like she owned the place with her burgundy curls, bouncing oversized sunglasses still on despite the cloudy morning and her gold hoops swinging. She was wearing a cropped graphic tee that read "Bad Decisions Build Character" and biker shorts that left very little to the imagination. We embraced each other then I stepped back, eyeing the too little shorts she was wearing with a raised brow. "Girl please, don't start with me. These thighs deserve fresh air." "You are so dramatic." "Thank you, ma'am," she said, giving me an exaggerating swirl. "Now, where is my cinnamon roll? My uterus is PMS'ing and I will absolutely cuss somebody out in public today for playing with me." I walked back around the counter and handed her the warm pastry that I'd already prepared for her beforehand. She made an actual moaning sound before taking a huge bite. Tori was a certified mess, the good kind though. She was loud, loyal and always ten seconds away from dragging me out of the house for something reckless I had no damn business doing. Tori and I met in college. She was studying cosmetology and was my roommate for two semesters before she moved off-campus and officially launched her "hot girl era," as she loved to call it, and she loved to remind me that I needed one too. Tori grew up with strict, old school Southern parents who made sure she was in church every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. She never had sleepovers and boys were out of the question. But the minute she left home, she snapped every rule in half and never looked back. By the time we were twenty-three, she'd opened her own beauty bar, was booked solid for lashes and facials, and had a waitlist that was two months long. Tori had been there for me through everything since we'd met and became a constant in my life, especially after my parents passed away. She offered to take some time off from her business and help me run the book café, but I refused to let her put her dreams on hold to help make mine. She wasn't hearing me at all, cause she ended up taking a month off just to stay here with me while I worked through my grief and helped run the shop. Tori didn't take shit for nobody and she didn't allow me to hide from life either. She works my nerves at times with all her wild and crazy shenanigans that she loves dragging me into but at the same time, she protects and respects my innocence and doesn't judge me for it. "So, what's tea? Your still not dating?" She asked, chewing and eyeing me suspiciously. "Not since you asked me that same question last week," I responded, rolling my eyes. "Well, you didn't text me back yesterday. Did you finally download one of those dating apps I sent you?" "I didn't open the store yesterday," I admitted, hesitantly. Tori stopped mid-bite. "Wait, what? Ivy Monroe, you never skip work. Not even when you had the flu and could barely fucking breath. What is going on with you?" I forced a shrug. "I just-wasn't feeling well." She narrowed her eyes at me. "Girl, you always don't feel well when your emotions are involved. So, what is it? Are we talking anxiety spiral, random emotional break down, or did a man say something crazy to you and you're just now processing it? Wait-no it can't be the last part because that would mean that you would actually have to converse with a man, any man other than bad breath Jesse that comes in here flirting with you every damn day before brushing his damn teeth and I know you fucking lying." I smirked at her then looked away. "Oh my God," she whispered dramatically. "You're fucking with Jesse?!" "What-no! Definitely not him!" "So, not him but there is a man." "No, there isn't." "You've always been a bad liar Ivy," she said, hopping up to sit on the front counter. "Who is he, chile?" Her eyes lit up while she waited for me to spill the tea on Ghost. I didn't know what this was with us or even if it was something at all, but I knew I wasn't ready to tell her about him and what had transpired the past few days. It's not every day that you tell your best friend that a fine ass stranger broke into your store in the middle of the night bleeding to death with a gun pointed at you and instead of running or calling the cops, you take him in and nurture him back to health while secretly lusting over him while he sleeps in your bed. I busied myself, wiping down a perfectly clean expresso machine. "Nobody... just a guy from my past that resurfaced. It kind of rattled me, so I wasn't in the right headspace to be around people, that's all," I lied. Tori eyed me carefully, like she could read right through the lie I'd given her. "Someone from your past, huh? Anyone I know?" She questioned. I shook my head. "Not at all. Just some guy from high school." "Well, ok. At least he was fine as hell, but what could he have done to have you so 'rattled' that you couldn't open your damn store?" I knew that she was never going to let this conversation go, which is why I gave her the bullshit lie about a high school ex. Tori always meant well, but she could be very pushy at times, and I wasn't easily influenced these days, especially to be out dating different guys with no real intentions. If she knew the truth about who was upstairs in my bedroom right now and why, she would really go nuts. Then again, she would probably jump into a split, thinking that I'd finally got my 'split hit', as she would say. Whatever that meant. "I never said he was fine, Tor⁠-" "You didn't have to, boo. That fidgeting you do with your hands, and those rosy cheeks told me all I needed to know about him. He got you hot and bothered, Ivy. Now is the time to use that toy I gave you since you ain't trying hit a split on the dick," she chuckled, clearly amused by me being flustered. "Girl! That thing had me almost going into cardiac arrest in less than 30 seconds. Absolutely not!" "Sis, that's all you need to get you right. It will definitely hold you off until you get the real thing," she shrugged like having heart attack symptoms from a sex toy was normal. Freaky ass! "For you to be so bothered by this man, you shol' is glowing." She gasped. "Ivy Monroe, did you fuck him?! Oh my God, bitch spill it! Tell me everything. Was his dick big? Did it hurt? Do he eat coo⁠-" "TORI, STOP!" I yelled out. She was really being ridiculous and too damn invested in my life and who I gave my coochie too. "No, I haven't fucked anybody. Yes, he is fine as hell, but you know I'm in no rush to give up the goods. I want real love, not some bend me over fuck session and never talk again type shit." "Mm mm don't threaten me with a good time hunny," she smirked, sticking her tongue out. "I'm not doing this with you right now," I said, giggling. Ghost most definitely had me hot and bothered since he'd showed up. It was everything about him for me-his voice, his eyes, the way he moved, even hurt, I could just tell that he was a force to be wreckened with. He had me second guessing everything I thought I wanted. The way he looked at me told me that he wanted to devour me, and the worst part was that I wanted him to, in the worst and best way. I knew better, though. I'd read about men like him that come into your life, make you fall in love, cause chaos and then leave you heartbroken-something that I wasn't ready to experience, so I told myself to be smart and keep my feelings locked tight, at least until he was gone. But even then.... I wasn't sure if I'd make it out of this untouched. "You're being weird," Tori said, studying me. "You always get all squirmy and weird when it's some real shit. I cleared my throat. "Okay, pot. I'm kettle." She grinned. "Touche, bitch. Anyway, I plan to date all these niggas until one of em' decide to act right. Speaking of, I had a date last night with that chef dude, girl it was fucking horrible. The nigga had the nerve to order for me, and then when the food came, he chewed with his mouth open." "Ewwww," I blurted. "Then what put the fucking icing on the cake for me was the nigga didn't believe in zodiac signs and refused to tip the waiter. Bitch, I skedaddled out of the restaurant so damn fast and had his number blocked and deleted by the time I left the parking lot." "But you did tip the waiter first though, right?" I questioned. "Uh, no! I wasn't paying for shit on no date with a nigga. I shot that waitress a sad face and kept it moving." I doubled over laughing at Tori. Like I said before, she was crazy and wild, but we meshed so well together. Tori was the sister I never had and never knew I needed. I knew that eventually I would have to tell her about Ghost because there was no way in hell, I'd be able to keep these feelings and crazy emotions to myself. I was thanking God that he hadn't stepped out of the shadows again and blew my cover. Tori and I chatted for a little while longer before she left to get ready for her next date tonight, promising to call me after with the details. Listening to her love life or lack of was the only excitement I had outside of these walls. Well, until he appeared. Now I just had to make it through the next couple of days of him healing with my mind and virginity intact, I wasn't sure if either was possible.