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Nova had been sitting in the car for five minutes.

She looked around the street that was alive with the laughter of children who rode on their bikes and jump ropes on the road. It was like any other street; it was almost quiet and all the houses were the same. She had been staring at the house she was supposed to deliver the package to, but no one had come out of it.

She was confused. She thought she would find a beat-up house in a secluded place, the lawn swarming with tattered men doing god knows what. She never expected to find herself in a nice street and in front of a beautiful house.

Her eyes drifted to the package on the passenger's seat. It was a small box that was wrapped in a blue paper. It didn't come with an instruction, but it came with the car she drove in. Nova guessed Ghost noticed she didn't own a car and decided to give her one that didn't have a return note. Was she going to keep it with her? Since he didn't say anything about returning it back to him, she was going to assume she would use it for the deliveries. It didn't smell like a brand new car, but it did smell nice.

Drumming her fingers on the wheel, she looked at her watch. Six minutes. That was how long it took before she gathered enough courage to walk out of the car with the package in hand. It was so light under her hands. Nova wondered what was in it. As much as she was curious, she would rather not know the contents inside. Being oblivious was the only thing that was keeping her from losing her shit.

Locking the car, she started to approach the house with cautious.

"Nova."

She halted in her steps, swinging around behind her.

"It is you!"

She found herself momentarily paralyzed as Wendy, an old friend from high school walked up to her and pulled her in a hug. A hug she didn't return. Nova was visibly in shock and frightened. Where the hell did she even come from? Wendy pulled back from the hug, her face painted with a grin. She looked exactly like the last time Nova saw her, which was two years ago; tall, curvy and beautiful.

"Hi, Wendy. What are you doing here?" She tried not to draw attention to her panicked voice, covering it up with a smile she dazzled her with, a smile that was tight and forceful.

"I live here," Wendy answered, tilting her body to look behind her. "Just across the street." There were cars parked outside her house, people going in and out. "What are you doing here?"

Nova's mouth opened and closed, as she searched for a lie to tell her. Obviously, she couldn't tell her the truth, but she could also not tell her which house she was going to. Nova still had no idea who lived in it, or if she could trust them to keep quiet about what she was doing, and she knew Wendy could never keep her mouth shut about anything.

This suddenly became the most annoying day ever.

"I think I'm lost," she told her with a nervous chuckle. She didn't think she sounded believable, but Wendy was someone who wouldn't catch on that. "Got the address all wrong."

"Well, that's fine. I would say you came at the right moment. I'm throwing a small party, and you have to come with me. There are a few people from school that haven't seen you in forever!"

"But I—"

Her protest was death to Wendy's ears as she tugged her to her house. Nova looked back at the house behind her, and then looked down at the package still in had hands. She wanted to scream or cry. Either could subside what she was feeling inside.

Wendy's small party was not small. As she pulled her through the mass of people, Nova clutched the package to her chest protectively. The music wasn't loud, but it was enough to tone down the chatters in the room.

"You guys, look who I found!" Wendy yelled at the group of people sitting in the living room. They looked up, and Nova forced another smile onto her face. If this had been a different day, she would have been happy seeing her high school friends, but in this case, all she wanted to do was get away from them and deliver the damn package.

A chorus of Nova went around the room. Wendy sat her in between herself and Ben Marks, shoving a beer in her hand and eyeing what Nova was holding with dear life before snatching it.

Nova bolted up.

"Give me that!"

She laughed and shook the package. "What do you have in there?" She attempted to open it, but Nova charged at her like a maniac, snatching it back from her hand as she startled Wendy and everyone else in the room. "Wow, there."

"Sorry," she apologized, sitting back down.

"So, what do you do now, Nova?" Someone in the room threw the question at her. "I remember how you wanted to be a doctor. You got your license?"

Her cheeks flushed. Nova didn't like to talk or think about that specific time. She shook her head at Jimmy Olsen. "No, I dropped out of medical school a few years ago. Now, I'm a waitress until something better comes."

"For sure I was thinking you had to be a hotshot doctor now, running around and saving lives. I wonder what went wrong."

She couldn't find the right words for Hailey, so she settled with yet, another small smile.

"Leave her alone, Hailey." Ben came to the rescue. "No one does anything without having a good reason. Maybe Nova decided she didn't want to be a doctor anymore." He met her gaze with a grin.

She drowned out the rest of the conversations. Every time she tried to get up to leave, Wendy pushed her down and recalled a funny story from their teenage years. Nova was sitting so stiffly. Her heart raced against her chest and she kept drumming her toes on the ground, anxious to leave.

Ben leaned to her face and asked, "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

He didn't wait for her to answer before he tugged her on her feet and walked with her, hand in hand. The group chuckled and whistled, and Ben flipped them off as he walked them to the kitchen. It was less crowded and quieter.

"So," he began, handing her a plastic cup that contained a green liquid. "You look good."

"So do you." And he did. Ben was an athlete in high school and the captain of the football team. He looked better than he did before. He had gotten hotter and more attractive; blonde hair, green eyes and sharp features. Nova remembered having a crush on him back then, but he had been dating someone.

He grinned at her response. "It has been a while, hasn't it? I lost your number, and I heard from someone that you left town. Guess that wasn't true."

She laughed. "Yeah, I think I'm going to be stuck in this town."

"Which is a good thing," he quickly added. "Gives me the opportunity to ask if you want to hang out sometimes?"

She tried not to let her jaw drop. Was he asking her out on a date? Teenage Nova would have flipped over the question. Right now, the thought of getting out of here was what was stopping her from enjoying the moment.

"Sure."

"Cool. Punch in your number." He handed her his phone, and she had no choice but to sit the package on the island, punching in her phone number.

"What do you do now?"

"Oh, I work for the Feds, can you believe it?" he said, as he saved the number. "Everyone thought football was in my future."

Blood drained from her face. Her eyes and her mouth were frozen wide open in an expression of stunned surprise. Her brain desperately scrambled to make sense of what was happening right now. Ben worked for the Feds. Ben worked for the Feds.

"Hey," His hand touched her shoulder. "You okay?"

Nova felt a soft panic growing inside. She gnawed on the inside of her cheek so hard she tasted blood in her mouth. "Yes, yes, I'm okay," She managed to squeak out, feeling her pulse pound in her temples. "Can you excuse me, please?"

There was a door that led outside to the backyard, and as soon as she could feel the air entering her lungs, a small sigh of anxiety leapt out of her mouth. Nova looked up at the blue sky, as though she was trying to ask God why he loved putting her in this situation. A guy she had a crush on years ago finally asked her out, but he turned out to be a Fed, and she turned out to work for a gang. These things had to be a joke. There had to be someone playing this sick joke on her.

"Nova? Are you okay?"

She turned to Ben, who was looking at her with concern in his eyes and nodded, walking past him to get inside and grab her package.

"Sorry, Ben, but I have to go. It was nice seeing you again." She turned and bolted out of the kitchen. Nova waited in the car until she was sure he wasn't going to chase her out here before she walked out to deliver the package.

When she rang on the doorbell, she was greeted with a bulky man. His face was mostly obscured by a red scraggly beard that clung to his skin and his eyes were bloodshed red. A lit cigarette was in between his fingers, smoking drifting into the air.

He took one look at the package and glared at her.

"You're late."

She opened her mouth to make up an excuse, but he took the package from her hands and slammed the door on her face.

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Nov was shoving ice cream into her mouth. It was a little past midnight, but she couldn't sleep. She poured chocolate syrup straight into her mouth, swallowing it down. After she got home, Ben had called to check on her after her abrupt exit. Nova lied and put the blame on cramps. They talked for five minutes, reminiscing the past.

It had felt good to talk to Ben, but it was dangerous to drag him into her life. Not because she feared for Ghost, but she feared for her life the most. Dating a Fed while she worked for a gang wasn't something to be taken lightly, and if she knew what was good for her, she needed to cut ties with Ben. And if Ghost found out about it......

The kitchen doorknob rattled. She shot up and grab a knife to defend herself, but a familiar shadow sauntered into the kitchen. Fitted leather jacket, his shirt unbuttoned and tight pants, he looked like he just came back from doing something illegal, but he looked delicious and dangerous at the same time.

Dark, mysterious green eyes seized her up in her sports bra and shorts. His intense gaze knocked the breath out of her as she struggled underneath those eyes of his. Nova couldn't say how long he had been standing there and taking her in as if he was savouring it because he had missed her. She shouldn't be flattered. Her stomach shouldn't get butterflies. It wasn't exactly a secret that he could turn her deceased faster than her heartbeats.

Silently, she put the knife down as he crossed over to sit on the stool opposite her.

His tongue flicked quickly over his lips, wetting them smooth. "Vanilla and chocolate are my favourite combinations." The way his eyes darted low to her mouth drew in a gasp of air from her. He shouldn't be evoking these emotions out of her. He shouldn't make her feel suffocated. It shouldn't be possible the way he drove her crazy.

Nova pushed the ice cream and syrup towards him, trying not to let him see her trembling form. He shot out and snatched her soon, and without breaking eye contact, his mouth parted a fraction and he raised it to his lips.

"Is there a reason why you're here in this ungodly hour?"

"Thought we should celebrate," he drawled. A playful smirk tugged at all his hard features, and the power radiating off him intoxicated her and set off a fire inside her. "Isn't that what people do? Celebrate on their first day?"

"Couldn't you have waited until tomorrow? Like a normal person?"

"Baby, we've already established that I'm not normal."

Her heart thundered as she puffed out a hot breath. She ran all ten fingers through her hair. "Could you please..." She stopped, and he raised his eyebrows lazily at her. Nova chewed on her lip, the words on the tip of her mouth. A myriad of emotions played over her features as he continued to stare. Waiting. "Do whatever you want. It's not like you listen to anything I say."

He smirked at her hushed but shrill tone, only infuriating her more that he was still finding amusement in all of this. "Want. Such a dangerous word not to be taken lightly. You did great today."

Nova was mildly thrown by that response and how gently he spoke to her. She found herself drawing her brows together as he flashed a wicked, boyish grin that shot straight between her thighs.

"I did great?" All she did was ring a doorbell and get the package snatched out of her hands, and he thought she did great? "Thanks for the review." It was all she could do not to scream and hurl the knife at him when she was faced with his bemused face.

"Anything happened? Something I should know about?"

She tried not to give anything away with a shrug. "I don't know, ask my babysitter. Bet he has a lot to tell you."

The chuckle rumbled through his chest, a booming sound that earned him a glare. Ghost slipped out of the stool to come to stand in front of her.

"Would you rather have me babysit you as you put it?" With a high brow, he ticked his head towards her face, green eyes bright and shining with mischief. "However, I don't think that would be right."

She gazed up at him, heavy-lidded and confused. His intoxicating scent danced around her nostrils. "Why?"

He stared at her darkly and predatory. "Because I would be forced to do this all day." He swallowed her gasp into his mouth, his tongue thrusting deep into the depths of her mouth. Ghost kissed her hard and passionately, sweeping her off her feet to sit her down on the island as he drew her to his chest.

Nova welcomed his heat, the feel of his chest crushed against her breast exciting, the sensation of his tongue rubbing and gliding against hers sending a burning fire surging through her. His kisses were violent and his touches were burning. One of his hands pulled her bra down to her waist until she was fully exposed to him. Her senses left her, and all she could feel was Ghost, his fingers circling and tugging hard at her swollen nipple.

She moaned with pleasure as his lips travelled downward, replacing his fingers on her breast, his mouth closing hotly over her nipple. She gasped, not aware of his heavier breathing or the increasing urgency of his movements. He moved with skill, pulling and latching onto them. Her arms went around his neck, holding him in place as she tilted her head up and bit down on her lip.

Ghost's mouth came back to hers, and Nova's hands went to his jacket, pulling it off before getting rid of his shirt, pressing his broad, heated chest to her aching breasts. He showered kisses on her neck, nibbling and suckling, while she scratched at his back with her nails.

Ghost muttered something incoherent under his breath that broke the spell over her. She gasped out in shock at what was happening. His hands were still roaming her body and were dangerously close to her shorts before she pushed him back.

His eyes were dark with lust, his lips swollen from their kisses as he stared at her in con. Nova jumped down from the island, picked up her bra with shaking hands, and without looking at him, she ran to her room.