Page 75 of Possess Me! (I Want You To)

“Um, no?” I sighed, because as much as I appreciated the fact my pint-sized ghost companion wanted to go rough some dude up, there was no point. “No. He’s long gone. I appreciate the thought, but the guy peeled out of here the second he got off scot-free.” Chasing him would be a waste of time. Prudence huffed but didn’t argue, thank god. I didn’t think I had the capacity to banter with him right now.

I had to think of a plan.

“We’re gonna have to dine and dash,” I decided. His eyes widened. It was the first time I’d seen him truly surprised, and a startled laugh threatened to escape my lips. “I’ll need a distraction…” I waited for him to get the idea, and when he did, his smile grew wicked. He popped his knuckles, then stretched his neck from side to side, waiting for instruction.

Five minutes, three exploded toilets, and one small kitchen fire later, and I was out the door and back in my piece of shit car.

“Please start, please start, please start,” I pleaded with the car gods as I flipped the ignition and the engine roared to life. Behind the glass windows the patrons of the diner were scrambling about, all involved in the distraction of the century, as Prudence climbed into the passenger seat, half phasing through the door, like he’d forgotten people could see him.

Not a hair on his head was out of place despite the chaos he’d just created.

He grinned at me, and I grinned back as we pulled onto the dark street and headed toward the freeway.

“So, what now?” Prudence inquired, surprising me when he asked rather than told me what we were going to do.

While he’d been clogging plumbing and pouring oil on shit, I’d had enough time to come up with a plan. Sure, I hadn’t done this in a while. A good long while. But some things were like riding a bike.

We had to save the battery juice on my phone, since I didn’t know when the next time I’d get to charge it would be, but this was necessary.

“Pull up to the nearest club.” I dug around my hoodie pocket for my phone and tossed it toward Prudence. He caught it effortlessly, typing in my password, despite the fact I’d never fucking told him it. Nosy fucker.

“Why?” He asked, though he did as he was commanded. The fluorescent blue of the screen lit up his face as streetlights flickered through his body. Maybe setting fires tired him out, because he seemed slightly less solid than before. I could almost see the seat through his body. It should’ve weirded me out, but it didn’t.

“We don’t have any money. We have hardly any gas.” I pointed out our major problems, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel as I explained. “And that guy who stole my shit?” I flashed him my dimples as I rolled down the window and the cool night breeze whipped through the car. Sure, this was a shitty plan, but it was the only one we had. My belly was full—and Prudence was here. So really, tonight wasn’t so bad. Maybe it could even be fun. “Yeah. He gave me an idea.”

Luca was running on fumes by the time we got to the club. There was a slap-happy jerk to his motions, and his eyes were just on the wrong side of wild. According to Google, the whole place would be shutting down in just over two hours, so we didn’t have much time. I was still begrudgingly impressed that he’d been the one to come up with this idea.

He was full of surprises today.

It was becoming clear to me, the longer I spent with him, that Luca was not who I’d thought he was. Behind his sunshine and smiles, he was an enigma. Every new discovery I made about him was a gift tangled in ribbons, just ready to be unwrapped.

There were deep bruises beneath his eyes, the kind that only came from true exhaustion, as we pulled into the parking lot and he turned to me, determined. His jaw flickered with tension, his broad shoulders pulled back as he stared me down. Despite the look on his face, when he spoke his words were gentle.

“You gonna be able to stay solid if we go in there?” he asked.

I blinked.

“Because if you can’t I—” When I glanced at myself I realized his concern was not unfounded. Unconsciously, I’d relaxed around him, my body morphing into the half-solid state it only became when my guard was down. Immediately, I focused all my energy on my appearance—a skill I’d had to hone while with Lydia—until I was no longer see-through. “Shit. Never mind.”

“I was just conserving energy,” I arched an eyebrow and Luca smiled.

“Oh. Well, good then.” He blinked at me, eyes searching mine for just a moment before the steel in his gaze came back full force. “You know the plan?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes.”

“Awesome. Go rob some dudes, ghosty Mc-Hottie-Pants.” He held up his hand for a high-five, which I refused to return. My hands stayed firmly on my thighs as I glared. It would be a cold day in hell before I—

He grabbed my hand.

His skin was hot, almost soft. Long fingers gave my palm a gentle squeeze. It reminded me of the diner. The way his grip had been tight enough to chase away my demons.

“You’re such a grouch. Ha. Prudence the Grouch.” Luca snorted. I couldn’t stop staring at our hands. Why the hell did I like this? What was happening to me? I hated physical contact outside of sex. “I’ll go in first. You follow after me. We need to make sure it doesn’t look like we came in together.”

I rolled my eyes again. He’d already explained the plan five different times. I knew it by heart. I wasn’t stupid.

I could hear Luca’s grin before I saw it. “Whoever boosts more wallets wins.”

“You’re such a child.”

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