Page 73 of Ghosts of Halloween

Fuck.I want those black fingers curled around mine. I want to feel them on my cheek, in my hair, and on my dick, too, while we’re at it. At the same time, I want her to take the arm off so I can see her truly naked without the prop. She never goes out in public without a prosthetic, though the old one was barely functional. She still wore it like a shield.

“Thank you.” Her voice is raspy with emotion as she looks at Noah with bright, shining eyes. “I won’t even ask what you did to be able to get it for me. Just… I love you so much.”

She launches herself at him, and Noah hugs her with a laugh, burying his face in her hair. I look over at Caden, who wears a mild expression, holding his beer bottle loosely. Silas sits next to him, their knees touching, and when he catches my eye, he shoots me a frustrated look.

He doesn’t like the fact Noah splurged most of his cut on the prosthetic so soon after we did the job. He thinks it’s careless, but I don’tgive a fuck. No one in this town knows how much it cost, and besides, they can say Harlow inherited money from a relative or some shit if somebody asks.

And Silas is always so ridiculously careful. I’m surehismoney is buried somewhere, hidden so no one ever learns about it. Wonder when he’ll feel safe enough to start spending it. A year from now? Five?

I haven’t spent mine, either. I don’t think too much about what I’m planning to do with it, but sometimes, I let daydreams through when I lug crates in my shitty job at the warehouse. I dream about a small, cozy apartment. Soft sheets smelling like Harlow. Maybe a ring on her finger.

Stupid and pathetic, especially since I can’t even look at her as much as I want. Noah has already threatened to gouge my eyes out with a spoon once. He’s crazy enough to make good on his threat.

When Harlow lets go of him, shrugs on her hoodie, and reaches for her soda carefully, using the new hand, Silas gets to his feet and pulls cigarettes out of his pocket. Noah pats Harlow’s arm and gets up, Caden following them, his beer bottle held carelessly in two fingers.

I’m trying to give up smoking, so they don’t get suspicious when I don’t follow. Only Caden looks over his shoulder and shoots me a smirk. I flip him off, my heart beating faster when I look at Harlow, whose bright, happy eyes are on me.

I’m on my third beer, already feeling pretty loose and confident, so I don’t even hesitate before I slide my crate over to her side. I maneuver carefully so our knees touch without making it obvious it’s on purpose.

“Hey, you.”

She shakes her head with a smile, bumping me lightly with her elbow. “Noah will pop a vein when he sees you,” she warns me, her voice low, her smile conspiratorial. “You know how he is.”

I shrug, reaching over to get my beer and settle back, an inch closer than before so my hip is pressed against hers. “What Noah doesn’t see won’t hurt him,” I say with a wink.

She snorts lightly, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she looks me up and down. When her gaze returns to my face, her smile seems a bit strained, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. I grin, knowing she likes what she sees. I’m tall and lean, my physical job and long hours playing basketball reflected in my frame. I run my hand over my buzzcut, relishing the roughness of the short hair.

I keep this sharp, soldierly look mainly because Harlow once told me she digs it.

“Hope you’re right,” she says, looking away. She fumbles with her can, finally taking a sip of the soda, and I nudge her with my elbow when she’s done.

“Want something stronger?”

I have rum in my bag, and I could pour some into her drink. No one would be the wiser, and she could loosen up. I know she’s nineteen, but come on. Everyone drinks at nineteen.

But Harlow shakes her head without looking at me. “Thanks, but I can’t. Booze makes me clumsy, and I’m disabled enough as it is.”

I stare at her for a moment before I snort. “Disabled,” I repeat in disgust. “Don’t give me that, princess. Sure, you’re at a disadvantage. But don’t tell me you don’t work twice as hard as other people to make up for it. It’s almost scary how capable you are.”

And she is. I know how hard she always studied for school, because Noah boasted about her grades. But that’s just part of it. Even with the previous, useless prosthetic, she still made a point to cook actual meals for herself and Noah. She takes care of their tiny apartment, and it’s always clean and cozy when we come over.

Even though it’s hard, she keeps looking for a job. Noah wouldn’t let her work until she graduated, but he can’t stop her now, and she’s determined to find something.

When Harlow snorts, shaking her head, I grip her left hand and look at her. “You work so hard,” I say, my voice low. “And in all that, you still find time to…”

I cut myself off, knowing that what I almost said would earn me a kick to the balls. But it’s too late. She narrows her eyes at me, and something tells me she knows exactly what I was about to say.

“To what, Jack?”

I squirm, but there’s nothing for it, so I say it, keeping my face impassive. “To fuck around.”

Harlow remains tense for a moment, but when I glance at her calmly and don’t add anything, she exhales a long breath and nods.

“All right. Give me something stronger. Guess I need it now.”

I just manage to generously spike her soda and move my crate away when the guys come back. We sit and talk for half an hour, and I watch in anticipation as Harlow drains her can, wondering what she’ll do. She doesn’t really look any different from normal, maybe a bit glassy-eyed. When the boys go for another smoke, I shuffle over.

“How is it going, princess?”

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