Page 2 of Ghosts of Halloween

I wait for a beat until her eyes widen and cheeks color, and she gasps softly, unsure how to answer. That’s when I pull away with a grin, pretending like nothing happened, even though I see the effect my proximity has on her.

I’ve done this for years. Getting too close in her personal space. Flirting shamelessly, going overboard, and pretending like it’s all a bigjoke afterward. At first, I did that because she was underaged, and I didn’t dare touch her yet. Then, I did that because Noah would lose it if I fucked his baby sister.

But even though I couldn’t touch her, I still messed with her head. As I did just now.

“You have to stop that, Jack,” she says, her blush fading away as she gives me a stern look. “If Noah hears about this, he’ll be pissed.”

Not Michael, I notice. She doesn’t seem to think her boyfriend will be bothered by me, and that’s just fucking sad. If she was mine, she’d piss herself from fear at the thought of what I’d do to a guy who tried flirting with her.

“Noah’s not here,” I say, stepping too close. “And you’re cute when you tell me off.”

Harlow sighs and shakes her head before looking at me with a reluctant smile.

“Sometimes I wish you were serious, Jack,” she says quietly and then shrugs with a tired smile. “Never mind. What are you up to today?”

When I don’t answer, she looks up and startles, her eyes widening. Whatever she sees in my face must be disturbing. But I don’t care. Noah, Michael, and everyone else in this shitty town… They can go fuck themselves.

She wishes I was serious. I fucking am. And it’s time to let her know just how serious I’m about her.

“Break up with him,” I say, and Harlow’s lips part in confusion.

When my meaning registers, she sighs and shakes her head.

“It’s not funny, Jack. Stop this shit.”

“Am I laughing, babe? Of course, it’s not fucking funny. If anything, it’s a fucking tragedy you’re still with that loser. Break up with him.”

Harlow purses her lips, and those eyes that are usually so soft and inviting go hard. She’s pissed, but I don’t back off.

“You don’t get to tell me who I can and can’t date,” she hisses.

An elderly lady passes us on the pavement, giving Harlow a disapproving look, and I take her hand—right, of course—and drag her into a side alley, where we can talk in private. We stand in the shadow of a building, and now that we’re out of the late October sun, it’s cold. Harlow shivers, and I take off my jacket and drape it over her shoulders.

For a moment, I think she’ll shrug it off to show me how angry she is, but she only huffs angrily and rearranges the jacket more tightly around herself.

“You’re right,” I say. “I don’t have a right to tell you shit. But I want it, Harlow. I want that right, which is why I’m asking you to break up with the loser.”

She sneers at me, which looks too damn cute, and huffs in exasperation.

“And what will happen after I break up with the only guy who even wants to go out with me? This is bullshit and I’m tired, Jack. You know everyone calls me a slut behind my back. Michael’s the only guy who wants me. He treats me with respect.”

I curl my lip, not even trying to hide what I think about the way he treats her.

“He tell you he loves you yet?” I ask with disdain. “Babe, that’s not respect. He’s using you. And he’s not the only one who wants you.”

“Would you just fucking stop?” she shouts, looking angry and hurt.

I frown. I clearly touched a nerve, but Harlow won’t let me talk or figure out what exactly is wrong. She pokes me in the chest, her brown eyes blazing, and I have to resist the urge to shut her up with a kiss.

“You’re always doing this! You keep leading me on, and when I think that it’s finally it, that maybe I have a fucking chance, you turn it into a joke! Do you have any idea how exhausting this is? It’s all a fucking game to you, but to me…”

Oh, fuck it.

I tangle my hand in her hair and pull on it hard, forcing her face up. She gasps, and I dive for her lips. I kiss her the way I’ve always wanted, bruisingher mouth, marking it as mine. Harlow gives in with a whimper, her body vibrating with tension as she opens her mouth, and I plunge in, pressing her to me.

God, she’s fucking exquisite. I should have done this long ago.

But Harlow doesn’t kiss me back. After giving me this intoxicating taste of herself, she pushes me away and rounds on me, breathing hard.

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