Page 29 of Exile

“Sleep.” It sounded like a demand, and in a way, it was one. “I’ll see you around, kid.”

She pursed her lips and rested her hand on my forearm before taking two steps back. “You keep calling me kid.”

“You don’t like that?” It wasn’t much of a question. Of course, she didn’t. She wasn’t a kid. She was a woman. A damn beautiful one at that.

She scrunched her nose. “I’m twenty-one, so…”

I cleared my throat and ignored the itch at the back of my head that was trying to come up with a different nickname for her.

Shit…I needed to stop those train of thoughts altogether. Immediately.

“Just call me Wynnie,” she said softly, helping me out.

“Fine. Goodnight, Wynnie.”

Her smile would stay with me all damn night. “Night, Caz.”

Yeah…I had never liked when people called me that—especially Theresa—but I sure as fuck liked it coming from her lips.

I watched as she entered the tiny house and waited until I heard the lock click, locking herself in safely.

As I turned to head back, the weight of the quiet night settled around me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something between us had shifted.

And I wondered if only I felt that way.

Chapter 8

DARWYNN

Without planning it, Caspian and I simultaneously showed up at the bar the next night. He was there first, sitting at the bar with his body turned toward the entrance like he had been waiting to see me walk in.

When I walked in, and our eyes met, I noticed a gleam in his gaze. One I hadn’t seen before. He was excited to see me, happy that I was there, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Once I sat next to him at the bar, we sat silently for a moment before I turned to face him with a smile. “I was hoping to see you again. Though, I didn’t think it would be here.”

He scoffed, his gaze fixed on the glass in front of him. He was drinking whiskey again, and I was slowly getting used to its scent. Hard liquor wasn’t my thing, but it fit him, and I seemed to like anything about him.

“I’m only here because I knew you would be, and I don’t want anyone to talk to you. Or touch you.”

I would've laughed if any other man had said that to me. I was confident and strong enough to fight off any man who tried to bother me, but having Caspian protect me from any asshole sounded nice.

My smile widened, but I didn’t give a reply. I picked up my Pepsi and took a few sips as I turned my head to look around the bar. There weren’t many people here tonight. Just the three men playing pool like every night I had been here, and one couple sitting comfortably at a booth.

The soft music was louder than the chatter, and it all felt so cozy. “I don’t think I’d get in trouble today. There’s not much going on here.” I turned to face him again, my body toward him and my knees pressing against the side of his leg.

Caspian shot me a glance and shook his head. “You never know when someone shows up and ruins the night for you. I’m here now, so you’ll be safe, and that’s all that matters to me.”

Fine with me.

I pursed my lips and looked around again before my eyes landed on the side of his face. His white beard was freshly cut, looking as clean as ever, and his neck-long hair sat in perfect waves on top of his head, giving him that attractive silver fox look.

No wonder why he’s a Hollywood legend. He’s handsome.

Without giving it a second thought, I pulled out my phone and opened my Google app to find pictures of him when he was younger. The search results did not disappoint, and I smirked when I saw a still from an older movie he was in, standing shirtless, showing off his muscular build.

“You haven’t stopped working out, have you?” I asked, taking in his broad shoulders and hard chest. His arms were thick, covered in a flannel shirt, but I could still see his muscles flexing under the fabric.

His head turned, and his eyes fell to my phone. With a frown, he said, “Quit looking at that.”

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