Page 41 of Casper
“Stray and Codie don’t care if anybody hears them,” I signed. “Don’t worry about it.”
I tugged on a pair of sweatpants, intending on remaining shirtless until I’d showered. When Luna caught sight of the scratches all over my chest and back, she insisted that I wear a shirt upstairs. Flashing her a grin I felt to the tips of my toes, I kissed her on the tip of the nose and did as she asked.
When we emerged from the basement, we found Auryn splayed out on the couch in his usual position. He smoked a joint while absently staring at the television.
“Jesus Christ, if it’s not Codie and Stray, it’s you two. I never thought someone so small and cartoon-like could make so much noise.” He snickered as Luna ducked into the kitchen, avoiding eye contact with him. I shot him both middle fingers before following her.
Stray sat at the kitchen island, rubbing his temple with one hand while using the other to tip a mug of coffee to his lips. He lifted the mug in a silent greeting.
“Good morning,” Codie greeted us with a bright smile. “Or should I say good afternoon? We’re getting a bit of a late start ourselves. I was about to make pancakes. Do you guys want some?”
She was already in the process of mixing the batter in a bowl. I had no idea how she managed to have so much energy. I would’ve been content to stay in bed with Luna all day.
“I’d love that, Codie, thanks. Do you need any help?” Luna searched through the cupboards until she found a coffee mug before helping herself to the freshly brewed coffee.
After fetching my own coffee, I slid onto the stool next to Stray. I felt like I should do something to help the girls, butwhen I offered, Codie promptly told me to sit my ass back down. She seemed to be one of those stay out of my kitchen types. I respected that.
Watching Luna flit around the kitchen with Codie, it almost felt like she belonged there. With us. With me. Although I knew it was far too soon to be thinking so domestically, I liked having her here in my space.
I caught Stray eyeing me over his coffee mug. His blue eyes sparkling with devious thoughts. Thankfully, he didn’t give voice to any of them. He merely raised a brow and nodded. I liked that he understood. This was all new to me.
My mind raced ahead to this afternoon. Maybe we could kill some time before the party tonight by going to a movie. We could grab a nice dinner after. All those little things I’d never done with anyone else I suddenly wanted to do with Luna.
In that moment, I’d never been happier. And that alone scared the hell out of me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
LUNA
The day flew by much too fast. Being with Casper had a way of doing that. I found myself enjoying his company. Wanting to be with him. It helped that he was crazy good in bed, but there was so much more to him than that.
He was a mystery built with layers that I wanted to keep peeling back. To discover what else lie beneath. Maybe it shouldn’t have turned me on. However, watching him beat the shit out of the guy who held a knife to my throat was insanely hot. I hadn’t thought I would be able to get on board with the kind of life he lived. No doubt it still scared me. Yet I was also coming to accept it as part of him.
After breakfast with Codie and Stray, Casper showered and changed before taking me to the dorm so I could do the same. Once I was fresh and ready for what remained of the day, we went to catch an afternoon movie before having dinner in one of the nicer restaurants.
It all felt like a dream. Like everything was going so perfectly. As much as I wanted to tune out the rest of the world and live in the moment, the continuous text messages and calls from Jace made that difficult.
I kept my phone on silent, not wanting his constant harassment to draw Casper’s attention. Most of Jace’s messages were pathetic attempts to get me to reply. They soon became threats. He warned me that if I was with anyone else, he would stop at nothing to make me his again.
While we had dinner, I wrestled with the decision to tell Casper about Jace. He knew of his existence, although that was about it. Once I told him, some things would change. I worried that Casper would want to see Jace for himself. Maybe to even hurt him.
His devotion to protecting me made me feel special, and I didn’t want him to feel like he had to do it. Jace had been locked up for quite some time. Still, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to hurt Casper. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if that happened.
The party at the graveyard was well underway when we arrived. Two campus guys were in the middle of a ring of people throwing punches at one another. I wasn’t sure there had ever been a single graveyard party that didn’t include a fight or three.
Two fires in pits had been started to keep people warm. The church wasn’t heated, but it had power and provided a break from the elements. Tonight the air was cold, holding the bitter sting of the coming winter. Nothing that a cozy hoodie wouldn’t help.
Since I knew we’d be outside tonight, I’d worn pants instead of a dress. A pink pair with a fuzzy lining. I had originally thrown on a sweater decorated with stars and moons. The material was thin, though, and when Casper noticed me shivering on the way from the restaurant to the car, he insisted I take his hoodie. While I snuggled into his thick black hoodie, he wore only a T-shirt and jeans, seemingly oblivious to the cold temperature.
I love the way his hoodie smelled like him. Little puffs of his scent wafting around me every time I moved. As we crossed the churchyard to the back where the party was, Casper held my hand tightly. His warmth emanating through me.
I may have been more than a little smitten. There was something about him I simply couldn’t resist. I was afraid to let myself think too far ahead. One day at a time was probably the safer bet. Admitting to myself how head over heels I was for him proved difficult. Instead, I simply grinned at him like an idiot.
After fetching us each a drink from the stash in the church, Casper and I stood near one of the fires. Close enough to feel the heat rolling off the flames. All it took was one kiss for us to forget everything.
Our lips locked, our tongues entangled. I fisted a handful of his T-shirt while he devoured my mouth. We engaged in a full on makeout session, not caring who saw. We were hardly the only ones engaged in such behavior. All around us people were hooking up and sneaking off into the woods for a screw.
“Planning to come up for air any time soon?” Rebel’s voice came from behind us. “Sorry to interrupt, dude, but we have some business to discuss.” To me, Rebel asked, “Do you mind if I steal him for a few minutes? I promise to give him back.”
