Page 5 of Casper
He was going to hurt you. You’re okay now. You can’t tell anyone what happened.
She gaped at me in disbelief. “Doesn’t that make me an accomplice or something? What if you get caught? There might be cameras inside the haunted house. Then what? I’ll go down with you.”
She was doing a great job at working herself up. She continued to ramble on about watching me puncture someone’s throat. In no time she was hyperventilating.
Feeling frustrated that it was so hard to communicate with her, I grabbed her chin and forced her to meet my eyes. The way she quaked in my grasp made me want to eat her up. I couldn’t help but love the way she trembled against me.
I really didn’t plan to hurt her. Hurting women wasn’t really my thing. Still, she didn’t know that.
Motioning for her to follow my lead, I took a deep breath. Then another. She stared at me like a lost puppy before finally sucking in a deep breath. I nodded, encouraging her to keep going. Soon we were breathing in tandem. In and out.
Several minutes passed before she finally calmed enough for me to step back and type another message.Keep breathing. Stay calm. Don’t worry about anything. Nothing will happen to you. Nobody will link it to either of us, and if they do, I’ll take the fall for everything. Can I trust you to stay calm?
Her expression twisted into one of uncertainty. “You didn’t even think about it. You killed him like it came so easily.”
I didn’t blame her for being freaked out. The first time I’d witnessed death in action it scared the hell out of me too. Iworked hard not to think about that night, although it had a way of intruding in my thoughts at the most inopportune times.
I did what I had to do. I don’t expect you to understand, but I need you to keep this to yourself.
Luna’s gaze fell to her bound wrists. “Is this the part where you threaten me?”
Do I have to?
Luna Burke was a gorgeous little fairy. That’s what she made me think of with her colorful hair and whimsical outfits. She was a woman who walked to the beat of her own drummer. Someone who didn’t try to fit societal norms but instead allowed her heart to lead her.
I’d noticed her months ago. Long before she and I walked down the aisle together at Rebel and Storm’s wedding. Occasionally, I would sneak a peek at her. Whenever Rebel or Stray hung out with the girls, I sometimes came along just to look at her.
The last thing I wanted was to scare her off with a threat. I really hoped she didn’t force me to be that guy.
Her bottom lip quivered when she said, “No. You saved me from him. I won’t say a word. Thank you for being there. For helping me.”
Did it make me a complete monster that I loved the way she looked with those wide brown eyes and her hands bound? Would it scare her if I pinned her to the wall and kissed her right now? Probably.
Keeping a close eye on her, I typed again.We’re going to go back out there and find our friends. We’re going to have a nice, normal time. This never happened.
Raising a brow, I asked a silent question. She nodded several times, swallowing hard.
“Right. This never happened. A nice, normal time.”
As I leaned in to untie the belt from her wrists, her flowery lavender scent caught my attention. Everything about her was so fantastical. If she smelled that good, I could only imagine what she tasted like.
Forcing that thought out of my head, I blocked the door while putting my belt back on. Tilting my head to one side, I nodded toward the door.
Pressing her lips tight together, Luna nodded as well. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
We’d been gone for a while. Our friends might be looking for us. No doubt they would think we snuck off to hook up. If only that were true.
Opening the door, I held out a hand to her. Looking nervous as hell, she slipped her hand in mine and allowed me to lead her from the restroom. A mom with two kids stood outside waiting. When she saw us emerge together, she shot us a disgusted look. I merely smiled right back at her.
When Luna began to walk too fast, I gave a light tug on her hand, jerking her back to a normal pace. She felt too flighty. I hoped I could trust her not to sell me out to the cops.
As we passed a vendor selling snacks, I pulled her to a stop and pointed at the cooler filled with water. She looked in the direction I pointed and said, “No thanks. I’m good. I think I need something a whole lot harder than water.”
Understandable. I was feeling ready for something stiff myself. We found our friends not far from the haunted house exit. They were laughing and talking amongst themselves. Having a great time. When they saw us walking up together, their reaction was exactly as I expected.
“There you two are,” Codie gushed, loud and exuberant. “We were wondering where you snuck off to.”
Luna jerked her hand from mine, putting a few feet between us. “We just went to find the restrooms.”
