“And how people eat people.” Eli draws her against him and hugs her close. “We should probably stick to regular horror, like a rom-com.”
When she laughs, my insides untwist. We’re all here. We’re all safe. For now.
This might be our last chance to just hang out before the outside world starts coming for us.
“I have the perfect breakup film.” Harper pulls away from Eli and picks up the remote. She leans over Nico and gives him a kiss before sitting down with Jack again.
The TV comes on and she scrolls through the menu while we figure out where to sit. Caden sits down by her legs, leaving the chairs for Eli and me. Asshole.
Her fingers tangle in Caden’s hair as she focuses on the menu and chooses the movieMidsommar. She clicks play, and before she can get up, Eli stands.
“I’ve got the lights.” He shuts off the lights, while Caden reaches forward and snags a pizza slice from the box.
“We need like ten more of these,” Caden says with his mouth full.
“On it.” Jack’s phone lights up the space as Eli takes his seat.
“We could make popcorn,” Harper suggests.
“I’ve got it.” I go into the kitchen and grab the microwave bowl and popcorn kernels. When she did this that afternoon I spent here, I paid attention. I put it in the microwave and wait.
I hardly hear her bare feet before her arms wrap around my waist from behind. Rubbing her hands, I pay attention to the microwave.
“You should go watch the movie, princess.”
“I’ve seen it.” She’s pressed against me.
The constant need I have for her rises. This girl will let me do anything to her, but part of me just wants to hold her and watch her fall apart in my arms.
“What’s going to happen next week?” she murmurs so low I almost don’t hear her.
I turn and lift her onto the counter. Parting her legs, I step between them and cradle her jaw in my hand. “We’re going to take down Zach.”
My words are soft but her mouth opens and shuts. We don’t know if or where someone might have left a listening device. Sure, Mr. Wick gave us one, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t plant another. It’s what we did in Sidney’s room.
“What if he wins?” Her eyes are wide and haunted.
“He can’t.” I press my forehead against hers. “I won’t let him.”
I can’t let him. He wants to destroy Harper to take us down. That can’t happen.
“Luke?”
When I open my eyes, hers burn with something I’ve seen from her time and time again but couldn’t identify.
“I love you,” she whispers. “I’m not just saying that because you said it first.”
Smirking, I press my lips to hers before stopping the microwave. “You just wanted to claim a first of ours, princess.”
She smiles. “I guess I did. Our last first.”
I tuck her hair behind her ear. “No, it’s not the last. We have a whole lifetime of firsts to get through together.”
Her smile could light up the whole room. I capture it, needing to taste her happiness, needing to taste her. Her lips move beneath mine. She threads her fingers into my hair and my cock grows harder. She’s mine, but I still need to be respectful of where we are.
I pull back. “Let’s go watch the movie.”
She groans but nods. Her mother is upstairs. Of all the adults in our lives, that woman has taken everything we’ve done to her daughter and still trusts her daughter’s decisions. She’s been kind to us when she could have slammed the door in our face and probably should have.
