Page 26 of Casper
Ripley rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything. I knew she thought we were crazy. Eventually, she would find the guy that pulled the rug out from under her. Then she would understand.
The three of us had just parted ways when I ran into Casper. He rounded the corner of the building as I headed toward the entrance closest to my next class. When I saw how large the bandage on his forearm was, my jaw dropped.
“What happened?” I blurted. “Are you all right?”
Casper’s face lit up at the sight of me. He pulled me into a hug, holding me in his warm embrace. I hated seeing that he’d been hurt. I knew it had something to do with King business. How often did he put himself in danger? The thought of something happening to him made me sick inside.
I remembered when Dominik and Stray had been run off the road by the Venom guys. Codie had been a mess. Was I strong enough to be with a man who lived that kind of life?
Casper was nothing like Jace who’d been a delinquent pretending to be a tough guy. He wasn’t gunning down people at the gas station. However, he was part of a black marketorganization that dealt in everything from drugs to weapons to human organs. Heavy duty stuff. I’d watched him kill a man, and I’d still been willing to give him a chance. Maybe I wasn’t the person I thought I was.
I breathed in his spicy scent, loving the way it felt to be in his arms. When he pulled back and reached for his phone, I said, “Sign it for me first. I probably won’t understand but I won’t learn any other way. As helpful as YouTube is, it’s not the same as proper exposure.”
Casper froze like I’d caught him by surprise. A slow smile spread across his face. He pressed a soft kiss to my lips before his hands began to move.
I did my best to pay attention, managing to pull out the odd word here and there. It still wasn’t enough to put the entire thing together. I offered him an apologetic shrug.
He pulled out his phone then, typing up what he’d just tried to communicate.Can I just say how fucking amazing you are for trying to learn for me? You have no idea what it means. Anyway, nothing to worry about. Just a little confrontation with a guy who owed us money. He pulled a knife on me. It’s only a scratch. I’m fine.
My forehead creased into a tight frown as I read the words on the screen. “That doesn’t look like a scratch, Casper. That bandage is huge. And what do you mean owed? As in past tense?”
I knew exactly what that meant. I got the feeling that one did not rip the Graveyard Kings off for long without soon regretting it.
Casper signed again, his hands moving slower so as not to overwhelm me. “No worries. It’s all good.”
Even though I didn’t love what he’d been up to, a rush of excitement filled me. “I understood that time. Simple statements but it’s a start.”
The way his eyes lit up said more than enough. Seeing that it meant so much to Casper that I simply tried made me more determined than ever to get better at understanding sign language. We managed to get by with him typing his thoughts out, yet I didn’t want either of us to have to rely on that long-term.
I caught myself thinking ahead. Planning for a future I didn’t know if Casper and I even had. Everything was still so new. We barely knew each other. Maybe I was getting carried away.
He signed again before translating on the phone screen.You’re doing great. You’ll be fluent in no time.
“Are you sure that you’re okay?” I asked, his nod making me skeptical. “Are you sure you cleaned the wound properly? I wouldn’t want you to get an infection. Maybe I should take a look at it.”
He waved off my concerns, holding his phone up for me to see.Don’t worry about me so much.Don’t you have a class to get to?
My heart picked up the pace, pitter pattering as he took my hand. Together we entered the building, following the halls to my next class. Something as small as holding hands shouldn’t have been so thrilling. It felt like my first crush all over again. Those first feelings that were so brand new and exciting.
Perhaps I needed to live in the moment. Without worrying so much about the details. The possessive way Casper firmly gripped my hand left me feeling giddy and ridiculous. I got so caught up sneaking glances at him, eyeing up the sleeve of tattoos that engulfed his left arm in a collage of images, I almost tripped over my own feet.
When we reached my classroom, I was reluctant to part ways with him. He must have seen it on my face.
I’ll be here when your class lets out. See you soon, beautiful flower.
Casper tucked his phone into his pocket before pulling me in for a dizzying kiss. His mouth was hot on mine. His tongue slipping between my lips. I never wanted it to end.
When we finally pulled apart, I entered the classroom to find my professor, Tony, eyeing me with a look I’d come to know was anything but professional.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
LUNA
“Is it chilly outside? Your cheeks are pink.” Tony greeted me with a smile. “I hope you’re staying caught up on everything. I wouldn’t want my favorite student falling behind.”
“Yeah, it’s a bit chilly. The sun is out though. That helps.” I didn’t acknowledge his favorite student remark. Tony had always been the type of guy to make small talk with the students. I hadn’t realized that was his way of feeling us out. Getting close enough to test our reactions.
A few other students were already seated, waiting for class to start. There was still a few minutes before the herd would rush in. I turned to climb the stairs to one of the back rows.
