3. Casper #2
There have been plenty of times in my life when people tried getting close to me just because of my last name and my family.
I haven’t gotten that vibe from Mona in the slightest, but I’d rather be safe than sorry and hurt in the end.
Which is why the mask is the perfect shield, and I happen to love watching her behind my mask.
Even though she hasn’t seen it up close and personal yet, I get the feeling she’s going to love it too.
Her love for Halloween and the theatrics of it are obvious from the way she studies her surroundings every day like she’s seeing it for the first time. Fall is her comfort zone, just like it is mine.
We’re soulmates. I just have to convince her of that too.
The nagging question appears again in my mind. What if she hates blond men and that’s why she freaked out at the craft store? I mean, I’ll dye my hair for her; I don’t care. But these are obstacles we have to cross by getting to know one another.
A little boy running in my line of vision pulls me from my thoughts, and I immediately recognize him as the one Mona was painting. The T. rex looks impressive on his cheek, especially since he gave her no help in cooperating.
My eyes drift over to her station, but it’s empty. A gasp straightens my spine as I sit up and scan the event. She couldn’t have gone far. If I can’t find her in a second, I’ll check the cameras. Maybe she went back to her room.
“Do you see her?” I ask the guys, not stopping my search.
Bates clears his throat and nervously says, “Yes, but I don’t want to have to bail you out of jail today.”
My head whips his way. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
His gaze darts behind me, and I instantly follow it, spotting the long black hair I’ve been desperately looking for.
Mona’s standing by one of the treat booths, talking to a guy I don’t recognize. She looks annoyed, but it’s hard to tell if it’s because of him or if it’s just her resting expression.
The guy—six foot, brown hair, athletic build—smiles suddenly, big and bright. I could absolutely obliterate him. I should.
When a hand flattens on my chest, I realize that I tried standing up. Kol’s steel arm keeps me in place enough to check myself from storming over there without thinking it through.
“You don’t want to do something you’ll regret. This is a long game, remember?” Kol warns. “Unless you want to throw your hard work away, in which case I will happily watch you fuck it all up.”
For a split second, he steals my attention as I glare at him.
“You know, I think you’ve become more of a prick over the years.”
He snickers. “It’s hard, being best friends with you two. Exhausting.”
“You love us. You know it,” I challenge him.
He smirks, and the realization dawns on me that he was just trying to distract me from myself.
“Well played.”
“Thank you.” He tips his head and glances over toward Mona. Then his eyes fly back to mine nervously.
“What’s happen …” My words fall away as I find Mona pulling away from a hug. A voluntary and consensual hug that she willingly offered. “What the fuck?”
I rip my phone from my pocket and jump to my feet, storming off toward the house. My vision is spotty; my blood is boiling. She can have friends; she can hug friends. The problem is that she doesn't have any friends. So, who the hell is this guy?
Pulling up her contact, I take a slow and steady breath, wanting to think it through before crossing a new line.
Fuck that.
The phone rings once, twice, and I peek behind me to see her glancing down at the screen.
The back of the house has a veranda that encompasses the entire width of the structure, with two staircases that lead onto the porch and inside.
I leap up the stairs and inside, tucking myself into a dark shadow.
People are bustling about. Staff rushing in a thousand directions. Guests mingling and exploring. But I can only see her.
I know it’s appearing as an unknown number, so there’s a chance she’ll ignore it. And that’s exactly what she does as she lifts her thumb and forwards me to voicemail.
I call again, and just like the first time, she declines it. She must know who it is. The persistence. The timing. She knows I watch her constantly. This is no different.
Her head tips up and turns, and she scans the crowds. I sink deeper into the house, completely hidden from her view.
Opening a new text, I enter her number and send a message. Straightforward and quick.
Answer the phone, Mona. —Your Masked Haunting
I find her again, watching her through the lattice paneling. She has three seconds to take this in before I call again.
Three.
Two.
One.
The moment the line trills in my ear, my vision tunnels out around her.
Answer it, Mona.
She must mutter a goodbye to the guy because he walks off as she simultaneously swipes and answers my call, lifting the phone to her ear.
“You have my number,” she states, not questions.
Her tone is unreadable, and I’m suddenly terrified that I’ve ruined everything. But I have to remind myself that she answered for a reason. She’s drawn to this connection, just like I am.
Oh God, I should have cleared my throat or something before I called her. What if my voice cracks and I sound like an idiot? It’s fine. I’m fine. This will go great. Besides, I’m too overtaken right now by my emotions to really care.
“I do. I know everything about you, Mona.” Her name effortlessly rolls off of my tongue, like it was always meant to. “I know you don’t have any friends who look like him. I know watching your hands touch his back made me feel a level of jealousy and anger I’ve never felt before.”
Her breathing picks up, and from all the way over here, I can see her cheeks flush. Maybe it’s from the chill in the air, or maybe it’s because she loves how much she affects me. I just appreciate that she hasn’t hung up on me yet.
A smirk drifts across her lips. “You’re here.” It’s not a question or an accusation, but a statement of fact.
My voice becomes breathy and barely audible. “Being this close to you and not touching you is eating me alive. You have no idea.”
She doesn’t waste her words. “How do I lure you out?”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” I challenge.
She grins, biting down on her bottom lip to contain it, giving me the tiniest glimpse of the wall between us coming down, and it has me damn near sprinting across the lawn like Forrest Gump.
Pursing her lips, she finally releases her smile, a real one that creases her eyes and lifts her shoulders. “How else am I supposed to thank you for everything you’ve done? You might be a creep, but I’m still grateful.”
I let the creep comment slide this time because I know she likes our game and is only using it to get under my skin. She can pay for that another time.
“I didn’t want to scare you off,” I tell her honestly. “And once you let me loose, you’re going to have a hard time taming me again.”
She clicks her tongue. “Hmm. We’ll see. Maybe you’re all bark and no bite.”
The deepest chuckle reverberates through my chest and into the phone. “Oh, baby, I’d love to sink my teeth into you, devour you whole. Just say the word.”
She hums. “Hmm. What’s the word? Please?”
I laugh. “Yeah, right. A brat like you actually using manners? I doubt that.”
She giggles. “You son of a—”