Of Darkness (Supernatural Mates Book One)

|012| Intimacy

|Intimacy|

     "Have a great night, man." Aspen said as he pulled his head out from the driver's side window of the cab.

     The whole ride was quiet—between us anyway, but thankfully not awkward. I just think Aspen and I were too wrapped up in our own thoughts to notice. After my drunken confession, who wouldn't be?

     The cabbie had started with small talk, asking what we were up to and whatnot. Then he started trying to get a peep into our lives—asking if Aspen and I were dating, then when we said no he had made a snide and lude remark about Aspen getting lucky. To which Aspen looked like he was ready to climb into the front seat and strangle the poor guy. Had I not stopped him, I think he actually would have.

     He knocked his hand on the roof of the car and took a step back after he paid for the cab. The black cab drove down the driveway and sped off into the night down our barren road, driving through a small group of ghosts just standing there. I cringed at the sight. The rational part of my brain knew that they were ghosts and they were dead so they wouldn't feel it, but the slightly drunk irrational part of me expected to hear the terrible crunching sounds of bones breaking upon impact.

     It was past midnight already so if there was anyone around, they were probably sleeping. The only ones that seemed to be out and about were me, Aspen and the multitude of ghosts that were littering my property and spilling out into the streets.

     The numbers just kept on growing and it was scaring me. I had no idea what they wanted from me—what they expected of me, and even if I did I wasn't sure I'd even be able to deliver. Maybe Jerrod could help me figure it out. I'd have to go over to Aspen's place tomorrow for that...if I wasn't hungover that is.

     Aspen surprised me by grabbing my hand. I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't even realized he had walked over. "We need to get lots of water into you."

     He pulled me up the porch steps and waited for me to get my shit together long enough to open the door. I was having such a problem figuring out which key was which. I was fumbling around, and at one point I dropped them. I was so flabbergasted that I just stared at them for the longest time in disdain as if it were my keys' fault that I dropped them, that I couldn't hold them and that I was drunk. I hadn't realized how long I'd been glaring down at them until Aspen bent down and picked them up for me. Stupid, drunk me.

     "No one's home? I mean, I know Luce is still at the party with Mahogany, but where's your dad?"

     "Probably still at the morgue or funeral home or something."

     Aspen's head snapped over to me, surprise splashed over his face. "What?"

     "My dad is the town's M.E. at the police station in the homicide department," I stuck my tongue out in concentration as I finally got the right key, and tried to put it in the lock to get inside. "But not many people are strolling in there from murders, so he's also the mortician at Flannigan's."

     And he'll have to dress you up all pretty and make you look so un-Aspen and deader when you leave this earth...when you leave me. I thought bitterly as I finally managed to unlock the door. What. A. Friggin'. Struggle.

     I stepped (more like tripped) through the threshold with Aspen following closely behind. He was so close that I could feel his body heat pressing into my back, but that either could've been the alcohol messing with my brain or the alcohol warming up my body even more (even though I hadn't drank for the last hour or so). Then again I had, like, eight drinks and ten or something shots.