Letting You Go (Stone Lake 1)

“Then, how did they know to tell me to watch the news, Einstein?”

“Maybe they didn’t? Have you seen the shit on the news? Odds are if it hadn’t been the murder something else would have caught your eye on the news. Maybe there was a story about a guy putting flowers in the lockers of the prettiest girls in the local schools.”

“There wasn’t,” she says with a resigned sigh. Then she gives me a small smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “You think I’m pretty?”

“I wouldn’t let you have my dick if I didn’t.”

“That’s so sweet, Attie,” she teases, rolling her eyes.

“That’s me… sweet.”

“No, it’s not. You’re a jerk. My mouth hurts, you asshole,” she grumbles, moving a finger over her bottom lip.

“Let me inside, and I’ll give you something to make your mouth feel better,” I promise, with a smile.

“I’m not in the mood to sleep with you, Attie,” she tells me coolly.

“That’s good, we’re not going to sleep.”

“Idiot.”

“I can leave and find someone else who is not nearly as good at sucking me off as you.”

“Gee, again with the sweet talk.”

“But that would leave you alone with some serial killer out there… or I could come in…”

“Fine, dick-wad, come inside, but no more hitting. I might like it a little rough but hitting is not my thing.”

“Fine, no hitting. You just like choking…”

“You really are an asshole,” she mutters as I go inside.

She closes the door behind me and starts to walk away. I grab her hand and stop her from leaving. She looks at me in surprise. I capture her gaze and pointedly look at the door, before turning the lever on the deadbolt and locking the door.

“Wouldn’t want anyone to hurt you,” I tell her, and her face softens.

“Let’s go upstairs, Attie,” she says, tugging on my hand. I let her take the lead.

Besides… I like watching her ass…

Chapter Forty Five

Gavin

“Do you like it?” I ask Luna when she does nothing more than stare at the box.

Until Luna, I’ve never had a girl in my life that I wanted to get a gift for, so I have no idea if I did this right. I mean, she seemed to like the locket I got her for Christmas. Maybe I should have gotten her jewelry again. I thought she would like this, but what if I’m wrong?

“It’s a photo album…”

“Yeah,” I mumble, thinking now that I hear it out loud it does sound pretty lame. Doesn’t make it better that she keeps staring at it.

“And cameras.”

“Disposable ones… each one takes like thirty pictures, though. So, that’s like a hundred and fifty pictures…”

“I—”

“I should have bought you a real camera. I was trying to save money for when we leave Stone Lake, but I mean it’s your birthday and I suck. Shit, Luna, I’m sorry,” I apologize, embarrassment coloring me. Hell, I can even feel heat travel up my face.

“Gavin—”

“I just thought we could take pictures of our life together. Something to record every moment of the life we build. I never really had pictures. I can barely remember what my mom looked like before she left us. I always thought that if I managed to build a life that I was proud of, I’d want to make sure I had the memory of it around me.”

“Gavin—”

“It’s stupid, I guess. But, you’re a girl, so I figured you’d enjoy that too. Christ. Let’s just forget it. How about I take you out tonight to Romano’s for spaghetti. It’s a ritzy place. You can get all dressed up. Heck, wear your prom dress early. We can—”

“Gavin! Stop interrupting me,” Luna yells and I jerk my face down to look at her.

“I love the photo album and the cameras.”

“Come on, Luna, you don’t have to lie. Girls don’t stare at something for an hour if they like it.”

“I didn’t stare for an hour. And, I just… Seeing the gift made me realize something.”

“What?”

“We’ll be leaving Stone Lake in a little over a month.”

“Fuck yeah we will. I can’t wait.”

“You won’t miss it? Not even a little?”

“There’s nothing here that means anything to me, Luna. Nothing but you and you’ll be with me.” She smiles and leans up to kiss me and I meet her, taking a deeper taste of her mouth. When we break apart, I study her face. I ignore my nervousness as a thought hits me. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

“No. Not about being with you, Gavin. I just… I’m worried about my mom.”

“She’ll be okay, Luna. And we can still come back and see her. I promise.”

“I know. She seems so sad all the time.”

“I know, Babe, but she’ll get back on her feet again. This is her life and she’s got to live it—just like you need to live yours.”

“You’re right. I know you are, I’m just worried.”