When Cas first saw me at the top of the Hawthornes’stairs, his eyes went dark, hungry. His voice had dropped into a growl that curled hot in my stomach:
“I think I’ll take you straight to bed looking like this. Are you trying to kill me?”
I only smirked, lips painted bold red, my answer in the curve of my smile. And he,God, he looked devastating. A dark vest over a crisp shirt, holster slung low on his hips, black hat tipped low, a mask framing those sharp, gleaming eyes. My Clyde. The hat shouldn’t have made him hotter, but it did. He looked like he’d stepped out of some old gangster film, dangerous and untouchable.
We weave through the crowd, and I catch sight of the Hawthorne clan spread like sentinels across the room. Grace floats in a shimmering angel costume, the wings so delicate they catch the light as she moves. Caleb, dressed as Peter Pan, holds her hand. My heart warms, watching them glow in the center uncaring of her brothers hovering around the edges like a wall of muscle. Arms crossed. Eyes sharp. Ready to strike at anyone who comes too close.
“She looks happy,” I murmur, leaning toward Cas.
“She’s growing up too fast,” he counters, his gaze flicking to the group of young men staring at her. His voice sharpens, low and dangerous.“She’s getting more beautiful every day. I’ll need to start carrying a baseball bat to keep the guys off.”
The second they feel his glare, their heads whip away, attention suddenly elsewhere. Cas smirks, dark and satisfied.“It’s already killing me that Caleb is with her, now that the other bastards saw that she can date they became bolder.” He growls.
I laugh softly.“She’s going to college next year, you know?”
His smile vanishes instantly.“Don’t remind me.”
My laughter bubbles out harder, and before I can poke at him again, Dex appears with two beers in hand. His slicked-back hair and sharp suit scream Peaky Blinders, mobster-cool.
“What’s so funny?” he asks, eyebrow cocked.
“Just reminding your brother that Grace is off to college next year,” I say sweetly.
The brothers groan in unison.
“You’re evil,” Dex scowls, though the grin tugging at his mouth gives him away.
Across the room, Ethan leans against a post in head-to-toe black, vampire fangs catching the light as he smirks. Asher, beside him, looks like he just stepped out of a military base, camo sharp against his frame. Ethan’s eyes, though, aren’t on me. They’re locked on Summer, who crosses the room in a curvy Red Riding Hood costume. Her cloak swishes over the floorboards, and when his stare lingers a beat too long, her cheeks flush scarlet.Tonight, Mia is with Lily and Josh, who took her trick-or-treating. The Hawthornes are already half in love with the little girl and always enjoy having her over.
Summercatches me looking, and I snicker. Ethan is absolutely gone for her, no question. But Summer? She won’t even hear his name without rolling her eyes. Her ex left scars too deep, and she can’t yet see what’s obvious to everyone else, that she’s stunning.
Jude strolls past in a football jersey, ignoring the women eyeing him from the bar. Cas nudges me, tilting his chin toward Ethan and Summer, both pretending the other doesn’t exist. Typical.
Then I notice Asher. His jaw is tight, eyes locked somewhere behind me. I turn, following his line of sight, and see Grace kissing Caleb in the middle of the dance floor.
“Asher,” I warn, but it’s useless. His expression darkens, and he mutters something to Ethan. In an instant, Ethan’s glare shifts from Summer to Grace. He storms across the room, grabs his sister by the arm, and drags her back toward us.
“Ethan!” Grace protests, cheeks flushed. “What are you doing?”
He doesn’t answer, and her brothers, Cas included, pin poor Caleb with a look that could cut glass. Caleb grins sheepishly. “Sorry, she’s just looking too beautiful tonight.” His eyes on Grace. The boy is smitten.
“I told you,” Cas growls at my side, “I need that damn baseball bat when Grace is around.”
I roll my eyes. “I’ll be right back, baby. I need to talk to Trevor about next week’s game."
Caleb kisses her cheek and walks over to his friends. I tug Grace gently toward me. “Come on. Let’s leave these cavemen to their nonsense. Want to dance?”
She sighs but nods, and I motion for Summer to join us. Together, we escape to the dance floor just as Monster Mash kicks in, laughter spilling from our lips as we move.
Moments later, I feel him. Cas. His arms slip around my waist from behind, pulling me flush against him. I lean back, his breath tickling my ear as he sways us with the music.
“This is wild,” I whisper, breathless.
“You think this is wild?” His grin presses against my cheek. “Wait until I get you home.”
I laugh, warmth spilling through me. Around us, his siblings bicker and tease, their overprotectiveness clashing with their love in the way only family can manage. Watching Cas laugh with them, watching him protect them, I wonder, dangerously, what he’d be like with a little girl of his own someday.
The thought ignites something soft and warm in me. Then panic follows fast.What the hell, Penny? Cas’s little girl? Get out of your head.
