Silence is all-encompassing while I wait for the cackling laughter, but there’s nothing.
Only silence.
When I open my eyes, I hesitantly look at Lunar, afraid of the judgment and mockery I know I will see like every other time I have told someone my name.
Only I don’t.
Instead, there’s a slight frown, and her lips are downturned. “Could be worse. At least it’s not Ben Dover.”
“You’re not gonna laugh?” I question.
She furrows her brows. “Why would I? That would be mean.”
“Really?You’re honestly not gonna laugh?”
She faces me, takes my hands in hers, and shakes her head. “If there’s one thing I’ve seen too much of in my life, it’s people bullying others for shit they can’t control. Take Stuart, he can’t control how he acts, yet people laugh at him all the time. I hate it. You can’t control the name you were given, and just because it is atrocious, it certainly doesn’t giveanyonethe right to laugh at you because of it.”
Warmth floods me, and I smile. “I never expected that. You really are something.”
She smiles and raises her brow. “I try.”
“Okay, so now comes the usual spiel. You tell anyone my real name—”
“You’ll gut me like a fish? Yeah, yeah, I get it…” She pauses, and her expression reflects a mixture of defiance and determination. “So why Danger then?”
“It’s a funny story, actually. Well, funny and sad at the same time. My parents are… I guess what you would call hippies. They’re into drugs and partying and being neglectful douchebags.”
Her soft smile falls, and she sighs, placing her hand gently on my thigh. “I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. It’s fine. My sister and I would stay up while they partied, and I’d watch over her. We’d watch cartoons together while they were gone. Her favorite wasDanger Mouse, so she always called me Danger, and I called her Mouse. It just kinda stuck. I still call her Mouse. Danger has stayed with me. The ladies love it.” She snickers and rolls her eyes. “Anyway, it’s not a fanciful story about me getting the name some other crazy way, like free-falling off a skyscraper or battling a great white. And trust me, I have told all those stories when other women have asked me.”
“No way, this story is much better. It shows your compassionate nature. I like that. You’re a lot nicer than you portray, Danger.”
I smirk. “Don’t tell anyone I’m nice.”
She giggles. “Secret’s safe. What’s Mouse’s name?”
I tense up and swallow hard. “Copper.”
She knits her brows and lets out a breath. “Oh Lord… Copper? As in Copper Pipe?” I nod. “Wow! Your parentsreallyare arseholes.”
Instead of laughing like most people, Lunar only feels empathy for a situation that’s completely absurd. “You’re amazing, Lunar.”
She giggles, and I smile wide.
Something’s happening.
The air around me takes on a different feel.
An unseen pulse, yet unmistakably present, as if some enchantment draws me toward her. It’s strange. I felt something similar with Ella, though it was more like a dynamic energy electrifying the atmosphere. This is slightly different. The driving force being the main difference.
Licking my lips, my eyes wander to her supple pink lips coated in a sticky gloss, and I can’t help but wonder what it would be like licking and biting them. Tasting the flavor of the gloss smothering her lips.
The talk about my parents and sister effectively deflated any hard-on I may have had, but now, while staring into her crystal blue eyes, my breathing quickens. She tenses and swallows hard like she’s as affected by me as I am by her.
Her chest heaves while she fights for breath. Our eyes lock in a mesmerizing exchange, and sparks ignite in every direction.
There’s chemistry here.
