Page 109 of Dark Little Game

He slides his knee between my legs, running his thigh along my bulge as he goes in for another deep kiss.

He’s particularly hungry for contact.

“We’re surrounded by the entire campus right now, Rayne,” I tell him as his kisses move lower onto my neck.

“Ask me if I fucking care.”

I run my fingers along the back of his hair.

“Iknowyou care. When you’re not whiskey-drunk,” I tell him, looking in his eyes as he pulls back a little.

He keeps holding my gaze, his eyes half-lidded, as he reaches behind him. He goes into his back pocket and pulls out a small, fuzzy thing.

“Won you this.”

I look down as he hands me a tiny stuffed animal cat, barely bigger than a golf ball.

I see the likeness immediately.

“It’s Pearl.”

Rayne nods. “She even has the little blue eyes.”

“You won me a little gift,” I say, running my fingertip along the soft,fuzzy thing.

“I know it’s not a knife or some sort of medieval sword, but it’s what I could find,” Rayne says.

I roll the little toy over in my hand as a strange feeling hits me.

No one’s ever won me a gift before. I can’t even remember the last time I got a gift in general. My family stopped meeting up for Christmas after Wes and I went off to college, and since Lune died, it was never the same, anyway.

Rayne’s just beingniceto me.

Nice.

Treating me like I’m not a monster. Like I’m not some feral animal to be avoided at all costs, and regarded with fear.

“Do you like it?” Rayne asks, bringing his hand forward again and putting his fingertips into my front hoodie pocket, pulling me a little toward him.

He’s acting downright fuckingsmitten.

Like he really is my boyfriend.

It’s almost intoxicating after a week of him avoiding me.

“You should get back to your friends,” I tell him. “And yes. I love it, Rayne.”

He’s coming forward to kiss me again before I can stop him, and once his lips are on mine I don’t want to push him away.

I put my hands on the small of his back and pull him as close as I can.

I kiss him like I’m hungry for it, too.

Like I’m making it count. Because I have no clue how much longer I’ll be able to have this.

There’s no world where Rayne and I could benormal. Be at the fair, walking around together, hand in hand.

It could never bemyarm around him in all of the stupid pictures.