Page 49 of Ly to Me

Carver glanced at the pipe, a flash of worry passing through his eyes before calming almost immediately. “Want help?”

I nodded, and he took the pipe and lighter and held it up to my lips, then covered another circle with his thumb. “Suck in real quick when the lighter hits it, okay?”

“Okay.”

He pressed the glass to my lips, warmed over from the other people in the circle. I mentally grimaced at the thought, but then the flame sparked and I took in a quick breath.

The smoke burned the back of my throat and I coughed, clutching my hand to my chest as a short plume of smoke escaped me.

A weird sensation skittered across my head, almost like I was floating. My head felt bigger, my hands felt smaller, and everything in my usually overly analytical brain came to a halt.

“You like it?” Car’s voice filled my chest before it reached my ears, and none of that made any sense but at the same time, it made all the sense in the world.

“Yeah.” I nodded my head, the bounce feeling like a balloon being flicked over and over.

He chuckled and tucked some hair behind my ear. The touch, though it only spanned a small section of my skin, warmed myentire body. He lowered his voice as he leaned in and whispered, “You lied to me again, little Ly.”

I couldn’t help but giggle at his words. “What?”

“You’ve never smoked a day in your life, have you?”

I bit down on my lip and shook my head, my hair tickling my bare shoulders in a way that forced more laughter from me.

“Is that why I don’t feel like them? Are my pupils also super big like yours?” I reached out for his eye and tapped on the lid.

He chuckled more. “No, sweetheart.” His arm wrapped around my shoulder, tugging me to him. Then his fingers curled under my chin right before he brought my lips to his.

“Get a room!” Jared shouted from across the circle, and Carver pulled back slowly, flashing a grin at his friend before repeating the action with his middle finger up. All my nerves homed in on the spot where we joined, sending little zaps of energy through me.

I put a hand to his chest and pushed gently. Still, no one seemed to care that we had been kissing, or that he was holding me like he was besides Jared, who was already back to talking to someone else in the circle.

Oddly enough, I felt…at peace.

“So, what made your eyes so big and the stars seem so interesting?”

Carver quirked his lips to the side. “First off, the stars arealwaysinteresting.”

“Car, seriously.”

His thumb smoothed over my knuckles. “DMT.” His tone turned serious, like I’d asked him to be. “And I’m really glad I caught your lie before passing it to you first. You’re clearly a lightweight, not that that’s bad at all. Just means you won’t be taking the harder stuff if I can help it.”

I pouted. “What if I—”

“No, Ly.” His voice turned to stone. “You stay far-the-fuck away from that stuff. All of it, really. Weed and drinking here and there is one thing, but—” He stared at my lip as my teeth assaulted it. “You’ve never had a drink before either, have you?”

“Umm…no?”

“Fuck.” Carver took a deep breath and looked around the circle, then stood and held his hand out for me. “Good seein’ y’all, but Lyra and I are heading out.”

“Boo,” Jared hollered through his cupped hands, flashing a small eagle tattoo on his bicep. The knowing grin he gave us made another giggle rise to the surface as Carver tugged me through the back doors.

“Jared is a good guy. I like him.”

“He’s the best there is, besides you.”

I blushed furiously. “Where are we goin’?”

“Your house, my house, I don’t really care. As long as it’s just you and me.”