Page 34 of Of Shadow and Moonlight

Kat's eyes shifted to me the moment the words left his lips, a sly grin on her face. I suddenly wanted to bury myself on the spot. “Yeah. Thank you.”

Kat all but dragged me up the stairs of the back porch through the back door. The moment the door closed behind us, she whirled around to face me. “What happened between you two?”

I tried not to be so obvious. “Nothing happened.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Cas. I've known you for fourteen years. Whatever happened, it wasn't just you two going for a walk in the park.”

I caved. “We kissed.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Just kissed?”

I couldn't answer, walking past her toward the hallway.

She gasped. “No judging if you did. But you didn't... you know.”

“No!” I said, whipping around, mortified at the fact she even thought Damien and I had… sex.

She snickered. “And here I was thinking my innocent little Cas had finally gotten out of her shell and done something bold.”

“I've only known him for a few weeks. Geez, Kat.”

A devilish grin crept across her face, like she knew something. “And yet, you were here, in his house, making out with him.”

“It kind of just... happened. Neither of us intended it to.”

“How?”

I sighed and told her about everything. About the date, how I’d fallen in the river, how he’d carried me to his car, brought me here to get me dry clothes.

And how we’d ended up on his living room floor.

“—then he made me dinner and we hung out talking for the rest of the night.”

“Has money, good looks, is chivalrous,andcan cook?” She popped her hands on her hips. “You better lock it down, Cas.”

“It's not that simple,” I said.

“Why not?”

Because it wasn't fair to him. Fuck. I shouldn't evenbehere tonight, but I couldn't resist it. Every part of me wanted to get closer to him, no matter how horrible I felt for it.

“It's... complicated.”

“It doesn't have to be, Cas,” she said, her face softening. “Look, I know you've never really been in a relationship. You've turned me down every time I've tried to set you up with a date. Maybe this is the universe telling you its time.”

It would be fate that would do this to me. Do this to him. How cruel of the universe to wait until I was left with little time, only to allow me a taste of what could be something amazing.

“We're talking. Nothing is official right now, I don't think.”

She took my hands, puling me closer to her, her fern-green eyes full of endearment as her gaze locked with mine. “Don't let this one get away.”

“I'll try not to,” I said, smiling back, if only to make her feel better.

* * *

The wood cracked and popped as the fire worked through it in the pit, and embers danced in the dark night air.

“So how long have you guys known each other?” Cole asked.