yours." I nodded at the two girls next to us as I pulled Dakota toward the door. "Alexis. Brenda. Happy Halloween!"
"It's freezing outside," he whispered to me. "I don't have a car, remember? And we're alone on this mission, just the two of us. No one to carpool with."
"I'll be fine."
He looked skeptical. And rightly so. It was freezing outside.
I immediately started shivering. "So what's the plan? Where are we going?"
"My friend Collin is throwing his usual big Halloween bash at his apartment. I've never been before. Let's start there."
I wrapped my arms around myself. "Let's go."
"Your teeth are chattering." He slid his coat off. "Damn it, Morgan. You're going to freeze to death." He put the coat over my shoulders.
I slid my arm around his waist and cuddled in to him. "We'll share." I was just huddling for warmth, so I told myself. But it felt surprisingly good to be tucked against him. Safe.
He put his arm around me, too, resting his hand on my hip. Walking with him like that shouldn't have been so exciting. But it was, and nothing I told myself made the surprisingly giddy feelings go away.
Dak insisted on taking the bus. We got lucky and didn't have to wait for one. Five minutes later we were in the parking lot of Dak's friend's apartment in the middle of a brand-new complex on the edge of the wheat fields surrounding town. The apartments weren't much different in atmosphere from the frats. They pulsed with music and the air smelled like booze. People spilled out on the lawn and cluttered the clubhouse.
Dak knew where he was going. He led us directly to his friend's place.
At the door to Collin's apartment, I reluctantly released my grip on Dak and handed him his jacket. "Put this on. You look hot in it."
"Is that a come-on?"
"You wish." But, yeah, it could be. It would have been in the old days.
He pulled two masks out of his jacket pocket. "What do you think?"
I grabbed one from him and slid it on. "You can never be too careful."
The party was in full swing. Dak grabbed my hand and pulled me inside. "Where's our host?" Dak looked around the party. "Ah. There he is!" He pulled me through a throng of monsters, witches, and assorted characters. "Collin!" He slapped him on the back.
Collin turned. His eyes lit up when he saw me. "It's about time the refs arrived! This party is getting out of hand. And you brought a lady ref." He whistled.
I laughed.
"You know where the beer is." Collin hitched a thumb at a nearby keg. "We have the harder stuff. In the kitchen." Just then, another guy walked by. Collin grabbed him. "This is my roommate, Zave."
I stretched my hand. "Morgan."
"Delighted," Zave said. "This party needs more hot chicks." He gave me one of those undressing looks. "Gotta love a woman in uniform."
"Hey!" Dak put his arm around me. "My partner's on duty."
His possessiveness was cute.
"Logan, my other roommate, is around here somewhere." He looked around. "There he is. In the corner. You'll have to forgive him. He's not himself tonight." Collin rolled his eyes. "Girl problems." He shrugged and slapped Dak on the back again. "Help yourself. And liven this party up!"
Dak yelled in my ear over the music, "Thirsty?"
"Terribly. But not for mixers."
He laughed. "Let's get to work." He pulled me into the middle of a group of dancing people. He watched the crowd like he was waiting for an opening. His face lit up. "Our first violators!"
He stepped between a dancing couple and blew his whistle. "No personal foul! Ten-yard penalty for dancing too far apart." He stepped out from between them and shoved them together. "Dude, you have a hot—" He looked at her costume and frowned. "What are you supposed to be? A fairy?"
The girl wiggled her shoulders and flapped the wings she wore. "A butterfly!"
He put a hand on the guy's shoulder. "You have a hot butterfly here. Rush her before she flits off and finds another zombie to land on. Do some man-to-woman offensive. Net this girl. Got
"It's freezing outside," he whispered to me. "I don't have a car, remember? And we're alone on this mission, just the two of us. No one to carpool with."
"I'll be fine."
He looked skeptical. And rightly so. It was freezing outside.
I immediately started shivering. "So what's the plan? Where are we going?"
"My friend Collin is throwing his usual big Halloween bash at his apartment. I've never been before. Let's start there."
I wrapped my arms around myself. "Let's go."
"Your teeth are chattering." He slid his coat off. "Damn it, Morgan. You're going to freeze to death." He put the coat over my shoulders.
I slid my arm around his waist and cuddled in to him. "We'll share." I was just huddling for warmth, so I told myself. But it felt surprisingly good to be tucked against him. Safe.
He put his arm around me, too, resting his hand on my hip. Walking with him like that shouldn't have been so exciting. But it was, and nothing I told myself made the surprisingly giddy feelings go away.
Dak insisted on taking the bus. We got lucky and didn't have to wait for one. Five minutes later we were in the parking lot of Dak's friend's apartment in the middle of a brand-new complex on the edge of the wheat fields surrounding town. The apartments weren't much different in atmosphere from the frats. They pulsed with music and the air smelled like booze. People spilled out on the lawn and cluttered the clubhouse.
Dak knew where he was going. He led us directly to his friend's place.
At the door to Collin's apartment, I reluctantly released my grip on Dak and handed him his jacket. "Put this on. You look hot in it."
"Is that a come-on?"
"You wish." But, yeah, it could be. It would have been in the old days.
He pulled two masks out of his jacket pocket. "What do you think?"
I grabbed one from him and slid it on. "You can never be too careful."
The party was in full swing. Dak grabbed my hand and pulled me inside. "Where's our host?" Dak looked around the party. "Ah. There he is!" He pulled me through a throng of monsters, witches, and assorted characters. "Collin!" He slapped him on the back.
Collin turned. His eyes lit up when he saw me. "It's about time the refs arrived! This party is getting out of hand. And you brought a lady ref." He whistled.
I laughed.
"You know where the beer is." Collin hitched a thumb at a nearby keg. "We have the harder stuff. In the kitchen." Just then, another guy walked by. Collin grabbed him. "This is my roommate, Zave."
I stretched my hand. "Morgan."
"Delighted," Zave said. "This party needs more hot chicks." He gave me one of those undressing looks. "Gotta love a woman in uniform."
"Hey!" Dak put his arm around me. "My partner's on duty."
His possessiveness was cute.
"Logan, my other roommate, is around here somewhere." He looked around. "There he is. In the corner. You'll have to forgive him. He's not himself tonight." Collin rolled his eyes. "Girl problems." He shrugged and slapped Dak on the back again. "Help yourself. And liven this party up!"
Dak yelled in my ear over the music, "Thirsty?"
"Terribly. But not for mixers."
He laughed. "Let's get to work." He pulled me into the middle of a group of dancing people. He watched the crowd like he was waiting for an opening. His face lit up. "Our first violators!"
He stepped between a dancing couple and blew his whistle. "No personal foul! Ten-yard penalty for dancing too far apart." He stepped out from between them and shoved them together. "Dude, you have a hot—" He looked at her costume and frowned. "What are you supposed to be? A fairy?"
The girl wiggled her shoulders and flapped the wings she wore. "A butterfly!"
He put a hand on the guy's shoulder. "You have a hot butterfly here. Rush her before she flits off and finds another zombie to land on. Do some man-to-woman offensive. Net this girl. Got
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