Dearly Departed

by Katie May

  This time, I know I’m not mistaken when he lustfully exclaims, “Fuck me.”

  I smirk, finally allowing my eyes to trail over his form. The smirk fades instantly, and my mouth pops open, a breathy exhale escaping.

  His brown hair is slicked back, accentuating his already arresting face. A form-fitting, three-piece suit molds to his body, the crisp white collar of his undershirt contrasting with the dark gray material. A red tie finishes off the polished, sophisticated look...completely different from the clumsy man I met. In his gunmetal suit, with cufflinks adorning his sleeves, and his messy hair carefully styled, he looks like he was plucked straight from a catalogue. A catalogue for sexy businessmen.

  Fuck me as well.

  Hell, we should just fuck each other, and this entire problem would be solved.

  Preston finally peels his eyes away from me long enough to extend his arm—a true gentleman. I loop mine through his, and I smile back at Layla.

  “Don’t wait up,” I say with a wink.

  “Have her home by midnight! And don’t deflower her!” Layla calls after us, and I laugh at how much she sounded like Aggie just then.

  Preston eyes shine brightly with amusement, even as his cheeks tinge pink. Again. I fucking love it when he gets embarrassed.

  Is that wrong? Probably. But a lot of things about me are wrong.

  Preston leads me down the hallway, and we both garner the attention of passing students. Not that I’m surprised. We’re dressed to the nines in a school where you either wear uniforms or sweatpants.

  “What’s the plan for tonight?” I ask Preston lightly, knocking my shoulder with his.

  “Well…” He reaches to push his unruly hair out of his eyes, only to remember it’s already slicked back. “I have something planned.”

  “Really?” I say, unable to hide the excitement in my voice. The fact that he went through so much trouble for little old me sends tremors of excitement racing through my veins.

  “Of course. Anything for you.” He smiles at me sweetly, and I swear metaphysical butterflies begin to flutter in my stomach.

  “Hadley!” I turn towards the familiar voice even as Preston frowns. I spot Braxton immediately, hurrying through the crowd. It literally parts for him, students bracing themselves against the walls to get out of his way. What did he do to evoke such fear in his fellow classmates?

  Preston straightens his shoulders, leveling an almost luminously charged glare in the Demon’s direction.

  “Brax,” he greets stiffly. Braxton’s lips curl downwards when he catches sight of his brother before he reverts his attention back to me. Like his brother, his eyes widen and roam over my body. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows.

  “You look…” he trails off, unable to articulate whatever he’s thinking.

  “Like she’s on a date with me? Yes, she does,” Preston replies cheekily. Braxton sends him a scathing look before turning back to me. His expression softens.

  “You look beautiful, Hadley,” he compliments sincerely. “I just wanted to see if you were okay. We haven’t talked since…”

  Since we found the body.

  I haven’t been avoiding Braxton, per se, but I can’t deny that seeing his handsome face brings the memories rushing back.

  “I’m fine, Brax. Thank you,” I respond sharply, not wanting to get sucked into the void of emotional distress at the moment.

  His scowl returns suddenly, and he nods stiffly.

  “Right, okay. Sorry to bother you.”

  Before I can comment on his rapid change of demeanor, he shoulders past us, his silken wing grazing across my cheek, and strides down the hallway.

  He doesn’t look back, not once, and I’ll never admit to anyone how badly it hurt.

  Fuck.

  “Don’t worry about him,” Preston says dismissively. “He’s dramatic as fuck. If he’s not the center of attention, he sulks. Trust me. I grew up with that surly bastard. Once, the girl he liked went on a date with Auston, and he gave him the silent treatment for weeks. Weeks. Fuck, that was the nicest I have ever seen him. Hadley, he’s an asshole. And he’s pissed that…” Preston suddenly seems preoccupied with his cuff link. He clears his throat before smiling once more at me. This time, it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Come on. I’m not going to let Braxton ruin the best night of my life.”

  Chapter 21

  PRESTON

  Beautiful doesn’t even begin to describe what Hadley looks like. The moment I laid my eyes on her in that stunning red dress that hugs her curves in all the right places, I couldn’t breathe.

  She literally stole my breath away.

  Her fingers curl around my arm tightly as we walk through campus. I don’t know if she just likes touching me or if she’s afraid she might tumble over in those heels. Either way, I don’t care. The feel of her touching me, even if it’s just her fingers, is euphoric.

  Everyone that crosses across our path stares at us with wide eyes and gaping mouths. It's not common to see souls this dressed up at the Academy. With no fancy restaurants or elaborate balls to go to, our attire may seem a little bit over the top.

  Actually, it is over the top.

  But I really wanted to impress Hadley. I’m such a bumbling idiot sometimes, well, all the time. I can barely talk when I’m around her; my tongue grows thick inside my mouth, and I forget that English is my first language and not gibberish. I really thought she might tell me no when I asked her out with pity laced in her bright eyes.

  But she didn’t.

  Even in front of Layla and that crazy old woman, she still said yes. I felt so reassured in that moment. Hadley liked me for who I was, not begrudging me for what I wasn’t. That kind of girl is hard to find, and I’m determined not to let this one go.

  “Preston?” My name on her lips makes my cheeks heat and my heart clench.

  “Hmm?” Here it comes, the rejection I thought was imminent.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  I take a deep breath and let it out, hating that even in death, I can’t hide from the insecurities that weighed me down during my life.

  “It’s a surprise,” I reply, trying to keep my voice steady. I raise my hand to run my fingers through my hair. It’s a nervous habit I’ve had for as long as I can remember, but then I realize I styled it and lower my arm back down awkwardly.

  “Oh? I do like surprises,” she tells me, excitement lacing in her tone. I take that bit of info and add it to my remember-to-do list for Hadley. If the girl likes surprises, then I’ll make damn sure she gets them.

  “What is the best surprise you got in your life?” I ask her, trying not to let the awkward silence drag us down, determined to get over my shyness and show this girl how much I really am interested in her.

  “Well…” She looks up to the sky in thought as we head behind the dorms. Pontem Bridge juts up into the skyline to our left, and to our right is another cluster of trees. A brick path weaves its way through the canopy of leaves, leading to my surprise for her. I pull her along, her heels clicking on the stone as we move.

  “Probably the trip to Disney my parents surprised me with for my eighteenth birthday. I even got to bring Ocean along.”

  “Like, the ocean?” I question, totally confused.

  “No, silly,” she laughs out, slapping my chest with the back of her hand. “Ocean is—was—my best friend on Earth.”

  “Weird name for a person,” I mumble before realizing how shitty that sounds. “I’m sorry, Hadley, I didn’t mean anything by that. Ocean is a nice name.”

  She huffs. “No, you were right the first time. Ocean is a weird name. I used to call her lake or river to piss her off. And get this.” She licks her lips, and I fantasize about tasting her mouth. Maybe, no, hopefully, I’ll get to by the end of the night.

  “Her last name is Waves.” She laughs again, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Ocean Waves. Like, you would think her parents literally hated her or something.”

  I laugh with
her, unable to help myself. She has one of those contagious laughs, effortless and true, one you can’t help but join when you hear it.

  “How did they surprise you with the tickets?” I inquire, eager to learn more about her life before cancer became all she knew, before I became her Reaper.

  A smile graces her face, showing off a dazzling set of white teeth behind those plump lips stained red from some kind of gloss.

  “With a series of puzzles. I loved puzzles, so they made up this scavenger hunt thingy. Sent me all over town. Each time, I’d find a new clue to a new location. Took me a day to get through them all. Then, the final clue took me back home. On my bed was a giant stuffed Mickey holding a Japanese puzzle box.”

  Adding puzzles and scavenger hunts to the Hadley list.

  “It took me forever to open it,” she continues as we near the end of the path. “At least two full days of working on it, but I finally got it, and pulled out the tickets inside. It was literally a dream come true for me.”

  “Sounds wonderful, Had.” I blanch. “Can-Can I call you Had?”

  “Sure. Ocean always did. Makes me feel like a bit of home is here with me. Does that make sense?”

  “It does, Had. It does.”

  A warm breeze picks up, blowing the scent of the salt water towards us. Hadley’s nostrils flare as she picks up the scent.

  “Is-is that—no, it can’t be…”

  I smirk to myself and tug her off the stone path and onto a pebbled one. She grips my arm with both hands as her heels sink through the tiny stones.

  I’m reveling in my fucking glory right now.

  “Here we are,” I say, motioning to the thick tree trunk in front of us.

  “Erm…” She shifts her weight and looks around. “It’s a tree, Preston.”

  “Not just a tree,” I tease, pulling her around to the backside. A set of stairs wrap around the large trunk leading up to—

  “A tree house!” she shouts, jumping up and down while clapping her hands. “Preston, it’s perfect.”

  “Just like you,” I murmur, my cheeks heating, worried I might make her uncomfortable. But the smile she gives me in return lets me know I have nothing to worry about.

  “But how did it get here?” she asks.

  I shrug. “I’m not really sure. There are several of them scattered around the forest. I don’t know if a soul made them or the Academy. But I found this one during my second year and fixed it up.”

  “It’s so cool, Preston,” she says, smiling. I’m relieved that she doesn’t think it's lame.

  “After you, my lady,” I tell her, gesturing to the stairs.

  “You just want to see what kind of underwear I’m wearing, don’t you?” she accuses, placing her hand on her hip. “Let’s hear it, what’s your guess? Come on, out with it.”

  “Well, I was hoping you weren’t wearing any,” I respond bravely.

  “Preston!” she scolds, holding her hand to her chest in mock horror.

  She’s so fucking adorable.

  “I am a lady, and ladies don’t go around flaunting their lady parts to the world,” she chides, waving her finger at me before ascending the stairs.

  Excitedly, I begin climbing up after her. Her bare ass comes into view, two perfect round globes split by a tiny piece of black, lacy fabric. My cock notices too. Her ass is perfection. Grabbable. Spankable. Taunting me as she climbs.

  “I thought you said ladies don’t flaunt their lady parts,” I tease. She stops and turns around, leveling me with a heated gaze that sets me on fire.

  “I never said anything about my ass though.” She smirks at me then continues up the steps.

  Fuck. This woman is going to be the death of me.

  The steps end at a wraparound porch. She walks in a ways, allowing me to glide up beside her. I grab her hand and lead her to the front of the tree house.

  Her breath hitches as the ocean comes into view. A beautiful sunset colors the sky in a succulent blend of reds, yellows, and oranges, a stark contrast to the dark blue waters of the ocean below it. Waves crash against the sandy shore, like nature's own song, and birds chirp in the trees, adding to the melody.

  “It’s perfect. Thank you,” Hadley murmurs, before planting a kiss on my cheek. The spot her lips touch burns, heating my cheeks once more. I might never wash that spot on my face again.

  “Come on.” I open the door and tug her inside the tree house. It’s quaint inside, but has everything one would need, especially a soul who needs so much less. Floor to ceiling windows line the front wall, allowing a full view of the ocean from anywhere in the house. Her eyes roam across the tiny kitchenette, running over the back wall to the set of stairs on our right, which leads up to the loft bedroom. A couch rests in the front corner, and there’s a table for two set up in the middle.

  A table with a vase full of wildflowers on it. A vase full of wildflowers I know I did not pick.

  “Oh, Preston, these are beautiful!” she coos, picking up the card laying against it.

  “Oh, umm… I—”

  “To Hadley,” she begins, reading it out loud. “I picked these flowers just for you. They are wild and stunning, just like you…” She gives me an “aww” look, holding the card to her chest, then keeps going. “May our first kiss not be our last. Love… Karston?” She looks at me, confused.

  First kiss? Fucking Karston.

  “I don’t know how he found out, Had,” I admit, flustered, forgetting once again that I fixed my hair and running my fingers through it. “Fucking bastard. He always—”

  “Shh,” Hadley hushes me, holding her finger to my lips. “Don’t worry about him, okay?” She removes her finger and picks up the vase, moving it to one of the stairs leading to the loft. “Tonight, it’s just me and you.”

  I let out a sigh, some of the tension easing from my shoulders.

  “Please, sit down,” I offer, pulling out a chair for her.

  “Thank you.” She tucks the nonexistent fabric from her short dress under her ass and sits down. Her bare ass. As I scoot the chair in for her, I think about what I wouldn’t give to be the chair in this moment.

  I head over to the kitchenette and open the oven, pulling out a lasagna I’d put in there before I went to get her.

  “Smells so fucking good, Pres,” she compliments, licking those plump lips.

  “Mom’s recipe,” I tell her, placing the dish on the table. “We had family dinner every Sunday, and it was almost always lasagna.”

  “Sounds wonderful.”

  “It was, until my dad passed away and my mom started dating this asshole Jeremy that—never mind.” I don’t want to ruin tonight by dumping on her about my shitty stepdad. “Care for a glass of wine?”

  “Sure!” she responds. “Do you have a white wine?”

  “I do.” Tucking the oven mitts back into a drawer, I grab two stemless wine glasses from a cabinet and head over to the minifridge where I’d stashed a bottle of Riesling earlier today.

  With finesse, I uncork it and pour us each a glass. I will myself not to trip as I carry the glasses to the table. Successful, I place them down then unbutton my jacket. I notice her eyes on me as I slip it off and hang it on a hook near the door. I roll up my sleeves, exposing my forearms, her gaze tracking the movement as she licks her lips.

  Interesting.

  Are forearms sexy to a woman?

  And if so, do I have sexy man forearms?

  Tucking that bit of information into the Hadley file in my brain, I sit down across from her then serve her a piece of lasagna. She waits for me to serve myself before picking up her napkin and laying it across her lap.

  Hadley picks up her glass and raises it. I mimic her, clinking my glass against hers.

  “To a perfect night, with the sweetest guy in the Afterlife,” she toasts.

  “To a perfect night, with the sexiest, smartest, most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

  Her cheeks redden, and she bites that lower lip again before br
inging the glass to her mouth. Her blue eyes catch mine as she takes a sip, her lipstick sticking to the glass after she places it back on the table.

  We eat in a silence that’s not awkward for once in my life. Just enjoying the other’s company as much as the meal. My mind does what it always does, wondering if I’m interesting enough to talk to. If my shyness has pushed her away, or if I overdid this whole date thing. But one thing I know for sure by the end of dinner…

  I’m falling hard for this girl.

  Chapter 22

  HADLEY

  Sexadorable is definitely the perfect word to describe Preston. He’s not someone I would have gone for in my non dead life, but in this Afterlife, he’s everything I didn’t know I needed.

  Wanted.

  The muscles in his forearms bunch as he cuts his food. I don’t know why, but I’ve always had a thing for forearms on a guy.

  Add a watch or some bracelets to his wrist, and my lady parts—damn you, Aggie—clench in excitement.

  I can feel my cheeks flush as I polish off my third glass of wine. Preston moves to refill it once more, but I hold up a hand to stop him.

  “No more, or I won’t be able to walk back to the dorms tonight,” I tell him.

  He smirks.

  “Who says you were going home, anyway?” My jaw drops at his forwardness. Seems the wine has gotten to him too.

  “No?” Two can play at this game. “Well then. What did you have in mind for the rest of the night?”

  His cheeks flame. So fucking cute. “I have… plans,” he chokes out.

  “Do you now?” I blot at my lips with my napkin as he pushes out his chair.

  “Let’s start with a dance,” he suggests, offering me his hand. This ought to be good. Both of us have two left feet. “Trust me.”

  “Okay…” I accept his hand and allow him to pull me to my feet. I stagger just a bit, the combination of high heeled shoes and three glasses of wine are not a good mix. “Hang on a sec.” I plop my ass down on the couch and lower my arms to unbuckle my shoes.

  “Allow me,” he says, kneeling at my feet.