Page 35 of Operation: Ogre

I chuckled. “Yes.”

“Fine.”

He pulled away from me and stood, but the moment he was on his feet, he snagged my hand, holding it with both of his. The way he seemingly wanted to touch me as much as I did him soothed the worries I held. Hope continued to burn within my chest. Christopher would like me as much as I did him, one day. He had to.

“Come on.” I led him out of the room, through the campus, and toward the river.

“Are we actually going to a bonfire party? Of your own free will?”

Laughing, I said, “Nope. Guess again.”

Chris swerved in front of me, walking backward, though he didn’t release my hand. “Is this a game?”

“Do you want it to be one?”

“No, I just want you to tell me.”

“And ruin the surprise? I don’t think so.”

“Jaxon.” He yanked on my hand.

“We’re almost there.”

He moved so fast to face forward that he tripped over his own feet. I stabilized him before he could fall to the ground and get hurt. Chris froze at the sight that greeted him.

Lights were strung between the surrounding trees. Three tables with mismatched tablecloths weren’t far from the gurgling river where the lagoon monster Blake chilled. About twenty people milled around, chatting, drinking, laughing. Tate was chatting with Peter while Luc looked on. The devil seemed to be glaring at Peter, but I didn’t know him well enough to say for certain. Teagan was smiling tensely as Evander chatted his ear off and Sam nodded at what the football player was saying, then made a comment, waving her hands. Aaron and Caleb were talking, or rather laughing about something.

Carter and some human I didn’t know (he’d probably picked up a stray somewhere) were near the table covered in food. They were serving, and everyone had real plates. Yes, it would be a bitch to clean all of the dishes, but nothing disposable. So much better for the environment.

Off to the side was an ancestors’ table with food laid out on it. Incense burned in a burner, filling the air with a light scent.

“What is this?” Chris asked slowly as he looked around the gathering.

“Chuseok, or well, as best as I could put together,” I replied, blushing.

“You…” He faced me. “You did this for me?”

“Well, with Carter and Sam’s help. But yeah. You just sounded so sad about your parents going to South Korea without you. I wanted to do something for you.”

A strangled noise sounded in the back of his throat before he hurled himself at me. I caught him and lifted him into my arms; he basically weighed nothing at all. Chris wrapped his arms around my neck and pressed his lips to mine. I groaned. His lips moved frantically, sloppily over mine. With my hand planted on his ass, I hauled him even closer to me. My tongue teased his lips, and Chris gasped. I took advantage and licked into his mouth, plundering him.

After a minute, Chris yanked back, his chest heaving. My breathing wasn’t any better. Gripping the hair at the nape of my neck, he asked, his voice thick, “How can I thank you for this?”

“You don’t need to. I would do anything for you.”

An attractive flush bloomed on his cheeks. “I would do anything for you.”

“I know.” I kissed the tip of his nose.

“Still, thank you, big guy. This…” He looked around. “This is one of the sweetest things that anyone has ever done for me.”

I brushed a thumb over his cheek. “I don’t like you sad, and I’m just glad I could do something.”

“This is amazing.”

“I’m so glad you think so.”

“Did Sam cook?”