Page 73 of The Monster and the Masochist

“Yeah. You’re right. Jerry will kick my ass if I’m late again.”

Cass frowned at that, and she bit her lip.

“Why don’t you see if Jerry wants to come over here to meet you in the morning? That way you won’t have to get up as early. I have that espresso machine I can’t figure out how to use, but I’m sure if you can get it working, it’ll be just as good as the stuff from the cafe.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise at her offer.

I’d honestly been planning on making myself as scarce as possible while I was staying here. I didn’t want her to feel like I was encroaching on her space.

It never occurred to me she’d allow me to have guests over, let alone be the one to suggest it.

“Uh, you sure about that? I don’t want to just invite people over to your place, Cass.”

She scowled at this.

“As long as you’re living here, it’s your place too. I expect you to treat it as such.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I whispered, feeling all shivery and weird again, much like I had that morning when she’d ordered me to be here waiting for her when she came home.

“Okay, good. Now, let’s go to bed.”

I nodded, getting up.

“Alyssa had the movers put all my stuff in your room when we got here, but I moved most of it into the guest room once she was gone. I think there’s still a box or two in there, but I can grab them tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure I had time to make dinner before you got back, so I was a little rushed,” I explained as I followed her out of the living room to the hall that led to the bedrooms.

Her steps faltered slightly, which caused me to pause. She glanced over her shoulder at me, and I bit my lip in concern when I realized she was frowning.

Shit. Should I have prioritized moving the boxes over dinner?

Cass’s condo was spotless.

I should have thought of how much she would hate having those boxes in her room, even for a short while.

My stomach churned with anxiety.

I was supposed to be making her want me to stay here, not annoying her with all my unpacked shit crowding her space.

“I-I can move them right now, if it bothers you. Sorry, I’m just still new to making vegan food, and I didn’t want you to come home and have nothing to eat if I fucked it up and had to go to the store or something, so I just–”

“Theo!” Cass barked, and I immediately shut up, snapping my mouth shut with a click.

She was staring at me with that odd look on her face again, like she was trying to figure me out. Which was the strangest thing, because I thought I was pretty much the most boring person on the planet.

“I don’t care about the fucking boxes, Theodora. It’s fine.”

“You’re sure? It’s no problem if you want me to move them –”

She cut me off again, this time with two fingers over my lips.

“I’m sure.” She hummed.

I opened my mouth to speak again, but she didn’t let me.

Instead, she leaned forward and pressed a soft, affectionate kiss to my lips, and like every time Cassandra kissed me, the world melted away, and I immediately felt myself settle.

Unlike our previous kisses, this one was gentle, almost chaste, but it seemed to linger. My lips continued to tingle long after she pulled back.

She met my gaze, and a small, lazy smile crinkled the corners of her brown eyes as she hovered there, mere inches away.