I spent the summer between seventh and eighth grade decorating my room to suit me. Mom provided a budget of three hundred dollars to redo it, and I put thought into everything I bought. This room acted as my sanctuary during my most trying years. Soon, I’ll tell it goodbye.

“Can I put my posters up at the house?” I ask Cap while cuddled in his lap.

“You’re an adult. So the answer to most of the questions you ask is yes.”

“My parents do a good job of running stuff, so I’ve never been in a hurry to take charge. I sometimes even forget I’m an adult.”

“Been there, did that, and I’m older than you.”

“So I shouldn’t feel lame?”

“About anything? No, never. If something is lame, but you like it, that something ceases to be lame. Your approval gives it value.”

“You sound like a life coach.”

“No, Pip, I sound like my mom.”

Grinning at his expression, I reach for his face but stop short when Rando walks into the middle of my room.

She stares at me while completely ignoring Cap. “I’m concerned about your safety.”

“Did Pop send you?”

“No. He’s talking to Mom about sending a few large tattooed club guys to that town you’re moving to. That way, you’ll be protected.”

“I don’t need them protecting me.”

“I don’t care about that. I’m concerned about your safety from Cas.”

The entire time Rando speaks to me, she makes no notice of Cap. My sister is always laser-focused even when she isn’t paying attention. It’s a weird talent.

“Why are you concerned?”

“He is enormous, and you are miniature. Your anatomy doesn’t match up correctly. You could be seriously injured or die from rough sex. I think you should find someone smaller. I saw a short man at the pharmacy one time. He was better suited for you.”

“What man are you talking about?” I ask as Cap’s gaze flickers between my sister and me.

“I don’t know. He was short, and it was a year ago.”

“I doubt I can find him after all this time.”

Rando kicks at the ground with her bunny slippers and gives me a pitying look. “You have to be realistic about your size differentials. Remember when Uncle Tucker tried to shove his head through that too-small opening and cracked his skull?”

Despite nodding, I’m actually thinking about Uncle Tucker dropping Rando and wondering if he cracked her skull. “I don’t plan to ram his anatomy into mine. Plus, my anatomy comes with lubricant.”

“I hadn’t thought about lubricant. Vagina muscles are meant to stretch, but I still have concerns. You should discuss this with Cas prior to commencing the sexual act of lovemaking.”

“Okay, now I know you’re fucking with me,” I mutter, throwing a pillow at her while laughing. “No one says ‘the sexual act of lovemaking.’”

“Lily does.”

“Really? Weird.”

“I don’t think she had sex with that man she was engaged to.”

“He had a name.”

“Terry?”

“No, that wasn’t his name.”

“I called him Terry.”

“Doesn’t make it his name, though.”

“I think it was.”

“Well, you think his,” I pause to gesture at Cap, “name is Cas, and it’s not.”

“I know what his name is. I don’t like it. Cas is better.”

“Rando, go away.”

“I’m not moving to Tennessee with you.”

“I know.”

“Pop says I should. He bribed me with two cats, but I’m not moving.”

“No one expects you to. Pop is just talking.”

“Lily should go with you. She might meet a boring man like Terry, and they can enjoy the sexual act of lovemaking.”

Finally, Rando smiles. I would fucking kill to deadpan as well as she does. Turning on her heel, she walks from the room and leaves me to have an awkward conversation with Cap about size differentials and proper lubrication.

“She isn’t wrong,” Cap says once we’re alone. “You’re fucking tiny, and I’m hung like a stallion. We’ll need to be very careful if I don’t want to kill you.”

“Well, that made me super horny,” I say, shifting off his lap. “We should never have sex.”

“What your sister didn’t mention were the many fun activities we can do without inserting my anatomy into your anatomy.”

“I couldn’t get hornier if I tried.”

Cap chuckles. “Fine, play your frigid game while in your parents’ house with them downstairs plotting against us. When we’re alone and naked in White Horse, Pip, I promise you’ll drip with arousal.”

Shaking my head, I squirm farther away from him. “Drip? I’m done talking about sex for the decade.”

Cap grins at my horror, but his gaze remains lustful. He’s no doubt fantasizing about the many ways we could lubricate me on this bed.

Well, at least, I assume that’s what he’s imagining.

With his menacing vibe, I often can’t get a read on his moods. Meanwhile, he knows my every fucking thought. Talk about a power imbalance simply looking for trouble.