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Lucca

Claire has been so quiet since our talk. It was a kick to the ball-sack to hear her say she would think about coming back with me, but I wasn’t surprised. I’ve done her dirty, hurt her, and I know she needs time to digest everything that happened over the last forty-eight hours. It doesn’t mean I will enjoy it, though. I want to get back to Hillcrest and show her just how much she means to me.

Six months without her was the kick in the ass I needed to see that I couldn’t live without her. I am a bastard for doing what I did to her, and she’s right. I can’t call her my butterfly and then trap her in a cage. Even if it kills me, I have to ease up on the control.

I wanted to protect her against everything bad in the world, including myself, but doing that put us at risk. Funny enough, I didn’t even know there was an us yet.

Claire chooses then to walk into the bedroom, a towel wrapped tight around her body. It hides all the places I want to see, lick, and taste.

“I need to get ready for work,” she announces.

Teeth grinding, I stop myself from replying with the word no. She insisted she was returning to work, and as much as I didn’t want her to go, I didn’t want to risk pushing her away by saying no, and especially not after she confessed her feelings to me.

“Then get ready,” I say.

She blinks, staring at me like she can’t believe I just told her what to do. “Get out.”

It seems I am missing something. “Why?”

“Because I don’t want you to see me naked.”

My head tips back, and I laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and I don’t stop laughing until Claire throws something at me, which is a shoe.

“Stop laughing and get out. I need to get dressed, and I can’t with you in the room.”

“What? Are you afraid that something might happen?” I tease. “Something you might like, something that may make you scream my name?”

We haven’t had sex again since the night before, even though I’m hard every second of the day. I can’t help it, Claire has that effect on me.

A deep flush spreads onto her cheeks. “If you’re trying to convince me to leave with you, this isn’t helping.”

I frown, get off the bed, and walk over to her. She retreats like prey, taking a step back for every step I take toward her. Fuck me, I want her.

I want to rip that towel from her body, spread her legs, and place her right on my face, so I can feast upon her like she is my last meal.

Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen.

Stopping right in front of her, I can see her pulse fluttering in her throat. Her green eyes are wild, filled with half lust, half anticipation. I lean into her face and watch as her lips part and her pink tongue darts out over her bottom lip.

I am reminded of the very first time I kissed her, the day she was going to go to lunch with Gregg. It had been the only time I had ever kissed a woman, the only time I ever wanted to. Today, I want to kiss her too, so I do. I lean in, my nose brushing against hers, and press my lips firmly to hers, swallowing up every little sound she makes.

She tastes sweet, sinful, and I deepen the kiss, my fingers tangling in her hair. I pull her closer, wanting there not to be even an inch of space between us. One of her hands sinks into my hair, and the other snakes around my neck, and it’s about then that we both realize she no longer has a grasp on the towel.

I pull away, panting, ready to fuck her against the wall, but smiling. The towel slips down her body, and the look on Claire’s face mimics that of an angry kitten, her nose is snarled, and her eyebrows are drawn together.

“What was that you said about not wanting me to see you naked?”

Snatching the towel off the floor, she gives me a dirty look, and I snicker as I walk out of the room. The door slams shut behind me, and all I can think is I have to get her to come back with me. I have to.

* * *

The corner booth in the diner becomes my home for the next six hours. I drink my weight in coffee, forcing Claire to return to my table to fill my cup over and over again. It’s amusing as hell. She glares at me each time, but I know she likes the attention.

An hour goes by, and a strange man walks into the diner. I narrow my eyes at him across the room. He’s watching Claire with far more interest than I like, and it makes me squeeze the coffee mug a little tighter in my hand. I don’t need to make a fucking scene, especially not with Claire here, but this guy better look away, or I’ll have to gouge his eyes out.

“Claire, trash,” one of the older ladies yells.

Claire frowns and shoves her notepad into the front of her apron.

The guy continues to track her every movement like a hawk. I’m pretty sure he wants me to gut him like a fucking fish. When Claire disappears into the back of the diner, and the creepy fucker rises from his seat and rushes out the door in a flurry, I follow.

I know a sick fuck when I see one, and the way he was watching her, coupled with how fast he ran out of the diner when she disappeared into the back, tells me he was a snake lying in wait. Shit luck for him if he thinks he’s going to touch her.

The wind howls through my jacket, and I turn the corner just in time to see him crowding Claire at the back of the alley.

“You’re a pretty girl. Maybe give a guy a chance?” I can barely make out what he says, but what reaches my ears has me seeing red. My hand slides into my jacket, and I grab the knife strapped there. I stalk toward them, intent on slitting his throat when Claire notices me out of the corner of her eye and intersects, crossing in front of the fucker at the last second.

It’s lower the knife or risk hurting Claire, and I’m not going to fucking do that. Anger surges through me as I drop my hand, pointing the blade at the ground. With both hands against my chest, she pushes me backward and away from the real danger.

“What the fuck?” I growl.

“Don’t do this, Lucca. There has been enough death in my life, enough blood on my hands.” I look away from Claire and find the creep has turned around and is now walking toward us. My body vibrates with suppressed rage, with the need to kill, to destroy.

“Is there a problem?” the guy questions.

I maneuver Claire behind me easily and hold myself back. I don’t know why she cares about this guy, but what she said a second ago pierced my heart. I don’t want her to carry the weight of all the bad I have done, so even if I wanted to slit this guy from ear to ear, I wouldn’t.

“Yeah, get the fuck out of here.”All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

Lucky for the guy, and myself, he mumbles an incoherent word and stalks away. I can feel Claire pressed against my back, and I place the knife back in its holster and turn and pull her into my arms.

“I…. I thought…” She buries her face in my chest, and I rub a soothing hand down her back. “I thought you were going to kill him.”

I lean into her good ear to make certain she can hear me. “I wanted to. I really did, and maybe if you weren’t here, I would’ve, but I couldn’t do it. Not knowing it would hurt you.”

The dark alley makes it hard for me to see, but when she lifts her head, I swear I see tears swimming in her eyes. I don’t want to make her cry anymore. I want her to be happy, smiling. I want to see her like I did the very first day I met her.

“I’ll come with you.”

Her words are so profound that for a moment, I swear they’re made up. “What did you say?” I ask, just to be certain that I heard correctly.

“I’ll go with you. I’ll go home.”

My heart jolts in my chest; it’s beating so loudly it’s all I can hear for a few seconds.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure, but I still want my freedom.”

“If that’s what I have to do, then I will do it. I’ll give you whatever your heart desires.” I squeeze her a little tighter, grateful that for once, I didn’t give into my most basic instinct. Claire changed me and is still changing me.