by Rivi Jacks
My eyes warily search his. “She said your... sexual tastes are very eclectic.” I lick my suddenly dry lips. “Among other things,” I whisper.
All at once he sits up and swings his legs over the side of the bed. I sense he’s truly angry as he stands and strides quickly to the door. His whole body exudes tension, and I sit on the edge of the bed, afraid he’s going to leave me. He turns and runs his hand through his hair, combing it off his forehead in frustration. Walking back to the bed, he squats in front of me, looking intently into my face with his beautiful eyes.
He reaches for my hands, looking down at them, and frowns as he rubs his thumbs over my knuckles. “First of all, Louisa was out to hurt you. She wanted to place doubt in your mind. She wanted to make you afraid of me. Sofie, I told you the other night there were dark times in my life when my world felt empty. I did a lot of things to try to make myself feel something.” His eyes search mine.
“You’re going to have to explain this to me, Lucas—so I can understand.”
“I thought I did the other night,” he says softly.
“If you want me in your life as much as you say you do, you can damn well explain to me what that nut job was hinting at!” I think I see a glint of surprise in his eyes. I’m a little surprised at my sudden anger too.
“All right, how remiss of me,” he mocks. “I should have laid it all out for you.” Geez! Why do I feel as if something more is going on here? “Would you like all the tawdry little details?” He snaps.
Oh crap! This is going to be bad.
“Not... really,” I say cautiously.
“What, my sweet? You don’t wish to hear how I used women as an addict would use a drug?” His eyes scorch me. My mouth drops open. Oh, this is bad, real bad.
“Are you a sex addict?” I try to keep the shock from my voice.
Lucas blinks slowly, surprise etched on his handsome face, and then he throws his head back, laughing. “No, Sofie, I am not a sex addict.” His eyes dance with amusement as he looks back at me. Sobering, he says softly, “Well—perhaps I am where you are concerned.”
I swallow visibly. “She... she said you need a steady supply of women,” I say in a soft voice.
He goes still. His sculptured mouth forms a hard line. “Is that right?” His eyes suddenly burn with anger. “What else did she say?” His voice is deceptively quiet. I look down at my hands. “Sofie?”
I shrug, still looking down.
He surges to his feet and paces across the room to stand with his hands on his hips. I think he is trying to get his temper under control. Then he’s back in front of me. “Sofie—women have been throwing themselves at me since I was thirteen.”
“Without a doubt,” I whisper.
I see a flicker of something in his eyes, but he quickly hides it. “At a young age, I learned that most of their words were empty and insincere.”
I can’t help my sudden compassion for him. “Why would you think they were insincere and they didn’t want you, Lucas?”
He smiles slyly. “I didn’t say they didn’t want me, Sofie.” He cocks one of those damnable black eyebrows and my cheeks flush. His chuckle is lightly tinged with mockery.
Of course it wasn’t that they didn’t want him. A woman only has to look at him, with all his beauty and sexual allure, and she wants him. He meant they would lie, cheat, beg, borrow, and steal to have him. I know he’s not being conceited, and I’m sure that even at a young age he possessed the same magnetism that draws women to him now.
He squats down in front of me again, taking my hands in his. “What I’m trying to say is there have been a lot of women in my past—” My breath hitches at the thought of him with those women. “Hey,” he says softly, tugging on my hands. “They are in the past.” I smile weakly.
“Right from the start,” he says softly, standing and pulling me up with him, “I wanted you more than anything, but you were so elusive, like some high-strung filly. Every time I took a step forward with you, I felt as though I was kicked back two.” Pulling me close, he buries his face in my hair. “I’ve never been happier than I am right now with you, Sofie.” I lean back and look up at him and my heart slams against my rib cage. He weaves his fingers into my hair. “Losing you is not an option,” he murmurs.
“You’re not going to lose me, Lucas.”
He smiles and pulls me close again. “I meant what I said. You are the only one I want—the only one I need.” The fervent note in his voice brings my head up.
I stand on tiptoe, to bring my lips to his. I kiss him passionately, with love and every other emotion in me clamoring to get out. Lifting me up, Lucas returns my kiss, passion for passion, until our breaths are mingled gasps as I cling to him.
Lucas breaks the kiss, letting me slide to the floor. “Damn it, Sofie!” I draw in a shuddering breath. He laughs unsteadily, running his hands through his hair. “I don’t want to take you here in Dominic’s bedroom; he’d derive too much pleasure from it.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
He smiles, shaking his head as if in resignation. “Let’s go, sweet; it’s getting late.” He holds out his hand.
“I need to freshen up first.” He sweeps his arm toward the bathroom, and I hurry across the room. When I look back, he’s straightening the cover over the bed. “Lucas, please let your friend know we didn’t do anything.” I’m so embarrassed we rolled around on a stranger’s bed.
He turns and smirks at me.
I leave the door slightly ajar as I step into the bathroom. The bedroom’s decor might be lacking, but the bathroom is beautiful with a sunken tub, granite tiles, lots of gleaming glass, and shining fixtures. Though I feel drained from this night, I smile and think about what Lucas has said to me.
“Lucas?” I reach down to pick up what looks like an article of clothing lying on the floor. “Do you think we could get something to eat? I’m—” The piece of clothing is the white shirt Lucas wore earlier. Buttons are missing as if someone ripped it from his body, with the back of the shirt shredded.
“Sofie!” The door flies open, and Lucas comes to a halt when he sees what I’m holding. He gives me a long, steady look. I drag my upper teeth across my bottom lip. I want it to hurt, I want it to hurt more than what I’m thinking. “I saw Louisa as I left you to find Dominic,” he says carefully. “She was upset and confronted me about you. I haven’t seen her since I broke it off in November, right after the first time I saw you.” He pauses as if letting me think about what he’s saying. I look up to see his frown, his eyes suddenly tight.
“Her jealousy overcame her when she saw us together. She followed me to Dominic’s office—became angry—and my shirt bore the brunt of that anger.” His eyes burn into mine, willing me to believe him.
I take a deep, tortured breath, knowing this won’t end tonight. There will be other lovers who will come forward, and I’ll have to face his relationship with them. Can I do that? I know I’ll have to because I will not give up on us. He says he wants me, and that means everything, Lucas means everything to me. I know, beyond a doubt, I’ll stay with him for as long as he wants me.
I move to the small bathroom trashcan and drop in the shirt. I take a deep breath and turn toward him. “I want to go home.” My voice is heavy with unshed tears. “This has been the shittiest night, and I just want to go home.”
“Come here,” he says gently. I step into his arms, and he holds me tightly.
We straighten ourselves before we leave the room. I don’t want to look as if we’ve been rolling around in the hay. As Lucas opens the office door, he takes hold of my wrist, and I hiss softly at the contact of his fingers on my pulse. Looking down, he smirks.
I narrow my eyes. “I wouldn’t feel so smug if I were you.” He lifts an eyebrow. “You suck at dating, Lucas Santiago.” Both brows fly up in surprise and the expression on his face is almost laughable.
I step out into the hallway and see someone standing at the entrance to the hall. His back is against
the wall with one knee bent, foot flat on the wall. He pushes away as soon as he sees us and walks in the same sinuous way as Lucas toward us. He’s grinning, and I smile back shyly.
Lucas’ voice is deep and sure. “Dominic, I’d like to introduce you to Sofie. Sofie, this is my good friend, Dominic.” I know from what I’ve heard that Lucas and Dominic are close friends, but I realize from the vibe Lucas emits and his tone that their relationship goes beyond friendship. These two share a bond.
I hold out my hand to the handsome blond man from the office earlier and he kisses the back. I catch myself staring into his beautiful, jewel-colored eyes. “Lucas did not exaggerate your beauty,” he says.
I glance up at Lucas.
“Don’t pay any attention to him, my sweet.”
Dominic releases my hand and laughs softly. “You will find Lucas is jealous of anyone paying you compliments or attention.” He has a beautiful British accent. “I’ve been trying to get him to bring you here for a while now, but he wants to keep you hidden away all to himself.”
Lucas wraps his arm around my waist, and I lean into him. “Is that true?” I ask.
He looks at me from under his lashes, and I see a flicker of something in his eyes that gives me unease. It happens so quickly and then he’s leaning down, whispering in my ear, “I’m not sharing you with anyone.” He squeezes me tightly against him.
Dominic laughs as if he hears what Lucas said. We head out into the club and find Andy and Emma Rae. Dominic kisses the back of Emma Rae’s hand and is as charming to her as he was with me. Dominic walks with us to the exit and steps out into the cold night as we say our goodbyes.
“Sofie, Emma Rae, please come back with your girlfriends anytime,” Dominic suggests.
Andy and Emma Rae continue toward the Hummer.
“That’s not going to happen,” Lucas growls. I lift a brow, giving him a look.
Dominic laughs. “She may not be so easy to tame, my friend.”
I give a “humph” and try to pull away from Lucas, but he holds fast, leading me toward the Hummer.
Lucas stops us half way across the lot, calling back to his friend. “Dom! Sofie wanted me to let you know your sheets are still clean.”
I gasp, turning beet red. Lucas chuckles, then grunts when I elbow him with everything I have. Dominic laughs as he heads back into the club. As Lucas holds my door open for me, I give him a look filled with murder. When he gets in behind the wheel, he’s smiling.
“I cannot believe you said that,” I hiss.
“What?” Emma Rae asks.
“Nothing!”
Poor Emma Rae, I practically yelled at her, and I hear her mutter, “Fiiine!” Lucas laughs again, and I’m so glad he’s finding this amusing.
On the outskirts of Sweetwater, Lucas’ cell rings. From the dash lights, I see him look at the caller ID and frown. “Yes,” he answers. I wish I could hear the conversation on the other end because his expression is not happy. “What?” he asks, surprise in his voice. “How long has he been waiting?”
Andy and Emma Rae have been talking softly in the back, but they are silent now, listening as I am.
“We’ll be there in about ten minutes.” He snaps the phone shut. When he doesn’t look at me and continues staring straight ahead, I suspect it has something to do with me.
“What?” I ask him.
He glances at me and takes my hand. He brings it to his mouth to kiss the backs of my fingers as he glances into the rearview mirror. “Emma Rae, could you spend the night at the house with Sofie?”
Emma Rae leans forward as I look back at her. “Yeah, sure.”
“Andy and I have something we need to take care of, and it can’t wait.”
“What’s going on, Lucas?”
“Nothing, sweet, just a matter we need to handle.” I give an exasperated sound. “Someone I know has stopped by, and I need to talk business with him,” he explains. I continue looking at him, but he keeps his eyes on the road.
I can’t believe this! I am tired of all the secrets and the so-called private meetings that concern all of us in Sweetwater. He says he wants me in his life, well, that means he shares things with me!
Okay, Reece, calm down, he said he would work on it, and it’s only been a day. I take a deep, calming breath. I realize that this is something that can’t be accomplished overnight. He did say he had never confided in anyone but his men. I am just going to have to be patient.
Lucas slows the Hummer to turn onto Walker Road, and I look over at Ben’s and then my house as we drive by. When we reach Lucas’, we drive right through the open gates and he barely slows the Hummer. I notice why when I look over at the guardhouse. Something is going on, and he clearly doesn’t want me to get a good look. He pulls up to the front steps and stops the Hummer.
“We’ll be back soon, and I want you girls to stay inside,” Lucas says. “If you’re not too tired, we’ll do the hot tub later.” He smiles suggestively at me.
“I want to go with you,” I say.
“You are not going, and I don’t have time to argue with you.” He reaches across me to open my door. That pretty well pisses me off, and I let him know it with the look I give him.
Emma Rae is already climbing out of the back. I get out, and Andy climbs in up front. The door hasn’t even closed when the Hummer shoots off down the driveway.
“Come on,” I urge as I hurry up the steps.
“What?” Emma Rae asks, following me.
I rush into the bedroom as I undo my dress. Emma Rae is right behind me. I grab a sweatshirt, pull it on, and throw a pair of Lucas’ sweat pants at Emma Rae as I slip on a pair of mine.
“Sofie, this is a bad idea.”
“Thank goodness you wore boots,” I tell her as I pull mine on. I grab a couple of Lucas’ black hoodies. “Let’s go.”
“Sofe, I’m not sure about this,” she worries as she follows me down the front steps.
“Emma Rae, we need to see what is going on down there. If they’re keeping things from us, we need to know.”
“I’m just not sure—”
“Okay, we have to stop talking,” I state, “and we’re going through the trees now.”
Emma Rae stops right where she is, and I take a few steps before I notice. I turn back toward her. “I am not ruining these boots,” she says firmly in a hushed tone.
“Okay, stay here but be quiet.” I turn and continue down the hill toward the guardhouse.
“Well, shit!” I hear her loud whisper, and then I hear her follow me.
We hurry as fast as we can down the hill, but it’s hard going with the snow and the dark. As we near the gates, we see Lucas’ men moving about. The gate area is lit up, so as long as we stay in the shadows, they won’t see us. From our angle, we can’t see into the guardhouse, we’ll just have to wait and watch. It’s chilly out here, so I’m hoping for a short wait.
Emma Rae keeps shifting her weight from one foot to the other. I hold my finger up to my lips, reminding her to be quiet. About the time I’m wondering how much longer we can wait out in this weather, several of the Guard show sudden interest in whatever’s across the road from the gates.
What I see next turns my blood cold.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Walking out of the woods are four large Kihn. I barely keep myself from gasping. Emma Rae, on the other hand, does—loudly.
I motion for her to keep quiet and turn my attention back right as Lucas and a giant of a Kihn emerge from the guardhouse. They walk to where the other Kihn stand at the gate. I know Taylor told us the Kihn disguise themselves, but these look the same as the one at my door the night of Dawn’s shower: big, ugly, and dangerous. Just like the ones in my nightmares always have. Lucas escorts his guest to the gate and the Kihn cross the road, disappearing through the trees.
I sit on the ground in shock. What the hell? I look at Emma Rae and shake my head in bewilderment. A look passes over her face right before she shrieks and takes off running
toward the driveway. I look up and maybe twenty feet in front of me is a large, dark shape, moving quickly toward me.
I don’t have time to stand, so I crawl backward on my hands and feet. The dark shape looms over me, and I roll over as I try to scamper away. I’m suddenly hauled up by the back of my sweatpants. I kick and flail my arms wildly. An arm of steel encircles my waist, pulling me up against a hard chest and squeezing tight enough I can’t breathe. I quit flailing about when I realize who my captor is.
“I ought to wring your lovely little neck,” he hisses in my ear.
“Let go of me!” I yell. And he does.
I land on my feet, but I wasn’t actually expecting him to let me go, so my feet fail to hold me up. I stumble back and manage to land on some rocks protruding through the packed snow. “Ow!”
He reaches down to help, but I slap his hand away. I stand on my own, rubbing my posterior. I instinctively back up, he’s still one pissed-off man. He doesn’t let me get too far before he grabs my arm and proceeds to drag me up the hill.
I pry at his hand. “Stop it! Let me go!” He pays no attention to my pleas.
When we reach the house, the Hummer sits out front, but no one is about. Lucas continues right up the front steps and he doesn’t let go of my arm until we’re inside. By now, I’m as pissed as he is.
He strides to the liquor cabinet, jerks the lid off a bottle, and pours a liberal amount of amber-colored liquid into a glass. Picking it up, he tosses the liquor back and pours himself another one. I snort softly and turn to leave. I need a shower.
“Where do you think you’re going?” His voice is intentionally sharp.
I turn back to face him. “To take a shower. I’m not going to stand here and watch you get drunk.”
“What did you think you were doing down there? I told you to stay here.” He speaks in an awful voice, and the way he’s looking at me isn’t much of an improvement.
I exhale sharply. “What were you doing down there, Lucas? What were you doing having a private meeting with the Kihn?” I see surprise cross his face before his mouth lifts at the corner. I gape at him. “What’s so funny?” I demand. I want to kick him and wipe that smile off his face.