by Zavi James
Maria closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them before she asked, "Luc?"
"He saw and I'm not sure what happened, but he didn't look great afterwards and Stefan..."
"Won't be living here anymore," Luc finished the sentence as he entered the room. His hands still looked red and raw from the fight.
"Where's your brother?" Maria asked her eldest.
"Hospital, I imagine," Luc replied, looking like he couldn’t care less. "Dante took him there last night." He leaned down and kissed me before taking a seat at the table. "I don't regret it, Mom. He crossed a line last night and he's lucky it wasn't worse."
Maria sighed. "I understand, Lucas. He shouldn't have done that to Mia. I just hope this will be the end of it now."
We spent much of the morning talking before the time came to take Maria back to the hospital. Once she was settled in her bed, I leaned over and hugged her.
"Thank you so much for having me over," Maria said.
"I'm sorry it didn't go as planned," I apologized to her, still feeling guilty over the fight.
Maria dismissed the apology with a shake of her head.
"We'll drop by again soon, Mom," Luc told her and kissed her cheek. As he turned away, I went to follow but Maria took my hand.
"Thank you, Mia," Maria said as I looked over her shoulder. "For making him so happy."
I felt my insides warm. "I'm only returning what he does for me." I gave her another hug before leaving the room.
"One more stop," Luc said, looking up from his phone. I knew where we were headed but felt uncomfortable all the same.
"Do you think this is a good idea?"
"I'm not going to do anything," Luc assured me.
I didn't believe him. We walked into another room where Stefan lay in bed looking so awful that I gasped when I saw him. He turned his head towards us and scowled. Stefan's face was shades of purple and blue with the occasional scab. I looked up at Luc, but he was focused on his brother.
"See what he can do, Mia?" Stefan's words were unclear due to the wiring around his jaw.
I felt the rage that I felt last night fill me once more. Even now, after everything, Stefan was trying to point out Luc's flaws. I let go of Luc's hand and moved to Stefan, but Luc put a hand on my shoulder. I paused for a second before I shook him off.
I moved next to Stefan’s bed and he reached a hand out, only for me to swat it away.
"I've seen him kill someone for me," I said quietly. "I think you should count yourself very lucky, Stefan. There is nothing he can do that won't have me choose him every time."
Luc stood beside me and took a deep breath before he spoke. "When you get out of here, you pick up your stuff and get out of the house. You stay away from Mia and I'll stay away from you. I meant it last night, Stefan. I won't give you another chance."
Stefan didn't say a word but glared at Luc before he was left alone in the room.
I didn't say much for the ride home but as Luc pulled into the garage, I broke the silence. "Luc?" I took his hand as he helped me out of the car. "Will you teach me to fight?"
Luc's eyebrows shot up at the request and I chewed on my bottom lip. "I want to be able to get myself out of a situation."
"You won't need to because I'll be there," Luc told me.
"You can't be with me 24/7. Please, Luc. We'll both feel better if you teach me."
He thought about my words for a moment and then strode across the garage to pull out some mats. "Go get changed," he told me.
"You're going to teach me now?"
"Do you have something better to do?" Luc asked.
I rolled my eyes and went to get changed. After a few minutes, I reappeared in the garage in a sports bra and some yoga pants. The mats had been spread out on the floor and Luc was dressed only in his jeans.
"Dom uses the space sometimes to keep in shape," Luc explained pointing to the mats. "He spars with me and Dante sometimes, but it's been a while."
"Do you think he'd spar with me?" I asked him.
"Not if he thinks his life is worth living,” Luc muttered, and I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes again. “Now let's warm up."
I couldn’t be certain how long we trained but I had thrown my all into it, working out my anger from yesterday. This took the meaning of boxing day to a whole new level. Luc refused to fight properly, and I found myself yelling at him about respect.
He slammed me against the wall of the garage, and I felt my insides shake with the force even though I knew this wasn’t his best. I balled my fist, swinging at him with a left hook that Luc caught with ease, pinning it behind my back and applying some pressure.
“Dammit!” I screamed in frustration. This wasn’t the first time he’d managed to counter my move without a thought. Swinging my leg out, I hoped to find Luc’s to bring him down to the mat, but he stepped away from it.
“You’re thinking too much, princess,” Luc told me.
This wasn’t something I could learn from a book. Fighting was something you learned from practical experience. Despite the fact I was uncomfortable, Luc didn’t let up. He looked like he was almost enjoying watching me fighting against him.
"You're the one who told me not to go easy on you," Luc reminded me as I struggled.
He eventually let go of my arm abruptly and I stumbled before recovering and came at him. Luc blocked my attack and tapped me on the chin. He wasn't about to come to full blows with me and he'd told me as much. I could swing at him as much as I wanted but he'd only tap in return to show me where he would counter.
With speed, I moved to catch Luc’s nose, leaving him vaguely impressed when he recovered. He jabbed at me but I blocked it with surprising force that caused him to stumble and allowed me to graze his cheek.
"Because I knew I could take you," I told him, shoving him in the stomach.
Luc hooked a leg around mine and brought me down to the mat with a thud.
"Ooft!" I groaned. The pain subsided to a full ache quickly.
Luc was on top of me in an instant. "You okay there, princess?"
With a burst of adrenaline, I shifted us, so Luc lay on the floor and I straddled his waist. My breathing came in hard pants and I was covered in a sheen of sweat. Luc was used to me being careful and kind, and while that wouldn’t change, I could see the advantage of being confident and quick in a fight.
"Do I win this round?" I asked, leaning over him.
Luc started up at me and I couldn’t help but be proud of myself. Regardless of the fatigue I felt, I had managed to pin him to the mat. It was as if he wasn’t worried about winning against me anymore. Then the realization dawned as I felt Luc harden against my thigh. He couldn’t care less about winning and I had the advantage. I squeezed my thighs around him.
"Mia." It was a warning from him.
"Do I win this round?" I asked him again. He needed to admit defeat.
Squeezing my thighs around him again, I heard Luc groan. He pushed up from the mat, no longer taking my teasing, and flipped us so that I was on my back again before his lips crashed against mine. The kiss tasted of coffee and salt and felt familiar, like coming home. My nails raked down his arms and Luc smiled into the kiss at my attempt to gain the upper hand once more. I wanted to try and assert some dominance today and show him that I didn’t need to be looked after constantly. It didn’t look like I’d get that chance today, when Luc took my hands and pinned them above my head. Dominant was not my role and he was reminding me of that.
The tip of his tongue traced along my lip and I bit at his bottom lip. If he wanted this, he would work for it. Luc let out a guttural groan from the nip and moved the kisses down my neck and I tipped my head back to allow him better access.
He let go of my hands and pushed his under my bra, pulling it off with some struggle before he took a nipple into his mouth, rolling the other with his fingers. No one had made me crave their touch the way Luc did. Every kiss, every touch made me want more. Luc’s presence always demanded my
attention but when it was the both of us alone, my heart went into overdrive and my mind could focus on nothing else.
He didn’t need to ask me to comply when he tugged at my pants, stripping them from my body along with my underwear. Luc’s skilled tongue flicked out at my center that already ached for him, making me gasp out his name, spurring him on. His tongue lapped at me, painfully slowly and my fingers threaded in his hair in an attempt to urge him on. It wasn't long before my body shook as I climbed towards my orgasm.
"Oh, oh, yes!" I climaxed, calling up to the ceiling.
Luc continued to lick at me, ignoring the whimpers that came from me from the overstimulation. What he wanted, he got. He had told me that the first time we met and had only gone on to prove this point on several occasions since knowing each other. The strokes of his tongue were faster this time and I pulled at his hair. His eyes looked up at me as he worked, and I wondered how I would ever be able to deny this man anything. Luc had fought for me, killed for me, put me first in every aspect of his life and I didn’t think I would ever be capable of not loving him.
The sensitivity gave way for pleasure and I closed my eyes, tipping my head back. Sounds of my gratification echoed around the garage as I peaked for the second time.
"Fuck me," I panted as I regained some control.
"With pleasure," Luc said devilishly. He stripped off his jeans and boxers as I lay there trying to catch my breath. Luc lifted my legs and pulled me towards him before entering me slowly. "Fuck, Mia.”
Luc's eyes rolled back as he pushed in as far as he could. He let go of my legs and pulled me up so that I sat on his lap. I moved instinctively, riding him, my arms wrapped around his neck, foreheads pressed together.
"Luc... I need... I'm..." I breathed out fractured sentences, looking him in the eye. My body surrendered to him the way it did every time we came together.
“I love you,” he told me before our lips met.
“I love you too,” I mumbled against his mouth.
As I hit my climax again, my back arched, and I let out a high pitched moan of Luc's name. His hands gripped at my hips and as I came back from the edge, I slowly began to ride him again. My hips pushed down at Luc as he thrust his up to meet me.
Luc pulled me down to him and kissed me hungrily. Would I ever tire of this? Would I ever get to the point that I would desire distance from him instead of being tied to him in every way possible?
His fingers dug into my sides as Luc finished inside me, biting down painfully on my lip, but I made no complaint. I kissed him softly as we both drifted down from the euphoric high we’d experienced together.
"I think I won that round, love," Luc told me and I nodded my head in agreement. He won because he knew just how to bend me to his whim.
I refused point blank to get into the shower with Luc because he still had the look in his eye, and I wasn't sure my legs would be able to take another round. He pouted and I shoved him into the bathroom and shut the door with me on the other side.
When I was with Luc it was easy to forget the rest of the world, forget that things weren’t perfect in all areas of my life. He made me feel like I was important, his sole focus, and like nothing else mattered.
Changing into some sweatpants, I grabbed one of Luc's t-shirts and pulled it over my head. The familiar scent enveloped me, and I was hit with a strong sense of how much I loved this man.
Down in the kitchen, Luc played music and I stood at the door watching him as he talked himself through the recipe. I had planned to make a Thai curry tonight but apparently Luc was attempting to be the cook this evening. With a whole host of staff at his disposal, I hadn’t seen Luc attempt to do anything domestic.
"It's in the cupboard," I told him as he hunted around in the fridge.
Luc turned to me. "It's milk. Shouldn't it be kept in the fridge?"
"It's a can of coconut milk. We can treat it a little differently."
He shut the fridge and opened the cupboard, moving things aside until he found the can. I walked over to the stove where Luc had put a pot on the heat and had started to cook the spice paste and chicken. Just as I picked up the spoon to stir, Luc’s hands were on my waist steering me away.
"No, no," he told me, taking the spoon from my hand. "I'm going to make you dinner tonight."
"You're sure?"
"It's just following a recipe, right?"
"I'm here if you want the help."
There was something cute about seeing Luc, a man who had been given everything in life, doing a task that was out of his usual scope. Lydia was the one who usually prepared meals and when she wasn’t around, I sorted it for us. It made me think back to the conversation with Luc last night. Had he seriously meant what he said about me becoming a Foster?
"So, I was thinking about your birthday," I said, leaning across the counter.
Luc groaned as he chopped up vegetables. "Do you ever stop? Christmas was yesterday."
"Your birthday is at the end of January."
"I know when it is."
"I was thinking maybe we should go away for it. We never got the chance to explore Brazil. Maybe we could pick somewhere and actually enjoy it."
The smell of the spice mix was rife in the kitchen and my stomach growled with hunger.
"That might not be such a bad plan," Luc said. "Just you and me?"
"Just you and me." I parroted the words.
"Well, I'm already liking the sound of this." The primal look was back in Luc's eye and I threw a nearby dishcloth at him. Luc caught it and laughed. "Where do you want to go?"
"Should I be asking you that since it's your birthday?"
He opened the can of coconut milk and stopped to think. "Europe."
"Anything more specific?" I asked, less than impressed with his response.
"We have time to think."
The prospect of going away with Luc and spending some time away from the house excited me. I was more than aware that life with him meant adjusting to a new definition of normal but a vacation was more in line with my world.
"Luc, wait!" I watched as he tipped the can into the pot.
Too late. The lump of coconut milk landed in the pot with a splash and he was covered in specks of red milk and paste. I laughed hard looking at the state of him whilst Luc grumbled and pulled his t-shirt off.
"This is why I don't try," Luc told me.
Still laughing, I walked towards him. "Give me that," I gestured to the shirt in his hand. "I'll go put it in the laundry."
"Are you laughing at me?" Luc asked, narrowing her eyes.
"No."
Taking the shirt from Luc, I didn’t make it two steps before he pulled me back into him for a kiss. "Don't lie," Luc said. "You're a terrible liar."
I let out a content sigh. "And you, babe, are a terrible cook."
Chapter Forty Nine
Mia
"Just step into it," Dom told me.
"You know, I think you're the only man that Luc would allow to see me semi naked," I commented as I stepped into the dress Dom had helped me pick out.
He shimmied it up my body and said, "Yeah, well that's because he knows I'm not going to try anything and as stunning as you are, you're not turning my head."
We both laughed as Dom pulled the zip up on the back of the deep blue dress before helping me into a pair of nude heels.
It was New Year’s Eve and Luc's house had been relatively quiet since Christmas. He went to work as usual and, in the evenings, he walked me through people we were likely to encounter at the party. Families I should avoid and others that were close friends. The Diazes were as good as blood. Romanellos couldn’t be trusted. We were on shaky ground with the Salvador family, but we would remain cordial. I had so many names and faces swimming in my head that I hoped I wouldn't confuse people.
Dom turned me around so I could look at myself in the mirror and I felt my cheeks color. Dressed in a silk gown that split up my thigh and with the diamond choker and designer bracel
et nestled against my skin, I almost didn't recognize myself. I ran a hand through the loose curls and suppressed a sigh. I would make a point to tell Luc this would not happen often. It felt far too removed from who I was. Or was this who I was becoming?
"Are you ever going to help me pick something out that covers me up?" I asked, pulling the dress at the slit.
"We've got to show off what the good Lord gave you," Dom told me simply.
I snorted a laugh and Dom helped me walk down the stairs to where Luc waited in the hallway. I swallowed hard as I caught sight of him in his tuxedo, adjusting the cuffs slightly. I was hit with the overwhelming sense of just how lucky I was.
"You clean up well, boss," Dom said with a nod as we reached the bottom of the stairs.
Luc looked up to give his thanks, but his eyes fell on me and the words were lost. The blush spread across my cheeks and down my neck.
"Hope you both have a good night." Dom kissed me on the cheek and grabbed his keys before leaving the house. The moment Dom left, Luc pulled me close to him. I tripped over my heels and crashed straight into his chest, but he kept me upright.
"You need to keep your hands to yourself," I said with a laugh, looking up at him.
I could see the desire pooled in his eyes. It was a look that I had quickly become accustomed to as I found the more time we spent together, the more insatiable Luc became. It was a look that made me think we could skip tonight’s event and bring the new year in together with a more private party.
"I have no intention of making promises I can't keep." His voice was husky and low, and his eyes traveled down my body, making my heart beat faster in my chest and causing a warmth between my legs.
"Luc, we'll be late," I told him. No matter how badly I wanted to stay here alone with the man who had taken over my life, we were expected, and it wouldn’t do anything for Luc’s reputation to skip it.
He didn't seem to care as he pinned me up against the door and pressed his lips against mine. Luc's tongue slipped into my mouth as his hand found the slit in my dress and I hooked a leg around his hip. When Luc pressed into me, I could feel how he had already started to grow hard and I let out a pleading moan.
