by Dawn Doyle
I pulled into the driveway and opened the garage as usual, rolling in and lowering the shutter before getting out of the car. I grabbed my white jacket and slipped it on. When I turned around, I looked out of the windows and spotted a silver car pull up across the street. My insides flip-flopped when I saw it was Lucian. He looked around, checking up and down the road.
I bolted through the house, not stopping to greet my dad and talk about my day. “Gotta go!” I called back over my shoulder. “A friend is waiting for me.”
“Don’t stay out too late!” he yelled just before I slammed the door.
The second the car door closed, Lucian took off.
“I was worried,” I said while he checked his mirrors. “You never texted me back.” I stared at his profile. He’d hadn’t fully healed from the last time, the cut on his lip gone, but there was still a little bruising around his eye.
He glanced at me, then took my hand. “I’m sorry, babe, but I had something I needed to do and I had my phone on silent.”
“Okay.” I looked out of the window at the scenery zooming past us.
“Luca,” he said, then sighed. “Baby, please.”
“I was worried, Lucian,” I whispered. “All afternoon, I felt sick. After what you said about the other people—”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” he apologized, rubbing across my knuckles with his thumb. The same one that he’d used the day before to make me call out his name while his tongue did things to make my eyes roll back.
“Were you with them?”
His head snapped to me, then back to the road. “No, I was with Brady.” He paused, then licked his lips before speaking again. “We’re going to our place. The guys are there, but I’m taking a different route.” I had no idea where he’d taken me through, but we approached the drive from the other direction.
When he drove up to the house, a silver, and a blue car were on the driveway, but the garage was open. He drove inside, then pressed his fob to close the shutter.
“Lucian—” I couldn’t get any more words out. His lips crushed mine, his mouth working my lips apart to deepen the kiss, his hands cupping my face as though I was going to bolt.
“I missed you,” he said against my mouth. “I wasn’t in danger, baby, but if I were, you would be the first to know, okay?”
I nodded once before he took my mouth again. When he released me, I fought to catch my breath, my head light and my pulse racing. “You better,” I panted.
“I promise.” He lifted my hand and made a cross over his heart, then finished it with a letter L. “Let’s go.”
“I don’t have a fucking clue, Charlie, so get off my back!” Blaine yelled. Three of them were standing around the center counter, with Brady between Charlie and Blaine. “I counted four the last time, and now there’s three.”
Brady and Charlie burst out laughing.
“What’s going on?” Lucian asked still holding my hand.
Blaine turned to us, then pointed at Charlie. “This dick is accusing me of smoking a whole joint to myself. How the fuck would I be standing if I’d done that? I’d be on my ass and eating my bodyweight in chips.”
I pulled my lips between my teeth, and Lucian rolled his eyes. “Blaine, it’s behind your ear,” he said, pointing, and Blaine clutched at his ears.
“Aww, man, you spoiled our fun,” Charlie whined while Brady held his sides as he laughed hard.
“You fuckers!” Blaine spat. “You let me think I was going batshit.”
“Too late,” Charlie said, disguising it badly with a cough.
Blaine grumbled. “Assholes.”
Lucian shook his head, and headed to the fridge, taking me with him, refusing to let go of my hand.
“Are you gonna let go of her?” Brady said, raising his brows.
Lucian didn’t answer, he just lifted his other hand, and slowly raised his middle finger.
Blaine emptied his pockets on the counter. “I’m gonna find my lighter, and I’m gonna smoke all of the joints just to spite you dicks.”
I shook my head while I chuckled, then took the water soda Lucian held out to me. As I sipped from the can, I spotted something that made my heart leap into my throat.
No. It can’t be.
I pried my hand from Lucian. “What’s that?” I walked to the counter and picked up Blaine’s keys. The small red keyring was in the shape of a car, but some of it was missing. There was a jagged line where one of the wheels looked like they’d been snapped off. “What happened to this?” I asked, running my finger over it.
Blaine shrugged. “Don’t know. Probably caught it on something, dropped them, or one of these fuckers did it. That’s how things usually go.”
“Huh.” I glanced over my shoulder when Lucian came up behind me, then back at Blaine.
Oh, I knew exactly how he did it, and the evidence was sitting in my pocket. Could I tell him I knew what he’d done, or stay quiet and play innocent? I could speak up and tell him I knew all of the dirty details; how it was now obvious he was the one behind the thefts. Something stopped me from doing just that, and it was the man standing behind me, holding me close and running his fingers down my sides. The second those accusations flew out of my mouth, I couldn’t take them back, and what would that mean for us? There had to be a good reason Lucian would be involved with that crap, and I wasn’t about to question him again.
“Hey,” Nate said from near the living room. He was leaning against the wall, looking at Charlie.
“Glad you could finally join us,” Brady said, throwing a joint over to him.
Nate caught it with ease. “I had something to take care of, but I’m here now.” He smiled at me, and tipped his head. “Hey, Luca. Good to see you.”
“You too.” I returned the smile, and saw a warmth in Nate’s dark eyes that I hadn’t seen since I watched him play pool.
“I hope you’re keeping out of trouble.”
“As always,” I replied and Lucian held me tighter.
“You’re about to be in huge trouble if you don’t stop rubbing your ass against me,” Lucian whispered when the others started talking to each other.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, slowly lifting my eyes and batting my lashes. I carefully eased back and then side to side in a painfully slow wiggle, and his cock twitched against me. “Oh, that.”
Lucian clenched his jaw, then took my hand. “We’re going out. See you guys later.”
“Where are we going?” I asked, giggling as he charged ahead, taking me with him.
“Far away. Somewhere nobody will hear you scream.”
Chapter 12
Luca
Lucian picked me up in a bright red sports car. The windows were tinted almost black, giving us privacy as he drove through the quiet roads outside of town. It was just like the few days before when he’d driven us out of the city and to the dock. When he pulled up to a warehouse that looked ready to fall down, he took me in the back seat, and he was right when he said I would scream.
I licked my lips as I came out of those thoughts with a buzz between my legs. “Where are we going?” I asked, eyeing the details on the interior. This was an expensive car, and not one of the others I’d seen in the Moretz garage. The only consistent car was the one he’d driven when he’d come over to my house, and that was the X5.
“Where we first met,” he said, his lips twitching like he was holding back a grin.
“The beach? Lucian Moretz, are you being all romantic on me?” I asked, side glancing him.
He shrugged a shoulder. “I guess only you can tell me that.”
He didn’t say any more until he parked in the lot. I recognized the space immediately from where the white railed fence ran around the outside, stopping at the entrance.
He looked around as though confirming something. “Yeah, this is it.”
My chest warmed. He’d remembered where they’d parked that day, and the Lucian from then stared right at me. Dimples poppi
ng, a boyish grin, and silver eyes that stood out against his dark lashes and hair.
My lips parted to tell him, but I couldn’t, no matter how badly I wanted to. What if he never felt the same? Surely, he wouldn’t keep breaking the law and risking himself every day if he did.
“Come on, babe,” he said, taking my hand.
When we got to the sand, he dropped down and removed my sneakers before taking off his own, then carried them to where I’d been sitting with my mom that day. It was already dark, so I couldn’t see the exact spot, but Lucian found it with ease.
I stopped in my tracks when I saw a small dome tent set up. “Is this for us?”
“Yeah.” He pulled the zip, rolled up the flap, and gestured for me to go inside.
I crouched down and entered the cozy space, finding a soft blanket and a couple of towels. A square box sat over to the right, along with a small cooler.
“I can’t do the whole going out and dating thing, so I figured this was a good alternative.”
My nose stung and tears filled my eyes. “Oh, Lucian, it’s perfect.”
He crawled in and sat beside me, our thighs touching as he draped his arms around my shoulders and held me close. “Yeah, it is.”
We ate hot pizza and drank ice-cold soda while watching the waves coming and going, the foamy tops spreading out on the sand. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the stars shining brightly like tiny diamonds dotted about in clusters and patterns. It was a perfect moment with just the two of us, no worries and no stress. I knew what was coming, though; it was way overdue, but I didn’t want to ruin a perfectly amazing night. My head had other ideas, and I started to wonder if he’d arranged this because I wasn’t going to see him for a while, that when I did, he would be in worse shape than the last time. I wanted to throw up everything I’d consumed just thinking of how badly he was injured.
“Lucian,” I began, but I didn’t get to say anything else. He turned my face and kissed me softly, guiding me back onto the blanket and letting his hands roam over my body, my white tank and denim shorts hardly a barrier against his touch.
Our clothes came away slowly, and Lucian took his time caressing every inch of my body. I held him tightly, flattening my hands against his back, feeling his muscles tense and release under my palms.
“Luca,” he whispered against my skin, his voice breaking.
Within moments I was done for, his cock gliding in and out of me while he worked his mouth expertly over mine, sending me soaring and making me forget that I was going to spend god knows how long worrying about him. I came hard, seeing stars that weren’t there, and my cries muffled by Lucian’s kisses.
He shuddered, his lips tensing against mine through his thrusts, then he let out a long breath. He looked down at me, and for a second, I thought I saw that look—the one my dad gave to my mom, but as soon as I blinked, it was gone.
“Are you all right?” he asked, pushing my hair away from my face. He was still inside me, and my legs were still around his solid thighs. “What’s wrong?”
I smiled, hiding the feelings that were bubbling to the surface. “I’m just thinking how much I loved tonight. Being here with you—nobody around but us.”
And how much I love you.
He rubbed his nose against mine. “Me too.” He opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something more, but nothing came out.
We sat up, and Lucian moved behind me, wrapping the blanket around us while we watched the ocean in silence, just the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.
We left everything behind, and when Lucian assured me it would be taken care of, I believed him. Somebody had helped him set up, and I would bet that the same person was going to help out again.
It was almost midnight when we got within a few miles of my house, and I couldn’t hold back any longer. “Lucian, how long will you be gone?”
His hands tightened around the steering wheel. “I have to train harder for a few days, then once I’m done…”
I knew Lucian worked out a lot while I was at school, training in their own gym. At first, I thought it was a little odd because it was so different to what I knew about fighting clubs, but the longer I thought about it, the more my suspicions grew.
“Do you have a coach?” I asked.
He shook his head, his eyes fixed firmly on the road. “Brady’s my team, the guys are my team—that’s all I need.”
“So, in your club, do you train with other people, like sparring?” I watched his expression, and the muscle in his jaw ticked as he ground his teeth.
“Luca, you know I can’t tell you much more.” He glanced to me, then back to the road, his mood changing completely.
I pushed my hands between my knees and rounded my shoulders, hating myself for possibly ruining our night, but I couldn’t stop the thoughts from spilling out of my mouth. “You’re not a part of a club, are you?” When his tongue ran over his teeth behind his lips, I knew I’d gotten closer to what he was hiding. Lucian—”
“Luca, please stop,” he spat, and I flinched. He blew out a long breath through his nose. “Look, I know our situation isn’t normal, it isn’t the kind of relationship you want, but you’re with me, so you gotta understand I have to keep some stuff from you.” He reached over and pulled my hands out from my knees. “Are you still with me, babe?”
“Of course I am,” I sighed. “I’m just scared, Lucian.”
He slowed down, then pulled over at the side of the road. “What are you afraid of?” he asked softly, cupping my face and wiping at my tears with his thumbs.
“You getting hurt,” I choked out. “I hated seeing those marks on you, and I know it’s not from regular fighting, Lucian. Nobody gets their back scraped up like that from a canvas.” Tears flowed freely down my face and he pulled me to his chest, stroking over the back of my head.
“I can’t stop,” he whispered against my hair.
“Why?”
He pulled back, keeping his eyes locked on mine. “This is me, Luca. It’s what I do, it’s who I am.”
When he let go of me, I swiped angrily at my face. “I know.”
“Then you have to trust me that I’ll be okay. I’ll never get myself into something I can’t walk away from.”
“Promise me,” I demanded. “Right now, Lucian.”
He leaned over again, and cupped the back of my head, resting his forehead to mine. “I promise.”
I threw my arms around him and held him tighter than ever. “Then I’ll stop asking questions.”
Lucian
“Luca’s not stupid, Loosh,” Nate said while I attacked the bag. “She figured it all out on her own.”
The chains holding the bag bounced around as I put my weight behind every punch, every kick, my aggression raising to new heights. I’d promised something I couldn’t keep, which was something I said I’d never do. “I know she’s not,” I growled, then slammed my fist into the side of the bag. “She said it herself, you don’t get scraped up like that on a canvas.”
He raised his brows and shrugged. “Your parents don’t see you naked, so keeping it from them is easy. Now, Luca—”
“Sees them,” I finished for him, knowing exactly where he was going with it. “It’s fucking obvious, Nate, so you don’t have to tell me that.”
He held his hands up. “Hey, I’m just saying. Lying to her is a bit harder when she sees it up close.”
“I’m not lying to her,” I snapped. I thrust my heel into the bag, sending it flying back. “Where the hell is Brady?”
“Omission is the same. Telling her you’re keeping something from her, doesn’t make it any better.”
“What do you want me to say?” I wanted him to shut the fuck up. “Sorry I want to have a fucking life? Sorry for trying to keep Luca out of it so I can be with her? Should I just forget all of that and tell her I’m fighting for a psycho because of some shit we pulled three years ago?”
I’d told Luca I couldn’t stop, and a part of me didn’t w
ant to. I’d found something I excelled at—a natural skill, but a bigger part of me wanted to get out of it, to do what I could to end my deal with Larry, to get away from the shit we’d done, and were still doing.
“Whoa, what the fuck did I just walk into?” Brady asked, walking in with three bottles of water.
“Your brother,” Nate said, taking a bottle from him.
I shared a look with Brady. “I’m not letting her go.”
“I’m not asking you to,” Nate said, looking at me like I was insane. “I would never suggest that.”
“Then what the fuck, Nate?” Brady asked, opening his arms wide. “Why say that shit?”
“I said it because even though she knows, well, knows as much as she does, she’s sticking around.”
And with those words, I felt just like the bag looked. “I know.”
“Then maybe you could just tell her what’s going on.”
I dropped my head back and snorted a laugh. “And make her an accessory? Yeah, cos that’s just fucking great, Nate. Tell Luca every dirty little detail, and maybe, just maybe, she won’t hate my fucking guts for turning her into a criminal.”
Brady held my eyes while moving to the bag and holding it still. He nodded once, I returned the gesture, knowing exactly what he wasn’t saying. He’d helped at the beach, dropping off the pizza’s and getting the fuck out of there the second we showed up. I didn’t have to say anything to him about why I wanted to do that for Luca, and he didn’t ask any questions.
I plowed into the bag, working my hatred out on the canvas, the dips in the fabric getting bigger, sand spilling to the floor and creating little piles underneath. I carried on, my wrists pumping from the impact, and my knuckles burning with every strike.
“Are we doing this? Blaine asked at my door.
“Give me five,” I replied, grabbing a fresh black hoodie. “Wait downstairs.”
