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I hate myself for that last part.
After using my mouth to clean his dick, he gave me a long look, put himself back in his pants, and turned and walked out of the door and out of the penthouse.
Asshole.
And the worst part? I came. I came on his command and we both know it.
I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. Not sure who I am when it comes to him.
It’s late morning and I’m just wrapping up my shower. He’s gone again. I’m not even sure he slept last night. If he did, it wasn’t in the same bed as me, and as much as I don’t want to care, that bothers me.
I’d waited up to talk to him. To ask him why he owns my house. Because it makes no sense to me. I mean, is he even using it? Is it collecting dust? Isn’t it macabre to want to own the house where you hanged a man?
It’s just weird and creepy.
Lucas’s words repeat for the hundredth time in my ears. When you’re ready to hear some truth, you call me, and I’ll tell it to you.
Back in the bedroom, I pick up my phone from the nightstand to read the number Lucas programmed into my phone. Can I trust him to tell me the truth? Or will he twist everything? Tell me lies and half-truths that will only confuse me more than I already am? But I don’t have many options. Last night showed me exactly where I stand.
And I need to get some answers.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I push the call button.
Lucas answers on the third ring. “Cristina.”
Something cold snakes along my spine at the way he says my name, like he’s been expecting me to call. Like he’s known all along I would. It makes me want to run and hide. But I steel my spine.
I’ve been hiding for too long.
“Did you mean what you said?” I ask, my voice coming out more forceful than I intend.
He chuckles.
“Did you? Are you going to tell me the truth?”
“Are you ready to hear it? If you’re calling me, it means my brother isn’t being forthcoming.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“That’s good. You shouldn’t trust me or anyone else.”
“What the fuck, Lucas?”
“Where are you?”
“At the penthouse.”
“Can you get to the café you went to yesterday?”
“How did you know about that?’
“Can you?”
“I think so.”
“I’ll meet you there in twenty minutes.”
“Wait,” I say before he hangs up.
“Yes?”
“Can you just tell me on the phone?”
“Are you afraid of my brother finding out you saw me? Or is it that you’re afraid of me?”
“I’m not afraid of either of you,” I lie.
He snorts.
“If you’re just going to play games with me too, then forget it.”
“Café. Twenty minutes. If you’re there, I’ll know you’re serious.” With that, he disconnects.
I take a deep breath in and get up to get dressed. I towel dry my hair, and walk into the living room to find Cash standing at the door, exactly where I expect him.
The woman who made my breakfast the other day and my dinner the night before is in the kitchen washing dishes.
After greeting her, I pick up my coat and walk right up to Cash. I’m not sure he’s going to let me go. Not sure if Damian has forbidden it or something after last night. But before I can say anything, he opens the front door.
“Same café?” he asks.
Confused, I nod but go along, not wanting to screw up my chance.
Lucas isn’t there when we arrive, and I wonder if I’m too late or if he won’t show. I order a cappuccino, just picking it up, when I feel the cool breeze of the door opening. I don’t have to turn around to know it’s him. That same sensation—icy fingers along my spine—are enough to tell me.
I take my coffee, thank the barista and turn to find Lucas’s eyes on me.
He’s tall, as tall as Damian, and has a presence that, like Damian, makes people sit up and take notice.
Or maybe that’s his face.
In a strange way, there’s a part of me that feels sorry for him. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s just because of what happened to him. What he has to live with. The people staring in the café is just one example.
But I shake my head because I need to remind myself that he’s ugly on the inside, too. It’d be outright stupid to let myself forget that.
He shifts his gaze to Cash, and I do too, expecting interference. But the two just nod to each other. Lucas opens the door and gestures for me to exit.
I look at the waiting car with the black tinted windows.
I look back at Lucas.
My heart hammers as I walk toward him. I hope I give the impression of being a little more confident than I feel.
