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Claire’s head sticks out of the room, making me smile.
“I thought I heard the doorbell ring. Your doorbell is very loud, by the way.”
“There is a doorbell extender in each bedroom. That’s why you heard it.”
“Oh…” She looks at the bag in my hand as if she is trying to decide whether to go back to her room or come out and eat.
“I got sesame chicken,” I tell her, knowing that’s her favorite. “Come on. Have dinner with me. We’ll watch a movie or something.”
A tiny smile plays on her lips. “That sounds so… normal.”
I walk to the table and put the food down. Happiness blooms in my chest when I hear her approach. She takes a seat and sits patiently until I open the bag and place the box in front of her.
“I need my phone,” she tells me in a stern voice, and I wonder how long she has been thinking about making that demand.
“You could have packed a bag when I gave you the chance, but you chose to be a brat.”
“Well, you acted like a psycho, and I still need my phone. I want to call Carter.” At the mention of his name, my mood sours immediately. “Lucca, I know you don’t want me to talk about Carter—which, as we established, is absolutely not you being jealous—but I need to apologize to him. He got hurt because of me.”
A snort escapes my throat. I know she is right. Carter has done nothing wrong. I beat him up, and I haven’t even apologized for it myself. Problem is, every time I think about him, I see his hands all over Claire. I know it didn’t happen, but it’s like once I imagined it, the fake image burned itself into my mind.
“Lucca, please…” She looks at me with her big green eyes and her lip pulling up into a small pout. “He is my friend. The only friend I had in the last two years. I promise we are just friends, but I care about him. I just want to apologize and make sure he is okay.”
She keeps staring at me with her puppy dog eyes. Fuck, I would do anything for her when she looks at me like that, which is a fact she can never know about. That little minx will use it on me in a blink of an eye.
“How about we drive over to your house in the morning to grab your phone?”
“Okay.” She beams at me, the widest smile spread across her face. “And you’ll be okay with me calling Carter?”
“Yeah,” I say, but it comes out in a grunt, which only makes Claire giggle.
Fuck me. She has me wrapped around her little finger, and she fucking knows it.
27
Claire
I’m so excited I could squeal like a pig. Lucca is actually letting me leave the house. More than that, he somehow got me into the local university. With his mob connections and all, I wouldn’t be surprised if he murdered someone to get me enrolled. I try not to think about that aspect of him. However, it would be just like him to act with violence and ask questions later.
Lucca made good on his promise, and we left the apartment earlier so we could go back to the house. While there, I picked up some clothes and my cell phone. I also gave Tracy and Steven a long hug. I’d only been gone a few days, but I missed them dearly. Carter wasn’t there, which I was disappointed about, but at least I could text him my apology.
Like a father dropping his daughter off at school, Lucca pulled up to the university and let me out. That was hours ago.
I’m finished with my first day of classes, and I’m feeling free, not completely free, though, since I know for sure, Lucca is hiding in the shadows somewhere.
I’m not stupid enough to believe he would trust me here alone. He probably thinks I’m going to run away, and maybe I would if I weren’t so drawn to him and dead set on having him see me as more than just a little girl as he likes to call me.
As I walk out of class, descending the steps from the east hall, I find Lucca standing at the bottom of the stairs. He’s watching the students as they walk by, appearing as more of a security guard than a student, assuming that’s what he’s trying to blend into. Unfortunately, he sticks out like a sore thumb. He’s older, more mature, and there is a dark edge to him that is missing from the other guys I’ve seen on campus today.
I’ve almost reached him when his gaze gravitates toward mine, and those dark blue eyes flick over my body, making butterflies take flight in my stomach. One look and he has me unable to move or breathe. I feel trapped under his intense gaze.
