The Hunger
Harper
Luke squeezes me, then releases me. The air of lighthearted competition we had going is gone at the thought of dinner with Luke’s father. I smile at the others, but yeah, not exactly what I want to do. Luke’s father is a dick and an abusive asshole.
I’m never going to make it through dinner with him without calling him every name in the book for what he does to his own son.
“We’ll need to coordinate in case things go sideways.” Luke’s mind is already working on it. His gaze locks on Caden. “I need you ready to pull Harper out if need be.”
Caden nods, but his whole body is tense. Pullmeout, not pull us both out. I want to turn and wrap my arms around Luke tight. Part of me doesn’t want to go through with this if he’ll get punished for it. The other part knows I won’t leave him behind.
“The party tonight.” Eli glances around at all of us. “We need to make waves.”
“Ethan.” Caden cracks his knuckles. I swallow hard remembering what that asshole said to me.
“We’ll work out what needs to be done.” Luke smooths a hand down my back.
Jack steps forward and holds his hand out to me. “Come on, sweetheart. You and I have a date and these guys need to figure out what sort of torture they’re going to devise for Ethan Parker.”
I search his crystal blue eyes before turning to Luke. “I want to help.”
Luke’s lips press into a thin line. Running my thumb over his lips, I tip my head down like a bull getting ready to charge. I can’t give in on this.
“I’m part of this. They aren’t coming after you. They’re coming after me. He thinks I’ll need protection from whoever is trying to take you guys down. That I’ll beg him. He obviously wanted to rile you guys with the things he said to me. I’m sick of being your weakness.” I blow out a breath and soften my touch. “Maybe if they see how we work together they’ll think twice about coming after me again.”
“It’s not a bad idea.” Nico’s eyes meet mine and I smile. “She can show her strength. The whole point is to get them to back off. Make her the bait or the trap. Either way they’ll see we aren’t afraid to put her into play and that she can hold her own.”
My heart thumps with every word he says. It’s everything I want to hear. I love that Nico feels that way, but I need them all to feel that way.
“You can’t always protect me. We know that.” I return my gaze to Luke’s pale blue eyes. “Let’s show them I’m not just a pawn.”
Luke shifts me on his lap so I’m straddling him. “I don’t want to put you in dangerous situations.”
“Too late.” I smile wearily and cup his jaw. “I’m already there. All we can do is try to scare off the people who are half ass into this. The followers who are actually still afraid of the horsemen. Fuck, the leaders are obviously still afraid of you if they come after me instead of you.”
His eyes take on a calculating gleam. “You do everything we say and don’t take any unnecessary risks.”
My heart bursts with confetti. I grin and lean forward to kiss him. His grip tightens on my hips as he deepens the kiss. The ache I feel for them never goes away. I need more of them. I want more.
When I begin to tug on his shirt so I can touch his bare skin, Caden coughs.
“Focus, little nympho,” Caden says. “We can all fuck later. Right now, we need to devise a plan, because Ethan needs to learn you aren’t up for grabs. And we need to learn what master he’s serving.”
I pull back and there’s a promise in Luke’s eyes. If I didn’t need to participate in this conversation, I’d be down on my knees with his hard cock thrusting into my throat. I squirm at the desire swelling inside me. I don’t hate the idea of that.
Pressing my lips against Luke’s one more time, I shift into the seat next to him on the couch. Our legs touch and he grabs my upper thigh to keep me close to him. I almost smile at the possessiveness.
“Where do we start?”
When Jackand I finally take off, the guys and I have a firm plan in mind for tonight’s party. I’m floating because they included me. Jack pulls the car into his driveway and gives me a smile.
“Come on, sweetheart.”
My insides fucking sparkle. Things are weird around us, but everything with the guys feels solid. We’re on the same page.
I’m also seriously excited to have alone time with Jack. I’ve been in everyone else’s bedroom except for his.
“Was it weird for me to ride with Coach Turner for you?” I ask as he comes around the car and takes my hand.
