Page 228 of The Villain We Tempt

“See you outside,” he grunts at Achilles.

…and storming through the crowd and out the door.

37

LOCHLAN

“So, uh…”Lucia frowns as she looks in through the passenger side window. “Thanks for the ride?”

She, Galina and I have just spent the last fifteen minutes driving in utter silence after leaving that fucking bar, which is all a bit of a hazy-red blur to me.

I vaguely remember seeing Achilles punch some blond guy in the face before squaring off with a pissed-looking Yelena. When I saw Galina appear at her friend’s side is when it all went blank.

I know I hauled her out over my shoulder like a caveman, torn between being furious at her and wanting to bend her over the hood of my car to fuck her in the parking lot.

Maybe just holding her and telling her that I love her.

But saying it for the first time in the heat of whatever-this-is wouldn’t be ideal.

That’s some prime Castle Kildare advice that I’ve never forgotten.

I remember my dad sitting me down after I got home from one of my first ever dates. I was fourteen, and I'd been to the movies with this girl Amanda from my class who’d been my “girlfriend” for about forty-eight hours at that point. After the movie, she told me she didn’t like me “like that” and that we were breaking up.

I, with the infinite wisdom of a fourteen-year-old boy, told her I loved her.

I didn’t. But she had pretty nice tits, and I knew if we broke up, my chances of everseeingthose tits was going to drop to zero. Also, I think I’d recently watched some lame romcom with my mom, where the hero blurting out “I love you” to the heroine stopped her from getting on a plane or something.

Whatever. It didn’t work. She left anyway, and I never saw those fucking tits.

When I got home and told my dad what had happened, he laughed, gave me a hug, then sat me down. That’s when he said, “Lochlan, never tell someone you love them unless you truly do. 'I love you' is not super glue. It’s not a tool.”

I never forgot that. And so I’ve never said it toanyone, because I’ve honestly neverlovedanyone in a romantic sense.

Until now.

But even so, now isn’t the time to say it, because I'd be wielding it like a tool.

I’m still idling outside Lucia’s dorm when she leans on the sill of the passenger window and shifts her attention to Galina.

“Um…my roommate is visiting her parents. Wanna stay here tonight?”

“Yep.”

Fuck.

Back outside that dive bar, I dumped a royally pissed Galina in the front passenger seat and buckled her in. Lucia had followed us out, and when Yelena and Achilles came storming out after her, looking like they were about to either fuck or kill each other…or maybe both…I indicated I’d take Lucia home.

But the plan was to drop Lucia off first, giving me a chance to talk to Galina.

So much for that.

“Why don’t I drive you back to The Atheneum?—”

“No thanks.”

She opens the passenger door to the Defender and steps out. She and Lucia are already starting to walk away when I call after her.

“Galina.”