AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I swallowed hard as his whiskey-colored eyes, framed with thick black lashes, roamed over my face. “How did you find me anyway?” I asked.
Lucas shrugged. “I figured you’d take the path since it’s the quickest route.”
His gaze felt intimate as his eyes searched mine. I dropped my face and swallowed hard, my sight catching on his low-slung sweatpants, and had tofight the heat threatening to flush my cheeks. Most hockey players were attractive. There was something in the sheer size of them and their natural cocky energy. Honestly, it should’ve been a deterrent, but something about all their red flags enticed girls like moths to a flame.
Lucas though, he was on a whole different level, with his broad chest that was at least twice the width of mine, offset by the boyish freckles peppering his cheeks, peeking through his warm brown skin.
His shirt was off-center, like he’d thrown it on as he rushed out of the door. Even though I’d seen Lucas shirtless countless times, that didn’t stop my mouth from watering at the images now flooding my head.
“What happened?” He repeated his question, and warm, calloused fingers slid across my jaw, his thumb guiding my chin up. He tilted his head and raised a questioning brow. With anyone else, I’d let tonight go to the grave, but I was never able to say no to him, no matter how mortifying it would be.
I turned away and focused on the green grass sticking out of the cracks in the pavement, straightening my shoulders. “I’ve been dating a guy for just over a month. He—”
Lucas stiffened, and his arm tightened around me, cutting off what I was going to say next. His chest rose and expanded against mine several times before he spoke. “What did he do?”
Angry tears returned to my eyes, and I shook my head. I didn’t want to tell him about how I’d had sex with the asshole only to be surprised by his other girlfriend less than a week later. Or how I should’ve stayed and yelled at him, but instead, I ran. I sniffed and rocked back on my heels, but Lucas tightened his arm around me, pulling me deeper into his chest.
He paused, and his voice was rougher than before. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”
My body collapsed against his, letting him take the majority of my weight. This was why I’d called Lucas, despite his overprotectiveness. He seemed to always know what I needed, and right now, I needed to forget this whole thing. I looked up, doing my best to put on a playful smile. “Lucas, I’d be fine if I never talked about tonight again.”
He searched my eyes for a second before a small smile curved his lips. “You know if you tell me who he is, I’ll kick his ass for you.”
A lightness filled my chest. Sometimes it felt good to know these guys had my back, and a soft chuckle formed on my lips. “I dumped my glass of wine on him.”
Lucas’s laugh vibrated against me, and he let his arms drop before tapping the underside of my chin softly with his curled index finger. “That’s my girl.”
I tried my best not to let the low timbre of his voice get to me, but the way he saidmy girl, like I was actually someone he wanted, had warmth flooding through me and crawling up my neck. I made a low humming sound, and his eyes darkened, dropping from mine to my lips. I didn’t dare to breathe for fear of breaking the moment. We stood so close his breaths came out in small pants, mingling with mine, and a muscle twitched in his jaw. The weight of the humid air thickened with the tension pulling between us like even the night sky knew this moment was important. Lucas didn’t close the distance, but he didn’t move away.
If I wanted him, I was going to have to be brave, and I wanted him so freaking bad. I swallowed, wetting my lips, and carefully lifted onto my toes. My lips barely grazed his before he was stumbling back and turning like nothing had happened. My cheeks glowed red as rejection set in, and suddenly, the hot air felt cold against my flushed skin. My eyes burned for an entirely new reason, and I turned my face so he couldn’t see.
Lucas stepped further away until we stood beside each other on the sidewalk and looked straight down the road, all the smooth intimacy in his voice replaced with a playful tone. “Come on, before your brother kills us both.”
FOUR
LUCAS
Taking a shallow breath,I tried to stop the crisp scent of green apples from infiltrating my senses as Piper and I walked in silence toward our places. The air between us felt thick and heavy with what was left unsaid. I slid my eyes to the side, catching where her simple black dress hit her mid-thigh and how more of her tanned skin was exposed with each step. She was all toned muscles and defined calves leading to toes painted the same blue as her eyes. She was everything I had ever wanted, my seductress in an innocent package. I wondered if she had any idea just how much control she could have over me.
Her eyes met mine, catching me staring, and I jerked my gaze forward. I had no business noticing her like that. We’d been neighbors since we were seven, and her brother, Marcus, was one of my closest friends. The only thing that separated our backyards was a six-foot wooden fence. Within a year of the Adamses moving in, our parents installed a gate connecting our yards. Thank God for that because they had a gigantic pool perfect for humid summer nights like this.
I fought back memories of the sexy blonde standing next to me, climbing up the steps soaking wet. My jaw clenched, and I dropped my neck on my shoulders, satisfied with the cracking sound when I rolled it side to side. I had to get a grip on myself before we made it home.
I’d been so close to blowing everything when she came flying around the corner, landing against my chest and looking up at me with clear blue eyes rimmed red with unshed tears. I would have done anything to wipe that look away. The way her cheeks flushed, and her chest rose and fell with her soft pants had me craving the taste of her. When my eyes dropped down to her painted pink mouth, I had to lock my muscles to keep from closing the distance between us.
Iwantedto see how far I could push it, to see if I could steal her breath completely. But that wasn’t going to happen, no matter how tempting she was.
My feet slowed as we reached the edge of her driveway, not quite wanting to break this moment. She turned slightly my way, just enough to let me know she had my attention, then cleared her throat and looked at the ground. “Thank you for doing that.”
“Walking a few blocks isn’t worth mentioning, Killer.” I bit the side of my cheek, preventing the smile that wanted to break free. I loved the shade of pink she always turned when I called her that.
She huffed out a breath, and even though I couldn’t see them, I knew she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, you didn’t have to. Just accept the thank-you.”
I lifted my hands up in surrender. “Alright, you win. You’re welcome.”
Her bright blue eyes darted to mine, and a dimple appeared in her cheek with her smile. “You coming in?” She gestured toward her front door, which I already knew was unlocked from being here countless times. It was nearly identical to mine, with red brick, black awnings over the windows, and manicured evergreen bushes beside the front steps.
“Nah, I’m good. The boys are at my place.”
