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“Oh, great.” I muttered the words under my breath, rolling my eyes away from the sight of them.
“Ignore them,” Julia said firmly. She linked her arm through mine, tossing her hair back like a fiery mane. “People like them thrive on attention. The more you give them, the more they’ll want.”
She was right, but I’d always hated to run from confrontation. If Danielle and Candace had something to say to me, then they’d better damn well say it. Fortunately for everyone, I lost track of them once we were inside.
We were both hungry, so our first stop was the food court. We were finishing lunch when Julia leaned toward me and said in a low voice, “Don’t turn around, but you have an admirer who’s been following us.”
My eyes widened. “Julia, you can’t just say that and tell me not to turn around. That sounds terrifying.”
She laughed. “Sorry, sorry, okay, I admit that sounded super creepy. Then again, Lucasisa little creepy.”
“Lucas is here?” Instantly forgetting that she’d told me not to look, I turned in my seat and scanned the food court. It only took me a moment before I spotted him. He was seated on a bench on the other side of the court, partially hidden behind one of the tall trees that shaded the walkway between the shops. He was looking away from us, distracted by something. But when he looked back and caught my eyes, he winced and got to his feet.
“Stalkeeerrr,” Julia teased as he reached our table and pulled out the chair beside me.
“Not stalking,” he said, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me over to his lap. We were in the middle of a crowded food court, and yet he couldn’t seem to resist having me sit on him. “I just happened to be here.”
“Oh really?” I said, folding my arms skeptically. “You didn’t come to play guard dog?”
The growling noise he made was indeed very dog-like. He took my chin in his thumb and forefinger, giving my face a little shake. “Don’t get sassy with me, sweetheart. I would have been a perfectly fine guard dog if this one hadn’t gone and told you about it.” He made a dismissive motion toward Julia, who gasped in mock offense. “Shedidtell you, right?”
“You weren’t exactly subtle, Lucas,” Julia said, sighing as if his performance was painfully amateur. “You were so busy making sure Jess didn’t see you that you didn’t bother to hide from me.”
“Have you ever known me to be subtle?” he said, and she shrugged as if he’d made a good point. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to intrude on your day.”
“You’re not intruding,” I said. “You should join us, since you’re already here.” I glanced over at Julia to confirm, but she clearly didn’t mind.
“Yeah, trust me, it’ll be a lot easier to guard your little lady if you’re next to her,” she said.
She was teasing him, but by the expression on Lucas’s face, he was hardly playing around. He looked as serious as he always did, but it was hard to miss how nervously he was looking around as we started walking again. He was constantly scanning the crowds, one arm around my shoulders so he could hold me close.
When we passed by a lingerie shop, he abruptly halted.
“Hold up a second,” he said, nodding toward the store. “I think the boys and I owe you a few new pairs of panties. And a bra or two.”
“Oooh, sounds like fun,” Julia said. “I’ll meet up with you guys when you’re done. I have to go to the bookstore anyway. Toodles!” She fluttered her fingers at us as she walked away, almost skipping as she headed toward the bookstore.
Lucas followed right behind me as I wandered around the store, standing so close that I continually bumped into him. After several minutes of him acting like the Secret Service, I turned to him and said softly, “Lucas, what’s going on? Manson was acting weird about me going out today and now you show up. Did something happen?”
He hesitated before saying, “Nothing you need to worry about. We told you we’d be keeping an eye on you.”
“Yeah, if I was going somewhere alone.” I took his hand and stepped closer, brushing my fingers along his jaw. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days. “I’m glad you’re here, and I want you to be. But if something has changed, if Manson’s dad has done something else and it’s freaking you guys out, please tell me.”
He sighed heavily, his eyes snapping over to glare at another couple as they moved past us. As if he saw a threat in everything, everywhere. It had to be exhausting to be so tense, to always be on the lookout for danger.
“Vincent’s dad gave Manson a warning,” he finally said. “Reagan’s been trying to stir up trouble at a community level. Spreading lies, rumors. I don’t know what all. None of us do. But we’re not going to risk you running into the wrong person and having shit go south. Like I said, don’t worry about it. You’re safe.”
He touched my arm gently as he said it, his calloused fingers trailing down my skin. As frightening as those words were, I knew I was safe with him. There wasn’t a single doubt in my mind. But it pained me to see him so on edge. They’d all been working long hours since we returned from the mountains, but the exhaustion was visible on his face.
“Come on,” he said. “Don’t dwell on that bullshit. Let’s get you some pretty little underthings that I can rip up.”
In an effort to distract him from being so on edge, I insisted he pick which panties I should get. Watching him rummage through drawers of frilly lingerie, eyes narrowed with intense concentration, waspriceless. To my surprise, the pairs he picked were so spot-on to my style, it was as if I’d picked them myself. Bright colors, lacey edges, cute patterns.
He paid for everything, taking out his card at the register before I could even reach into my bag.
“Now, what was that fancy-ass lipstick I ruined?” he said as we left hand in hand. He’d insisted on carrying my bags too, and was now laden not only with my purse but with multiple pink bags containing my lingerie purchases.
Laughing at his description, I said, “It’s called MAC. Are yousureyou want to set foot in a makeup store with me? It’s dangerous territory. I could spend hours there.”
