He raised his eyebrow. “Deal?”
This was the moment Chloe would give her life over to Lucca in hopes that one day he would return it back to her. “Deal.”
It didn’t take long for the impending doom to creep in. She could see he saw it as a game. A game he already won.
“Are you hungry?” he asked simply, like the conversation they’d just had didn’t happen.
As much as she wished she could run back up to the room, she no longer could. This was a part of the deal now. You will eat dinner with me every night.
“Yes.”
Using his fork, Lucca picked up a piece of his steak and held it out for her, expecting her to take it with her mouth. His eyes told her this was no offer, but a demand.
“I-I don’t want to take y-your food. I can make a plate.”
He put his hand down. “Maybe I decided not to make you any. You have yet to sit here and have dinner with me.”
Chloe stared at him. Something in her sensed he was hurt that she hadn’t sat with him and eaten one of the meals he had prepared for … me?
“I understand.”
I want to spend the evenings with you. She did understand now. He had made dinner every night, and every night, she hadn’t joined him. Drago had warned her; told her she was playing with fire, which was exactly what she had done.
Lucca raised his hand once more, bringing the juicy steak close to her lips, demanding she take it.
When I ask you to do something, you will do it.
Slowly parting her lips, she wished she could shut her eyes, but his gaze held hers prisoner. She took the steak into her mouth and slid her lips away from the fork. It wasn’t until then that he let her eyes fall to her lap as she began chewing.
He smiled. “I told you, Chloe, that I wouldn’t ask anything of you I didn’t think you could handle.”
She didn’t expect him to set the fork back down then get up, going to the kitchen. When he returned to the table, he set a full plate down in front of her.
Somehow, in some way, he always seemed to surprise her.
“T-Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, darlin’.”
It was easy for Lucca to eat after he sat back down, but for her, it wasn’t. She had just sold her soul to the boogieman.
They ate their dinner in silence and, when he took their plates to the kitchen, she hoped he would release her. However, he had other plans.
She watched him go into the living room, taking a seat on the big leather chair before motioning her over.
She reluctantly stood, walking toward him with her hands desperately clutched together.
“I want you to sit”—removing the pillow at his side, he placed it on the ground at his feet—“right here.”
The hand clutching turned into wringing as she grew extremely nervous.
Looking over at the big sectional, she tried to get out, “W-Why c-can’t I-I s-s-s—”
“Because I want you to sit at my feet.” Lucca smiled.
Chloe began shaking her head. “I-I don’t think I-I can.”
“Yes, you can, darlin’.”
Seeing him lazily sit back in the chair, she figured any other woman would think he looked incredibly sexy and wouldn’t have to be told twice. All she could think about, though, was how widespread his legs were, knowing his left leg might touch her.
When she didn’t make a move to do as he asked, his voice took a commanding tone. “We made a deal, remember?”
I want to help you overcome your fear of touch.
She was sure she would never be able to explain why she followed his commands when his voice deepened. Yet, there she was, swallowing her nerves as she slowly placed herself on the pillow at his feet. She kept her back against the arm of the chair, sitting stiffly, careful not to even graze his dark jeans.
Now that she was down here, Chloe was too scared to even move, too afraid to be this close to him. He frightened her to the core, making her wonder what other games he had in store for tonight.
Lucca turned on the big screen TV. Scrolling through the channels, he settled on an old football game.
Staring at the screen, she didn’t move an inch, waiting for him to move or make her do something else. Thankfully, he never did, seeming to be into the game, never even acknowledging her.
When she finally relaxed into the chair, the warmth from his leg less distracting, he turned the TV off, bringing her attention back to him.
Please let me go, she started pleading in her head.
“You may go—”
Chloe quickly jumped up before the last word was said. She didn’t even look back as she went straight up to her room, afraid he might change his mind.
Now in the safety of her room, she rubbed her hand over her arm that was still warm from his close body. She did this unconsciously for several minutes, rubbing it over and over, before she dropped her hand, realizing she was trying to keep the warmth in. His warmth.
Chloe didn’t know it yet, but the part of her that craved human touch was coming back to life. And soon, she was going to meet the part of her she had buried long ago.
Eleven
Always
Lucca moved from his laid-back position to leaning forward, putting his elbows on his knees. He ran his hands roughly through his hair, thinking about how he hadn’t even finished his sentence before she had disappeared.
Where Chloe couldn’t run fast enough from him, he had wanted the opposite.
The whole time she had sat beside him on the floor, it hadn’t been a test only for her, but for him as well. Lucca had told her he was going to help her overcome her fear of touch, but what he hadn’t told her was that he was also going to fight the darkness of claiming her too soon. He wanted to make sure he could handle her closeness. To be close to his grasp, yet not claim her was one of the hardest things he had ever done. The twisted part of his brain had kept whispering, Touch her, kiss her, take her … But he hadn’t. He had fought his dark urges … for her.
He planned to get closer to her every night. He imagined it was only going to get harder, painful even, to fight the darkness when his fingers finally moved over her scars.
Raising his head at the sound of footsteps, he saw Drago had come into the room. He put his head back down to run his hands through his hair.
“I don’t see her handling this … you. She’s too fucked up,” Drago said, crossing his arms as he leaned against the far wall.
There was only one option. “She will learn.”
Another question from Drago circled the air around him, “Is this girl really worth all this?”
Lucca closed his eyes for just a moment …
Chloe rejected the hand that came toward her. “S-Sorry. I’m germophobic.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Lake told her, holding up her hands. “If you ever need someone to talk to, I’ll listen. I know what it’s like to be alone.”
Lucca watched the exchange from a distance. He had followed Chloe outside, but Lake, one of his soldier’s daughter, had followed her out as well. She must have sensed Chloe’s distress, just as he had, as he had watched her during the graduation party.