Chapter 22
ONYX
"Where are we?" I mumbled.
"Home." A voice echoed around me.
I was floating. When I looked up, a hazy face peered down at me. I was in his arms.
"You're cute." I smirked. "Really big."
He raised a brow. "Thank you. Maybe we should get you into bed."
I frowned as he fumbled with keys. As soon as he was distracted, I jumped out of his arms and ran. The sound of heavy footsteps followed. I yelled as an arm wrapped around my waist and I was dragged back.
"Onyx," he rasped. "You have to stay with me."
"Why?" I asked, pouting.
"I don't want you to get hurt. I'm your husband. It's my job to keep you safe."
My head shot up. "Husband?" I asked. "I have a husband?"
"Yes, me," he urged. "Bella, what's wrong with you?"
I stared up at him. Bella. Oh, he was Lucero. I smiled at him, my fingers curling into his shirt. He was so big, had I said that? Huge.
"You know, if I didn't hate you so much, I would have fucked you the first time I saw you," I said. "You're just my type. Clingy, annoying, big, strong. Perfect."
Lucero jolted. "That's not very nice," he muttered. "Saying you hate me."
I frowned. "I didn't mean it like that," I said as he finally got the door unlocked. "Just… I didn't know you at first," I said quickly, my hand on his chest. "Don't be upset. Enough people hate me today. I don't want to deal with that anymore."
He softened. "Who hates you? I'll kill them."
Adam.
I shook my head. "No, you can't. But that's okay. I'm just tired," I slurred as I wiggled out of his arms. "I'm going to bed."
"You need to be careful. I've stopped you from falling, like, ten times."
That couldn't be right. I was fine. I had been since he'd walked into the bar and guided me out of it. My world tilted.
Okay, maybe I was a little fucked up.
"I'm taking you to bed," Lucero said.
"Don't need help," I protested. "Do something else."
"You're being stubborn," he said. "Come on."
Before I could protest, Lucero scooped me up, over his shoulder, and carried me to the bedroom. I kicked my feet, but he clamped his arm down and kept me in place. When we reached the bedroom, he tossed me onto the bed. I bounced and gasped.
"Lucero!"
"Sleep," he said.
Lucero stripped me down like it was an Olympic sport. When I was naked, the coolness on my skin made me get up on my knees. I pressed my hands against his chest and licked my lips as I stared up at him.
"Fuck me."
I reached down, my fingers undoing his pants quickly. When his cock was in my hand, I moaned and shifted down to take him into my mouth. Just when my lips were near it, Lucero yanked me back up.
"No."
I blinked at him. "No? What the fuck do you mean, no?"
He stuffed himself back into his pants. "I mean what I said. No." Lucero zipped his pants up.
"What the fuck? Since when? Why not?" I demanded.
Usually Lucero was ready to jump on me the minute he saw me. This time, however, it was like he was scared of me. I watched as he moved back, a frown on my face.
"Lucero, what the fuck?" I asked. "Why are you doing this?"
"You're drunk," he muttered. "I'll wait until you sober up."
I stared at him, my jaw going slack. "What the fuck are you talking about? Who cares if I'm drunk! I want to fuck."
"No," he said. "You want to bury whatever is going on in your head. I don't want to have sex like that. Not with you."
I stared for a long time. It was hard not to feel completely rejected. All I wanted was to be held, to forget about everything that was happening and feel good. But, apparently, I couldn't even have that.
"Fine," I snapped.
I threw a tantrum and plopped onto the bed.
I didn't give a damn if I was being childish, I wanted what I wanted.
And I couldn't have it. I burrowed underneath the blankets and stuffed my head under the pillow.
For a while, the room was quiet, and then the bed sagged. Lucero's hand ran up and down my back.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I said, my words muffled.
All my horniness had dissolved quickly. I clutched the pillow as my brain started screaming at me again.
Pathetic. Useless. Adam hates you. Lucero hates you. Nobody wants to be around you. Idiot.
I pressed my hands against my ears and tried to get the loathing out, but it only dug in deeper. There was no way not to hear it when it was in my fucking head. My stomach turned. I didn't know how much more of this I could take.
"It's okay," Lucero said, his voice cutting through the noise in my brain. "Come here."
Lucero hugged me against his big body. I leaned against him, tucking my face into his chest. As I snuggled close, his big hand cradled the back of my head and he placed a kiss in my hair. I wasn't sure if I was still pissed or if I just wanted to give in.
I passed out in his arms.
*********
I shot up and immediately regretted it. My head throbbed, my eyes felt heavy, and there was something disgusting in the back of my throat. I made a face.
"Ow."
"You're up," Lucero said, appearing in the doorway. "I was just coming to get you. I made breakfast. Do you want it in here or at the table?"
I blinked at him. "When the hell did I get back home?"
He stared. "Last night. You texted me to come get you."
Right, I had. After talking to Cara. And that was the very last thing that I remembered. Damn it. I have got to stop drinking. Who blacks out every single time?
A little bit of alcohol was great. But as soon as I took one shot too many, I was gone.
"Onyx?"
I blinked up at Lucero. "Oh, right. Uh, kitchen," I said. "No, couch. I want to turn the TV on."
"Okay. Wash up a little and then come eat."
I watched his retreating back before I finally slipped out of bed.
For a moment, I stood there. And then I sighed and shook my head.
It was still weird as hell to wake up to someone in my apartment, in my space.
And I should have hated it. But today? It felt like heaven.
It felt nice that someone was there for me when the last thing I wanted to do was be alone.
Part of me even wanted to tell him about Adam.
But that wasn't my story to tell, and Adam was mine to protect.
After I washed up, I headed to the living room. As usual, it smelled amazing.
"Pastina," he said as he pushed a bowl toward me. "It's nice and light. Ma makes it for me when I'm sick."
"Thank you, Luci."
He jolted. "Onyx!"
I burst out laughing at the shock on his face. He looked like he wanted to die, and I couldn't stop laughing now. Lucero smacked pain pills on the coffee table and huffed before he sat down.
"Oh, are you mad?"
"No," he muttered, pouting.
"Why are you pouting?"
"I'm not," he muttered.
"Come on," I said, food forgotten as I climbed onto his lap. "Why are you pouting?"
"You laughed at me." He squirmed. "It's mean."
I grinned. "I thought you liked it when I was mean?"
Immediately, his cock hardened underneath me.
"Fucking traitor!" he snapped at his dick.
I laughed so hard it made my brain throb. But I didn't care. For the first time in days, my head was clear. And life was easy. Just me and Lucero, sitting on the couch, laughing at his dick. For a little while, it was all I needed. I grabbed his bowl, the pills, and nuzzled up together watching TV.
As if I could ever have normal.
I shoved the thought away. No. Right now, I was going to pretend that the world didn't exist, because soon? It would all come crashing down. And with my father out, lurking? I knew that for a fact.