Chapter 13
L ucian watched me from where he lay across his huge bed. The bed I’d had illusions of also being mine. The knot in my throat throbbed.
I tucked the blanket around his waist and made sure it stretched to his sock-covered feet. Lucian was a menace. It shouldn’t have taken me by surprise, but damn.
He watched me as I shuffled around him quietly.
“You don’t have to do all this.” His mouth was set in a stiff line. He was incredibly aware, like he’d never been down for the count. It must have been all that sleeping he did while in the clinic.
I raised an eyebrow. He well knew I had to do all this. During discharge, the directions of care that the doctor listed, specifically for his ankle, were directed to me. I couldn’t have escaped if I tried; Lucian kept holding on to me. I hadn’t had a chance to do anything but agree to care for him.
“You took a beating for me; taking care of you is the least I can do,” I muttered.
And yes, I deserved the guilt for my rashness.
I’d pulled him into the mess, and he’d offered himself to Gideon Drake, that lying bastard.
In my haste for answers, I hadn’t taken precautions, nor did I stop to consider that I was Luna.
It was because I hadn’t anticipated keeping the title.
Lucian pushed himself up higher in a recline. The bandage on his side was nice and white; it hadn’t bled through, and the split skin had finally formed a seam around the stitches. Even his complexion was better. No longer sallow.
“Do you have any extra blankets around?” I asked.
Lucian jerked his chin to the left, where a wall-to-wall wardrobe was embedded. I’d never gone through the furniture. It was simple and sleek. Upon sliding open the slim door, a waft of vanilla spilled out, warming my chest. I couldn’t have stopped my pleasured shiver if I tried.
As much as I tried to fight it, it was undeniable how decadent his scent was. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. Snap out of it .
Rows of clothing were lined up on a pole, with another section right below it. The top rail hosted various suits and dress shirts neatly compacted. Shelves framed both sides, and on the left ones, there were folded pants, while the right had folded blankets.
I hesitated before grabbing one of them.
That shirt looked smaller in comparison .
. . I grabbed it. It was a woman’s blouse.
The tag hung near the collar by a silk thread.
Once I returned it to the rack, I searched the rest of the clothes along the pole.
All the clothes at the bottom were new and in my size. Even jeans, shorts, and sweats.
“The drawers at the bottom have everything else you might need.” His voice echoed. Of course he’d been watching me.
I squatted and opened the drawer to find panties.
Very simple, elegant panties with thin lace adorning the top.
The rest of the drawers contained socks and bras.
He was thorough. In the last drawer, I expected to see extravagant underthings, but it was a bunch of his neatly rolled black socks and boxer-briefs.
“I’m surprised you didn’t buy lingerie, considering how you feel about it,” I grumbled. Standing, I didn’t know how I should react or feel.
There was a moment of silence and then, “What are you talking about, Josephine?”
“Nothing.” My face had heated, so in an effort to give it time to cool, I collected some clothing to change into after my shower, and a soft, dark blue blanket. With one arm balancing everything?—
A large hand swept over mine and collected the items from my arm. I whipped my head toward Lucian.
“What are you doing up?” I chided, but he half hopped, half limped over to set the pile on the edge of the bed. When I closed the wardrobe, I shuffled over to wind my arm with his, so he didn’t fall and put weight on his injured foot. “You need to stop moving without your crutches.”
“You needed help.”
Ignoring his comment, I helped him into bed. He plopped down with a grunt and gingerly sat back, very obviously in pain. My chest ached, watching him hurt. Even with how he felt, he’d gotten up to ‘help.’ My heart clenched. I had to get away from him or the softer emotions might take over.
“Do you need anything else?” I blurted and straightened until my spine ached.
His forehead furrowed.
“You?”
I sighed and lifted an eyebrow, trying so, so hard not to melt. I hadn’t forgiven him. I wouldn’t forgive him.
The corner of his lips twitched downward, but I stayed strong and raised an eyebrow pointedly.
“No,” he muttered, mulishly.
“Okay, I’m going to rest in one of the spare rooms.” His eyes widened with alarm. “Do you have a problem with that?”
The cogs were clearly turning behind his eyes.
“No,” he finally answered.
Good. I strode over to where I’d left the blanket before he’d tried to ‘help.’
“You can’t be too far away, what if I need you?” he finally asked. Since my back was to him, he didn’t see my eye roll. I was waiting for him to make his stance as to why I should stay in his room.
“I’ll keep our doors open so I can hear you call for me.” I turned, hugging the blanket to my chest.
“The room next to this one should be prepared for guests.” He did not look even a little happy.
“Thanks.” I rushed to the door. “Good night, and don’t be trying to walk around.”
I left the door the barest bit cracked.
The hall had four rooms. The first was his office. The next was his bedroom, and the following two were guestrooms. Had he brought women to stay here, too? After all, he had his lover living in one of his houses?—
I put the brakes on that line of thought. All I would do was hurt my own feelings.
The blanket currently faced my wrath because I was squeezing the shit out of it like it were Lucian’s neck. I nudged open the door and spread the blanket over the comforter. The chill only worsened through the night, so I would take all the warmth I could get.
The spare room was a smaller version of Lucian’s space, sans the wardrobe and connecting bathroom.
I pulled back the comforter and slid between the smooth sheets. As soon as I settled against the pillow, he called out.
“Josephine.” His voice echoed down the hall. I sighed, staring at the ceiling. “Josephine!”
I shoved the blankets off and rolled to my feet, running to the door.
“Josephin—”
“I’m coming,” I shouted back and shuffled to the room next to mine.
“What’s wrong?”
I burst inside, panting from how quickly I’d dashed. He sat propped on the pillows.
“You didn’t have to run.” He looked calm enough to piss me off.
“You called me like the room was on fire.” I crossed my arms.
“I . . . just needed my cell phone.” I swept my eyes around the bedroom. “Alex left it in the living room.”
“I’ll be right back.” I stepped out of the threshold.
“Josephine!”
“Lucian,” I yelled back and poked my head in the room, raising my eyebrow.
“Can you bring me some water as well?”
“Sure.” I left, taking the stairs two at a time. I grabbed his phone on the way to the kitchen to get the water. The phone vibrated in my hand, and I lifted it.
There wasn’t any passcode, so his home screen popped up. My thumb slid across it, and I accidentally clicked on the messages app.
I read the latest one.
Bruno: We haven’t found her.
Hesitating, I swiped out of their messages and clicked it off. No sign of Cierra. The snake was slippery.
At the fridge, I opened it, grabbed the glass water bottle, and shut the door, returning the way I’d come.
I reached the landing of the second floor and was back inside his room. Hesitantly, approached him, then I placed the water on the nightstand and dropped the phone next to him.
“I accidentally read Bruno’s text. Sorry.”
He frowned at me.
“There’s nothing to apologize for. You’re welcome to anything of mine.”
Now it was my turn to frown. Instead of addressing that comment, I said, “They haven’t found Cierra.”
His eyes thinned, and a terrifying look crossed his face as he hummed.
“Okay, is that all?” I asked, already inching back to the door.
“I was thinking.” He stopped and cleared his throat. The silence ticked on for a few more beats. “Sleep in here,” he blurted and cleared his throat, his eyes skittering to the side.
If he’d asked me in any other way, I wouldn’t have hesitated in shutting him down, but the almost nervous way he’d asked took me off guard. I rolled my lips between my teeth.
No, I couldn’t do it; if I did, that would give him an impression I wasn’t trying to make. I shook my head.
“Let me know if you need anything else.”
His mouth became pinched, but I wasn’t giving in and sleeping with him, even if it meant I’d run back and forth all night.
“Josephine,” he called, stopping me right before I strode down the hall. I poked my head back into the room.
“What if I need something in the middle of the night?” From the determination on his face, I could tell he wasn’t going to give in.
“Then just shout for me,” I bit out.
“But—”
I’d truly met my match in stubbornness.
“You’ll be fine,” I shuffled my ass back to the bedroom.
As soon as I plopped on the mattress, he shouted, “Josephine!”
It would be a long night.