Chapter 7 Privacy
Privacy
My knees wobbled, and Luca dipped, scooping under my knees and tipping me back against his chest. My bare feet dangled, bouncing with each step, but I was too weak to protest. It was too easy to curl into his chest, cocooned in his pine-scented body heat.
He took me down the long hallway and through the second-to-last door. I knew instantly this was his room. The air was the same forest smell mixed with the scent of baking cookies, with a hint of thick blankets and old wood.
A far door opened to a private bathroom.
Similar to the hall bath, blue and gray streaked tile lined the floor and the wall of a glass shower.
But unlike the former, Luca’s bathroom had a tub.
He set me on the white, marble counter and busied himself adjusting the knobs and testing the water temperature to his satisfaction.
I frowned as he scattered what looked like small, white rocks into the water. He noticed my expression and his mouth curved slightly, his lip ring glinting in the low light. “Salts. They’ll help your muscles feel better.”
“Interesting.” Bracing my hands on the end of the marble, I inched forward. “Help me down, and I can manage from here.”
Icy blue eyes roved down my body. “I don’t think so. I’d feel better if I could keep an eye on you.”
“So I don’t get privacy?” I quipped.
Luca straightened, bringing him eye to eye with me. “Wolves don’t really do privacy.”
Huffing, I crossed my arms. I should fight him on it, but the idea of him in the room watching me was oddly thrilling. His lips twitched, that dimple flashing briefly, as he set me on the ground, one arm around my waist.
“Hold onto the counter.” I did. Luca turned his head, his eyes on the far wall as his hands slid from my waist down to the top of the loose pants. I bit my lip as his thumbs hooked into the waistband and slid them over my hips and down my thighs. Cool air rushed over the skin he revealed.
My intake of breath was shaky. His hands moved behind my knees and helped me step out of the pants now pooled on the tile floor.
Those clever fingers skimmed up over my bare hips to find the hem of my shirt. “I’ll hold you steady so you can take this off,” he said, his voice so rough it didn’t sound like him.
“Okay,” I breathed. He stepped closer, his clothed thighs bracketing my naked legs, and hooked an arm around my waist again, pulling me against him.
My hands shook as I pulled the shirt over my head and dropped it on the floor beside me.
Luca dipped his head, his eyes grazing over me. A deep groan rolled from his chest. “Summer.” His head turned away again, purposefully not looking at me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
“I thought wolves didn’t do privacy,” I teased, my voice a dry whisper.
His exhale was as shaky as mine, and I realized with a start that his hard cock was straining against his jeans, pressing against my bare thigh.
“Let’s get you into the water,” he muttered.
Neither of us moved for a moment until his throat bobbed and he sank his teeth into his full bottom lip.
Fuck, I wanted to bite that lip so badly.
“Yeah, okay,” I said, pushing off the countertop. His other hand gripped my forearm, steadying me as I stepped over the edge of the tub.
Warm water, not too hot, enveloped my leg up to the knee. The fact that it was a comfortable temperature and not blazing hot made my throat tighten. He was thoughtful, which was not something I was used to. My needs came second after my patron’s. But now, I didn’t know what to think.
Luca held me tight as I stepped fully in and slowly lowered to sit. The warm water cradled me, and I tipped my head back against the edge and let my eyes flutter closed, letting out my own moan of pleasure.
“Summer, don’t do that,” he murmured.
“Why?” I asked without opening my eyes.
“Because now that sound will be what I think about when I’m alone.”
My head lolled to the side, and I peered up at him through my eyelashes. He looked pained, his forehead wrinkling and his open fingers splayed across his face.
“Maybe you should join me. It seems big enough for two.” I couldn’t help myself. Every word between us sparked a tension that I was quickly becoming addicted to.
“Keep talking like that and I’ll have to take you up on that offer,” he growled. “Now hand me the shampoo so I can wash your hair.”
I wanted to keep pushing and see what he would do. Take his own clothes off? Climb in the water with me? Put his hands on me?
“Summer, shampoo,” he repeated, his jaw tight, defining the sculpted hollows on his cheeks.
Quickly, I grabbed the bottle on the ledge and handed it over to him.
Gently, he eased me forward, and I leaned against my knees, wrapping my arms around my shins.
I was less exposed in this position, and it seemed to help Luca to function.
He used a cup to rinse water over my hair and then began to wash it.
It took all my control to stay still and quiet as his fingers worked through my hair, nails scraping along my scalp. My eyes rolled back in my head, and a soft whine escaped when he tightened his hold over the hair at my scalp and gave a soft tug.
His fingers continued to brush through my hair as he used the cup to rinse, using fresh water from the tap.
“Give me the conditioner,” he said softly, and I fumbled to obey in the boneless, compliant state he left me in.
He worked the thicker conditioner through my hair and then rinsed his fingers in the water, leaving the solution to work its magic. The rough pads of his fingers trailed up my arms and over my shoulders, stopping at the nape of my neck.
My forehead pressed harder into my crossed arms as he massaged the muscles on either side of my spine. In slow strokes, he eased away my tension, building heat in my belly with each movement.
I groaned again when he pinched the muscles in my shoulders and dragged outward.
“Summer,” he pleaded, so quietly I almost missed it. It was hard to concentrate on anything but his hands.
“If you keep touching me like this, you’ll never be rid of me,” I teased, breathless.
His fingers stilled.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean...”
“You should stay,” he said.
“Luca,” I started to say.
The sound of the door opening silenced me.
“Where is…” Cade froze in the doorway, his broad shoulders filling the frame. Honey eyes darkened to molten bronze as he stared at me. Most of my body was hidden behind the wall of the tub, but my bare shoulders were clearly visible.
“You’ve invited her into our bedroom?” Cade asked quietly, clearly addressing Luca, though his eyes never left my body.
Our bedroom. What?
From his perch beside the tub, Luca replied, “She was too weak to stand in the shower.”
“We can’t trust her. She’s loyal to the vamps.”
Something rose inside of me, wanting to argue. But what was there to say? I still saw Evrin as my patron and my future mate. But that vision was fading the longer Luca kept his hands on me. Swallowing, I sank further into the water in some pathetic attempt to hide.
“She’s one of us,” Luca said, each word slow and deliberate.
“She’s not pack,” Cade replied coldly.
“She’s right here.” I scowled at the Alpha whose focus never wavered from my exposed skin. “I think I can decide for myself who I am loyal to. And honestly, I’m not sure I can trust anyone at this point.”
Luca’s pursed lips widened into a satisfied smile, while Cade huffed and turned away, leaving us in peace. I glared at the back of his head until he was out of view.
“Did you mean that?” Luca asked softly.
“Mean what? That I don’t trust you?” I asked, irritation still coursing through me, sharpening my words.
“That you don’t trust the vamps.”
Silence stretched, and my heartbeat pulsed in my ears. Was I really declaring that I didn’t trust my patron any longer? Honestly, I wasn’t sure.
Could I trust the rest of the vampires? Absolutely not, but that was always the case. It was Evrin I still wanted to trust. But that felt hollow, somehow. Doubts whispered in the back of my mind.
“I don’t know. Things don’t make sense anymore, and I don’t trust you guys either, but Luca, I want to trust you, even though I don’t feel like I should. It’s… confusing.” I finally confessed.
Luca nodded, clearly pleased with my answer from the way his smile widened as he twisted the faucet for fresh water and began rinsing the conditioner from my hair.
“You are safe, wildcat. I swear it. I won’t hurt you.”
His reassurances relaxed me, and I closed my eyes as warm water poured over my hair and his fingers worked through the strands.
“I’m feeling tired,” I admitted. “Maybe I can finish that food and take a nap?”
“It’s bedtime, actually,” Luca responded as he unplugged the drain and helped me rise. His eyes stayed on the far wall as he wrapped me in a fluffy towel and scooped me up.
“Oh,” I answered, my eyes fluttering closed instinctively as he leaned me against his firm chest. The water from my hair soaked into his collar.