Pierced (17 page)

“Honey, thanks to the internet, finding someone is nothing anymore.” She looks terrified at my words, and I scramble to reassure her. “I don’t want you to worry about them, okay? I have my people on this. If you do have to go to court, you’ll be well-protected, and you’ll have someone there to watch out for your interests.”

She squeezes my hand back, looking so fragile in that moment. “Thank you, Luc. I’m sorry to put this on you. This probably wasn’t what you were expecting when you asked me out.” She is right about that, but in a different way than she means. She is so much more than I was expecting, and I’m freaking reeling from it. Her story, though different, is eerily familiar to me. The need to protect her is overwhelming. The lines between her and my past are blurred further as I’m drawn to her, fucking lost in my desire for her.

When she stands to start cleaning up the kitchen, I silently collect our plates and help her load the dishwasher. When we are finished, I take her hand and tug her back toward the bedroom. “Come rest with me for a while.” She settles next to me without protest, and I pull the comforter over us. I’m still too tired to touch her like I want, so instead, I settle for curving my body around hers, shuddering as she tucks her tight ass against my groin. I push up my shirt she is wearing and feather my fingers over her stomach. The sound of her soft breathing lulls me into sleep. When I wake in the evening, she is gone, leaving a note on the pillow saying she has gone home to get ready for school tomorrow. The smell of her scent on the pillow beside me makes me feel something I haven’t admitted to feeling in a while: lonely.

Chapter Ten

Lia

As I sit through my last class of the morning, I accept the simple truth: I’m dying. There is no other explanation for it. My throat is on fire, my body aches, and my head is pounding. I’m barely able to keep myself upright in my chair. When I woke this morning, I was tired. I blamed it on worrying about Luc all night and not sleeping well. Now, I think it’s something more. This isn’t simple fatigue; I suspect it’s the flu. Spending almost three days in constant close proximity with someone contagious was not my brightest moment. The flu shot isn’t going to save me this time; I can only hope it shortens the duration as it promises to.

When the class ends, I close my eyes for a moment, trying to gather the strength to walk home. Oh, dear God, how far away am I? Squaring my shoulders, I stumble to my feet and sway for a moment before catching myself. I can do this…I have no choice. It’s a painfully slow process, but I make my way through the hallway and outside. The fresh air on my face revives me only slightly but also sends a shiver through my body. I know I’m running a fever; I feel it burning through my body.

I have no idea how long it takes me, but I finally make it to my apartment. The stairs are sheer Hell, and I have to stop every few steps. Finally, a few from the top, I give into the urge to crawl. The door is another struggle, but soon the keys are in the lock and its opening. I have no idea if it even closes behind me; at this point, no one could do anything worse to me than what I’m already feeling. I face-plant onto my bed, and that is all I know. Dimly, I’m aware of something chiming over and over, but I’m too out of it to care. Surely, someone will answer the damn phone at some point.

Something cool touches my face and I gasp in shock. My eyes are blurry as I try to focus. Someone is bashing my skull and I moan, wanting to beg for mercy. “Baby, can you hear me?” Despite the fog surrounding me, I know that voice and turn instinctively toward it. “Lia, baby, wake up.” He sounds upset and even in my state, I am worried about him.

As my eyes blink open, I see Lucian bending over me, concern etched deeply in his face. Behind him is…Sam? Where am I and what are they doing here? “Sick…” I mumble the obvious.

“Baby, I know you are. I’m going to take you home now. Just try to hold on to me, okay? Let me know if you need to stop.” I groan as Lucian puts his hands under me, gently lifting me into his arms. I am surprised to see a shocked-looking Rose and Jake standing just outside my bedroom door as Lucian carries me past. He stops and says something to them I don’t catch, and they nod before he walks on. At least their presence answers one question: we are at my apartment.

Lucian takes each step slowly as I lay weakly against him. When we reach the sidewalk, Sam runs ahead and opens the back door of the Mercedes. I have no idea how he does it, but Lucian manages to slide in the seat without releasing his hold on me. As my teeth start chattering, he pulls me closer, folding me against his chest and wrapping his suit jacket around me as best he can. “Where?” I say against his throat, but he seems to know what I’m asking.

“I’m taking you home with me. Fuck, you about gave me a heart attack. I’ve been calling and texting you for hours and you weren’t answering. When you didn’t show at the apartment either, I knew something was wrong. I was afraid…”

As out of it as I am, I know what he was worried about; he was afraid my stepfather had harmed me. “S’ok…I got sick during class. Don’t know how I made it home.”

“When I got to your apartment, your roommate was freaking out. You left the front door open, your keys were in the lock, and your purse was lying on the floor. She was fixing to call the police, because she thought someone had either taken you or had you inside. Sam and I found you passed out on the bed, burning the fuck up. It’s the first time I’ve ever been grateful someone had the flu, because the alternative would have been so much worse.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. His strong body is tense beneath my hands as I try to soothe him. I don’t know why he’s so upset, but I feel guilty for doing this to him. He doesn’t answer; he just pulls me closer and rests his chin against the top of my head. I drift as the car moves quietly through the night. If I know nothing else, I know Lucian will take care of me.

When we reach his apartment, despite my weak protests, he again carries me. Sam opens the door before asking which room Lucian is taking me to. “My room,” Lucian answers and Sam walks ahead, turning a bedside lamp on as Lucian deposits me gently on the edge. Sam leaves and returns with a glass of water and a bottle of medicine. Lucian coaxes a couple down my throat and I choke on the water before catching my breath. “Sam, you can go now. I think we still have enough supplies here.”

“All right, Luc. Could you call me later and let me know how Miss Lia is doing?” When Lucian agrees, Sam walks out of the bedroom, and I slump backwards on the bed.

“Just kill me now,” I groan; at this point, death would be a welcome respite. Just as I feel myself starting to drift off again, Lucian is pulling me back up into a sitting position as I feebly try to push him away.

“Come on, baby; let me get you into something more comfortable, and you can go to sleep.”

Opening one eye, I peer up at him. “If you think you’re getting sex, you are out of your mind.” I sound like someone fresh off a two-week drunk. He looks down at me, seeming to be trying to contain the smile pulling at his lips.

“I’ll try to control myself until you are upright. Now, just sit there and let me get you changed.” Like a child, I let him lift my arms, pulling off my shirt and despite my weak protests, my bra follows next. He puts one of his soft t-shirts over my head before kneeling at my feet to remove my shoes and pants. Thankfully, he leaves my panties on, although at this point, I wouldn’t have fought for them. He pulls back the covers and tucks me in on his side of the bed. I inhale appreciatively as his scent clings to the pillow. He asks if I need anything, but I wave him away, only wanting to sleep. I wonder for a moment why I’m here. Why would he want to take care of me? Maybe just returning the favor. My thoughts spin away as sleep once again claims me.

I moan as something cool strokes across my cheeks. “Feels so good,” I groan. When a straw slips between my dry lips, I drink greedily; the feel of the cold liquid against my throat is Heaven. When the straw is pulled away, I reach out, trying to bring it back.

“Not too much, baby; it might make you sick.” Oh, that voice. Shivers run down my spine as I blink my eyes open to see a casual Lucian sitting beside me, tousled hair and a five o’clock shadow darkening his handsome face. I want to climb him like a tree and eat him up. He looks down at me for a moment, giving me a sexy grin; he seems to know exactly what I’m thinking. He curls a strand of my blonde hair around his finger, asking, “How’re you feeling?”

I lie there for a moment, taking stock of my body. The throbbing in my head is down to a dull thud, and my throat, although dry and scratchy, is no longer sore. I still feel like I’ve been run over by a car, but it’s progress. “Better,” I croak out around the cotton in my mouth. He gives me another sip of what I recognize as ginger ale. “How long have I been in bed?” It’s a strange feeling to lose awareness of day and time, and I’m desperate to fill in the blanks.

“I picked you up Monday afternoon, and now it’s Wednesday morning, so not too long.”

“Oh, shit,” I try to jump from the bed. “I’ve got a class this morning, a test…I’ve got to go.” Lucian puts a hand on my chest, effectively holding me down. Just that small amount of effort has winded me, and I lie back against the pillow exhausted.

“Not today, Lia. You’re still too weak to go anywhere. We’ll see tomorrow after another day in bed and some food.”

Giving him my best innocent look, I say, “Maybe you could just take me home then? I can rest there, and I’ll be closer to school in the morning.”

He tweaks my nose playfully saying, “Good try, but no. You’ll just crawl to your class if you are close enough. I’m afraid you’re here today.”

My bottom lip rolls out and to my horror, I’m pouting. “Don’t you have to go to work? I can be at home alone just as well as I can here.”

“I do have to go in for a meeting this morning,” he admits, “but then I’ll work from home the rest of the day as I did yesterday.” Surprised, I turn to stare at him.

“You stayed home with me yesterday?” Is it my imagination or does he look uncomfortable at the question?

“Well, I could hardly bring you home with me and then leave you, could I?” Suddenly, images of how I had taken care of him run through my mind. Oh, dear God, surely he hasn’t taken me to the bathroom. I can’t remember anyone ever doing such personal things for me.

“So…was I really out of it? I mean, did you have any trouble…taking care of me?” He gives me an uncomfortable look…is he blushing? Oh, no, it must be worse than I thought if he is embarrassed about something. Even though I’m curious, I don’t want to know. I’d rather believe I woke up from my flu-induced daze to take care of my own business each time it was needed.

He avoids my questions and stands. “I’m going to fix you some breakfast in bed and then catch a shower. I’ll be back soon.” When I hear him in the kitchen, I exit the bed as quickly as possible in my weakened state and use the bathroom. I finger-brush my teeth and consider a shower before deciding to wait until Lucian is gone.