Hunting Lust (Orion the Hunter Part Three) (8 page)

I ignored him and sauntered through the room and into the kitchen.  No sooner had I got through the door than Angel spun me around and hissed, “What the fuck do you look like?”

“Hmm? What?  I don’t know what you mean,” I said with saccharine artificial sweetness.

“You know that Lucas might be coming over.  You’ve done this on purpose.  I’ve never seen you looking so crap.”

“Gee, thanks.  With friends like you, Angel …”

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.  You’ve done this on purpose.  Just admit it.”

“And why would I do a thing like that?”
Eyelash batting is bloody hard when your face wants to crack.  I should earn an Oscar for this performance!

I was taken aback by the venom in her voice, “Because you are obviously stupid!  This is obviously for his benefit – to put him off.  Well, don’t blame me if it works!”

Why the hell is she so bothered about what Lucas Hunter thinks about me?

“Angel, what’s brought this on?  Why do you care what Lucas thinks of my appearance?”

She just glared at me for a second, took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.  “Look, he isn’t here yet.  Why don’t you go and get ready properly?  I’ll help you to sort your hair out.”  She turned to leave, obviously expecting me to follow.  I didn’t. 
Something was going on here and I don’t like it.
  Instead, I hopped up onto the countertop and helped myself to a glass of wine.

Just as Angel stormed back in, the intercom buzzed.  “Quick,” she shouted in genuine panic.  “Get back into your bedroom now before he comes up and get changed into something decent!”

“No,” I said, flatly.

She scowled, turned and stomped off. 
What the hell was with her tonight?

I knocked back my glass of wine in one go. 
This is going to be hell with her in this mood.  She’ll be giving me daggers all night.  Oh god, just don’t let her be too obvious or embarrassing!

I braced my shoulders and prepared to make my entrance.  I was stopped in my tracks when I heard
that
voice.  I didn’t make out the words; my brain just invented the content. It decided that Lucas had said ‘Come here and let me fuck you now!’ and was telling me to go, go, GO!  Suddenly, I didn’t want to be wearing my old pajamas with a prim and proper bun in my hair and …
oh my fucking god!
…no makeup
! I don’t want him to see me like this!
Oh, fuck it to hell and back!

Then I relented.  There was no way that I was going to give Angel the satisfaction of being right after her meddling. 
No, I will just march in there and give Lucas Hunter the turn off of his life.

But then I heard that ‘come fuck me’ voice and I pictured its owner naked …naked and ready to …
Argh!
I am going to kill Angel, and when she’s dead, I’m going to resuscitate her, just so that I can kill her all over again!

I quickly but quietly closed the kitchen door and hopped back up onto the countertop. 
How the hell do I get out of here without him seeing me?
  The kitchen was directly off the living room and there was no way of getting to my bedroom, or anywhere else, without being seen.  Just when I was wondering whether it would be possible to hide out in the kitchen all night, the door opened.  I froze. 

“Oh, Scott.  Thank fuck it’s you!” I breathed.

He was understandably perplexed so I quickly explained.  I expected him to laugh at me or tell me to get over myself but he just looked disappointed and said nothing.  I begged and begged him to help me and finally he agreed to fetch my duvet from my room so that he could smuggle me back to my room. 

He shook his head, mumbled something under his breath but he went.  He returned just moments later and held out my duvet.  With his help, I managed to wrap it around me so that I was totally enveloped.  He then picked me up and carried me out of the kitchen.

The busy conversation stopped almost immediately but Scott kept walking, ignoring Travis when he demanded to know whose dead body was in the quilt.  Safely inside my bedroom, he put me down and left me alone without a word.  I knew how childish I’d been but I hadn’t expected him to be so disapproving.  I huffed and threw the quilt back on my bed. 
First Angel acting weird and now Scott!  Must be something in the air!

I pulled off my pajamas, let down my hair and was standing in my underwear, brushing out my hair when the door swung open and then slammed shut, rattling all the toiletries on my dressing table. 
What the hell?
 

I spun around and came face to face with a murderous looking Lucas.  I stepped back automatically, recoiling from his venomous expression.  His hands were clenching and unclenching at his sides as if he were trying to contain his rage. “What the fucking hell where you doing with him?” he demanded, leaning very close. 

My reflexes took me another step back.  “What?  Who?” 
What the fuck is wrong with everyone tonight?

He exhaled through clenched teeth but he didn’t answer.  He pinned me with his brutal gaze and I did my best not to wither under its ferocity. 
This is total madness.  Who does he think he is barging in here like that? 

I squared my shoulders and wished that I was standing there in more than just my underwear.  Then I put my hands on my hips, lifted my chin and said as calmly as I could, “Lucas, what the fuck are you playing at?  You can’t storm in here asking stupid cryptic questions and not be prepared to explain yourself.  You’ve got ten seconds to tell me what you’re going on about or I’ll throw you out of here.”
Well, I’ll have a damn good try!

He didn’t acknowledge me at all so I walked around him, convinced that he would lash out and grab me but he didn’t.  I reached the door and put my grasped the handle.  He still didn’t move a muscle so I spoke to the back of his substantial frame.

“You have five seconds to get the fuck out of my room or … or I’ll leave you in here alone and go back in there with them.  Three seconds … two seconds … one … right!”  I turned, pulled down the handle and he was upon me.  I almost shrieked when one hand closed over mine and the other clutched the back of my neck firmly. 
Holy crap!

His body pressed into the back of mine and I could feel his heart thudding wildly in his chest.  His hand moved from my neck and snaked around my naked waist.  Neither of us spoke or moved for several moments until the tension became almost unbearable.  Desperate not to inflame the situation, I focused on relaxing my tight muscles and breathing properly. 
Easier said than done when nearly naked and held tightly.

Slowly, I sagged back against him and I felt his head rest against mine.  His heart rate calmed and I felt the tension leaving him too.  Cautiously, I turned my head to try to look up at him, over my shoulder but he lifted his head.  I let my head fall back against his shoulder instead.

Now that I was beginning to relax, I replayed recent events in my head. 
Ah, Bingo!  Scott carried me into my room, wrapped in a quilt and the Lucas comes in and sees me in only my underwear. For fuck’s sake!  We aren’t even a couple and he is … um, what exactly is the cause of these outbursts?  Possessiveness?  Jealousy?  Whatever it was, I didn’t need it.  Relationships - who needs them?

I could feel myself tensing with anger.  “Lucas?” I said, as softly as I could manage.

I felt his head move a fraction but he didn’t answer me.

“Lucas, please don’t ignore me.  We’ve got to talk about this.  Twice today you’ve gone all psycho when another man so much as shares the same air as me.  Not only is that totally unnecessary, it’s also incredibly stupid.”

I felt his arm tense around my waist and his hand tightened over mine on the door handle.  I suddenly felt very grateful that there was a room full of my friends, right next door. 
It’s like standing next to The Hulk and waiting for him to lose it!

In an effort to placate him, I continued.  “Can’t you see that you will only drive me further away each time you react like that?  If you want there to be any chance of a relationship of any kind, sexual or otherwise, you need to stop this now.  Do you understand that?  If you keep on like this, I will be forced to break our one month agreement.”

I heard him exhale deeply and felt the rush of air on my neck.  I waited for him to respond.  I started when there was a gentle knock on the door.

“Issy, is everything okay?” 
Angel!

“Everything’s fine.  Be right out,” I replied.

“Okay then.”

I felt Lucas’ head turn and he pressed a gentle kiss on the top of my head. “Psycho?” he asked.  “I have not gone ‘all psycho’ at all!  I’m just protective of you.”

I could hear a trace of humor in his voice. 
Humor was better than anger, right?

“You are not mine to protect, Norman Bates!” I taunted.

“Don’t call me that!  Never call me that!” he snapped. 
Okay so I misread it – no humor here!
 

“Okay, okay … jeez.  I was only joking,” I shot back.  “I didn’t really think that you’d kill me and hide my body.”

He pulled my hand from the door handle and spun me around to face him, holding me firmly by my upper arms.  I’d never seen someone look so angry.  If I’d thought he looked murderous before, I’d been mistaken.  The look on his face took looking murderous to a whole new level.  Everything about him radiated restrained rage.  I tried to swallow but my mouth was too dry.

I opened my mouth to tell him that he was hurting my arms but no words were forthcoming.  I forced my eyes shut to escape from his menacing stare.  My whole body was rigid with shock and fear.  Except my heart, that was beating almost out of my chest.

Suddenly, I was pulled into his arms and embraced tightly.  Very tightly.  It must have felt like hugging a tree because I was still as stiff as a corpse.  My brain was trying to keep up with his mood changes and failing dismally.  I was beginning to suspect that he was bi-polar or something.  This couldn’t be just down to control freakery, surely.

“I’m sorry, Issy,” he whispered softly into my hair.  “I’m making a real mess of things, aren’t I?

I didn’t respond but I did begin to relax.  Although my gut instinct was to flip out and either demand an explanation or insist that he left, I reasoned I would get further if I kept him calm.

“You could be doing better,” I said, deliberately keeping the tone of my voice light.  I tried to pull back and give him a reassuring smile before asking him to explain but his vice-like grip tightened further. 
So this is what emotional exhaustion feels like! Well, it’s too much damn hard work! 

“Lucas,” I squeaked.  “You are crushing me.  Can we at least sit and talk?”

He grunted and then pulled me down, as he sat on the bed.  I landed across his lap and immediately, his arms bound me to him.  Although I was only wearing my bra and panties, there was nothing remotely sexual about our contact.  I think we were both reeling from Lucas’ barely contained rage.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he smoothed my hair off my face.  All trace of the anger he’d displayed just moments ago had gone.  He looked totally calm and rational.

“I think so.  I’m finding it hard to keep up with your moods and your outbursts though.”

He looked pained for a moment but then his expression cleared.  “The only thing I have that’s worth a damn is my company and I would do anything to safeguard it.  It’s been my number one priority since I started it.  I can’t remember possessing anything else that was remotely important to me … well, I do love my iPod, but I could live without it.  Since I met you, nothing else matters.  The business can practically run itself and I’ve had a goal in mind since I started the company that I’ve been obsessed with obtaining, but now … I’m not so sure that it’s worth the effort.”