Page 11 of You Belong With Me

No, Idoknow which is worse.

Entering a room and Lucas’ eyes never meeting mine—that’s the worst feeling on the planet.

“Before Gabriel died, or left, or whatever… he and I were in a really bad place.” I’ve already hinted at this in some of our other conversations, but I’ve never admitted it to him. “and…I broke up with him that day.”

I never told Lucas that, because I knew it would just give him more reason to blame me for Gabriel’s “death.” And what good would that do? I already blamed myself every fucking day. I didn’t need Lucas adding to the soul-crushing guilt I already felt.

“You belong with him, Wyn.”

But when he looks over at me, I see something in his eyes. He doesn’t believe that statement any more than I do…

CHAPTER FIVE

Lucas

Sittingon the beach with Wyn, talking about Gabriel being alive, is so fucking surreal, I don’t even know what to think. All I know is that the second I saw Gabriel standing in the doorway of Wyn’s bathroom, I felt rage.

Fuckingrage, dude.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

In that split second when I saw him standing there, my only thought was,will he take Wyn from me?

A soul-crushing wave of guilt swamped me instantly.

How the fuck am I going to do this? I can’t even look at Wyn without wanting to feel her warmth or taste her skin…

“Ibelongto him?” she repeats. “If I’d known his claim on me would be taken seriously that day, I would have objected.”

I glance down at her, smiling at the anger etched into her beautiful face, and I laugh. “When have you ever gotten a say, Wyn?”

She pulls back and flashes me a scowl. “Is this what you do, Lucas?” She motions to me. “Act like an asshole so nobody wants to get close to you?”

I don't know what it is about that statement that makes me snap—maybe it’s just the weight of everything that’s happened today, but I lunge at her, pressing her down onto the sand, my body pinning her down.

“I did get close to someone,” I say, my face only an inch from hers. “I confided in Gabriel, and do you know what happened? He used that information to punish me. He knew I wanted you, and he claimed you anyway.” I pause. “And now he’s back, taking away the only thing I care about in this fucked-up world all over again. How the fuck am I supposed to feel about that, Wyn?Hm?”

Her eyes flare when she realizes what I’ve just admitted and she relaxes beneath me, all the fight draining out of her. “Imagine being told you belong to someone regardless of how you feel about that person,” she says. “Imagine having no choice.”

The fight drains from me, too. Her body is soft beneath mine, her flowery scent surrounding me. Like a magnet, I’m drawn to her, my hand smoothing up her thigh, dipping under the skirt of her dress. She sucks in a breath as I toy with the hem of her panties.

Fuck, I’m already rock-hard. It would be so easy to push her panties aside and slide my cock into her, right here, in the sand.

I’m still pissed at her for drugging me, then running. But all that seems like the least of my worries now. Because,shit, before Gabriel went missing, Wyn belonged to him—despite what she’s saying now. And rules in The Burning Crown are strict when it comes to our women. Once a claim is made, a guy either steps aside, and voluntarily releases his chick, or his death releases her.

And Gabriel isn’t going to voluntarily let Wyn go. No fucking way.

Lowering my head, I bury my face in her hair and inhale, pulling her scent into my lungs. The thought of handing her back over to Gabriel guts me, but that’s the way our world works—and even I can’t change that.

Pulling back abruptly, I straighten and stand, offering my hand to her. “We should get back,” I say.

She blinks up at me, shielding her eyes with her hand. “I’m not ready to go back.” She sits up and brushes the sand off her arms. “Sit back down. Talk to me.”

My cock is still hard, and honestly, I don’t trust myself. But I sit back down on the sand, anyway. “Wyn, I can’t do this with you,” I say, and it’s probably the most honest thing I’ve ever said to her.

She pushes out a breath. “I need answers, Lucas.”

I glance at her. “I’ve already told you—I don’t know what happened that night.”

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