“Yeah, I’m good,” I say with a grin that I know comes across as a bit melancholy.
Jax leaves to get things from the back of the SUV, and Luca steps out of the wreckage from the recent "renovation."
“Hey, you didn’t run over my computer!” He holds his laptop up in one hand, grinning like a kid in a candy store. “I can’t believe you destroyed my house, though,” he adds, standing by the truck, surveying the damage.
“Yeah, it doesn’t feel good, does it?” I snap, suddenly remembering he blew up my house.
He throws his head back and barks a laugh. Setting the computer in my lap, he leans in and gives me a kiss.
“I didn’t actually blow up your house, Lenny.”
Oh.Well, shit.Those assholes let me believe my house was gone for five days. Payback is going to be a bitch for this.
We drive a few minutes down the property’s main road to a lodge overlooking a small lake. I’m sitting in Jax’s lap because... well, he wanted me to. The truck’s headlights shine on the bodies littering the grass. I can see the murder barn in the distance.
“Jesus,” I mutter, staring out the window. It looks like an old battlefield, bodies lying still where soldiers fell.
“I’ve already got someone on the way for cleanup, Peach,” Jax says, rubbing my leg as he looks out the window with me.
Inside the lodge is a large open space with a living room and a giant couch. A long, rustic wooden dining table with twomatching benches sits in the back corner, and the kitchen spans nearly the entire back length of the building. To the right is a pool table, where the boys set our bags.
“I’m going to get Lenny a shower,” Luca says, taking my hand and leading me upstairs while Jax and Enzo finish unloading the truck.
In the shower, Luca holds me under the hot water, running his hands through my hair and helping wash away the blood and dirt of our battle.
“You came out there for me,” he says, his deep blue eyes locking onto mine. Droplets of water hang from his tousled hair, and suds run down our bodies.
“Of course I did.” I wrap my arms around him, standing on my tiptoes. “How could I let you fight alone?”
My eyes drop to his chest for a second as I recall the head exploding on the wall. I try to blink it away, but it’s burned into my mind.
“It’ll get easier,” Luca says, rubbing my face gently. I think he knows the weight of the lives I took is beginning to press on me. “I’m here for you, baby.”
He picks me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist, locking my ankles behind him. I swear to God, these men are never going to let me walk again. They seem to plan on carrying me… forever.
Turning off the water, he steps out of the shower and sets me on the counter to grab a towel from the warmer. Wrapping me in it, he hugs me to his chest, releasing a deep sigh.
“I’ll be okay, I think,” I tell him, sitting back to look at him. “I did it for you. They were going to hurt you.”
I cup his face with my hands. “I would shoot them again if I had to. He leans down and kisses me. “I would burn this world to ash for you, Luca Bellini.”
Luca smiles, and my entire world seems to calm.
“I’ll never leave you again, Lenny.” He rubs my arms, drying me and helping me stay warm. “I’ll never leave your side. And I’ll never hide you away during a fight again.”
This time it’s my turn to smile.
“From now on, every step is together,” he says firmly.
I nod, and happy tears fall from my eyes as he hugs me tightly.
“I love you, Lenny,” he whispers before kissing me again.
Two knocks against the doorframe make us turn. Enzo appears, a towel wrapped low around his waist.
I try not to stare, but the outline of his dick under the towel is impossible to ignore.
My gaze isn’t the only one wandering—Luca’s is too.