Page 72 of Possession

“It’s okay.”

“I’m trying.”

“I know.”

I draw in a shuddering breath and let it out. Lucas’s hands stay on my chest the whole time. I hate that he can probably feel how my heart is racing. I think it’s been racing all day.

“We’re almost done,” Lucas says. “I want it to look good.”

I take a second to really look at the style. A fade cut with more length on top. The texturing is almost done and, yeah, it looks great. Lucas is so fucking beautiful he can get away with anything he wants, but this cut really shows off the line of his neck and the angles of his face.

I glance past him to the barber, John, who’s watching us nervously. Iknowhe’s fine. He used to cut my hair years ago when I kept it longer. Now, I’m more comfortable with my buzzcut, though I’ve given it a fade style so that I don’t look so much like a convict.

I return my attention to Lucas. “It does look good,” I tell him.

He smiles. “It will.”

“Itdoes.”

He pushes me slightly, though I barely rock from it. “Go sit down. Please, Roman.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Almost done,” he reminds me.

I grunt in acknowledgement, but Lucas waits for me to comply. I’m not blind to the fact that I obey for him in a way I would never do for anyone else.

Even before the prison, I was a pain in the ass, always after Vitali to stop letting our uncle run everything, always pushing.

But I do what Lucas tells me.

I walk over to one of the couches and sit down, the vinyl creaking under me. As Lucas returns to the barber’s chair, he glances over his shoulder at me, smiling slightly.

As the work on Lucas’s hair resumes, I bounce my knee and divide my attention between him and the long stretch of street-facing glass. Quinn is standing near the door, also watching the street.

He’s wearing a jacket because the April air is cool. It hides the burn scars on his forearms. That’s all I’ve ever seen of his body,but it makes me wonder about the rest, wonder what happened to him. Maybe people wonder about me too.

When the haircut is done, Lucas comes to me with a grin. I pop up, relieved that it’s over and I made it through the whole thing without violence.

Lucas must be relieved too because he says, “Thank you,” as he wraps his arms around me.

Fuck, he’s sweet. I know I don’t deserve him, but I will never, ever give him up.

After paying, I check my phone—god, it’s weird to have a phone again—and see that time is running short. I’m supposed to meet Vitali and Anton at the club this evening. I don’t have time to ride home with Lucas first. I know he’ll be fine with Quinn, but I still hate it.

As I open the car door for Lucas, Quinn, walking around to the driver’s side, says, “I’ll drop you off at the club before I take Lucas home.”

I shake my head. “I’ll walk.”

Quinn frowns, not liking it, but I ignore him to focus on Lucas, who’s hovering on the sidewalk by the open car door. He’s also frowning.

My nerves are shot and I feel sick, and apparently that’s more obvious than I would like.

“Cancel,” Lucas pleads.

I shake my head again. I’m just starting to settle into my place again in the Constantine world. At first, I didn’t care about that—hell, at first I couldn’t even begin to wrap my head around it—but now it’s different.

The Constantine world is one I know. Outside of my cell or a fighting ring, it’s the only world I belong in. Transitioning back into it hasn’t been smooth. Honestly, there are moments when I still want back in my cell.

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