Page 61 of Luka

Twisting to face him, we lock eyes, and I’m stuck in the deep blue of his irises. They drag me toward him, my shoulder grazing his arm until he takes my movement as an invitation to kiss me.

I let him. It feels like our game of twenty questions, except more perverse. A kiss for a truth.

The blanket falls away as he drags me farther up the bed and lays me down, situating himself on top of me yet again.

When he breaks our kiss, I hold his face steady and look him in the eyes.

“No more lies,” I say, my voice heady.

He pauses a moment before nodding.

“Promise me.”

He nods again. “Okay.” He sighs and kisses my cheek then nuzzles his nose against my neck. “I promise.”

His palm grasps the back of my thigh and lifts my knee to my chest as he eases inside me. My mouth opens wide with a cry as I’m stretched. Tendrils of pleasure shoot up from my core and wrap around my spine, pulling tight so my back arches and I gasp, my fingers clutching Luka’s shoulders.

He grunts as he fucks me, slowly at first then faster as I stare at the ceiling, Luka’s mouth to my ear as he pants. My body ignites for him. Every nerve comes alive at his command just as it did before, but it feels different this time. It feels like he’s captured my mind as well as my body.

He kisses me while I come, swallowing up my moan while he squeezes my breast, and as soon as I come down from the high, he tries to take me back. He brings both my knees up and fucks me hard enough that I have to keep my mouth shut to avoid my moans being heard by whoever might be in a nearby room. His hand moves between us to rub me with a force that leaves me panting.

“Luka,” I cry, grabbing his face as my body winds tight.

He kisses me roughly for only a moment before pulling away and thrusting hard into me. He rubs faster until I’m gasping, and when I come apart again, he puts his hand over my mouth to muffle the sound.

“Ah, fuck,” he pants, his eyes pinching shut as he pumps into me a few more times before he stills, a low groan crawling up his throat.

His breath shudders as he blinks his eyes open, and when he peers at me, the moment is so intimate that I look away. My face heats, but I can’t imagine I wasn’t already flushed. Still, Luka seems to notice the tension. I’m sure he feels the same.

He climbs off of me, and we lay beside each other saying nothing for the rest of the night. At some point, I pretend to be asleep, and Luka gets up to shut off the light.

18

LUCIA

Seven days pass before I work up the courage to leave the room.

I splash water on my face over the bathroom sink, my heart beating fast. For the last week, every other thought has concerned Luka, but today, I feel courageous. Today, I’m determined not to let my former captor become the focus of my existence. Today is the day the boredom cracks me open.

The last week has been uneventful.

The morning after Luka and I had sex, I woke up in an empty bed.

A gasp ripped from my lungs as I jolted up, feeling my neck on impulse. Cool air licked the sweat off my back, and when I scooted toward the headboard, I dragged my bottom across the damp sheets.

I looked around for the source of my nightmare, but Luka was nowhere to be found. I was grateful for it. I could only imagine how awkward it would’ve been to explain my dream to him.

It felt more like a memory. I was crouched in the back of Piper’s car watching her and Luka fight. I stopped breathing when he took her neck, and I thought it was out of fear untilseconds passed and my lungs wouldn’t work. My throat felt pinched, my airway cut off.

I tried to clutch my neck, but something was in the way. When I looked down, I saw a hand. And when I looked up, I saw Luka.

Suddenly, we were outside the car. It was me dangling in the air instead of Piper while Luka’s icy eyes watched me struggle for breath. He looked inhuman. His eyes were as lifeless as I’d watched Piper’s become.

When the door to the room opened, I jerked the blanket up to cover my naked chest. Which, after the previous night, felt a little ridiculous. Luka didn’t comment on it when he walked into the room, tray in hand, backpack slung over his shoulder.

He set the breakfast tray of scrambled eggs and fruit down on the bed before ever glancing at me. “Morning.”

I hesitated, my throat still feeling pinched. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out except a strange squeak.

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