Page 94 of Haunted

LUCA

IT TOOK AN HOUR AND forty-five minutes for the cops to show up at my parents’ house.

Fucking typical.

Not because it was the holiday or because they’re understaffed. It wouldn’t matter what day of the year it was, how many officers they had on duty, or if Vicki’s call was the only one they received that day. The city just doesn’t fucking care enough about this section of town to get off their asses. I’m sure the two dumb fucks who showed up in the guise of serving and protecting citizens were in the parking lot of the local donut shop when the call from dispatch came through and finished stuffing their faces before heading here. Domestic abuse and attempted rape is the norm for this side of town, so to them, it’s no big deal.

It took every bit of control I had and my dad’s quiet words reminding me Jules was nearby to hold me back from laying one of the officers out when his eyes slid over her in a sleazy way. Inthe end, the visit was useless. Even if Jules wanted to press charges, I highly doubt the cops would have actually pursued it. The little fuckers didn’t seem one damn bit interested in what happened to Jules and didn’t even try to talk her into pressing charges. They were only there for twenty minutes, and I was damn glad to see them leave.

We’re now walking in my front door. When I see Jules wobble on her feet as she tosses her purse on the couch, I go to her. I still wish she had let me take her to the hospital, but I understand why she didn’t want to. She was there for seven years, and I’m sure going back frightens her.

Grabbing her hips, I turn her to face me then loosely wrap my arms around her. She looks at me with dreary and tired eyes.

“Shower or bed?” I ask.

A shudder runs through her, then she answers with, “Shower.”

When she makes a move to pull away from me, I pick her up. I know she’s capable of walking, but not only do I want to make it easier on her, I need to feel her in my arms. Rationally, I know she’s okay, but it makes me feel better.

As if she needs the closeness as well, she doesn’t make a peep as I walk to the bathroom, her arms settling around my neck and her head resting on my shoulder. I set her on her feet by the sink and turn to the shower. I make sure the water is warm before turning back to Jules to find her eyes steady on me.

I sift my fingers through her hair and kiss her lips softly.

“I’ll be right outside if you need me,” I murmur against her lips.

She grabs my wrists. “Don’t leave.”

I search her eyes and see a worried, pain-ridden, and broken woman in front of me. It breaks my heart seeing her look so dejected. Anger follows the sadness because of the reasonbehind the look. Now’s not the time for that though. Jules needs me, and I’ll be damned if I let her down.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she answers through a raw throat.

I nod, and relief fills her face. Stepping back, I grip the back of my shirt and tug it over my head. I give her a moment when her eyes move to my chest, sliding over the sleek muscles covered in ink and the two nipple rings. When they lift back to mine, I see appreciation, and fuck if that doesn’t make me feel good.

I step closer to her when her hands move to the bottom of her shirt. “Let me,” I say softly.

Her hands drop to her sides. I keep my eyes on her as I slowly inch the shirt up. This was her idea, but I want to make sure she’s still with me every step of the way. It’s just a shower, a means to let her know she’s not alone, to help her cope with what happened today, but it’s so much more. It’s trust, and I feel honored she’s giving it to me.

She lifts her arms when the shirt reaches just below her tits. I stretch the neck of the shirt to make sure it doesn’t graze any of her wounds. Her hair falls around her shoulders once the material is over her head. I reach for the snap on the back of her bra and her chilled hands land on my biceps. I ignore the electrical current of pleasure at having her hands on me. I pull the straps off her arms and drop her bra on top of her discarded shirt. Her gorgeous tits with their pebbled little peach-colored nipples are bared to me, but I keep my expression as neutral as I can and will my body to stand down. This isn’t about how incredibly sexy I find her or how much I ache to have her. It’s about giving her the comfort she needs right now.

When I notice the dark marks around her wrists from Theo’s hold on her, I push back the anger wanting to resurface.Instead, I lift one wrist and bring it to my lips, kissing the tender flesh before lifting the next and doing the same.

I drop to my knees in front of her and grip the edges of her leggings to pull them down when I see more marks on her hip bones.

“Fuck,” I hiss, and close my eyes.

Fingers run through my hair and my head is lifted. “Luca…,” she whispers sadly.

I open my eyes, and I know they glow with fury. “I should have fucking killed him,” I growl savagely.

She doesn’t flinch at my harsh tone. She doesn’t say anything either. She just continues to look down at me with her sad amber eyes, her fingers gently kneading my scalp.

I drop my forehead to her lower stomach and inhale several deep breaths, fighting the storm raging in my head.

Once I have my emotions under control, I pull my head away and gently kiss those bruises as well. Spotting a scar across her lower stomach, curious about where it came from, I press my lips there too. Her breathing stutters at the contact, but I pretend I don’t notice as I slowly work the material of her leggings and panties down her legs, making sure to keep my eyes off the springy curls hiding her pussy. I grit my teeth when I find more bruises on the inside of her thighs. I don’t kiss those, even though I desperately want to.

I get to my feet once she’s fully naked and take a step back. It’s fucking torture to do so, but I keep my eyes pinned on her face. Her cheeks are currently a bright pink, and I can tell she’s forcing her arms to stay at her sides and not hide herself from me. I want to tell her she has nothing to be embarrassed about, that her body is strikingly stunning, but I worry it’ll make it worse to point out her tenseness.

---