Page 53 of Bones

CHAPTER THIRTY

ATHENA

“Wake up, sleeping beauty.”

I begin to stir, and feel soft kisses on my neck and open my eyes, blinking them quickly as I focus on Luca standing beside the bed. He leans over me, with a hand on either side of me on the mattress as he stares at me.

“You made me a promise. Time for you to deliver.”

I groan from the pain in my face. “You also made me a promise.”

His lips form a delicious smirk. “Did I? I don’t remember that.”

“Even more than something for this pain, I want to go outside.”

He straightens up and grabs a glass of water from the bedside table. “Sit up.”

I do, and he hands me the glass and two pills. “The medication the doctor prescribed.”

Staring at the drugs in my hand, I hesitate.

“Butterfly, I won’t hurt you, I promise. This is what he sent to the pharmacy. You can trust me, and you can trust Doc Johnson.”

I nod, but then wince from the throbbing in my head and take them.

“Maybe I should bring you breakfast in bed.”

“Luca, no!”

I jump up, because there’s only one thing I want. It’s hard to explain to someone that hasn’t lived in captivity for most of their lives, but I try.

“The most healing thing I can do is to go outside. I’m sure you don’t understand it, but the sun shining on my face, the warmth touching my skin, the open area. It’s everything to me. It makes me feel normal.”

He runs his knuckles down my cheek with one hand, while taking the glass from me with his other. “Alright, beautiful wife. Let’s put your order in with the chef and we can eat outside, so we both get what we need.”

I get up and grab clothing from the closet, and slip on a purple dress I haven’t worn yet. Luca chuckles softly. “That got you to move.”

“Why is me eating so important to you?”

He steps closer to me, and places his hand on the side of my neck, and speaks low, “You’re mine, Butterfly. That means I need to take care of you, but not because I have to. I want to.”

Luca leans in closer and I panic. “Don’t kiss me.”

He lifts an eyebrow in surprise, as I giggle and cover my mouth. “I need to brush my teeth.”

Grabbing the back of my neck with one hand, and prying my hand from my face with the other, he closes the distance and slams his lips to mine. He groans as he forces his tongue into my mouth, and slides it against mine in a sloppy kiss, and pulls back with a chuckle.

“Such a sweet tasting dirty mouth.”

“Luca,” I whisper, while feeling my cheeks heat with embarrassment. Shaking my head, I turn away from him, and head into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

He stands in the doorway with his hands on the top of the frame, showing off every muscle in his upper body. Glancing at him, I scold him, “You don’t have to watch me.”

His eyes narrow at me, before he breaks out into a boyish grin. “Oh, but I like watching my wife. She’s absolutely captivating.”

I spit into the sink and shake my head, as I rinse my toothbrush off. “Yeah, these bruises are so pretty.”

He clenches his jaw. “No. They aren’t. Every time I look at them, I want to kill him all over again. If I had known, he would’ve never got his hands on you. I would have destroyed him before he came into my home and took my wife. Bruises or not. Black eye or not.You are still the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen. No other woman holds a candle to you. Fucking gorgeous.”

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