Page 229 of Redeemed

Lucas brings me into Colton’s bathroom and sets me on the counter. He stays in between my legs the entire time I brush my teeth, his large hands resting on my thighs.

“I know I already said it, but I’m proud of you,” he murmurs once I’m done. “Maybe I’m reading things wrong, but it looks like what we’re doing is helping you.”

“It is. Not in the way I thought it would, but it is.”

“Is that why you started crying earlier?”

“Yeah. I… I didn’t feel all the horrible things I normally feel. I just enjoyed it.”

Relief floods Lucas’s expression. “That’s really good, Haven. That’s… god. I’ve been hoping that would happen.”

Without thinking about it, I slide my hand into his as we move into the bedroom. I’m about to respond when I spot something in my cage. It’s purple and red and looks suspiciously like…

“Is that a stuffed dragon?”

I don’t wait for Lucas to answer. I dash to my cage and practically dive inside. Sure enough, it’s a soft, plush dragon, complete with scales going down its back.

“Wait.” I examine it more closely and run my hands over the material. “This looks like the same one that was in that video.”

Lucas nods. “I couldn’t find it for sale anywhere, so I had to have it custom made. That’s why it took me so long to get it.”

My jaw drops, and then I’m crawling out of the cage. “Luc, I—this—you have no idea how much this means to me. I’ve never had a stuffed animal before.”

“I know.”

Tears of joy sting my eyes, and I throw myself at him. He catches me with a startled breath before crushing me to his chest.

“Thank you,” I tell him. “This was so sweet.”

“I wanted you to be happy. You’re stuck inside this house, and we’ve made the last three years so hard on you. I know this doesn’t make up for it. Nothing will, but I’m sorry, and I want to—”

Pulling back, I hold a finger to his lips and whisper, “I love you.”

I don’t think about what a foolish thing that is to say until pain fills Lucas’s eyes. He’s been soft and gentle with me—kind, even—but that doesn’t mean this is what he wants. He agreed to keep me safe, and he’s trying to make the best of it, that’s—

“I love you, too, little fawn.”

The need to kiss him resurfaces, but I hesitate. He kisses Xander all the time, but maybe it’s different with me. Maybe he has to work himself up to it. Or… maybe he doesn’t want to be the one to initiate it.

“Can I—” I clear my throat. “Can I kiss you?”

Lucas swallows, and his cheeks turn pink.

“It’s okay if you don’t—”

“I’ve never kissed a girl before.”

Oh.

“Do you want me to be your first?” I ask timidly.

“I…”

I’m sure Lucas is about to say no when he cups the back of my head and gently brushes his lips against mine. I lean into him, and he deepens the kiss while keeping it chaste and sweet. I don’t think I’ve ever been kissed like this before—for the sole purpose of someone showing me they care about me.

When Lucas pulls away, he sighs and rests his forehead against mine. “Forget the deal.”

“What?”

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