Page 93 of Pretty Poisoned

"We need to shower; we're bloody," Luca says as his key opens the lock. He ushers me inside with a hand on my lower back. "Unless you just want me to hose you off out back or something."

I shoot him a glare.

"Kidding," he says.

"Never. Again."

He laughs as he walks the corner into the bathroom and turns on the water. I shrug off his clothes and join him in the shower. Afterward, he bandages the cuts on my chest, telling me how good it looks and how it should scar.

Then, at four-thirty in the morning, we finally crawl into bed together. Everything hurts like it did the first time.

It feels good.

SIXTEEN

Luca's rifling around the room wakes me much sooner than I'd like. He sits on the end of the bed, slipping on his shoes.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Going to the gym for a couple of hours," he says.

"Don't we have to leave?"

"Not yet. It's a long drive to Reno; Declan wants to leave at night so we can sleep. He wants to go get doughnuts. I can't eat fucking doughnuts."

"Why not?"

He scoffs. "Because I don't eat trash. Only sweet thing I need to eat is your pussy. Do you want to go with me?"

"To the gym? Not really. I eat trash."

"You do whatever you want, baby."

He pulls on a hoodie that matches his sweats, then runs his hands through his blonde hair before covering it with a backward baseball cap.

His normal guy disguise.

"Luca?"

"Hmm?"

I love you.

I don't know exactly what I intended to say, but that's what pops into my head. I don't say it, of course. I scold myself for thinking it, quickly shutting it down.

"I like looking at you," I tell him instead.

He smiles, and somehow, it hits me right in the fucking chest. How the hell did he do that?

"I like looking at you, too, Teagan."

I crawl out from under the covers, then stand on the bed and walk to him. I throw my arms around his neck and rest my head on his shoulder.

"Don't leave me alone," I tell him. "Please?"

He lifts me into his arms, and I wrap my legs around his waist. "I won't leave you alone," Luca says. "You're never alone."

"What are you doing?" I ask as he carries me out the door and into the hallway.

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