Page 100 of Please Save Me

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Ilikedseeing Sebastian and Mason interact. What was even worse was the fact that I wasslightlyrooting for him to win her over.

I knew Lucian would be destroyed if Mason decided to marry Sebastian. But, they were still a while away from a wedding. At least, I thought they were.

Chapter 31

Mason

Of all the places to sleep in the house, Lucian’s bed was my favorite. It was the firmest bed in the house, and he kept his room the coolest. Plus, it was only big enough for the two of us. Not that I didn’t love snuggling with everyone, but right now, I was huge, miserable, and constantly felt like I was five hundred degrees.

As if that wasn’t enough, Lucian usually woke me up with head before getting a snack for me. But today, I didn’t wake up to his mouth on my south; instead, it was by him shifting back into bed. My eyes begrudgingly parted as Lucian slipped between the covers. He froze the second he noticed me looking at him. A beat of prolonged eye contact fell between us as he forced a smile. I could tell it didn’t fully reach his eyes.

“Hey… Why are you up?” he asked as he finished getting into bed.

“I could ask you the same thing,” I replied with a yawn before snuggling up against my husband. “Where’d you go?”

My ear settled on his chest as he worked a hand into my hair, softly playing with the strands in a way that threatened to lull me back to sleep. His heartbeat sounded different right now.

Normally, Lucian’s heart was steady and slow, but now it was irregular and racing like he’d run a marathon.

“Just to the bathroom,” he murmured into my hair before kissing my head.

I wanted to believe Lucian; he’d never given me a reason not to. But his answer seemed rehearsed. Normally, he’d give me graphic details no matter what it was; he never just gave me a location.

My gaze drifted to the window. Through the crack in the curtains, I noticed the sky slowly shifting from purple to salmon. He was probably still tired; he wasn’t really a morning person. With that in mind, he and I probably should have tried for a couple more hours of shut-eye. But Rosie had different plans.

My stomach growled as she kicked, and the nausea that came with hunger started to creep in. I sighed as I rubbed my belly. God, I couldn’t wait until being a little hungry was no longer an emergency.

I could have just gotten up and snagged a granola bar from the kitchen. That’s when I remembered something… Lucian and I had yet to be on a formal date since we eloped a few weeks ago.

“Hey, let’s get breakfast,” I suggested, knowing he never told me no.

I knew exactly where I wanted to go, too. There was a diner right on the edge of town that had the best scrambled eggs I’d ever had. They were cheesy and gooey and–

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he admitted, a tinge of vulnerability coloring his words.

I lifted from his chest and focused directly on his face. “What? Why not?”

His fingers stilled as he averted his gaze. Lucian’s throat bobbed as he ran his tongue over his lips, and I worried he was ashamed to be seen with me in public. It hadn’t been a problem up until now… but I’ve also never been this gross.

I could have just voiced that. However, that might have worried him. He’d sat in on a therapy session with me, and the therapist had mentioned how it seemed like I’d made almost a complete recovery with my disordered eating. And Lucian was so proud. That’s why I had to hide how I really felt about my body.

“But we haven’t been on a date since we got married,” I reminded him.

“I wanted to take you to the restaurant Sophia and I went to.” A look of annoyance crossed Lucian’s face; it was one I recognized all too well, but I couldn’t figure out why he’d be annoyed.

He seemed okay when I told him I didn’t feel comfortable going so far. What changed?

“Do you not want to be seen with me?” I asked, suddenly afraid of the answer.

Lucian’s eyes snapped to mine, and the annoyance faltered, replaced with something I couldn’t place. Which was impressive, considering I knew Lucian better than the back of my hand.

“Don’t bestupid.” His insult caused my lip to quiver.

Still, I tried to hide it. “If it’s not that, what is it?”

He gritted his teeth as he ran a hand through his hair, looking away from me and at the ceiling. “I just don’t! Isn’t that enough?”

My breathing stuttered as I fought the urge to run from how loud he was. This wasn’t how my Lucian acted, not with me.

---