Page 36 of Prettiest Little Thief
“Are you avoiding my proposal?”
“Absolutely. Yes,” I admitted. A grin tipped up on the side of his mouth. “Why would marriage help me in any way? You don’t evenlikeme. I crashed your boujie car, I got myself kidnapped, I’m a thief… I can keep going, Lucas. Stop me at any time.”
Lucas let out a loud laugh, a true smile on his face. Such a change from his usual prickly demeanor. It brought me back to the night of the masquerade, when he kept touching me softly onany area of exposed flesh. The intensity of his attention dispatched an army of impassioned goosebumps down my spine. My nipples puckered beneath the heated water. I slid down an inch more to hide how much he affected me. Once his laughter stopped, he said, “By marriage, you’d be my wife. Therefore, my funds would be readily available to you to pay off your debt to Charles.”
“And why would I marry you for money?” My brow creased, and he rubbed his thumbs over the uninjured skin of my cheeks. The heat of his touch rushed through me like a bullet train. “Can’t you just tell the Crimson Brotherhood I’m off limits?”
He sat back on his haunches, releasing my face. The lack of his touch left a cold sensation behind that I didn’t care for. “I could, but that wouldn’t promise you protection in the long run. By becoming my wife, you would have the protection of a shit ton of people as well as respect from everyone else. No one would dare touch what’s mine.” I quirked a brow and pursed my lips together. “And, if something were to happen to me, you would be the queen of all this.” He glanced around the room.
“A bathroom?”
He chuckled. “No. This ostentatious mansion.”
A giggle crept up my throat. “Fox told you?”
“Fox tells me almost everything.”
“Greaaattt.” I drew out the word.
Even with the joking nature of our conversation, a heaviness settled over me at his words. If something did happen to Lucas, he was willing to leave everything behind to me? That was crazy. He hardly knew me.
“But we’re even. I crashed your car; I got you the key. I can be out of your hair now.”
“If you were able to pay off the Crimson Brotherhood, then you could help me finish one last task without having to look over your shoulder constantly. But you already said you didn’t want to be a thief anymore. I don’t want you to feel like it’s something you have to do.”
I threw my head back and ran my hands down my face, hissing at the pain that sparked.
“Careful.” Lucas grabbed my hands and pulled them from my face.
“Let me spit this out really quick. You want me to marry you, then pay off Charles so I can help you with whatever crazy mission you want to send me on. Then what?”
“We can divorce. I’ll set you up with plenty of funds to be comfortable for the rest of your life. You can move out of the state or country if you want. Away from the bullshit.” Lucas made it sound all so easy. I chewed on the inside of my cheek in thought. “And for what it’s worth, I don’tnotlike you.”
I laughed a little too loudly and clasped my hand over my mouth as I felt the blood rush to my face. Giggles overwhelmed me. “You don’t not like me? So, you do like me? You could have just said that.”
His smirk was adorable. A small dimple in one cheek stood out. “I like that sound.”
“What sound?” I took several deep breaths to calm my snickers.
“Your laugh.”
“Are you flirting with me?” I squinted at him.
“Maybe.” The glint in his blue eyes gave away his humor.
My cheeks burned hotter. “All right, future ex-husband. I’m ready to get out of the bath.”
“Is that an acceptance?” Lucas asked.
“Maybe,” I mimicked his earlier words. He stood and grabbed a big, fluffy towel from the rack. Holding it out, he turned his head to give me privacy. I stood on shaky legs and took the towel, wrapping it around myself. “I need to think about all of this before I make my decision. I have a lot of questions.”
“Ask away.” Lucas held out a hand to help me out of the tub. I took it.
“How did you know where I was?” My brow arched as I stared up into his face.
“Let’s get you dressed and let me check you over,” he said.
“You’re changing the subject.”
