Page 33 of Perfectly Leashed
Shifters might heal faster than humans, but he’d been shot not twenty-four hours prior to the deputy taking out his life’s frustrations on Luca.
Sure, he could’ve fought back, could’ve torn Gilmore apart, but all Luca had been thinking about was keeping his lycanthrope from getting free, of not terrifying his mate with that massive form.
“I’m gonna do what most do in this situation.” Darcy looked up at him. “Bury it deep and forget it exists.”
“You’re aware that’s about the unhealthiest thing you can do, right?” Who was he to talk? Luca made a sport out of burying shit deep. He practically had a graveyard full of things he fought not to unearth.
“Are you my therapist now?” A dark brow rose a fraction.
“Me?” Luca chuckled. “With as much garbage as I’ve got shoved down, I wouldn’t be qualified to hold a shrink’s water.” He rolled to his back to ease some of the pressure in his arm. “If I was a therapist, I’d be too busy untangling the mess inside my own head.”
Darcy pushed to his knees, hands resting in his lap. “Dr. Darcy Doolittle at your service.” He pretended to adjust glasses he didn’t wear. Next, he held his hands as if he had a pen and pad. “Today we shall talk about how to keep our crap tightly on lockdown,” he said with a fake accent.
Luca was pretty sure he was going for German, but it sounded more like that cartoon owl trying to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.
“First rule of dysfunctional therapy is not to talk about therapy.”
As he spoke, Luca wore the dumbest grin. He could listen to his elegido’s goofiness for the rest of the day.
“If we can’t talk about therapy, what exactly is the main purpose of this group?” Luca kept his hand on Darcy’s hip. Touching his mate settled him in ways a thousand hours on a shrink’s couch never would.
Darcy tapped his chin, like he was seriously thinking about the question. “New rule!” He held his finger up like a lightbulb just lit up over his head.
God, he was so fucking gorgeous.
“Mandatory snacks. I’m talking the good stuff, not the knock-off brands. Gotta have milk, too, if cookies are involved.”
Man had his priorities straight.
“New rule.” Luca slid his hand over his mate’s side, watching how the male’s breath hitched and his pupils widened.
“What’s…” Darcy licked his lips, and goddamn right Luca’s gaze followed.
“The rule?” Oh, this was too fun. Just watching how his elegido reacted to his touch was arousing.
“Yeah, that.”
“Prefiero tenerte como bocadillo, hermoso.” Luca used his core muscles to sit up. “Preferiría mordisquear tu pálido cuerpo y lamer tu crema.”
“What did…” Darcy’s gaze lowered to Luca’s mouth, his lips parting, tiny puffs of air escaping. “I need a shower.”
To Luca’s confusion and shock, Darcy slipped from the bed. Was he simply nervous? Was that why he just pulled away from what was just getting started?
“Crap, my job!” Darcy patted his pockets with a furrowed brow.
“Already taken care of.” Luca maneuvered to the edge of the bed and stood. “Your boss, Lacey, said to call her when you’re ready to come back.”
“She did?” He smirked. “I guess finding my inner badass has its perks.”
Luca still couldn’t believe Darcy had gone up against Gilmore. No one in their right mind would have done that, especially not someone Darcy’s size. Gilmore wasn’t a small man, and he wasn’t a kind one, either.
So why did Darcy’s bravery turn him on? Why had Luca been so proud that Darcy defended him? He should be angry that his mate put his life in jeopardy, but Darcy had been defending his “boyfriend,” and that sealed it for Luca.
Despite being proud of his mate for defending him, Luca still had to get it into Darcy’s skull that going against a seasoned, corrupt cop wasn’t a bright idea. “Next time I want you to stay in the shop like I told you. In fact, there won’t be a next time.”
Darcy narrowed his eyes. “What’re you saying? Are you trying to put me back into my safe little box, the one I just broke out of? What happened today wasn’t my fault, and I shouldn’t be penalized for my heroic actions.”
Luca clenched his jaw. Did his mate have a death wish? Was he that naïve? “I understand protecting someone you care about. I honestly do, Darcy. But Gilmore isn’t someone you want to mess with. He won’t hesitate to arrest you.”
