I grinned and stabbed a piece of meat, then shoved it into my mouth. The steak, even though it was reheated, was amazing.
“So . . .” Lucas ate a bite.
I ate a bite.
It felt normal.
Push it away, Avery, he doesn’t want normal.
He wants a different girl every night. The steak almost got stuck in my throat—I had to chug water to wash it down.
“So . . .” I licked my lips.
Lucas’s eyes darted to one corner of my mouth. He leaned forward and wiped it with his fingers. “You always were a messy eater.”
“I embrace food the way most people embrace life—with extreme purpose and vigor.”
His sexy mouth twitched, and then he was full on smiling. “I like that.”
“Well, I like food.” I shrugged.
His hands moved down my arms, then back up, then down. The tension was so thick it was hard to breathe.
“Fuck it.” He slammed his mouth against mine and lifted me by the ass off the chair and placed me on the counter. I bit back a hiss as my skin came into contact with cold granite.
Lucas ripped open the shirt.
A button flew past my ear and made a pinging noise as it landed.
It was five seconds.
Before I felt him inside me again.
Before he was yelling my name—before I was maiming his back with my fingernails and begging for more.
When I almost slid off the counter because I was trying to get a better angle, he lifted me in the air and walked us over to the couch, then bent me over it, only to apologize for being so rough.
I was too busy kissing him to care.
Too busy tasting him and hating myself for letting it happen again.
When I’d promised myself it would only be once.
When I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t be one of those girls.
It was over too quick.
Sweat dripped from his head onto my chest; both of us out of breath, we stared at one another—the gap of silence was deafening.
I waited for it.
“Sorry,” I whispered. “For the scratches.”
“Believe me when I say”—his voice was hoarse—“I didn’t feel a damn thing.”
“Oh?” I teased.
“You know what I mean.” His tone turned serious, and then he paled and pulled away from me. “Avery, we need to talk about this—”
“Nope.” I shook my head way too many times. “No talking, remember? We agreed not to talk about it.”
“But—”
“You know what? I think I should go. It’s late and”—I yawned—“you have a big day tomorrow because it’s Thursday . . .”
“Avery—”
“And Thursday’s—”
“I have a feeling my Thursday isn’t going to work out anymore.” He crossed his arms.
“Sad for you.” My fake laugh needed work. “But anyways, I’m just going to—”
Lucas swept me up into his arms and carried me to the bedroom. I banged his back the entire way with my fists.
“Put me down!”
“There.” He tossed me onto the bed and crossed his arms. “You’re staying the night.”
“Lucas.” Why was he being so nice! I needed the jackass more than air right now. “It’s fine; just treat me like you treat them.”
His nostrils flared as he joined me on the bed, flipped me over onto my stomach, and slapped my ass. Hard. “If you ever compare yourself to another girl again, I’m going to leave a mark.”
“Thorn!” I yelled. “I’m not a child!”
He laughed. “Oh, I know.”
“Hell, if you weren’t such an arrogant ass, I’d maybe actually admit that you were superhot right now, all dominant and such.”
“Well, my life purpose has been met—you called me hot.”
“You know you’re hot, that’s the problem.”
“Or the solution? It’s all in how you see things, Avery Bug.”
I rolled my eyes and willed the smile away from my face. The last thing that man needed was encouragement. “If I stay, I need to shower.”
He rolled off the bed and held out his hand. “Follow me.”
Chapter Thirty-One
LUCAS
“Hey.” Avery sniffled—her eyes were watery, her smile nonexistent. “Mom just wanted to know if you needed anything before the rehearsal dinner tonight.”
“Avery Bug.” I opened the screen door and leaned against it. “What happened?”
“I hate men. Except you, Grandpa, and my dad. Well, I guess I like your dad too, and my dog is amazing—at least he doesn’t run around humping random girl dogs like that bastard son of a . . .” She burst into tears. “I’m sorry. Ugh, it’s the day before your wedding and—” She wiped her eyes and forced a smile. “See? Totally fine. So do you need anything? I can go to Starbucks for you. Run some errands. Do you have your tux?”
I frowned. “Avery?”
She blinked up at me.
“Did your mom really send you?”
“I believe her words were ‘Leave the house before you upset your sister again,’” Avery said in a wobbly voice.
I snorted. Unbelievable. I loved her mom—hell, I loved their entire family. But Kayla had a tendency to make everything about her, especially lately, and with the wedding so close she’d turned into a bitch. Especially to Avery.