Part 30 (1/2)
She couldn't love Lucian. She just couldn't. Love was a trap. It led people to depend on others who might not always be there and gave them the ability to hurt you more than anyone else ever could. She'd only ever loved one person, and she'd done nothing but show Scout all the reasons she should have protected her heart.
As they made the ride out of the city one afternoon, the highway opened up and Evelyn recognized the familiar route. Much like the last time they made this trip, she was anxious. Although she'd visited Lucian's home once, it felt like years had pa.s.sed since then. And that time didn't include his family.
She had a chilling thought. ”Will Slade be there?”
Lucian's otherwise serene expression shuttered. ”No.”
He didn't offer any explanation, so she let the topic of his friend go. Lucian must've detected her unease, because he pulled her close and rubbed her shoulders. She'd become dependent on his constant touch. Another dangerous thing.
”Are you anxious about leaving the city? We'll be back.”
”No, this time I'm anxious about going to your home.”
”Why?”
”Well . . . what if your sisters don't like me?”
He rolled his eyes. ”That's nonsense. They'll love you.”
She hoped he was right.
”You know,” he said, interrupting more of her anxious musings. ”If you need a distraction I'm sure I could provide one.”
Evelyn elbowed him. He was so full of himself. But he was right. Lucian could drive her to distraction like no one else could. ”I can't.”
”Why?”
”Patrice told me no fooling around for at least twelve hours.”
He gave her a sidelong glance. She knew that look in his eye. He looked at her like that whenever he was having dirty thoughts. ”Did she now?”
”Yes. I'm puffy and I hurt.”
He pouted dramatically. ”Oh, I'll have to kiss it all better. What else did Patrice say?”
Frowning, she asked, ”What do you mean? She asked me how I was and how you and I were doing, where we were spending our holiday, stuff like that.”
”She didn't have anything to say about your pretty p.u.s.s.y?”
She smacked his arm. ”Girls don't talk like that!”
He laughed. ”Wanna bet?”
”Well, Patrice doesn't.”
He hugged her close. ”Oh, Evelyn, how innocent and trusting you are.”
Trusting was the last word she'd use to describe herself, and she didn't appreciate the patronizing tone in his voice. She turned and scowled at him. ”What're you suggesting? That I don't know Patrice?”
”Not at all. I'm merely acknowledging that your memory suffers when you drink.”
A frown crinkled her brow as she thought back to the night she'd hung out with Patrice. Nothing specifically came to mind out of the ordinary. Pursing her lips she said, ”Explain.”
He chuckled. ”Patrice is very fond of you. She made it quite clear when I came to collect your little drunken a.s.s the night of your bar escapades.”
”I did not have escapades,” Evelyn said crossing her arms.
”The four-hundred-dollar bar bill I paid says otherwise. It was very thoughtful of you to buy so many rounds for the house, by the way.”
Her eyes widened and her gut twisted like she was going to be sick. ”Oh my G.o.d, Lucian, I'm so sorry. I'll pay you back. I swear.”
He waved off her concern. ”It's nothing. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Now, let's get back to Patrice. She's quite pretty, don't you think?”
”I guess, but I don't see why you should notice.”
He smiled and pinched her chin. ”Don't be jealous. My observations were purely for your benefit.”
He was ruffling her feathers on purpose. ”How's Patrice being attractive going to benefit me?”
”Because I enjoy exploring your s.e.xual appet.i.tes. She seemed quite fond of your beautiful p.u.s.s.y.”
Evelyn stopped breathing. He had to be teasing. Lucian surprised her on a daily basis, but that was just taking things too far. Her throat was dry as sand, and she swallowed. It didn't help. Her mouth gaped like a fish, but again, it couldn't be helped.
He laughed and patted her knee. ”Don't worry. It'll only be me who touches you. I won't ask you to do anything you're uncomfortable with-much. I'm not sure my possessive nature could tolerate you touching someone else, no matter how t.i.tillating the thought is.”
She finally snapped out of her dumbness. ”Lucian, Patrice isn't like that-”
”Yes, Evelyn, she is. Not only is she like that, she informed Dugan and me that you had a beautiful v.a.g.i.n.a. There was no mistaking her intent. Especially after seeing the way she touched you.”
”We're friends!”
He shrugged. ”Sometimes friends f.u.c.k.”
She scowled at him. She wasn't stupid. She knew about gays and lesbians. She just wasn't one. ”Well, I don't f.u.c.k my friends.”
All jovialness disappeared. ”Oh, I know. I'm glad you do too, so we won't have to have that talk in the future.”
”Besides, girls can't f.u.c.k other girls.”
She saw him tilt his head curiously in the reflection of the window. ”Why, because they don't have a p.e.n.i.s? That's ridiculous. I could stay completely clothed and f.u.c.k your brains out. In fact, your ignorant certainty on the matter makes me wonder if that's exactly what I should do tonight.”
She didn't like his choice of words. ”I'm not stupid, Lucian.” She glared at him from over her shoulder.
”I'd never say you were, and I'd beat the s.h.i.+t out of anyone who ever even hinted at such a falsehood. I'm merely saying that you underestimate all the ways a woman can be f.u.c.ked when a flesh-and-blood c.o.c.k is not available.”
She turned back to the window. ”I don't want to talk about this anymore.”