Indeed, I fucking do, and it makes me furious on her behalf all over again. I am stunned to know all she has gone through. It’s amazing she has made it to her last year in college, all on her own, after living in a fucking car. “Have you seen or heard from your mother since you left, or your stepfather?” She shakes her head slowly.

“No, I don’t know how they found me; I’ve been so careful to stay away from areas I know they frequent. St. Claire’s is miles away from where they live, and I’ve never known them to have any business around here.”

“Honey, thanks to the internet, finding someone is nothing anymore.” She looks terrified at my words, and I scramble to reassure her. “I don’t want you to worry about them, okay? I have my people on this. If you do have to go to court, you’ll be well-protected, and you’ll have someone there to watch out for your interests.”

She squeezes my hand back, looking so fragile in that moment. “Thank you, Luc. I’m sorry to put this on you. This probably wasn’t what you were expecting when you asked me out.” She is right about that, but in a different way than she means. She is so much more than I was expecting, and I’m freaking reeling from it. Her story, though different, is eerily familiar to me. The need to protect her is overwhelming. The lines between her and my past are blurred further as I’m drawn to her, fucking lost in my desire for her.

When she stands to start cleaning up the kitchen, I silently collect our plates and help her load the dishwasher. When we are finished, I take her hand and tug her back toward the bedroom. “Come rest with me for a while.” She settles next to me without protest, and I pull the comforter over us. I’m still too tired to touch her like I want, so instead, I settle for curving my body around hers, shuddering as she tucks her tight ass against my groin. I push up my shirt she is wearing and feather my fingers over her stomach. The sound of her soft breathing lulls me into sleep. When I wake in the evening, she is gone, leaving a note on the pillow saying she has gone home to get ready for school tomorrow. The smell of her scent on the pillow beside me makes me feel something I haven’t admitted to feeling in a while: lonely.

Chapter Ten

Lia

As I sit through my last class of the morning, I accept the simple truth: I’m dying. There is no other explanation for it. My throat is on fire, my body aches, and my head is pounding. I’m barely able to keep myself upright in my chair. When I woke this morning, I was tired. I blamed it on worrying about Luc all night and not sleeping well. Now, I think it’s something more. This isn’t simple fatigue; I suspect it’s the flu. Spending almost three days in constant close proximity with someone contagious was not my brightest moment. The flu shot isn’t going to save me this time; I can only hope it shortens the duration as it promises to.

When the class ends, I close my eyes for a moment, trying to gather the strength to walk home. Oh, dear God, how far away am I? Squaring my shoulders, I stumble to my feet and sway for a moment before catching myself. I can do this…I have no choice. It’s a painfully slow process, but I make my way through the hallway and outside. The fresh air on my face revives me only slightly but also sends a shiver through my body. I know I’m running a fever; I feel it burning through my body.

I have no idea how long it takes me, but I finally make it to my apartment. The stairs are sheer Hell, and I have to stop every few steps. Finally, a few from the top, I give into the urge to crawl. The door is another struggle, but soon the keys are in the lock and its opening. I have no idea if it even closes behind me; at this point, no one could do anything worse to me than what I’m already feeling. I face-plant onto my bed, and that is all I know. Dimly, I’m aware of something chiming over and over, but I’m too out of it to care. Surely, someone will answer the damn phone at some point.

Something cool touches my face and I gasp in shock. My eyes are blurry as I try to focus. Someone is bashing my skull and I moan, wanting to beg for mercy. “Baby, can you hear me?” Despite the fog surrounding me, I know that voice and turn instinctively toward it. “Lia, baby, wake up.” He sounds upset and even in my state, I am worried about him.

As my eyes blink open, I see Lucian bending over me, concern etched deeply in his face. Behind him is…Sam? Where am I and what are they doing here? “Sick…” I mumble the obvious.

“Baby, I know you are. I’m going to take you home now. Just try to hold on to me, okay? Let me know if you need to stop.” I groan as Lucian puts his hands under me, gently lifting me into his arms. I am surprised to see a shocked-looking Rose and Jake standing just outside my bedroom door as Lucian carries me past. He stops and says something to them I don’t catch, and they nod before he walks on. At least their presence answers one question: we are at my apartment.

Lucian takes each step slowly as I lay weakly against him. When we reach the sidewalk, Sam runs ahead and opens the back door of the Mercedes. I have no idea how he does it, but Lucian manages to slide in the seat without releasing his hold on me. As my teeth start chattering, he pulls me closer, folding me against his chest and wrapping his suit jacket around me as best he can. “Where?” I say against his throat, but he seems to know what I’m asking.

“I’m taking you home with me. Fuck, you about gave me a heart attack. I’ve been calling and texting you for hours and you weren’t answering. When you didn’t show at the apartment either, I knew something was wrong. I was afraid…”

As out of it as I am, I know what he was worried about; he was afraid my stepfather had harmed me. “S’ok…I got sick during class. Don’t know how I made it home.”

“When I got to your apartment, your roommate was freaking out. You left the front door open, your keys were in the lock, and your purse was lying on the floor. She was fixing to call the police, because she thought someone had either taken you or had you inside. Sam and I found you passed out on the bed, burning the fuck up. It’s the first time I’ve ever been grateful someone had the flu, because the alternative would have been so much worse.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. His strong body is tense beneath my hands as I try to soothe him. I don’t know why he’s so upset, but I feel guilty for doing this to him. He doesn’t answer; he just pulls me closer and rests his chin against the top of my head. I drift as the car moves quietly through the night. If I know nothing else, I know Lucian will take care of me.