Page 10 of The Fated Mate Bandit

“What do you mean pretend?” Lucas asks. “Like some kind of role play?”

“No. We could just interact like we would if I put my paws on you. Not as a role play, but a real trial.”

He shies away from my hand. “That would still be you giving me your choice, just slower.”

“No, it wouldn’t. I want you, Lucas.”

He shakes his head. “You couldn’t?—”

“Stop telling me what I’m supposed to want. Why don’t you call Link and ask him how hung up on you I still am.” I pull my phone out of my back pocket and hand it out to him. “Or call my omega mom and ask her how much she misses you. My family is my world. You know that better than anybody. And they absolutely adore you. Even Coin likes you, and he doesn’t like anyone. But that doesn’t matter, right? Because you have stretch marks? How shallow do you think I am?”

I feel bad for my outburst the second the words are all out. I’m usually careful to not blow up in front of Lucas. But my anger doesn’t startle him. He considers me for a long beat, the wheels obviously turning in his head.

“Then this isn’t just a charity project for you,” he says carefully.

“No, of course not.”

He wrings his hands together nervously. If this was back in high school, I’d hold those hands in mine and help him calm down, but I’m not sure he still wants that.

“If we did this trial run, and you lost interest, could I go stay with your moms?” he asks. “Just until I have a job? I won’t tell them anything about what we’ve done together.”

If I lost interest?Jesus. Does he think I have the attention span of a toddler?

“Of course you can. Anyone in my family would take you in. You know that. But I’m serious about this, Lucas.”

He takes in a shaky breath. “Okay. How exactly would it work? Would I sleep in your bed?”

“Yes. I mean, if you want to. You don’t have to if that’s too much.”

He swallows hard. “Is it too much for you?”

I shake my head.

“Would we kiss or… do other things?” he asks.

“If you want to.”

He scrunches his shoulders together. “You wouldn’t want to, right? I’m pregnant?—”

“I definitely want to,” I say.

Lucas’s cheeks turn a bright shade of pink. It reminds me of the times we made love back in high school. His face and chest always flushed after he orgasmed. He was so beautiful like that. Whether we were curled up in the back seat of Coin’s car or lying on a copse of wildflowers in the prairie near the trailer park, I always loved looking at him in the afterglow when he was all pink and sated. That was when he was at his calmest—when all the stressors of the world melted away.

“Just give me a month,” I beg. “If either of us don’t want to move forward after that, I swear I’ll back off.”

Lucas bites his lip, still uncertain. Am I pushing something on him that he doesn’t want? But why would he melt into my touch if he didn’t want me? That has to mean something, doesn’t it?

Mom was right about one thing: I don’t know Lucas like I used to.

6

LUCAS

Iallow myself to get lost in Silver’s big, brown eyes. We used to sit like this for hours—not kissing or making love, but simply looking into each other’s souls. The chemistry between us was thick enough that just being in the same room with him was enough to make my heart race.

Would it be so wrong to let myself be with him for a few weeks? It’s the complete opposite of keeping my distance from him and not getting attached again, but it would give him time to sort through his old feelings for me. That would probably be helpful for him in the long run. In the meantime, I could be close to him, sleep next to him, possibly even give him pleasure.

My stomach twists with guilt when I think of Daryl. But I told him that we were through. It’s not really cheating if I broke things off. Besides, if he wanted to be with me, then he shouldn’t have beat me while I was pregnant.

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