Page 61 of Those Heartless Boys

Lucas grabs my hand and leads me to the bed. The movement shakes my thoughts up, and I realized I’ve come to him in the middle of the night but haven’t said shit. My social skills are definitely lacking. “So, today was...weird.”

“Just weird?”

I take a deep breath, picking at a spot on his sheet while he puts a pillow behind his back, so he’s propped up against the headboard. “Exciting and scary and humiliating,” I say, finishing my thoughts. If I’m going to talk to him, I may as well go all out.

Lucas frowns. “The last thing you should feel is humiliated, but I can’t fault you for it. I remember how I felt when I first met Stone and his father. I didn’t have anything either and everything they did for me seemed like something I needed to pay back. It was a long time before I accepted the fact that gifts among friends are just that: Gifts. There’s no payback necessary. No one’s holding it over your head, wishing you would pay up already.”

“I’m hardly friends with Stone,” I say, a sudden longing hitting me in the chest. The picture Lucas paints for me is so tempting.

“No, you’re more than that,” Lucas says. When I give him a funny look, he sighs. “You’re tied together by this treasure. Now you’re tied together by what’s going on. You guys couldn’t escape the trajectory of your lives if you tried. Stone knows it, too. He always has.”

That reminds me of something Lance Jacobs said. He told Stone to fuck me to get me out of his system. I peek up at Lucas. “Do Stone and his father get along?’

A crease forms between Lucas’s brows. He runs his hands through his hair, looking away briefly. “That’s a tough question, and I don’t think I can answer it. Only Stone knows exactly how he feels about his father. I wouldn’t want to put words in his mouth.” He gives me a look like he’s not trying to avoid my question, and I get that. “So, what is it that’s bothering you?”

“I don’t know,” I say, lying down on the foot of his bed. “Anything and everything. I’m just overwhelmed, I guess. Everything is just so— I’m just not used to it,” I say begrudgingly. “I’m not used to having people around. I’m not used to having new things. Hell, I’m not even used to being outside Clary.” I groan at the ceiling. “It all just sounds so pathetic.”

Lucas crawls forward, caging me to the bed. My heart immediately reacts, thumping against my ribs. He speaks, his lips so close to mine. “Don’t do that to yourself. Nothing that’s happened is your fault. Nothing.”

“It’s hard not to see the differences.” I tell him, scared to even breathe for fear of breaking whatever this is.

He frowns down at me. “You’re looking at it wrong, Wild Girl. Think about all the similarities.”

I screw up my face as I try to think. “Hmm. We’re all human.”

The corner of his mouth tips up. “There’s that, but there are others, too. We’ve all become intoxicated by the same thing.” He lets his words hang in the air before he says, “The treasure.”

I chuckle while the tightness in my throat eases. For a second, I thought he was going to say me.

“I also happen to know that you and I are both amazing kissers. That you and Wyatt both wear your hearts on your sleeves, and that you and Stone might be more alike than you think.”

“Mmm,” I say, pretending to think about what he’s said. “Why don’t we go back to the part where you said we’re both amazing kissers.”

“You agree with me then?” he asks, posing his body over mine so we line up perfectly.

“Wholeheartedly,” I say before I tip my head up and capture his lips with mine. Before, he dominated, taking complete control. This time, it’s my turn. I slide my hand behind his neck, pulling him down over me, nipping at his lower lip. My fingers tangle in his hair as I deepen the kiss, but Lucas doesn’t let me stay in the driver’s seat for long.

“I told you you were ours, Wild Girl. And now I’m going to prove it.”

I’m so lost in his kiss that his words barely register before he kisses a line down my throat, tugging the neck of my shirt down to place bruising kisses across my collar bone.

My body immediately responds. It’s why I came here anyway, knowing that my time with Lucas would lead to this. I’m not ashamed of what my body wants. I never have been.

His hands creep up my sides before they flirt with my bra. I suck in a breath, hoping I can maneuver getting the damn thing off before he looks at it. My father picked this piece of clothing out just like he picked everything I wore, and this is about as dumpy as you can get.

He palms my breasts as he lowers his head, kissing a trail up my abdomen where he’s pulled my shirt up with his wandering hands. He keeps moving up and up until he’s so dangerously close to my bra line that nerves kick in.

“Wait,” I say.

Lucas immediately pulls away, taking his hands away from my breasts. “What?” he asks. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No, it’s...” My cheeks heat.

“Don’t tell me you’re shy,” he says teasingly. “I know you’re not, Wild Girl. Do I need to bring up what happened in Mythology?”

“It’s not that, it’s—” I swallow. I might as well just tell him because I’ve already made a big deal about it. “It’s my bra,” I say finally.

He gets it right away. Locking gazes with me, he makes sure he has my full attention before saying, “I don’t care what you wear, Dakota. I never did.” He grips the hem of my shirt in his hands. “Can I?”

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