Page 58 of Prettiest Little Thief
“Little thief?” Lucas said, softly.
The stream of tears that forced their way past my lashes dampened my cheeks. Small whimpers and sniffles were the only noise I made. “What?” I didn’t dare look at him. If I did, I would fall into the magnetic force of him, adhere to his side.
“Are you all right?’
“I’m great. Can’t you tell?” Sarcasm dripped from every word.
I felt Lucas as he came closer, the heat of his flesh radiating from him, trying to ward off the iciness that invaded my body.
“If you come back to our room—”
“I think I need some time. I’m… I’m…” More tears poured down my cheeks. I wiped the tears from my face and stood on trembling legs. “I’d like to be alone.”
Lucas was quiet for a moment. “You know where to find me.” The warmth fled as he left, respecting my request and giving me the space I required. Even if I did need time to myself, my body rejected the thought and wanted to run to claim my husband.
But I refused to acknowledge the instinct.
Instead, I climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over me into a cocoon. Being under the blankets did nothing to bring heat back into my bones. I didn’t move, barely breathed and hardly slept. Worries kept me awake most of the night.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Lucas
Fucking Frankie. I would have beat the shit out of him if Monroe hadn’t stopped me.
He’d forced himself between me and my wife on ourwedding night.Whether Monroe knew it or not, my feelings for her had grown over the weeks. My shriveled heart had pumped full of her to the point where I caught myself trying to catch glimpses of her throughout the day, thoughts often wandering back to her even in times when I was busy.
Her scent, God, her scent, made my dick hard within seconds. And last night, I was finally going to claim her as mine. Mark her. Ruin her for anyone who might try to take her from my side. She was a breath of fresh fucking air compared to the suffocating staleness of my daily routine.
I was halfway through my workout, music at a reasonable volume, when Monroe’s figure caught my attention in the mirror. Still dressed in just my T-shirt that almost met her knees. My cock twitched in my shorts at the sight of her bare legs, knowing she likely only had on a pair of sheer panties beneath. Or if I was really lucky, nothing.
Monroe strode toward me until she was at my side, making me drop my weights. I wiped the sweat from my brow.
“Last night—”
“Was not your fault,” I jumped in.
“I’m sorry. I just needed time to sort my thoughts.” She bit her bottom lip.
I ran my thumb along her jawline and tilted her face up to mine. Her eyes fluttered closed. “Look at me, Monroe.” She obeyed instantly; her caramel eyes focused on me. “I understand that Frankie was a huge part of your life. I understand that you needed time to figure things out.” I leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her pouty mouth. “You don’t need to apologize.”
“Are you real?” she whispered.
I chuckled, stepping into her space. My erection pressed into her belly and her eyes widened. “Very real.”
“Oh.” Her voice was huskier now, and a flush ran across her cheeks.
“It doesn’t mean I didn’t want to kill him for being in my wife’s room. The only thing that stopped me was you.”
“I thought we shared a room now.” She arched a dark brow.
“We do, but you still have a lot of your belongings in there. Which you will be moving intoourroom today. Fox will be here soon to help. I’d help you myself, but I have some meetings today that I’ve put off for the last couple of weeks.”
“Because of me?” Her gaze ran down my bare torso.
“You are my priority. Don’t feel guilty about taking my attention away from work. I have assistants for a reason.”
Monroe’s eyes flitted back up to mine. “When are we going to search for the remaining half ofAnastasia’s Keepsake?” she asked.
