Page 53 of Blood & Lace
Lucero nodded. "I know. When we find out who tried to frame me, I will."
I tilted my head. "Do you promise?"
Emotions warred in his eyes, but he nodded. Reaching out, he touched my jaw, his thumb dragging down my flesh. "Seeing you with my family today really made me happy," he admitted. "You all get along so well. Well, except for Damian."
"Yeah, he hates me."
"It's okay. He'll come around," Lucero said quickly, invading every inch of my space. He was quiet for a while before he frowned. "Can I kiss you?"
I groaned. "Why do you like kissing so much?"
"Why do you hate it?"
I squirmed. Now, that was hard to explain. I shrugged, not wanting to tell him that it felt too close. Too intimate. Sleepingwith someone could be detached, easy. Kissing them? It felt like connecting in ways that would be impossible to untangle later.
"Can I?" Lucero whispered.
Groaning, I licked my lips. Iwasin a good mood. And kissing Lucero? It was addictive. Stupidly, I had missed it.
"Yes."
Lucero didn't hesitate. He wrapped his arms around me, lifted me up, and kissed me so hard a moan was tugged straight out of my throat. My ass hit the counter for the second time today, but this time I didn't give a fuck. Fine, for now, let him keep my stupid last name. Sooner or later, he would get sick of it. Of me. Until then…
"Take your clothes off," I ordered.
Lucero ripped his shirt over the top of his head with one hand. Shouldn't be hot, but it did things to me that I couldn't possibly explain. His chest lifted and fell as he worked off his pants and boxers. When he was naked, his fingers shifted through his dark hair, and his eyes were filled with hunger as he gazed at me.
"Shit," I muttered. "Come here."
Lucero moved between my thighs. I ran a hand over his chest, fingers scraping over his belly and back up to his throat as he stood in place, letting me play with him like he was a doll. When we locked eyes again, he tilted his head.
"I hate your clothes," he said, voice husky. "Take them off. Why did you put on something so fucking boring?"
My hand stilled. I stared at him. "What?"
"The boy clothes," he muttered. "Even when you wear them, you don't wear this shit."
I glanced down at myself. "Oh, your family was here. I guess I just wanted to…"
Fit in? Since when the hell have I ever wanted to fit in?
"Don't do that," Lucero said, his words a plea. "Don't be anything other than yourself. That's who I married and that's who I want to see. Everyday."
"You're demanding," I muttered.
"So what?" he asked, his hands grasping me tightly. "I just want you to be happy."
I stared at him. "What is your angle?" I asked. "No one cares about someone else like this. Seriously, what are you up to?"
Lucero frowned. "Up to? Nothing. I just want you."
Whyhung on the edge of my tongue. There was nothing special about me. Literally my best trait was that I was the city's exterminator. Everything else about me was bland. Dull. And secretive. So secretive that I didn't even know myself half the time.
"Stop," Lucero demanded as he grabbed my chin. "You're getting that look on your face again."
"What look?" I asked, freeing my face from his grasp despite how much I liked it.
"Like you hate yourself."
