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I’d very much wanted him to kiss me again, but the fact that he hadn’t, made me trust him more.

Ever since Nathan, nothing like this had been an option. I’d never believed the lie that I belonged to him. I was a person—I didn’t belong to anyone. But he’d gotten his wish. No one had ever touched me, because I’d known the second someone did and he found out, they would be a target too. I didn’t want that for anyone.

But Lucas had stepped past that shield, and he didn’t care about the fact that Nathan would come after him. It was a breath of relief to have someone standing with me.

I crossed the room toward him and Lucas opened his eyes, alert, like he hadn’t been sleeping at all. But as he saw me, his face melted into a smile, and all those butterflies were back in my stomach. I loved having someone react to me that way, and at the same time the last time I’d felt like this—

I shut the thought down. Lucas was not Nathan.

“Morning,” he said.

“Morning,” I glanced back at the clock in the kitchen. “It’s almost not morning anymore.”

“Not surprising. Yesterday was a hell of a day. How are you?”

My toes curled under, and nerves made my fingers flare. “I’m good. I feel okay. Last night... was the first time I told someone everything. You’re the only one who knows it all.”

He looked up at me in the middle of putting on his boots. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah.”

Lucas stood. His height was never not surprising. He dwarfed me, but I wasn’t afraid of it anymore. “Thank you for trusting me with it.”

I nodded.

He reached for me slowly, and I didn’t move. Lucas’s hands on me were still a revelation, and every time he touched me I got a little more used to the idea of being touched. Of wanting to be touched.

“You’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever met, Ev. And I’ve known a lot of brave people.” Lucas pulled me against him, and I relaxed, resting my head on his chest.

“It doesn’t feel that way.”

“Doesn’t mean that it’s not true.”

We stood there for a few minutes before he pressed a kiss to my forehead. I wanted more than that, but I didn’t know how to ask for that either. Yet.

“I need to get over to the stables. If you want to come with me to see the animals, you’re welcome to. But take your time. There’s no rush.”

Immediate terror and dread gripped me. I didn’t want to be alone. Because when I was with Lucas I didn’t have to think about the fact that Nathan had found me. And it was easier to ignore the urge to fucking run that had been burned into me. Literally.

“Can I come now?” I asked. “I’ll get ready fast.”

Lucas’s shoulders relaxed. “Yes. Absolutely. And there’s no rush.”

I hurried back to my room and dressed, ignoring his order to take my time. I didn’t want to keep him, and I was suddenly eager to get out of this house for a bit. I wanted air, to get away from the weight of everything that I’d told him in here.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

Lucas’s gaze stopped me in my tracks. The way his eyes traced me up and down—even though I was in a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans—made me shiver with sudden heat. I’d forgotten what it was like to feel wanted. I didn’t mind it. At all. But I wasn’t ready to admit how much I liked it.

“All right, let’s go.”

We walked toward the stables. I hadn’t really been close to them yet, but I found a spring in my step. “I used to ride horses. When I was younger. I haven’t for a long time, but I loved them.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

He sighed. “That’s good to know. Unfortunately, the horse you’ll see today has been a bit difficult. I can’t seem to get through to him that people are worth trusting.”