Page 15 of Bought (BOUGHT TRILOGY #1)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Erin

My mind can barely register his face. It’s like my brain refuses to believe it’s really him standing here. But my heart knows exactly whose broad shoulders fill my doorway. It skips hard against my ribs, a painful stutter that steals my breath.

“Lucian,” I whisper.

He grins. “I love that sound.”

“What sound?” I breathe.

He locks me in with his gaze. “When you say my name.”

Finally, I manage to ask, “What are you doing here?”

He takes his time to speak, and when he does, each word seems like a struggle. He rubs the back of his neck before finally saying, “I shouldn’t have sent you away the first night without an explanation. And I shouldn’t have ended our date the way I did.”

His voice roughens with emotion he refuses to show. “I was overwhelmed by this thing between us …” His words trail off as he shakes his head.

He looks down, and for a moment, I see the man he doesn’t want me to see: the vulnerable one.

Then his eyes find mine again, sending a jolt through me. That special current that makes me feel like everything is in Technicolor and my senses are in overdrive.

Alive.

It’s a way only he’s made me feel.

“I’m sorry,” he says, softer this time. “I don’t know what else to say.”

I lift my chin, begging him with my eyes, for what I want, what I need. “Then don’t say anything at all.”

It’s enough.

He closes the distance and gives me what I demanded. The hunger of his kiss startles me, causing an ache I feel down to my bones. His breath and tongue mingle with mine until I don’t know where he ends and I begin.

I clutch at his shirt, desperate for something to ground me. His hand tangles in my hair, pulling, tipping my face up, demanding more. Shame and longing collide inside me, twisting tight.

I shouldn’t be this undone by him.

But I am.

And when he deepens the kiss, slow and devastating, I swear my soul leaps to meet his.

I whimper against his lips, a sound of surrender I don’t choose to make, and his hand tightens in my hair, pulling until the sting sharpens the pleasure. His other hand flattens against my lower back, pulling me flush against him.

I gasp at the heat of his body, at the solid wall of muscle and strength pressing into me. I think of the scars underneath his shirt, and I feel even closer. My mind screams that it's wrong, dangerous, too much, but my body doesn’t listen.

My body arches closer.

When his mouth leaves mine, he trails kisses down my jaw to the frantic pulse pounding in my throat. His teeth graze my skin, and I shudder so hard my nails dig into his shoulders.

“You still taste the same,” he mutters, vibrating against my neck. “It’s a taste I could never forget.”

His hand slides lower, over the curve of my ass, gripping hard enough to make me whimper again. He lifts me, sudden and effortless, and my legs wrap around his waist before I can stop them.

No one has ever held me like this, kissed me like this. I thought such moments only happened in movies; he’s more real than anything.

We collide with the brick wall by the door, his weight pinning me there, his kiss deepening, devouring. His hips press into mine, and I feel the hard evidence of his arousal.

Heat coils low in my belly, molten and insistent. I want this so badly. I want to know what that erection feels like with him over me, staring down at me as he comes inside me.

Gently, he eases me down, my feet touching the ground again. His hands slide down, gripping my hips. He ends the kiss, pulling just far enough away to challenge me with his words.

“Tell me you don’t want this,” his mouth hovering a beat away.

There’s no way I can turn away the man I haven’t stopped thinking about since the moment I laid eyes on him. A man who made sure I was warm, who kept us from going too fast, and who couldn’t stop thinking about me.

He even came to my door to find me.

“I can’t.”

His wicked smirk plays on my lips before he kisses me again—harder, slower—like he’s savoring my surrender. All I want is to be in his arms, to do everything with him, to explore all the mysteries my body hasn’t yet uncovered but has been craving.

For a moment, the world narrows down to his possessive mouth and hands on me. He pulls away, pressing his forehead against mine. His words are ragged as he says my name, “Erin…” like a confession.

I search his eyes, those storm-dark depths that always promise ruin, and in this moment, I know only one thing is sure.

I don’t think I can betray him.

Can I find another way?

Working with the Morettis is a one-time thing: favor for a favor, then Cass, Ryan, and I move on.

“There are people I want you to meet,” he says.

“People?”

Reaching up, he brushes a strand of hair away from my face. “I just came from their place. Spent the night there last night so I could clear my mind after I sent you home. I’m going back there tonight. I thought you could come.”

“People?” I cough. “Your people?”

“Yes. For dinner.”

People.

Shit.

Bambi Moretti is in that apartment, just a few meters from Lucian Bachman.

Did I even shut the door? “I’m sorry I’d invite you in, but it’s a mess.” I quickly turn to check behind me, but a little boy is standing in the frame.

Ryan stares up at Lucian. “Are we coming, too?”

Cass wheels up to the door, her hands clenched tightly on the rims of her chair. “Ryan! How many times have we told you to stay away from the door?”

Ryan turns to Cass, bringing a hand to his mouth. “There were... kissing."

Oh god.

Please, for the love of everything, don't let Bambi come to this door. There’s a chance he’ll realize she’s one of his enemies.

What would he do if he knew?

“We have a roommate too, but she’s in the shower,” Cass says. She shoots me a secret look.

Thank goodness. Bambi loves her showers. She’ll be ages. “Sorry you can’t meet her. You’d have the whole gang.”

“Lucian,” I say, addressing that cold, gorgeous face. “This is my sister, Cassandra. And you’ve already met our Ryan.”

“Cass.” She pauses, uncertain whether to extend her hand to him. She’s been watched with pity and whispered about for months.

When she first meets someone, she has no idea how they’ll react to her.

I wait, watching.

Lucian extends his hand. No sympathy. No hesitation. Just acceptance. “Nice to meet you, Cass. I like your wheels.”

Ryan says, “She can go pretty fast.”

Ryan looks past the tall people to the parking lot. “Where is your car?”

“Oh, it’s pretty cool. Maybe you can ride with me. Later. For dinner.” He smiles disarmingly at Cass. “If mom says yes.”

“What about me?” I ask. “Do I get a say in this?”

Cass looks at me. I read her loud and clear.

We’re out of options.