Page 131 of Bred

WhenLucasaskedmeto come home with him, I expected that we would return to the same run-down house that he and his brother lived in before, but that isn’t where he takes me.

It’s the same spot on the same street, but it’s a completely different house.

What was once a brown and beige shack is now painted a dark gray. The once wildly overgrown lawn is now weed-free and neatly cut. There’s even some fresh dirt and bushes waiting to be planted. The driveway is clear of loose gravel, and instead paved smooth—just like Lucas said he would want it to be before I moved in with him.

Wide-eyed, I turn to Lucas. He smiles softly at me, seeming to read my mind.

“I let you down enough, Brin. I needed this to be perfect before I came for you.”

He turns off the car and gets out before I could respond. Dazedly, I take his offered hand when he rounds the car and opens my door.

We’re silent as we make our way inside. There’s a new screen door attached to the front door, too, but I can still remember the pain that lacerated my heart last time I stood in this open doorway.

Just before he can push the door open, I stop him. “Is West still living here?”

I hope he isn’t. I haven’t seen him since that horrible day he insinuated that I was a pathetic high school girl with an unrequited crush.

Lucas shakes his head. “He’s not here tonight.”

“And the other nights?”

Lucas closes the door behind us. The lock slides into place, jolting my senses with the force of a gunshot.

My mouth turns into the Sahara Desert when his eyes meet mine. The heat in his gaze is nuclear.

“He’ll be moving out next month.”

“H-he will?” I stutter, stumbling back a step when he takes one forward.

“Yes. After all, I can’t have my brother living in the same house as my wife and children.”

Oh God.Wife? Children?

Before, we had talked about getting married once I graduated high school. He had been adamant about wanting to share his life with me, which included kids down the line.

The pain that hits me when I think about kids is familiar, but no longer crippling. It took me a while to be able to think about the baby that I lost and not break down sobbing. But even now, there are still daysI cry over the life I lost.

The one that Lucas still doesn’t know about.

I need to tell him before things go any further.

“Lucas, wait—” My butt bumps against something hard, bringing me to a standstill. I tilt my head up, startled to realize I’m pinned against the door to his bedroom.

I was so lost in my thoughts I didn’t realize he was herding me toward his room.

My attention snaps back to him when his palms meet the wall on either side of my head, leaning in close.

“No,” he rumbles. “I’ve waited five years. I’m done waiting.”

He dominates my mouth, his tongue meeting mine with a desperation I can taste. It’s different from the kiss in the bar. This one is carnal and demanding. It leaves no room to doubt what he has planned for me.

His calloused hands cup my jaw, controlling the movement as his lips devour mine before moving down, tracing the curves of my body. I gasp against his lips and wrap my legs around his waist when he hauls me up against him.

We’re still kissing when he opens the door one handed and carries me into his room, kicking the door shut behind him. My back hits the mattress and his body covers mine.

The familiarity of him on top of me is like a strike of lightning during a storm. My nerve-endings flare to life, heating my blood, uprooting emotions I thought I had buried and bringing them to the surface where they erupt like a volcano.

Longing.