Page 55 of Forgive Me Father

"I'm not breakable, Luca," I hiss. "Don’t treat me like I am."

His eyes widen, blood still on his lip. My mind flashes to Roman—

I drag my tongue across the blood on Luca's lower lip, and he stares at me in disbelief, the tension in his body unmistakable, his dick growing hard against me under his dark grey sweatpants.

I wait for him to take charge, to grab me, to do something—

"Maybe we should slow down," Luca says, his face flushed.

Fuck.

I screwed up.

Running my hand through my hair, I lean back against the tree.

"I’m sorry, Luca. I know that was a lot—"

"It’s not that," He says, his voice softening as he looks into my eyes. "It’s just... I want this to mean something, Eden. Not just for tonight, but for real. And right now, it feels like you’re carrying a lot of weight on your shoulders. I don’t want to be another thing you regret in the morning." He runs his hand down my arm, taking my hand. “Besides, I don’t think Aiden needs another reason to be pissed off tonight," He adds with a gentle smile. Luca’s kindness shines through, a light in all this darkness.

The problem is, I don’t want the light.

I crave the dark.

I crave Roman.

But it’s wrong.

It’s all so wrong.

"Hey," Luca says softly, stopping me from biting my nails. "Can you look at me?" I hesitate but then meet his gaze.

"I don’t regret anything that just happened. The blood thing was new," He admits, touching his lip nervously. "But it was far from a turn-off if that’s what you’re worried about. I just don’t think touching you while you’re drunk is the right thing to do."

God, this man is so kind.

Why the fuck am I dryer than the Sahara Desert right now?

"Right," I force a smile. "I guess I got a bit carried away."

"Apologize," Zoey demands, dragging Nathan and Zack over by their ears, with Aiden trailing behind her. Luca’s friend follows, barely holding back his laughter.

Luca stands in front of me, looking pissed, while I lean back against the tree, trying to steady myself.

The boys stagger to a stop, both of them clearly embarrassed.

"Apologize, or I’ll have someone hold you down while I kick you square in the dick," Zoey threatens, her voice sharp.

"Fine, alright—I'm sorry, Eden," Nathan mutters, shaking his head in defeat.

"Good," Zoey snaps. "Now you, Zack."

"It’s fine," I interject, glancing at Zack’s bandaged head. "Right, Zack?" I ask, my voice softer as I watch him closely.

"Water under the bridge, Faulkner," He says with a smile, though there’s something unsettling in his tone. "So, where’s this lake Zoey’s been going on about?"

Chapter 15

Eden