Page 67 of Thirst Trap

I should’ve let it ring.

I didn’t.

“Logan?”

His voice was quieter than usual. Rough around the edges. “I just… wanted to hear your voice.”

For a second, I forgot how to breathe. I should’ve mocked him. Should’ve teased him until he snapped. But something in his tone stopped me.

So instead I said, soft, smug: “You miss me, huh?”

Silence. Then a low exhale, like I’d punched through his armor.

“You ever feel like you’re the only sane one in a room full of lunatics?” he muttered.

“And maybe you’re crazy too, but not like them?”

That pulled a laugh from me. A real one.

“All the time,” I admitted. “Welcome to my world.”

The line went quiet again. I could hear him breathing, faint, ragged. Like he wasn’t sure if he’d regret this the second he hung up. I leaned back into the couch, curling my fingers around the stem of my glass.

“You don’t have to say it, Creams,” I murmured. “But I get it. You’re tired. You’re bleeding. And for some reason, you keep crawling back to me.”

“Because you answer,” he said, so soft I almost missed it.

Something cracked in my chest.

Fuck.

I closed my eyes and whispered, “Then keep calling.”

I don’t know if he believed me.

But he didn’t hang up.

We just stayed there, him with his silence, me with my wine, breathing together across the line.

And for Penny, queen of sharp edges and sharper headlines, that was the most dangerous thing of all.

Chapter 33

Let Me Take Care of You

The villa was quiet when they returned. Too quiet. Lucas poured a glass of wine. Then another. Maddison sat on the edge of the bed, arms folded, blood still splattered across her blouse like it was nothing. But it wasn’t nothing.

Ten minutes later, Lucas came back. He didn’t say a word,just held out his hand.

“Come on.”

She blinked. “Where?”

“You’ll see.”

He led her to the ensuite. Golden light spilled across marble. Steam rose from a bath already filled, roses floating lazily on the surface. The air smelled of sandalwood.

“Lucas…”