her. And the nurse you hired seems really lovely. Mom likes her. They were having tea and chatting when I left." He rubbed a hand over his hair, and I noted how tired he looked.
Shifting in my seat to face him better, I reached out to link our fingers together. "You don't look like you slept much, though. Was something else wrong?"
He shot me a wry smile. "You're one to talk about lack of sleep. Did you two even stop for water? Zed's not exactly nineteen, you know. He probably needs to sleep for a week now to recover."
I snickered, not correcting him. Zed wasn't nineteen, sure. But he was more than eager to fill in his rest time by using his mouth and hands on me instead.
"I've just been studying late," Lucas explained. "I picked up a couple of online courses for personal growth." He looked a little awkward about admitting that, so I decided not to push for more information, despite how curious I was.
I yawned heavily and rubbed my hand over my face. "Fuck. I really am exhausted. Last night was..." I grimaced. "Did Zed tell you we had a run-in with Chase?"
Lucas's brow furrowed. "No, he didn't. But the last thing you said on the phone was that he was there with you. Then you hung up and didn't answer any of my messages for the rest of the night. That's why I ended up calling Zed this morning."
My lips rounded to an O, and I cringed. "Shit, I'm sorry. I totally forgot I left you hanging like that."
Lucas huffed. "Yeah, well, I would have come home sooner, but I didn't have a car and your security team wouldn't let me leave the house. The only thing that stopped me from sneaking out and walking the whole way back was the fact that you'd told Cass you were safe." His glare was hard and accusing, making me feel like a total asshole.
"Technically, I think I intended to send that message to you," I offered with a sheepish smile. "I was sending Cass something else and must have sent both to him instead." Because my mind hadn't been all that focused while Zed and I were leaving the parking lot after clashing with Chase.
Lucas gave a shrug. "I figured. So did he, which is why he forwarded it to me."
That reminded me I needed to call Cass and check that my other attachment had downloaded properly. I hadn't seen my phone all day, but I vaguely remembered leaving it in the kitchen when I'd taken my shoes and weapons off when we got home.
With a groan, I stood up from the couch and let the blanket fall to the floor. Even stretching my arms over my head, Zed's T-shirt was still long enough to cover my ass. Just. But Lucas was still seated and got an eyeful as I rolled the tightness from my shoulders.
"I should get dressed and check my messages," I said with a sigh.
"Or," Lucas murmured, sitting forward to place his hands on my bare thighs, "you could come back here and let me finish what I started at breakfast yesterday."
I shuddered with raw, potent desire at the suggestion, but my core ached and not in a good way. More like an overused, under-rested sort of way.
"I think I need a break," I admitted, pouting as I turned around to place my hands on his shoulders. "Or my pussy does, anyway. Raincheck?"
He sighed but accepted my consolation kisses when I leaned down to seal my lips to his. "Fine," he muttered. "But Zed needs to learn how to share, or he'll wake up to find his balls superglued to his asshole."
My lips parted in shock at that suggestion. "Lucas..." I gave a laugh, not totally sure what to say back to that.
He just shrugged. "What? Cass would do worse."
I cringed because he was totally right. Cass would be so unimpressed if I turned him down because Zed had already fucked me so raw it hurt to walk.
"We'll have to work on that," I agreed. "But not right now."
Lucas nodded, standing up with me. "Cool. Whenever, whatever, I'm game." He shot me a wink, and I shook my head as I headed upstairs to shower and change. Alone.
When I found my phone—after my shower—I only had a handful of messages. One very sweet one from Hannah told me she hoped I would feel better soon and not to worry about work while I rested. There