Lucius (Acquisition Series #4) - Celia Aaron Page 0,19

to feel how wet I am. “Have they contacted you?”

The black envelope flashes in my mind.

“No.”

His fingers trace circles on my burning skin. “Are you certain? I’d hate for you to lie to me. That would require some punishment. Have you ever had four fingers inside you? Would that stretch your sweet little cunt terribly? I bet it would. But I bet you’d beg me to stop using my fingers and use my cock instead.”

“I’m not lying! Now let me go!” I make one last plea for my sanity, for my soul.

“We could’ve had so much fun, Evie. I know how much you wanted it.” He sighs and bites my ear before backing away.

I whirl and feint with my left. He buys it, so when I land a vicious right on his chest—in the same spot where my bullet should’ve killed him—he gives me a surprised look and takes a step back.

“Ow.” He touches his chest and glares at me.

“Magnolia is mine.” I yank my bag from beneath the table and keep him in my sights. “Don’t you ever touch me again.”

“Or what, Evie?” He advances with sure steps even though I know his chest must be throbbing. “You’ll kill me again?”

I back away, knocking over a chair and another table. “I’ll put you down for good, Lucius.”

“Why? We could have so much fun together.” He keeps coming. “I know who you are now. Not Evie Witherington. That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you like what I do to you.” His ocean blue eyes threaten to swallow me whole. “And you want more.”

“Stay the fuck away from me!” I bump into the bar, then turn to run.

He grabs me, pulling my back to his chest and splaying his palm on my stomach. His lips to my ear send a shudder of desire through me.

“Hate me all you want. After all, I killed your brother, and I’d do it again.”

“I fucking loathe you!” I scream so loud my throat goes ragged. I struggle, but he holds me tight.

His voice is still low. “Come after Magnolia. Come after me. Do your fucking worst, Evie. I deserve it and more. But I only want you to promise me one thing.”

That caress of his voice, the feel of his arms around me—it’s like a snake staring into my eyes, lulling me into a place of calm desperation.

“What?” I breathe out.

“When you need someone to take care of this—” He slides his hand down and cups my pussy through my dress. “You come to me. Take all that hate and rage out on me, little Evie, and I will reward you with all the pain and pleasure you can stand, and some you can’t.”

“You’re sick,” I spit the words, but I don’t know if I’m talking to him or myself.

“And you’re mine,” he says darkly before letting me go.

I bolt out the front door of the restaurant and into the light. It feels like I’ve been locked inside hell with the devil for an eternity, like the entire world shifted on its axis. But out here, the sun still shines and jazz wafts through the air like always.

When I’m two blocks away and getting strange stares, I stop running. And when I’ve gone another block, I look behind me.

Lucius is there. Standing outside the restaurant and staring at me.

I can’t tell his expression from this distance, but the hairs on the nape of my neck stand on end.

I want to cry, to scream, to run back to him and let him bend me over that table again, but this time I want him to take and take and take. Until there’s nothing left of me. No more hurt, no more vengeance, nothing except Evie Witherington, a hopeful girl with her life ahead of her.

But that’s not possible. Not for me or for him.

“You all right, miss?” A server from a patio restaurant looks at me curiously. I didn’t notice her standing there at all.

“I-I’m fine. Thanks.”

“Okay.” She doesn’t seem convinced, but she has too many diners to waste time on me, so she moves along.

When I look back for Lucius, he’s gone.

13

Lucius

“Where have you been?” Teddy wolfs down a protein bar as I walk into the penthouse. “You’re not a morning person.”

“I had a lunch date.”

He gives me a narrow look. “With who?”

“Mind your business.” I throw myself down onto the couch, memories of Evie pirouetting through my head.

“Sin said that woman is actually Evie Witherington. That true?” He grabs another vitamin water. The