Reaching Answers (Artemis University #8) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,33

wasn’t trying for more or something for himself. He simply smiled his happy bear smile at me as he pulled me against him.

I hadn’t seen this side of Lucca as a man or I would have immediately known his bear wasn’t Mason’s. Damn.

“What are you going to do about Darby?” he asked me gently as he traced circles around my back.

“I don’t want to talk about that,” I grumbled.

“Woah, you’re more upset with him than me,” he whispered, getting clued into something, somehow. “Why? We were doing the same thing. I mean, I was worse.”

I sighed. “But we’re not officially together. Everyone knows I’m with Darby. My boyfriend was doing it. Everyone has been mocking me and taking shit shots at me because even my fucking boyfriend was going to dump me over it, dump me over another woman. My best friend. You can imagine how people turned that around.” I sat up and pulled away, not wanting to talk about this anymore.

“I didn’t know that,” he admitted, sitting up as well and pulling me right back to him, in between his legs even so I was trapped. “Damn, yeah, that would be shit people just love.”

I snorted. That was the understatement of the year. “I’ve been getting shit from a lot of vamps that the council really did get to Darby and their plan is for him to bully me like this because I’m so in love with him. It’s a perfect plan to weaken me so I’m vulnerable. I know that’s not true and it’s a stupid idea even for the idiot councils, but it makes me look weak when I can’t risk that and it’s dangerous to.”

“No, I don’t think he understands that either,” Lucca grumbled.

I glanced at him over my shoulder in confusion. Then I remembered my phone. “Oh shit. Hudson?”

“Yeah, he’s still there,” he chuckled.

“Whoops.”

Lucca laughed at something Hudson must have said, hugging me to him as he took a few minutes to calm down. “Darby didn’t disapprove of you smacking me around. He’s jealous. He can’t stand up to the beating you gave me, and he’s upset you would dedicate the time to me like that when you love him. He thinks you’re done with him, but he was not judging you.”

“For real?” I whispered. I waited until he nodded and scrambled for the phone, ungracefully tumbling off the bed and onto the floor. “Ouch.”

“I got it, goof,” he drawled. He easily grabbed the phone and then me on his way back, plopping me back in the same spot. He handed me the phone which I immediately put to my ear.

“Are you okay?” Hudson worried.

“Fine, just my pride. What happened?”

“He’s a mess,” he sighed. “He decided to get drunk while lecturing Melody and her family that she’s being ungrateful for all you did and it’s hurting you. That they all have been hurting you and he’s lost you. I’ve never seen him just chug hard booze like that. I think we were all too shocked to think to stop him at first. He was not judging you or thinking what you did with Lucca was wrong.”

“It seemed like…”

“He didn’t want to say he was jealous in front of the others and tried to say he knew he wasn’t your mate, so things were different.”

“Idiot,” I whispered. “He’s so focused on this damn mates thing that it’s hurting us.” I sighed. “He spun out realizing Craftsman is now too, right?”

“Yes, and he’s not the only one,” Hudson muttered. “You share magic with Craftsman. River is worried you’ll forgive him and love him again and not us.”

I bit back a smile. “River is, huh?”

“Yes, a lot.”

“Tell River that it’s not Craftsman or you guys. I’ve been feeling better and better about the solid footing we’re on. That means a lot to me.”

“Me too.”

“Glad we’re all caught up, but this is my time to apologize,” Lucca interrupted, taking the phone from me. “I’ll fill you in how I do it later.”

“Hey, I was talking there,” I bitched.

Moments later, I was fine with the overbearing decision. I was on my back with his head between my legs, and then he screwed me just as hard as when he figured out we were mates.

And he didn’t finish. All he cared about was bringing me pleasure and tending to me in between rounds, talking to and touching me in my post-sex bliss. It was ridiculously amazing.

Could I tell him I was pissed at him even when we were fine just