He hums low in his throat. “You didn’t mention your mom.”
I duck under the spray and scrub my hair until my scalp stings. The hot water is soothing, but I’m too tense to enjoy it. I yank the faucet to the off position and face Luca. Drops of water roll down his chest, running through the grooves of his abs and clinging to his hip bones. It’s distracting. And irritating.
“You’re annoyed with me,” he says quietly.
“No.”
“You are,” he insists. “It’s written all over your face.”
“You don’t know me.” The words leave my mouth before I can stop myself. I regret them immediately. Luca’s trying to learn more about my life, but it feels too risky—dangerous in a different way than the hell we went through in the monsterrealm.
His handsome face twitches, and he backs up a step. “My mistake.”
I sigh. “That’s not what I meant.”
He opens the glass shower door and glances at me over his shoulder as he steps out. “Isn’t it, though? And maybe you’re right, but if I don’t know you, Ciprian, whose fault is that?”
He reaches into the cabinet below the sink and grabs a towel, running it through his hair roughly before knotting it around his waist.
I watch him helplessly. The mirror is too fogged up for me to see his face, but the tense lines of his back tell me everything I need to know. I hurt him, and now I’m standing here, mouth clamped shut, not doing a godsdamn thing to fix it.
Is this the part where I ruin everything?
Cold water runs down my neck, but I’m too miserable to do anything about it.
We’re in the compound where I grew up. This is my turf, but the ground isn’t solid beneath my feet. I’m as out of my element here as I was in the Fringes.
Luca faces the door, wraps his long fingers around the knob, and sighs heavily. He glances at me and curses under his breath. A split-second later, he’s yanking me out of the shower and covering my mouth with his. I put everything I can’t say into the kiss.
We’re both gasping for air by the time he pulls away.
“Going home is scary,” he whispers, emphasizing each word like he’s telling me a secret. “I get that, but you’re going to have to be brave, because I want you, layers and all. And I’m going to have you—even if it nearly kills us both.”
Thank fuck.I kiss him again, telling him I understandin the only way I can manage.
I slip out of bed early, sliding into a pair of sweats that Sheena made for Luca, then easing the door shut behind me.
Across the hall, I knock on Sheena’s door and wrap my arms around myself.
There’s muffled grumbling—fuck, why am I doing this? It’s six o’clock in the morning, and we didn’t get here until late.
The door opens, and my brother’s bleary face appears in front of me. His dark hair is a mess, and his cheek is creased from the pillow.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, backing up a step.
“Ciprian—”
“No, it’s okay. Go back to sleep.”
“I can get Sheena for you.”
I wince, not sure how to admit I didn’t come over here for my best friend. I came to talk to my brother, and now I feel like an idiot. I try to force the muscles of my face into a normal expression. I don’t think it works.
Callum studies me and frowns. “Let me get dressed. I’ll be right out.”
“Don’t do that; it’s fine?—”
“I’m not arguing about it.” He narrows his black eyes to slits and points at me through the cracked door. “Stay right there, Ciprian, I’ll be back in thirty seconds.”
