Heartless Prince by Brook Wilder

Chapter 55

Leda

 

Lucas found me seated on the sofa, my legs curled under me as I flipped through the channels on the massive TV. I was going through the motions and not paying attention to anything in particular. I hadn’t slept well, tossing and turning alone in his massive bed with dreams of the things that we had done replaying in my mind.

 

Dreading the moment when he inevitably returned.

 

And now, he was here.

 

I felt my pulse start to race when he closed the door. My heart ached at the sight of him in his suit, his hair windblown from the storm that raged on outside.

 

It was perfect for both our moods.

 

“Leda,” he finally said, hands in his pockets. “How are you?”

 

“Fine,” I told him. My body was raw and sore from last night, and my cheek still smarted from his slap. But other than that, I was physically fine.

 

My heart on the other hand…

 

But I didn’t want to talk to him about that.

 

Lucas eyed me for a few moments before he walked over and joined me on the sofa, leaning back against the cushions as he sank in.

 

I wanted to move over and curl against his side but stayed in my place, not sure what to say to him, really. Lucas had put me on an emotional roller coaster the last few days, and I wasn’t sure if I was about to take another turn.

 

I wasn’t sure if my heart could handle another turn.

 

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, his jaw clenched as he looked at me. “I’m sorry about last night and the night before that. I know you don’t want to believe me, but I am, Leda. I never wanted to hurt you like that.”

 

I felt the sting of emotion in my nose, and fought to keep tears from welling in my eyes.

 

“You probably fucking hate me for what I did,” Lucas continued. “But you need to know that I’m terrified of losing you.”

 

Clearing my throat, I forced back the tears. “I’m not going anywhere,” I told him. It was the honest truth. No matter what went on between us, I didn’t want to leave.

 

I didn’t want to leave him. I wanted there to be something for us in the future, something that both of us could find peace in.

 

Lucas let out a ragged breath and turned his face away from me.

“You will.”

 

I doubted it, but there was conflict in the expression on his face that I wasn’t able to decipher. Something was wrong.

 

“Why?” I asked softly, hoping that my prying wasn’t going to scare him away again.

 

He shook his head and I moved off the couch, walking over to stand in front of him.

 

“Lucas, talk to me.”

 

His eyes followed my every move as I straddled him, clasping my hands to either side of his face. Up close, I could see the exhaustion in his blood-shot eyes, and my heart clenched just a bit tighter.

 

Lucas was still, barely breathing as I ran my fingers over his gorgeous features, from the high forehead to the tip of his chin, pressing my lips in random places on his face. My teeth scraped the underside of his jaw, and he groaned.

 

“Leda,” he breathed, his breath fanning over my cheek. “Please don’t do this. Not now”

 

“Lucas,” I said against his skin, my hands sliding down to his shoulders. “I want to.”

 

I wanted to just love him. My feelings had become pretty clear over the past few days, and no matter how much I really didn’t want to love him, my heart knew what it wanted.

 

It wanted Lucas.

 

My fingers found the lapels of his suit coat, and I pushed at it. “Take it off.”

 

Lucas awkwardly got his coat off with me seated on his lap, and worked on the buttons of his shirt. My heartbeat picked up as I feasted on his broad chest.

 

“You’re beautiful,” I told him.

 

And he was, scars and all. From the broad shoulders to the tattoo that licked up the side of his rib cage. I ran my hands over his biceps, and when I reached his forearms, Lucas shook his head.

 

“I’m not,” he growled. “There’s nothing beautiful about me, Leda. Nothing.”

 

My hand found his belt. “I disagree.”

 

A sad smile came to his lips, and I shook off the feeling of foreboding that had settled in my gut. Lucas wasn’t being the flirty comeback guy I grew to know. He was seriously concerned about something. Something he wasn’t ready to tell me.

 

Something that I was too afraid to ask.

 

So, I pressed my lips to his, threading one of my hands in his thick, soft hair as the other worked on the waistband of his trousers. To my surprise, Lucas didn’t take over the kiss. Instead, he allowed me to guide him into what would happen next.

 

He did hiss in my mouth when I finally succeeded in getting his pants undone. My hand reached for his hard cock, and pulled it out into the open.

 

“Leda,” he breathed against my lips as I traced him lightly. “Let me touch you.”

 

“Not yet,” I murmured, kissing him hard before sliding off his lap onto the floor in front of him. Lucas’s nostrils flared when he realized what I was about to do, but he didn’t stop me. He continued to allow me to touch him however I wanted, with my hands, my mouth, and my body.

 

I tasted him and he pulled me away from his cock carefully, his hand in my hair.

 

“Please,” he whispered, his normally hard expression replaced with something that almost bordered on tenderness. “My turn.”

 

My entire body flushed with heat as I backed away, and Lucas rose from the sofa, pushing me lightly on the shoulders so I would lie on the sofa’s soft cushions. I shuddered as he pulled down the joggers I had on, a curse escaping his lips when he realized I didn’t have any underwear on.

 

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he said.

 

I knew he could see how wet I was, how I trembled as his hands slid up my calves to my knees before trailing across my thighs. When his lips met my skin, I let out a gentle moan, arching my hips toward him so that he would hurry up and sate the ache begging for release.

 

When his lips touched my inner thigh, my legs fell open in a silent plea. “That’s it,” Lucas breathed against my mound. “Open for me, my love.”

 

My love. I couldn’t process the words because his tongue was delving between my folds, and my thoughts scattered. Lucas licked me like I was a feast he had been waiting on all day, stroking my clit with his tongue until I sobbed his name, the pressure almost too intense for me to deal with.

 

When he inserted his finger, I lost it, my body putty to his touch. I was barely aware of Lucas pulling away from me, shedding his shoes and trousers before sliding between my thighs.

 

“You are fucking gorgeous like that,” he rasped, his eyes roving over my naked lower half. “Your skin flushed and ready for me to fuck you.”

 

I squirmed under his intense stare. “Then what are you waiting for, Lucas?”

 

He shook his head. “Nothing. Just admiring the view for a little bit longer.”

 

There was something almost sad about his expression, and I realized I had never seen Lucas like this. “Lucas?”

 

He shook out of the look, pushed my legs open, and positioned himself. “Let me love you.”

 

I gasped as he pushed inside me, and a tear came to my eye. This felt right. “Oh,” I breathed. “Lucas.”

 

My eyes closed, and I was only aware of him inside me. His hands were clenching my hips, but not in the possessive way that I knew him. They felt gentle, like he was holding something delicate. In that singular moment, I felt complete.

 

This was us. The way Lucas made me feel was everything.

 

I opened my eyes and found Lucas looking down at me, sweat dotting his forehead as he moved within me slowly, as if he were savoring every moment. One of Lucas’s hands pushed up the sweatshirt to bare my naked breasts, his hand trailing up to touch me. A thrill of pleasure shot through me, and I gasped as I clenched around his cock, angling my hips higher so that he could touch the very core of my body.

 

“Leda,” Lucas ground out before he crushed his lips against mine and took my breath away.

 

He picked up the pace as we explored each other’s mouths. Our limbs and bodies tangled into a hot sweaty knot. I reached up to caress him. Bit by bit, his pace became more erratic. He tried to slow down, as if he wanted the moment to last just a little bit longer. But he had already crossed over the edge. A moment later, there was a guttural groan that escaped his perfect mouth. His body slid against mine as he collapsed into me.

 

I gasped, not from the weight but from the way I felt. From the way we felt.

 

This was making love.

 

When Lucas finally rolled off me, I looked up at the ceiling with a stupid grin on my face. I felt like I had just run a marathon. Not physically, but emotionally.

 

It wasn’t a bad feeling.

 

Rising on my elbows, I watched as Lucas’s naked form gathered his clothing, his nearly perfect ass on full display.

 

“Lucas, I—” I wanted to tell him that I loved him, but when he turned back to look at me, there was an unmistakable sadness in his expression.

 

“Get dressed,” he stated. “We have to go.”

 

“Okay,” I swallowed, pushing myself off the sofa. “Are you all right?”

 

He grasped me by the waist as I reached for my joggers, and pulled me against his body, facing away from him.

 

“I will be,” he said, brushing his lips over the side of my neck. “Please remember this time between us, Leda. Please.”

 

My knees weakened. “I won’t forget it, I swear.”

 

His kiss was quick before he let me go. I sucked in a breath, already missing his touch.

 

I might remember his words, but the worry didn’t ease in my stomach.