“Shit! That was him? He was a total freaking…” Looking at Jake who is watching her, she quickly adds, “Um…okay. I mean, he was just okay. I’m glad you made it through the evening with him.”
I smirk, knowing what Rose had been going to say; the man was a stud. “I’m not totally sure since I’m a little out of it, but I believe he might have ordered me to quit my job because he wants to fuck me.” When the words leave my mouth, I slap my hand over my face. “God, I can’t believe I just said that.” I look over to see both Rose and Jake gaping at me.
“He said that to you?” Before I can answer, Rose sighs, “That’s just so hot.”
Jake looks at Rose then back to me. “You two seriously have problems. Lia, if some stranger said that shit to you, then you had better stay the hell away from him.” Turning to his girlfriend, he says, “And you, I think it’s time we went to your room and discussed some things.” Rose snickers as Jake pulls her up from the couch, and they practically run to the bedroom. At the door, Jake stops, turning back toward me. “I’m serious, babe; you stay away from him. That’s whacked that he said that to a stranger.” He shuts the door behind him, and I hear Rose giggle. Ugh, I know I will be hearing too much through the paper-thin walls tonight.
I think about what Jake said and wonder if Lucian Quinn is dangerous. He certainly looked it when he was holding me against him in the car. I wasn’t scared, though, not really. Thinking of him fucking me was exciting. I can feel the dampness of my panties and know it has everything to do with him.
Jake has been protective of me since his friend Jackson broke my heart last year. It was my first and last sexual experience. We had been going out for about a month before I finally caved to pressure and slept with him. What a mistake. It had hurt like Hell and was over before it had even started. Could I only have an orgasm at my own hands? Rose talked about sex with Jake as if it was earth-shaking, but for me, the earth hadn’t moved. I got out of bed afterwards to use the bathroom, and he had gasped, “What the fuck?” When I turned to look at him, he was pointing to my back. “What’s wrong with you? Shit, do you have something contagious?” He frantically threw his clothes on, acting like he had just had sex with someone with the clap.
“It’s just a scar,” I had replied before wrapping my arms around myself. He made me feel self-conscious and dirty. Jake was furious when he heard Jackson telling some of their friends that I ‘was all messed up’ under my clothes. He knew from Rose what my stepfather had done to me and almost physically came to blows with his friend over it. Since then, they barely spoke anymore. Jake was a good person and wouldn’t tolerate anyone mistreating one of his friends. What would it be like to have a man like that to love and be loved by? Rose is damn lucky.
Chapter Three
Lia
The rest of the week is a blur of too much studying and too little sleep. On the rare occasions when I find myself in bed at a decent time, the sexy Lucian Quinn haunts my dreams. I am munching on a muffin and drinking a huge cup of coffee at the campus coffee shop when my cellphone chimes. I pull it from my backpack, figuring it’s Rose. It’s a process of elimination, really; very few people have my number and even fewer of them actually call or text.
“Did you do as you were told?”
I study my phone in confusion, not recognizing the number. Finally, I type back:
“Wrong number, buddy.”
Tossing my phone down on the table, I am surprised when it chimes again almost instantly.
“I don’t think so, Lia.”
“What the hell?” I look around as if expecting Rose to be hiding in the corner, laughing her ass off. No one seems to be paying me any attention, though, and there was no Rose nearby.
“Who is this?”
“I’m truly hurt. You’ve been on my mind for days, sweet Lia, but apparently, I haven’t been on yours.”
This is starting to get scary. Surely, Jackson isn’t playing some type of nasty trick on me. He’s an asshole, but I haven’t heard from him in months.
“Listen, whoever you are; I’m busy, so unless you want to tell me who this is, piss off.”
It isn’t in my nature to be rude, but I don’t want to encourage some weirdo.
“Wow, in just a few days, I’ve gone from being a God to you to being told to piss off. How the mighty have fallen.”
I drop my phone as if I’ve been burned. “No way.” Lucian Quinn is texting me? This has to be some kind of joke, but who else would know what he is saying? Tentatively, I type: