Consumed(3)

“Come with me.”

“What?”

I gesture to my parked car. “Two days. I want those two days now.” It’s a bold ass move, but she doesn’t immediately shoot it down.

She chews on her bottom lip. “Right now?”

“Yeah,” I say, stroking my thumb across her lips to stop her from nibbling them. Keeping her eyes focused on mine, she bites the tip of my finger instead, and I groan in frustration. Why does she have to do shit like that? “I’m sorry, Si, and I need a chance to prove it.”

She backs into the house, motioning for me to follow her, but I remain in the doorway. “I’ll have to go pack my things.” She jabs her thumb over her shoulder at the staircase. “And I’ve got to call Gram—she’s not here.” Her face is flushed, and I can tell she’s mentally making a list of what all needs to be done before she can come with me. “Lucas, you’re not going to—”

And there goes the pain in my chest again. She doesn’t trust me, and it about destroys me. But what can I expect?

“Nothing will happen to you while you’re with me,” I promise. Then I lift my eyebrows and add, “Nothing bad. I’m going to do what I should have done before. I need you with me because there’s no music without you.”

It is that promise that completely wins her over.

She tugs me to her by the collar of my shirt and cups my face in between her hands. Her lips are rough and demanding, making me reconsider what she’d started to say earlier about the hotels. I drag myself away from her, putting a good amount of space between us.

“No more of that or I’ll f*ck you right here in this doorway.”

“Give me an hour to get ready,” Sienna whispers, walking backward into the house. “I promise I won’t be long.”

It only takes her half the time. After I load her luggage into the trunk of my car, which I’ve driven closer to the cabin while waiting, she slips into the passenger seat next to me. Dragging in a shaky breath, she lays her head back against the leather headrest and then turns to look at me as I put the car into drive. “I love you, Lucas.”

“I love you too.”

She frowns when I slam on the brakes near the top of the driveway, but then I produce a wide red strip of fabric from the center console. The corners of her mouth slide into a smile. “Another one of your attention exercises, Lucas?” she questions as I cover her eyes with the fabric.

“No, but surprises are your new best friend.”

For once, she doesn’t protest.





Sienna



Lucas’s car comes to a slow stop and he cuts the engine, stopping Cavo mid-song. At the sound of his door opening and closing, the air flies out of my lungs. I embrace this moment of breathlessness, the sudden burst of uncertain excitement that hums through me.

Where are we, and what have I gotten myself into?

Grasping the hem of my shorts, I run through a list of places he might have brought me. I rule out hotel or airport. We’ve been on the road for what seems like hours, and Gram’s house is only a stone’s throw from Nashville’s airport.

Exasperation kicks in, and I bring my hands up to my blindfolded eyes, but the passenger door swings open. Lucas clears his throat. Though I can’t see him, I swear I can feel his hazel eyes burning against the side of my face.

“We’re here,” he announces.

“I figured as much. Where exactly is here?”

His calloused fingers close around my wrists, and he tugs me out of the car toward him. I stumble a little, the front of one of my flip-flops bending enough that the warm pavement brushes the tips of my toes. Lucas steadies me, placing his other hand on the curve of my hip. We’re chest to chest. Late night breeze whispers against our skin, but I’m not cold. Not when he’s so close I can practically taste the spearmint on his tongue as I breathe him in.

And no matter how many times I’ve attempted to convince myself otherwise, I have missed breathing this man in.

“Lucas.” My voice is strained. “Where are we?”

Letting go of my wrist, he moves both of his hands up my body, not stopping until he touches either side of my face. “You ask so many f*cking questions, Sienna.” He works his fingers beneath the silky blindfold and dips his mouth to my ear. “Just enjoy the moment.”

“Hard to when I can’t see a damn—” I begin, but he lowers the fabric from my eyes.