I Know Lucy (A Fugitive #1)(56)

Crouching down in front of her, I kept my voice soft.

“You can’t let the past rob you of your future. You have so much life left to live. Don’t let it be dictated by whatever’s happened. You can’t let it beat you.”

Her eyes shot to mine, surprise flickering over her face.

I sat next to her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. “You said you didn’t want to run anymore, so stay, graduate, be with me.”

Leaning her head against my shoulder, she sniffed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I don’t want to let it beat me,” she whimpered.

Breathing out a relieved sigh, I rested my cheek against her head and held her tight.

*****

We stayed that way until my butt was aching and my back was stiff. I felt like an old man as I pushed myself off the floor and pulled Dani up beside me.

Dani. Was that really her name?

It couldn’t be.

I licked my bottom lip, ready to ask her, when she blurted, “Are you hungry?”

A surprised snicker spurted from my mouth. “You seriously cook in here?”

“No.” She chuckled. “I slice.” She grabbed the knife from the door, flashing me a wincing smile before closing the door and moving into the kitchen area.

I waved my hand, indicating we could let that one slide. I watched her lithe body move around the small space. She was so elegant. She reached down for her bag and extracted two apples, a banana and a couple of carrots.

She began to chop the fruit, her graceful hair falling over her shoulder. I liked that it was getting longer. I moved towards her, tucking the hair back and lightly kissing her neck.

A soft moan slipped from her lips and I wrapped my arms around her waist, snuggling her body against me. Man it felt good to hold her. In her bare feet, she was just a little shorter than me. I propped my chin on her shoulder and watched her slice.

She handed a piece of apple up and I took a bite.

It was juicy and sweet, reminding me of her and making me want to kiss her all over again.

I would, as soon as this food was done. Dani looked ravenous, munching on the fruit as if it was the first thing she’d eaten all day.

“Is this your breakfast?” I pulled away from her, grabbing a segment of banana.

“Yeah.” She nodded.

Glancing back at the fruit and carrot sticks, I frowned. “You don’t eat a lot, do you?”

“I don’t know how to cook.” She shrugged. “And I can’t afford to buy too much. I’ve got to make my money last.”

“I saw you con a guy out of three hundred bucks in less than ten minutes. Shouldn’t you be bringing in a ton of cash?”

She tensed, the knife freezing in the air. Was she about to throw it at me? I took a step back. I hadn’t meant to insult her. After a painful pause, she continued slicing the last carrot with decisive chops. Thwack, thwack, thwack. She was probably pretending those carrots were my fingers. I stepped up behind her again, gliding my hand down her arm to still her movements.

“I’m sorry.”

She paused, but didn’t let go of the knife. “I don’t steal because I want to. It’s only out of necessity. I made that three hundred last until this morning. That’s why I had to go out again.”

“That’s like a month.”

“Yes.”

“How do you survive on that?”

“I slice!” She nudged my hand off her arm and finished cutting up the carrots. No wonder she ate so much when she had one of AJ’s dinners. It was probably the only decent thing she had in a day. No wonder she was so damn slight too.

“How do you find the energy to run?”

She shook her head. “Luckily for me, I’ve never been a big eater.” She turned to face me, popping a banana in her mouth. “Tins of tuna, bananas, raw vegetables. It’s enough.”

My brows bunched together.

“I try to have at least four or five decent meals a week if I can. Why do you think I always say yes when you invite me out for food?” Her eyebrows shot up.

“Naw.” I tipped my head. “I thought it was my charming personality and good looks that had you coming.”

She snorted a laugh. “Well, that too.”

Her blue gaze softened as she took me in. Gently stepping towards me, she ran her hands up my chest and wove them into the hair at the nape of my neck.

“I can’t believe you’re here…after everything you found out, you still stayed.”

I ran my hand up her arm. “If it was any other girl, I’d be running my ass off.” Touching her face, I ran a feather light finger over her ear. “But you’re not just any girl.”

Her gaze flickered away from me, her lips pinching into a tight line as she forced air through her nose. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I won’t.”

“You can’t come here again, okay?” She tried to pull away from me, but I grabbed her hips before she could.

“I know where you live now. I can drop you home.”

There was no humor in her gaze when she replied, “You know I like to walk…and I’m not messing with you, Zach. I’ll stay, but you have to promise not to come here again. It’s not safe.”

“Why? Why isn’t it safe?” My insides clenched. “Is someone controlling you? Are you being forced to live here? Tell me what’s going on.”