Craving Lucy by Terri Anne Browning Read Free Book Online Page A

speaking aloud the words that had been suffocating me for so long.
    I felt him freeze. With my head still against his chest I could hear his heartbeat, knew exactly when it stopped only for it to start racing just as fast as my own was. His hands in my hair tightened, tugging until my head was back enough that he could see my face. “You love me?”
    There was no use in lying, not when it felt so good—and still so scary—to say the words out loud. “I’ve loved you since I was twelve years old. Maybe longer.”
    Something twisted across his face and he shook his dark head. “You’re going to drive me to madness. You realize that, right?”
    My lips twitched as I fought back a grin. I liked that I could do that do him; it was nice to know that he wasn’t the one with all the power after all. “It’s only fair, since you do the same to me.”
    “I’m going to kiss you, Lucy.”
    “Why are you telling me? Just do it.” I licked my lips. They were already aching for the pressure of his mouth on them.
    “Because I’m hoping that I can control myself and keep it to just a kiss.” He leaned his forehead against my own, his breaths coming out in hard shudders, as if he were fighting for control. “Help me, Lucy. Make sure I don’t do something I shouldn’t.”
    Leaning into him I rolled my eyes, making him laugh. “Okay, relax. No way am I going to let you get out of hand because a) we’re in a hospital with germs everywhere and my bodyguard on the other side of the door. So yeah, gross. And b) I’m not ready to have sex with you.” I brushed my lips over the corner of his mouth. “I love you, Harris, but I’m just not ready for that.”
    Strong arms tightened around my waist. “Good. I’m glad. Just kick my ass if I try to disrespect that decision. Okay?”
    “Yeah, I will. I promise. Now shut up and kiss me before that slutty nurse comes back.”
    Dark brows lifted. “Jealous?”
    An unattractive snort escaped me. “Please…” When he just continued to look at me with those damn brows lifted, I grimaced. “Yeah. A little.”
    He flashed his dimples at me. “Was that so hard to admit?” I shrugged—he wasn’t ever going to get a verbal answer for that stupid question—and he chuckled. “You don’t have anything to ever be jealous about, Lu. I don’t see anyone but you.”
    “I’m still waiting to be kissed,” I grumbled.
    “Spoiled,” he said, teasing me, but I was the one with the last word when I covered his smiling mouth with my own and took the kiss I was aching for.
     

Chapter 4
    Lucy
    My mouth was still swollen from that kiss when the nurse returned with my ibuprofen and the bag of ice. I ignored her as she found one reason after another to linger in my small triage room before the radiology tech showed up to take me to get x-rays for my hand.
    Harris and Marcus followed behind the thirty-something man with a receding hairline and nice eyes who was transporting me in a wheelchair that I’d told him I didn’t need, but he’d insisted on. He took a handful of x-rays of my hand in different positions before wheeling me back to my room.
    When the tech opened the door to my triage exam room, I was surprised to find my parents waiting for me. My mom wrapped me in her arms before I’d even had time to stand up. “Are you okay?” she demanded, tears shining in her chocolate-brown eyes.
    “Mom, I’m fine.” I tried to assure her but she was grasping my hand with fingers that trembled to examine it for herself.
    I bit my lip, realizing that she was so scared because this probably brought back bad memories for her of the night my biological father had taken me. She’d been in the hospital herself after having the twins when my dad and Nik had brought me in. My face had been swollen, bloody and I’d been in the most physical pain I’d ever felt in my life. That was the night I had started calling Layla ‘Mom’. That was the night I realized how lucky I was to have her and