Page 70 of Lucian

“Got any plans?” Lucian asked.

“Dante bought three private balconies at that opera next month for Mom’s birthday. There’s a whole before party going on for it, too. A charity thing or some nonsense. Politicians, big profile names, the works.”

“That’s a while away, though.”

“True, but that’d be a public way for the family. For us, we just need to take her out and let her have fun, right? The next morning it’d be splashed all over the society columns. Yours and Dante’s birthday party is coming up, too, so that would work.”

Lucian considered his brother’s offers. “Let me talk to Jordyn first. After today, the last thing she might want is to go public with me at her side.”

Gio snorted. “Right. You’re fucking hopeless.”

Once Gio was gone, Lucian heaved a sigh. Staring around his place, he couldn’t help but notice the changes since Jordyn started living with him. Mostly, Lucian’s life was in such a constant state of disarray because he was perpetually moving and nothing ever seemed to really get finished.

Jordyn started to fix that here and there.

Things had never been more organized. As simple as that seemed, it was huge to Lucian. She cared for and about him without it being asked from her. Jordyn just did it because she wanted to. Lucian still couldn’t understand where he’d gone so wrong. How could be have made her feel like she was his whore?

That was a dirty, awful word. Something that was used to describe his dead mother and the relationship she forged with his father. It was also used to shame him because he was a product of them being together.

Lucian would never do that to a woman. It was, essentially, why it had taken him so long to find someone he wanted and could love. The last thing he intended to do in his life was be settled and married with someone he couldn’t care about enough to be faithful and loving to. He didn’t want another family hidden on the side to make up for what he didn’t have at home.

But, he wanted Jordyn. Needed her, too.

As he walked into his bedroom, Lucian noticed an opened box on the bed. He picked through the items carefully, noting what they were and some of the dates stamped on tickets and stubs. A thin, gold chain with a cursive S rested at the bottom of the box. The few photographs of a woman with a much younger Jordyn told Lucian these were private, personal things he shouldn’t be going through without her permission.

So, he packed them back inside the box and turned towards the bathroom where the shower was running. Jordyn hadn’t shut the door. It was a quirk Lucian still couldn’t get over since finding her after the beating. It shocked, amazed, and pained him to know she still kept the doors open for him, even if he wasn’t there. He had a perfect view of her naked figure through the shower glass.

Water rained down, creating a constant cascade of twisting rivulets over her skin. The usual curly locks of her dark hair was wet and waved, fanned over slender shoulders and covering her breasts. Most of the bruises had faded, though a few of the bad ones around the areas where the studs of the belt had broken skin still remained with a yellowish tint. The cherry blossom tattoo moved with the sway of her body, like living art.

Beautiful.

Bellissima.

His.

She was crying. Soft, trembling cries like that of a kitten were being drowned out by the water. Tears, small and glittering, dampened her lashes and streaked her cheeks.

Lucian hurt so badly for those tears.

Before he even realized what he was doing, Lucian was crossing the bathroom and reaching for the sliding glass door to the shower. Jordyn stopped him. Turning at the sight of him in the space, her hand came to rest on the small inside handle as if to keep him out. It wouldn’t have really stopped him if he wanted in.

Droplets of water fell as Jordyn shook her head. “Just … don’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Lucian said, needing to get it out. “I should have listened to you this morning, but I knew what kind of a day it was going to be and brushed you off. I didn’t want to fight with you. What I said was true, but I could have said it in a better way.”

“Lucian—”

“Just let me apologize, Jordyn. I don’t want you to be someone else. I don’t need you to be anybody but exactly who you are. Maybe the way I’ve gone about this whole thing has made it seem like it, but I want you for you. I’m sorry you can’t go back. I’m sorry that bastard has taken so much away from you. I’m sorry if you’ve ever felt alone even once standing beside me. I’ll give you everything—anything—to replace what you don’t have because that’s nothing less than what you deserve. It’s not because I’m paying for you, or us.”

“I didn’t want to go back,” Jordyn whispered. “I just wanted the things you couldn’t replace.”

Lucian nodded, finally understanding that fact. “I’m sorry I didn’t hear you when you told me that the first time. It escalated into something different and I only heard what wasn’t important. You scared the hell out of me today, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t explain to you well enough about what was going on outside of us. Frankly, I’ve been more concerned and focusing on you to care about any of that. I thought that’s what you needed.”

“It was,” Jordyn replied quickly. “I know I’m safe with you. I do.”