Page 122 of Coveted

Lucan grunts, his neck cording, as the tidal wave in my core builds to new heights. I cry out as I come, drilling myself down onto him.

Then he holds me still while he shoots me full of hot jets, his muscular body shuddering as the orgasm moves through him.

“Sadie,” he groans over and over. “Sadie, Sadie.”

Finally, he lets me collapse onto his chest. He pulls the coat over my back and hugs me tightly. His heart thumps into my cheek as he kisses the top of my head.

“You’re going to kill me,” he says in wonderment. “Sex with you is too fucking good.”

Contentment filters through me, pushing away old, choking traces of the past. The world feels different after tonight. I feel different.

Our first official date, and Lucan has one last surprise for me. Panting, he gently pushes my damp hair from my face to look into my eyes.

“I’m falling like a goddam meteor for you,” he says, his voice hoarse. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

The leaves rustle and hush, like they’re listening for my answer.

Maybe he’s caught me in a moment of weakness, or maybe I wanted this all along.

“Yes, Lucan. I’ll be your girlfriend.”

CHAPTER 31

Lucan

When I told Sadie about the dinner with my father, I said it would be a casual thing. Food, wine, conversation.

But now that we’re here, accepting drinks from waiters on a terrace overlooking the endless grounds of our estate, I realize I unintentionally misled her. For one, there are other guests. Dad invited Gareth, who also brought his new family.

Uncle Gareth and I have been more distant since Hannah and Parker died. Seeing me seems to trouble him, and I can only guess why. Maybe he knows more than he lets on about their deaths, or maybe I remind him of them. Either way, he shuts down when I try to talk to him about it.

With investigations reopened, word has spread far and wide that Hannah was murdered by the same person who killed Parker. It’s probably been difficult for Gareth to face, even though we already suspected she didn’t die accidentally.

On the terrace, the men and women drink in two separate groups. I keep one eye on Sadie at all times.

Gareth’s wife, Teenie, wears several million in pink and white diamonds. Her helmet of blonde hair is a feat of engineering, not a single strand moved by the breeze. While she trills with laughter at whatever the women are discussing, Sadie clutches her champagne flute for dear life.

The opaline afternoon light bathes my beautiful girlfriend, limning her features like she’s the statue of a goddess.

My. Girlfriend.

She said yes. Having her feels as good as I imagined, as though a gigantic missing piece in my chest has been restored.

I caught myself humming a tune as I dressed for tonight’s dinner. The song was “The Perfect Drug” by Nine Inch Nails, but still.

As Sadie speaks, I devour her every microexpression, breathing pattern, and gesture, filing them away for total mental saturation. I want my image of her in my head to be as vivid as the woman herself. That way, I’ll never have to be without her.

Though my instinct is to rescue her from the banal musings of Teenie, I resist. I must let Sadie stand tall in my world of her own accord. She has what it takes—she just needs to realize it.

Her dress is deep purple and the necklace I gave her glimmers subtly on her smooth décolletage.

It reassures me that she’s wearing the pendant. I had to push hard to get her to keep it on after our first date. It’s like she thinks she’s unworthy of a priceless heirloom.

Doesn’t she understand that she is priceless?

I just hope Dad doesn’t mention the pendant. That could get awkward.

Teenie’s daughter stands with the women. Adelle and her twin brother, Damon, are the Royce University students who are now, along with their mother, the heirs to Uncle Gareth’s estate.