Chapter 69 69.Hard to Ignore
Tabitha’s POV
The next day, I manage to play the sick card again. The maids bring breakfast and lunch to my room, so I was excused from the mandatory dining with the rest of the family. That’s why I don’t see the brothers all day. When dinner comes, Mom personally delivers my meal, still fussing over me.
“You’re not too warm anymore. That’s a relief. Try to get a full night’s rest and see how you feel in the morning.” She smooths the blanket over me with gentle hands, the same way she used to when I was little. “Good night, my darling.”
“Good night, Mom.”
Later that night, I lie awake, my throat dry. I try to ignore it, but it feels like sandpaper. Ugh, whatever. I’ll just head to the kitchen real quick and dip out. I give in and slip out of bed but when I reach the kitchen, I freeze. A familiar tall and broad-shouldered silhouette stands by the refrigerator. Luca.
He’s facing away while rummaging inside the fridge. My pulse spikes. Great. Perfect. This is exactly why I should have just stayed thirsty.
I should just leave before he notices that I’m here. I start backing away quietly but I am barely a few steps away when his deep baritone makes me halt.
“Going somewhere, sweetheart?”
Shit.
For a moment, I contemplate whether I should just make a run for it or face him. Damn it, why am I acting like a kid caught in the scene of a crime?
Clearing my throat, I slowly turn around to meet his eyes. He’s standing by the open fridge with one arm braced against the door. The pale light spills over his bare chest, tracing the hard lines of muscle down to the waistband of his joggers. For a second, my brain short-circuits. Shit. Next time, I’d die of thirst before I get out of my room in the middle of the night.
“I—uhh. I was just thirsty,” I stammer, waving a hand vaguely toward the open fridge. “Came to get some water.”
Luca shuts the fridge with a quiet click and turns toward me fully. “Then why are you walking away without it?”
My throat tightens even more. “I, uh… changed my mind. I’ll just—yeah, I’ll just go back to my room.” I take a small step back, but he moves faster.
In two strides, he’s in front of me. His body towers close enough that the faint scent of his cologne mixes with the cool air from the fridge. He plants his palms on the counter behind me, caging me in.
“Not thirsty anymore?” His voice drops teasingly. Tilting his head, his intense eyes observe me. I’m positive that I look like a ripened tomato right now.
“N-No…” I croak.
The corner of his lips tug into a smirk. “Hmm… you look pretty thirsty to me.”
Damn him.
Luca turns away just long enough to pour a glass of water from the jug on the counter. When he hands it to me, his fingers brush mine. My pulse stutters like a fool.
“Here,” he says softly. “For your thirst.”
I grab the glass quickly like it’s some sort of shield against him. “Thanks,” I mumble, my eyes darting anywhere but his face. I should really get out of here.
I expect him to take the hint and move aside, but he doesn’t. Instead, he stays planted there, like a wall of heat and muscle blocking the counter. Even when I try to slip past him, he shifts just enough to keep me caged in place. What the…
“Where are you going? Aren’t you going to drink that?” he asks, nodding at the glass in my hand.
I raise a brow. Is he being serious right now?
“You want me to drink this in front of you? Is that a new kink you unlocked or something? Watching people hydrate?”
He laughs under his breath. And god, why does that sound so sexy?
“You tell me. You were pretty good at figuring out what gets me going last time.” I don’t miss the lewdness in his voice as he looks at me, as if he’s reminiscing the way I sucked his dick last time. Damn it.
My cheeks burn. “God, you’re as shameless as Reed.”
That earns a deep chuckle from him. He’s enjoying this, seeing me all flustered in front of him. Shit.
He reaches up, his fingers brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Go on. Drink the water. I don’t want you getting thirsty tonight.” His eyes gleam with that teasing glint that makes my knees weak.
I glare at him, but I still lift the glass and start drinking. He watches every movement. His gaze follows the glass as it touches my lips, trails down my throat, and lingers far too long. My throat tightens for a completely different reason, and I almost choke on my own sip. I finish the glass in one go and set it on the counter, pretending not to notice how his eyes flick to my mouth.
“Thanks. I’ll go back to my room now.”
Before I can move, he leans in and wipes the corner of my lips with his thumb. His touch is light but it burns through my skin. My lips part instinctively. The simple graze of his skin against mine sends a jolt straight through me. For a second, my brain betrays me. I want to lean into his hand, maybe even nuzzle against it like some touch-starved idiot. Damn it. I should really stop feeling like this!
I pull back quickly and wipe my own mouth with the back of my hand, trying to play it off. “I got it,” I mutter, still blushing.
Luca hums, raking his jet-black hair with his fingers. That’s when I notice the thin scar running along his knuckles.
“What happened to your hand?”
He glances down and flexes his fingers. “This? Just a scratch. I got it fixing my bike earlier. The machine was being stubborn. It’s been a while since I last tuned it up for a race.”
“Oh…The Tropical Thunder Circuit?” I ask.
He tilts his head, clearly amused. “Look at you, catching up on the latest news.”
I fold my arms and roll my eyes. Jerk.
“Funny how I had to hear about this so-called race from someone else, when my own stepbrothers are in it.” The words slip out sharper, more bitter than I mean them to be.
“Are you upset about that?” His tone is playful, but his eyes stay sharp.
“Should I be?” I shoot back.
Luca smiles, the corner of his lips lifting slightly. “If you weren’t so busy ignoring us, maybe we could’ve talked about the circuit. Maybe even more than that.”
A flicker of something ugly twists in my stomach, but I swallow it down. I mean, he’s right. I was the one who was ignoring them. I shouldn’t feel guilty about it… but I do.
My mouth opens, and what comes out is barely a whisper. “I—I’m…”
“You don’t have to explain yourself, Tabitha,” he cuts me off, his voice smooth as velvet. “In fact, keep it up.”
“What?” My brow furrows.
He leans closer until his breath brushes my ear. I suck in a deep breath as his scent envelops me. It snakes through my senses, clouding my thoughts, making it hard to remember why I even opened my mouth in the first place. Suddenly, all I can think about is how close he is.
“I want to see how long you can keep ignoring us.” His warm breath tickles my neck, that I have to fight back a shudder.
“Are you challenging me?” I say, barely managing not to tremble.
“We already told you, didn’t we? Mated pairs are bound by more than just fate. We’re two halves of the same soul. No matter how far you try to run, the bond keeps growing stronger, pulling you back.” His hand lifts, catching a loose strand of my hair between his fingers. He twirls it slowly, eyes never leaving mine, before bringing it to his lips and pressing a soft kiss against it. “The more you try to fight it, the more your soul aches for what it’s missing. I want to see how long you can keep resisting before you break… before those flames you’re trying to bury finally consume you.”
My entire body goes still. For a fleeting moment, the fire he speaks of stirs awake inside me, a molten whisper threading through my veins. It teases hungrily at the edges of my mind like a rising tide of heat, aching to break free… aching for him—for them.
Luca straightens up, his smirk still in place as he steps back, finally freeing me. He picks up the empty glass from the counter and puts it in the sink.
“Sleep tight, sweetheart,” he murmurs before leaving me in the kitchen.
And just like that, my knees forget how to hold me up. Luca is right. I wonder how long I can keep pretending that I’m in control—how long before every bit of restraint I have shatters, and my body finally takes what it’s been craving all along.
A taste of them.