Free Anything He Wants: The Betrayal (#5) by Sara Fawkes Page B

must have similar issues with moving too fast.
    The limo stopped briefly at the gate, and the guards quickly waved us through. I peeked through the back window, watching the great big gates close again, trying to ignore the squeezing in my chest. And really, it was only one part of our relationship with which he took issue. Such a silly word anyway. Love. I’d seen how he looked at me, the way he touched and held me. Really, Lucy, I thought, do you really need platitudes of devotion? “Love” is just a word.
    Right?
    A sob welled up from deep inside, surprising me with the sudden depth of emotion. My hand went to cover my mouth, determined to hold the inexplicable grief inside, but I couldn’t stop the shuddering breaths or the tears that abruptly appeared and flowed down my cheeks. It’s just a word, I thought again, but the pain wouldn’t stop. I knew what love was, I’d grown up in a household where it flowed freely. Wouldn’t I have a better idea of what the emotion felt like than Jeremiah anyway?
    “Is everything alright back there, ma’am?”
    “Everything’s just dandy,” I replied, my voice thick. Then for an instant it all became too much. “Got my heart broken today,” I admitted, “but I’m trying to get through it.”
    “Ah,” the driver responded. “Well, my brother always was an idiot.”
    I was in the middle of rummaging through my purse for a tissue when the meaning of the man’s words sank in. My head snapped up, grief and heartbreak momentarily forgotten, as I stared at the back of the driver’s head through the small partition. A hat covered his head, and the mirror was angled in a way that made it impossible to see his face. “Lucas?”
    “In the flesh.” He pulled off his hat, uncovering dark hair. When he turned around to look at me, I saw that he wore makeup of some kind, presumably to get past the guards. His skin was lighter, the nose seemed bigger than I remembered, but the prominent scar on his cheek revealed his identity more than anything else. He gave me a quick perusal. “You look terrible.”
    His words pricked my remaining feminine pride and I sat up straighter, glaring at him through the tears. Focusing on the matter at hand was a great deal easier than the emotional roller coaster. “What are you doing?” I asked, striving for bravado.
    Lucas shrugged one shoulder. “Apparently, I’m kidnapping you. I thought you of all people would recognize that fact.”
    I stared at him for a moment, flabbergasted, then groaned loudly. Slumping in the seat, I leaned my head back against the cool leather, suddenly too tired to think of fighting. Lucas watched me in the rearview mirror but I didn’t care; all I wanted was to not think, not remember my last conversation with Jeremiah.
    “Let me guess: you told my brother the dreaded L word didn’t you?”
    I didn’t bother responding to his question, instead staring at the ceiling of the limo. Two kidnapping attempts in one week—I’m a very popular girl. The thought held little amusement, however. I just wanted to be alone to lick my wounds in peace.
    Lucas didn’t seem the least bit deterred by my silence. “My brother is a fool,” he continued. “Any minute now he’s going to realize what he’s done and…”
    The small telephone on the dash rang suddenly, startling me. Lucas chuckled. “That’s probably him now.”
    I stared at the phone, torn. Thinking about that beautiful, cold face as I had seen it mere moments ago made my already bleeding heart break more. Why? I wanted to scream. This was more than a bruised ego—I honestly needed an answer. None of the last twenty minutes made any sense.
    Lucas reached out and pressed a button on his dashboard. The ringing broke off on a flat note, and I gave the dark-haired man a startled but dubious glance. “Don’t worry, ma chérie,” he soothed. “By now my brother has probably discovered the drugged chauffeur and is mobilizing the troops, so to