Sordid (Sordid 1)

I tried not to dwell on how quickly I’d adjusted to life with him, or how easily I had bent to his will. The shocking truth was I didn’t hate my time with Luka. Sometimes I even looked forward to it.

It was a Thursday when I sat on the couch with the quilt on my lap, reading a textbook. The far-off growl of the garage door signaled he was home, and I straightened in my seat, quelling my smile. But footsteps thundered loudly up the hall, much too fast to be anything but angry. I bolted up from the couch, concern flooding through me. What had happened?

My suspicions were confirmed when he threw open the office door and his eyes burned. I backpedaled and collided with the desk at the same instant his hands seized my shoulders.

“Tell me what you did today, Addison.”

I stared at him with total confusion. “Nothing! I went to my physics lecture, and organic chem lab.”

His dark eyes were narrow. “Tell me about your lecture.”

My brain filtered through the morning, trying to figure out what had set him off. “It was what you’d expect—” Then, it clicked. “This is about the coffee?”

“Yeah,” he snapped. “It’s about the fucking coffee.”

I almost laughed, but caught myself in time.

I hadn’t made many friends in college, but I’d gotten to know most of the other pre-med students who were on the same track. Gavin was bright, and friendly, and like me, a bit awkward. After two years of seeing each other at nearly every class, we’d become friends. We sat next to each other, exchanged lecture notes, and had a friendly competition on our tests.

Vanessa had mentioned he was the first to ask what had happened to me when she showed up in my place, requesting to video the lectures. She’d told him I was sick. Once I’d returned to class, he’d lingered even closer, offering to help catch me up.

“Luka,” I said softly.

“You think a guy hitting on you isn’t noteworthy? Did you not make it clear you’re unavailable?”

His possessiveness was stunning, and if I was honest, I sort of liked it. I was petty and stupid, but I enjoyed knowing he didn’t like anyone challenging his claim. As if they could.

“He bought Vanessa and me both a cup of coffee this morning,” I said. “He was just being polite.” Luka’s scowl intensified, spurring me on. “He didn’t buy the coffee for me.” It’d been apparent right away how badly Gavin was smitten with Vanessa. “He’s such a nerd, and she’s a badass. You should see them together, they’re adorable.”

Gavin had been waiting for us this morning in the lecture hall, three cups of coffee resting on the long table before him. He was sweaty and nervous as he’d passed them out, trying to sound casual and failing. I’d watched him attempt to flirt with the woman with whom he had hardly anything in common, but he did it anyway.

I’d been proud and envious to see my friend take a risk and go after what he wanted. In spite of all that had happened, a part of me wished I had done the same with Luka.

“He’s interested in Vanessa?” Confusion painted Luka’s face.

I gave a light smile. “Oh, yeah.”

“I had her describe him to me,” he said, releasing me. “It sounds like she could snap him in half with one finger.”

My smile grew. Gavin was a twig. “He’d probably like that.”

It took Luka several seconds to adjust to the information, and I was surprised at how much emotion he’d displayed. It was disarming, and I shut off my mind, avoiding all consequences. My hands gripped his strong jaw, and I pulled him to me, planted my lips tentatively against his, showing him he had nothing to fear.

“You’ve made me say it enough times,” I whispered.

He blinked, looking affected by my kiss. It was the first time I’d ever initiated it. “What?”

“That you own me. I understand that, Luka.”

His kiss was powerful, deadening my thoughts, all except for one. Would I ever want to own him?

Chapter

Twenty-Two

Thanksgiving was a disaster.

It started off well enough. My parents were skeptical of the older man I introduced as my boyfriend. Luka was five years older than I was, and his serious demeanor announced he was anything but a boy, but my family rolled with it. Jonathon didn’t care at all.

We ate turkey and stuffing, and held conversations about current events over pumpkin pie. My brother showed off his new car, unaware my boyfriend had orchestrated the whole thing. I gave Luka the tour of my family’s house, only because he insisted. He’d enjoyed me showing him the barn where our equipment was stored, at least the stuff we didn’t co-op. Up to that point, the day had gone much better than I expected.

It went downhill when I’d led him to my bedroom, leaving the door open, of course, since my parents were conservative. Luka’s gaze had scanned the room, assessing the mathlete trophies and valedictorian sash clinically, and then he’d told me in graphic detail how he wanted to bend me over my bed and fuck me while my parents were downstairs.