Blackbird (Redemption 1)

When his eyes finally made it back to mine, his intense stare and gruff voice made my heart race. “You can’t wear that.”

My head jerked back in confusion. “Why not?”

“Because I will break every rule in front of William if you do.”

The confusion melted away, and I bit back a smile as I walked toward him. “I’m ready then.”

“Briar,” he growled with a hint of a warning.

“Yes, Devil?” My lips spread into a smile, and I reached out to brush my fingers against his jaw as I walked past him. “Come on,” I whined when he didn’t move. “I want to go outside. We’re going outside.” I bounced excitedly as I waited for him to reach my side.

His worry faded as my excitement transferred to him. “Don’t jump in those. I don’t need William harassing me because I had to call the doctor during our visit.”

“I’ve been practicing—”

“Jumping?” he asked with a laugh.

“No, running.”

“In those?”

I lifted my foot and looked behind me at the superfine heel. “Of course. I need to be able to run away from you.”

Lucas’s dark eyes danced, and one of his large hands gripped at my waist, pulling me closer. “And where would you go?”

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t get far,” I promised softly, letting the tips of my fingers trail over the spot on his jaw I had touched just moments before. “I’m your blackbird. These wings are broken without you near.”

His handsome face transformed into something like awe for bated seconds, and then his mouth was on mine for the first time since that night all those weeks ago. The force of his kiss sent us stumbling back until we were pressed up against the wall, and a moan crawled up my throat when he bit down on my bottom lip and tugged gently.

“Briar, I should warn you,” he said against my mouth, his voice rough. “I’m gonna kiss you now.”

I’d barely cracked a smile before he was kissing me again, taking and taking and taking in a way I hadn’t known I’d been craving. And I was sure it wouldn’t ever be enough.

And soon everything was forgotten except for Lucas and his lips and our kiss.

Chapter 25

Day 70 with Blackbird

Lucas

“We’re almost there,” I said into the phone, and locked my jaw when William demanded to know why we were late.

We would be five minutes late, seven at the most, because kissing Briar and showing her how incredible she was would always be more important than my mentor.

I could’ve lied and said we were late because I’d had to teach Briar a lesson or because there’d been more traffic than I’d expected, but I knew he would see through it. Whenever William asked about Briar and our home it was there in his tone, he was searching for something that shouldn’t be there—and it was there now.

“I said we’re almost there. Goodbye, William.” I hung up before he could ask any more questions and looked over at where Briar was resting her head on her arm. Her fingers were weaving through the wind as we drove, and long tendrils of hair whipped around her . . . I had never seen her

so relaxed.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.” She looked over at me, and her ease vanished. “Don’t display affection at all,” she recalled quietly.

“Good. And if I tell you to do something, you have to do it, Briar.”

There was a pause before she nodded hesitantly. “You keep saying that, but what does that mean? What would you make me do?”