“Your sister called.” He goes over to the counter where I was about to start cutting the potatoes. Great, I’m going to have to get into the Chad situation already.
“Oh?” I stall, waiting to see exactly where he’s steering this conversation.
“She wanted to ask me who I thought was going to win the baking competition.” I let out a small laugh. He smiles over at me. “She hung up on me before I could answer her.”
“Of course she did.” I laugh harder. Lucas starts cutting the potatoes. His hands move quickly as he slices them within seconds. It would take me three times as long if I were doing it. He’s so talented with his hands and not only in the kitchen.
“Anything else happen today?” He puts the sliced potatoes into a bowl.
“My hearing was cancelled but you already know that.” I’d texted him. I try to think of something else to tell him, really trying to avoid the conversation at hand. “I suck at knitting. If your head was half the size I’d be done so really this is your fault.”
He lets out a deep chuckle that warms all of my insides. I don’t know how he does it but Lucas still makes me feel like a schoolgirl with a crush. Butterflies dance in my stomach whenever he is near.
“I’m sorry, Angel.” He comes back over to me to place a kiss on the tip of my nose. “You could just make it a baby hat.” He turns, going to the refrigerator to pull out the steaks he set to marinate this morning.
I lick my suddenly dry lips. We’ve talked about kids before but we’ve never said when or how many. They are always random comments.
“You going to spit out whatever it is you’re dancing around telling me?” Lucas breaks my thoughts of babies.
“How do you do that?” I don’t know why I ask. Lucas can read me like a book. He’s always paying attention to everything I do.
“I can get it out of you one way or another,” he warns. He turns the stove off, waiting for my move. I know he’s right. One way or another I am going to spill. I might as well get it over with so I stop fretting about it.
“It’s Chad.”
Lucas’s whole demeanor changes. He stands a little taller. His arms fold over his chest for a moment before he quickly drops them. “What about him?”
“It might be nothing.” I try and downplay it some. I can tell he is pissed for a moment then masks it quickly.
“When it comes to you Angel, it’s everything. Now tell me what Chad did.”
“Well, he keeps offering me a job.”
“You don’t want this job.” He’s not asking me. He knows how much I dislike Chad. That I always groan when I hear his name.
“Of course not, but he keeps on pushing.”
“Pushing.” Lucas takes a step toward me.
“It might be in my head but I swear every time I turn around he’s there. Not just at work either. It could be a coincidence.” I cringe at my own words.
“There are no coincidences, Angel. Like that day in the grocery store. I followed you in.”
“You’d follow me anywhere.” I smile, trying to lighten the dark mood that has fallen over the kitchen. I know he’s not upset with me but with Chad.
“I would,” he agrees, stepping between my legs. I put my hands on his chest, breathing him in. I know my touch always brings him comfort. He leans into it. “Can you blame me?”
“I’m thankful for the day you followed me into that grocery store. Not so much for Chad being at our grocery store.” Lucas’s jaw ticks. It’s quick but I catch it.
“Has he shown up anywhere else that isn’t work?”
I nod my answer. “Don’t be upset.”
“Don’t be upset that someone is scaring my wife?”
“I didn’t say I was-” He levels me with a look. Yeah, I suck at lying. “I don’t want to cause problems.”
“You’re never a problem, Angel.” He leans down to kiss me. I wrap my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. When he pulls back I smile up at him because his mouth is a little red and swollen from our kisses. “Chad won’t be bothering you anymore.”
“But we have to work together sometimes.” If only it were so easy to avoid the man.
“You trust me?”
“You don’t ever have to ask me that.” I trust this man with my life. He thinks I’m his angel but he’s my everything.
“Then I’ll handle it.”
“Okay.” I instantly feel better, feeling silly that I didn’t say something sooner. Of course my Lucas would handle it for me. He’d do anything for me.
Chapter Eleven
Lucas
I’ve never taken a person’s life out of revenge. All of my killings have been done simply to restore balance in this world. Pedophiles, abusers, rapists don’t get the punishment they deserve. Sentences are too light. Cases are too hard to prove. Victims live in fear. That never sat right with me so I used the skills I had to make things right. I’ve never deviated from that in the past. It’s the only way I can sleep in Angel’s bed, touch her precious body, accept her love.