The Bodyguard

5.

The moonlight shone brightly through the slightly ajar balcony doors. The sheer curtains moved gracefully as the midnight air passed through them with ease. The only thing that light up the room was a small lamp perched on the desk adjacent to the inviting California King.

Lucas was sitting up on the edge, he rolled out his shoulders in silence, and let out a sigh. Whether it was for content or regret, he didn't know. And as he sat on the bed, just inches away from her body, he couldn't help but replay the events leading up to this moment over in his head. What have I done?

"Come back to bed," he felt slender arms snake around his shoulders, soft words interrupting his wandering thoughts. "You're cold."

"I will," he said quietly, his arm reaching up to meet hers. "I just need to take care of something."

It wasn't that he intended for this to happen. When he first slept with Bria, he had no knowledge of who she was or who her father was for that matter. She wasn't like her dad, in fact she strongly opposed his views with a passion, but that wouldn't matter much to Lucas's family.

They still believed the two only engaged in a drunken hookup that lasted one night only. No one, not even Jasper, who had a tendency to find out all his secrets, knew of their arrangement. At first, it was just sex. Lucas was enamored with her beauty and Bria's confidence.

But Lucas wasn't like his brother or his sister. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and he couldn't treat sex like a transaction. Call him a hopeless romantic (as Jasper did often), but he'd rather be with one person than engage in meaningless sex for the rest of his life.

Now he found himself in this web of deceit, he was lying to his family, he was lying to Bria, but most of all, he was lying to himself. He denied his feelings for her for as long as he could, but sooner or later they would catch up to him. As they always did.

"Would it kill you to not be so fucking sappy all the time?" Jasper's words rang throughout his head, as he recalled a conversation they had.

"As opposed to what? Careless, like you? Fucking anyone who will show you the smallest amount of attention?"

Jasper's eyes darkened, ignoring his brother's comment. "You and your emotions are going to be the death of you. You know that right?"

Lucas sighed, well on his way to tuning out his brother's pessimism. "Then so be it Jasper."

Finger running across his bare chest snapped Lucas back to reality, suddenly well aware of the lips kissing his neck. The phone in his hand illuminated again with Jasper's name, as he'd yet to respond to his text.

Mom is being irrational again.

Lucas figured whatever it was that Jasper needed could wait, but he'd been cooped up in this hotel room since after the gala. A break and some fresh air surely wouldn't kill him.

"It's Jasper again?" Bria asked quietly.

"I can come back later," Lucas ignored her question, and began to stand to get dressed. He watched as her eyes dropped dejectedly. Her brown hair was cut short and stopped just below her exposed breasts. She moved to cover herself with the sheet.

"It's always going to be them, right?" She spoke up as Lucas dressed himself quietly. He stopped at the button on his pants at the sound of her distressed voice. "You would drop everything in a heartbeat for your family. Jasper keeps you at his beck and call. But this is all I'm good for? Secret hookups where you fuck me then pretend I don't exist for the next three weeks?"

Lucas was silent for a moment, before sighing and putting his shirt on. "No. You're worth more. I'm sorry that I can't give you that right now."

Bria scoffed, shaking her head slowly. "Our time is limited, and yet you leave in the middle of the night to go tend to Jasper's every need. He's borderline psychotic. Not helpless."

Bria knew she was walking on thin ice, and her words were harsh. They were bound to upset Lucas, but in the moment she didn't care. In the moment she wanted to feel worth more than sex. More than what Lucas could give her.

Yet her suspicions were confirmed when she met Lucas's eyes. They'd turned dark, he was visibly upset and was quick to put on his shoes.

"Don't talk about my brother, Bria." Lucas said slowly, but still just as harsh. "Ever."

It wasn't her place at all, but in the moment she wanted him to feel just as much hurt as she was.

"What? Like everyone doesn't know it already?"

"He's not-" Lucas started again, and ran a hand through his dirty blond hair in frustration. "Don't speak on things you know nothing about. Since you want to know so badly, Jasper is my brother. By default he is more important than you. Get over it."

Lucas' responser stunned her into silence, and he may have regretted his harshness, but it was the truth. His family meant everything to him, and the sooner she understood that, the sooner she would stop expecting so much from him.

Bria never even fully understood the brotherly bond until she met Lucas. Because half of the time the two wanted to kill one another, but Lucas was ferocious when it came to protecting Jasper and vice versa.

Perhaps her being an only child caused her to lack the skills she needed to empathize with him. Either way, she felt that Lucas would sooner die than admit to himself, and his family that his feelings for her were true. Raw.

Bria didn't even have time to fully process Lucas' words before the automatic locking mechanism sounded from the door, signaling Lucas had left, taking her sense of security with him.

~

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