Give the Devil his Due

Chapter 36

Waking up that next morning was pure bliss.

    For the first time since my father died, I was able to sleep through the night without having horrendous nightmares. Last night I slept dreamlessly, surrounded by cool darkness and it was all thanks to the beautiful boy laying next to me.

    Lucas was laying on his back, eyes closed softly and lips parted. His arm hugged my shoulders from where I was laying next to him, my head on his chest and my arm holding his abdomen. I looked up into that peaceful face, the face I could stare at for hours, and smiled. I couldn't help it. Because that face was connected to a body and that body had done glorious things to me, magical things.

    All night long.

    I snuggled closer into him, hugging him tightly to myself, bare skin against bare skin. After everything I've been through in the past week, after everything I had seen, how was it possible to have such a perfect night with such a perfect person? My body was still humming with an unbelievable buzz from last nights events. He had been amazing and I felt ... well, amazing.

    A tranquil and otherwise relaxed sigh escaped my lips.

    My fingers began tracing circles onto Lucas' stomach while he slept. I wanted to be closer to him, so close that there was no space between us. His skin was warm against mine, my head rising and falling each time he took a breath. And through his chest, I could hear his heart beating evenly and periodically. Nothing like the rate mine was pulsing the night before.

    He still looked so weak, so fragile. Though I never would have guess that from how he worked last night. But even so, each day he got a little worse than the last. How many more days did he have? How many more times would I see him nearly kill himself to protect someone? At one point I thought it was admirable how he always threw himself into harms way to protect the ones he loved.

    But I didn't think that anymore. Because my father got himself killed doing that. Now all I wanted was for Lucas to hide away and never get hurt again. Ideally, I wanted him to purchase a cabin up in the mountains where Clint could never find him and we could spend the rest of our days doing what we had last night. But that was just a fantasy.

    Because no matter where we ran or how he hid, Clint would always find us.

    Damn myself, my thoughts always turned morbid. But this time, I wouldn't let my mind ruin this feeling. I wouldn't let any force on earth ruin this feeling.

    Well, unless that force was Rico.

    "Awe, so damn cute." I heard a voice whisper from the doorway. My eyes snapped over to see Rico standing there. I should have known. His hands were at his heart and his smile was dominating his face, "I mean I should be upset that my fiancé slept with another man but I'm just so happy for you two. Really darling, no need to apologize."

    My eyes narrowed as I pulled the sheet farther up my body to hide a few assets of mine, "Go away, Rico."

    He held a hand out towards me, "Only if you come with me."

    "No!" I whispered fiercely.

    Rico smirked at me, wagging his eyebrows, "Oh come on, I'm fun too mami."

    My cheeks heated in embarrassment, "No, just go away."

    Rico shrugged, giving a sigh, "Fine, looks like I've lost you to the dark side."

    Then he tossed me a smile, wiggling his fingers at me as he closed the door once more. I wanted to be mad at him, he basically walked in on me naked considering this sheet was the only thing covering my body. But who could stay mad at Rico? I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face once more. He was a good friend, a creepy and ill-timed one, but a good friend nonetheless.