Lucien's War (7 page)

“
You doing
okay, man? You look like someone sucker punched
you and you’re about to go ape-shit.”

Lucien
exhaled roughly, turned away from Kink to stare at the club, and then ran a
hand over his scruff-covered cheeks. When he looked at Kink again he smiled,
knew it was fake as fuck, but was not about to do this now. He had Callie on
his mind, those horrible images of her alone at that party, fuckers trying to
take advantage of her, and couldn’t think straight. Lucien saw red, saw bodies
at his feet as he kicked every asshole that talked to her, and had to leave
now. He knew what he had to do, because if he didn’t he’d be a motherfucking
mess and start destroying shit.

****

The music was loud and pulsing, and the
number of bodies crammed into this two-story house was intense. Callie had been
at the frat party for the last couple of hours, and aside from the lone beer
she had drunk an hour ago, she was now sticking with bottled water. It was hot
as hell in the house, and sweat beaded between her breasts and along the length
of her spine. Meredith was
beside
her talking to a guy
she apparently knew from high school, and the vibes Meredith and the guy were
throwing off to each other were nauseating and way too damn sexual for Callie’s
liking.

“Hey,
I’m going to get some fresh air,” Callie said, having to yell over the music.

Meredith
turned and shook her head. “No, we don’t leave without the other even for some
air. I’ll just have Brandon come with us?”

Now
it was Callie’s turn to shake her head. “I kind of am not feeling the whole
fuck me vibe I’m getting from you two.” Callie grinned. “Besides, I’ll just be
right outside on the porch. It is hot, and I’m sweaty.”

Meredith
shook her head again.

It
was nice that, although she had just met Meredith, she felt like they were
already good friends. She was about to tell her that she’d be fine ten feet
away, but Ritchie’s voice came through the loud music, and was right by her
ear.

“Want
to be my chaperone outside?”

She
looked at him and smiled. He smiled back, held up a bottle of unopened beer,
and pointed to the front door.

She
turned and looked at Meredith. “See, I have someone now to watch over me, and
now you’ll be able to properly catch up with Brandon and give each other the
‘fuck me eyes’” Callie nudged her in the shoulder. Meredith glanced at Brandon,
grinned, and then nodded at her, so Callie moved away from the wall they had
been standing by and toward the front door. Once outside, there was a handful
of people loitering around the porch, smoking cigarettes, drinking beer, and
tossing the cups aside. Callie and Ritchie moved to the back of the porch where
no one was, and she pressed her back to the railing.

“Thanks
for getting me out of there. I know Meredith wanted to talk with Brandon some
more, and I was feeling like a third wheel.”

Ritchie
handed her the beer, and she shook her head. She held up her bottle of water.
“Thanks but no thanks.”

He
shrugged and set the bottle on the ledge, then leaned on the railing, too.
After Ritchie took a swig from his bottle he glanced at her. “So Meredith knows
that guy in there?”

Callie
nodded. “Yeah, I guess they were kind of close in high school, like that
friends with benefits kind of close.” She smiled and then chuckled when
Ritchie’s eyebrows rose.

“Wow,
can’t say I’ve ever had that kind of friendship.”

Callie
chuckled harder. “Yeah, me either.”
Hell,
I have never had any kind of sexual relationship for that matter.
Of course
that was a piece of information she wasn’t about to share with him. “Hey,
thanks again for taking us here tonight. I met some really great people- even a
few that are in my courses.”

“Glad
no one was a douchebag to you. Some of the guys can get … touchy-feely when
they are drunk and there are pretty girls around.” He looked at her out of the
corner of his eyes.

She
felt her face heat, and although it was dark and she knew he probably couldn’t
see how he had embarrassed her with his compliment, she didn’t doubt he
probably could guess by the way she shifted on her feet.

“Well,
I’m glad none of them were
douchey
, and if they had
gotten touchy-feely I would have kicked them in the balls.”

Ritchie
started laughing hard. “That’s a girl. Kick them where it counts. Remind me
never to get on your bad side.” He reached out, and before she knew what he was
doing he pushed a piece of her hair off her shoulder. “Your hair is really
soft,” he said softly and looked at her right in the eyes. “You have a
boyfriend, Callie?” he asked, looking at her lips now.

“I,
uh—” She felt really uncomfortable right now, yet she couldn’t see to move as
her surprise at what was happening moved through her. “No, I don’t have a
boyfriend, but—”

“No
boyfriend, but you’re so pretty.” He cut her off and leaned in, and the scent
of his beer breath moved along her face.

Callie
moved away before his lips touched hers, and she cleared her throat in
discomfort.
“Um, Ritchie.”
She faced him, saw that he
was looking a little uncomfortable, and smiled softly. “I’m not really looking
for anything like that right now.” She ran her hands on her thighs and told
herself she could have used a beer right now, but then thought better of it.

“Nah,
it was my fault for reading something that wasn’t there, and for thinking I
could be so bold.” He laughed, but it was clearly awkward. “I’m kind of drunk,
and was not thinking clearly.” He rubbed his face with his hand and then
finished off his beer. He grabbed the unopened one he had brought for her,
popped the cap, and then downed that one, too.

“Hey, no worries.”
She didn’t want
either of them to be uncomfortable, and when he chuckled again she felt the
weirdness in the air start to leave.

“Okay,
don’t mind me, and please let’s forget all the stupid shut I just did and said
right now?” He looked hopeful.

“Of course.”
She smiled,
feeling better already. She may have only met Ritchie, but he had been really
nice to her, showed her around when he didn’t have to, and having him turn out
to be an asshole would have been shitty.

The
sound of a motorcycle engine revving had her heart racing and her looking
toward the street. Of course she knew it wouldn’t be Lucien, but it was kind
of
 
second
nature for
her brain to jump to the conclusion that it was the man she craved. It was also
instant to have the image of him on that massive motorcycle filling her head,
making her hot that had nothing to do with the party, and to feel sensitive all
over.

“Hey,
you mind if I grab another beer?” Ritchie said, oblivious to the fact she was
searching the street like some kind of psycho, looking for someone that would
clearly not be there.

She
shook her head and glanced at him. “Of course not, I’m not going anywhere
without Meredith.” She looked in the window beside her and could see Meredith
sitting on the couch with Brandon. He had his hand over her shoulder and was
playing with a piece of her hair. “And I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere for
a while.”

Ritchie
nodded, and then lifted up the now two empty beer bottles. “You sure you’re
good on the drink department?”

She
held up her bottle of water and nodded. “I’m good, thank you.”

He
turned and went inside, pushed through the throng of people standing by the
front door, and then disappeared. She turned and focused on the street again,
feeling stupid for even thinking about Lucien. She should purge him from her
mind and forget about everything she felt, but of course that was easier said
than done. And then she exhaled, leaned on the railing, and stared at the cars
parked in front of the house. But it was the flash of silver right under the
street lamp at the corner of the street that caught her eye. She followed her
gaze up the big front wheel, over the gleaming chrome and detailed custom work,
and the stopped when she saw the thick, big hands that held onto the handlebars.
Her heart started working double time, her palms started sweating, and she knew
without a doubt that she wasn’t seeing things.

Lucien
Silver was here, sitting on his Harley just feet from where she stood, and
staring right at her.

Chapter Six

No,
Callie was most definitely not seeing things. Lucien was here, at her college
and looking like he was about to tear shit up. He wore his leather cut, had on
his rugged and worn-in jeans, and the shadows partially covered his face. But
Callie knew it was him, could see the way his eerie grey eyes watched her,
moved with her actions, and then she found herself moving forward. But a hand
on her arm stopped her. She looked back, saw Ritchie handing her a fresh bottle
of water. He then followed her gaze to where Lucien sat.

“Hey,
you know him?” Ritchie asked, and still had his hand on her arm.

She
glanced at Lucien, and her stomach did a flip when she watched him climb off
his bike, his face a mask of pure rage as he moved with determined strides
toward them. “I do.” She pulled her arm out of Ritchie’s grasp. “You should
go.” She tried to get him to leave, because the way Lucien was moving toward
them, and the fact he looked pissed as hell, told Callie he was jumping to
conclusions about Ritchie touching her.

“I
can’t leave you when that beast of a guy is barreling toward us.”

“He’s
my dad’s friend, but he doesn’t look happy, so please, Ritchie, you should go.”
She pleaded, and then finally he took a step back. He looked between her and
then Lucien, and finally turned and headed back to the house, but she could see
that he stayed on the porch. It was sweet that he was looking out for her, but
against Lucien he was this string-bean of a kid.

She
stared at Lucien, and he stopped a few feet from her. He glanced over her
shoulder, most likely at Ritchie, and she saw his nostrils flare and his jaw
clench.

“What
are you doing here?” she asked, still surprised that Lucien was standing right
in front of her. He smelled good, like cologne that was wild and dark, and
motor oil from working on his bike. He had on a white shirt under his cut, and
she could see the defined outline of his muscles under the thin material. His
short dark hair was
a disarray
around his head, but
God, did it look good on him, and his eerie, powerful silver colored eyes
watched them both with menace. She felt her arousal and feelings for this man
come back with a vengeance. Of course they hadn’t disappeared, never would, she
knew, but seeing him here in the flesh, hours away from River Run, had her feeling
drunk off of the sight of him.

He
pulled his focus away from the frat house, but it seemed like it took him a lot
of effort. He stared at her, the muscles under his jaw clenching, but the look
he gave her, solely her, could have had her melting from the intensity of it if
she had been a weaker woman. Hell, who was she kidding? When it came to Lucien
she
was
weak.

“Your
dad told me you were coming to a party, and all I could think about was the
shit you had gotten yourself into three months ago.” His voice was hard and
unforgiving.

“I’m
fine, and am drinking water.” She knew that she had been stupid back then at
the party Lucien had saved her from, but she had learned her lesson, and was
not about to get put into that situation again, especially not one weekend away
from home. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling this chill in the air
even though she was still hot. “But to have you ride all the way over here
because you thought I’d fuck up again?” She didn’t mince her words, and
although she was thrilled to see him on a physical and emotional level because
of how she felt for him, she was a little annoyed that he had come barreling
out of the darkness about to kick Ritchie’s ass.

“It
isn’t you that I’m worried about making mistakes, Callie. You’re smart as fuck,
and I know you don’t put yourself in harm’s way purposefully.” He tilted his
chin toward the frat house. “It’s all those motherfuckers in there that have me
getting pissed, because I know what is going through their minds when they look
at you.” He growled out the words and glanced down at her clothes. “I’m glad
you’re covered up. When that fuck put his hand on you I about lost it, Callie.
I saw red and didn’t give a shit if I committed murder.” He stared at her hard.
“I meant it when I said I’d kill if any asshole put their motherfucking hands
on you.” His voice was a low growl.

His
voice was getting harder, darker, and she looked behind her. There were a few
people watching them a little apprehensively, but she had a feeling it had to
do with the fact Lucien was a scary guy in general, and not the fact that a
biker was standing in the yard.

“I’m
fine, everything here is fine, and you’re causing a scene.” She might love him,
but right now she was annoyed. Callie grabbed his thickly muscled forearm and
pulled him away, but at first it was like trying to move a slab of marble.
Finally he relented and allowed her to pull him a few feet away from the house.
She moved them over to his bike, glanced at the party again, and then exhaled.
“Does my dad know you’re here?”