L J Baker [Baker - Lust

2018 LJ Baker

All right reserved.

"Real life's nasty.

It's cruel.

It doesn't care about heroes

and happy endings

and the way things should be.

In real life, bad things happen.

People die. Fights are lost.

Evil often wins."

Darren Shan

L uc noticed her as soon as he walked in the room. Her blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail as usual and she was sitting on the table, kicking her legs back and forth. She was laughing at something Harley said like it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. He stopped in his tracks, watching her, and something swirled in his stomach.

Even before Amanda noticed him and waved him over, he had an overwhelming need to be close to her. It was like no time had passed, and he was right back in his month with her.

There was a part of him that wanted to turn around, walk in the other direction, and avoid getting closer. Their time was over. She wasn't the one, but he still wanted her. His polite side won out and he made his way over to the table.

"Amanda, great to see you. Are you making a delivery?" Luc remained standing, hoping it would be a short visit.

He wasn't sure how long he could be around her and not want to swipe her hair off her neck and kiss her soft skin. He knew what it felt like to touch her, to feel her heat envelop him, to be lost in pleasure with her.

And he missed it.

Damn did he miss it.

"Nah, just came to drop something off to Toby."

Luc glanced around, not finding Toby anywhere in sight.

She noticed, and added, "He went to make a call. Harley's been keeping me company. So how have you been? I heard your sister came to visit."

Luc nodded, shooting Harley a quick look, in hopes that she would save him somehow. "Yeah, she's hanging around for a while. How's school?"

"Well I'll let you two kids catch up," Harley winked behind Amanda's back and walked off.

Great friend she was.

"Sit, relax," Amanda said, patting the table next to her. "You look tense."

Because he was.

Luc sat on the chair furthest away from her and she scooted closer, increasing the discomfort factor by ten.

At least.

"School is going great. Although, studying with Toby and his new boyfriend around sucks. Have you met Zach?" She leaned back on one arm and stretched her back. The scent of her shampoo swirled in the air around them and Luc shifted in his seat.

"I have. He seems like a good guy."

"Yeah, he is. Toby deserves someone great like that. Though to be honest, I never thought he would settle down. I didn't think he had it in him."

She went on about Toby, his boyfriend, and her classes, chatting like they were old friends catching up. Luc tried to stay focused on the conversation, but he found it difficult to overlook the fact that not that long ago, he'd had his head between her thighs, making her scream his name.

"So what about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

Luc's attention jumped back and he shook off his wayward thoughts. "Me? Um, no, not really."

"That's a bit sketchy." She laughed. "Which is it, no, or not really?"

Since she lived with Toby, she could easily find out what he's been up to, so dancing around the truth seemed pointless. But Luc didn't want to talk about other women with her.

"You know, a date here or there. Nothing serious. How about you?"

"Nah. I've been focused on school. If I can keep up this pace, I'll be done in six months. Don't get me wrong, I like coming here every week, but this job can suck it." She picked up her glass, drank the rest down, and hopped off the table. "I better get going. Let Toby know I'll see him at home?"

"Of course." Luc stood and gave her a quick hug before she left. He wanted to tell her not to go, to have dinner with him, to spend the next week in his bed, but he just returned the hug and watched her leave. She wasn't his soul mate, so why did he feel such a connection to her?

"She's cute, right?" Harley appeared at his side, nearly making him jump.

"Was that ever in question." Luc grumbled and went toward the bar. He needed a drink, or maybe seven.

"Come on. I saw that look on your face. You were happy to see her."

"I was trying to avoid it actually. You really need to work on your social cues." Luc grabbed himself a glass and the bottle of bourbon from behind the bar. Before he could pour it, Harley was on the other side, taking over.

"Only because you don't want to feel things. You do realize that just because your month is over, doesn't mean you can't go back to one of the girls at some point, right?"

"I realize that."

If only she knew he'd gone back to see Ronnie before he met Talia. But the thought of going back, really being with one of the previous girls, hadn't really sunk in for him. Rationally, he knew that he had to finish all seven sins before he could pick one anyway, so it made sense that he might eventually spend more time with one of them. He just never thought of it that way. When their month was over, it felt finished each time.

"So then why avoid her?"

"Amanda has her own life now. She doesn't need me interfering and screwing with it."

"And if she's really your soul mate?" Harley poured herself a tequila, something she rarely did while working, and tipped it back in one gulp. "If you shut her out, you might never know."

Luc swirled the bourbon in his glass and watched it spin. "She's not."

"How do you know?"

"I know."

He had no clue.

Before he started all this, Luc assumed that he would know right away when he met his soul mate. He'd since learned that probably wasn't the case. He honestly had no idea what he was doing, or if he would know who his true love was if she slapped him in the face.

After being with more women than he could ever count, Luc never felt anything more for any of them, other than affection, or physical attraction. That was until he started this game. Each of the girls made him feel things he'd never experienced. He wasn't even sure what true love felt like. So how could he know when he found it?

It was part of the reason he wanted to pick lust as this month's sin. Lust was easy. There would surely be plenty of sex, and sex, was something Luc understood. The rules were simple. He was good at it. Love connection or not, the month wouldn't be spent having no idea what he was doing.

Harley was slicing limes, unaware of the turmoil inside him. There was a part of him that wanted to open up, to tell her what a mess this game was making him, but she would laugh. Harley was a great friend, but this wasn't the kind of thing he could talk to her about. Az was a bit better, but Luc wasn't sure he could have that conversation with his brother. Instead, he would keep quiet and hope for the best.

"You come up with this month's pick yet?" Luc caught a lime that got away from Harley and tossed it back to her.

"I've been wondering when you were going to ask about that."

The month had only been officially over for a few days, in his defense, and they'd been dealing with the whole Michael mess. He wasn't sure when that asshole would show up, so rushing into the next sin was irresponsible. And still, he wanted to do it.