But it made me wonder what he thought when seeing me now after all this time. My denim shorts, striped red and white vest top and white sneakers weren’t exactly anything to write home about.
Besides, my mind was kind of stuck on the part when he said that he had no intention of forcing me to go back to Afterlife.
What the Hell?
I turned back to the table and started to pile up the books just for something to do other than look at him…it was too painful, knowing that perfection wasn’t mine anymore. I wasn’t free to touch it, to own it and drink it in wherever I wanted to. I swallowed down the hard lump of my reality and tried to get my hands to stop shaking.
“If that is true, then I still fail to see what it is you’re doing here,” I said trying to keep my tone steady, which helped without looking at him. But when he started laughing, I shot him a dumbfounded look over my shoulder.
“Seriously?” he asked, making me frown in answer.
“You just slapped me, kissed me and then I kissed you back, only better… and you’re asking me what it is I am doing here?” he said making me slam a book down and snap,
“Your kiss wasn’t better!” At this he folded his arms over his chest making the denim at his arms tighten around the biceps in that delicious way that made it really, really hard not to look at.
“It was,” he stated condescendingly.
“Gods, you’re so arrogant! No, it wasn’t!” I told him making him smirk in that cocky way before he leant his body forward at the waist slightly so he could tell me,
“Yeah… it fucking was.” I shook my head and rolled my eyes at him making his own widen before a full-on grin arose, making me hold up a finger and snap,
“Oh no, don’t you even fucking think of it!” Of course this was referring to his spanking rule as punishment for what he deemed a ‘disrespectful gesture’.
“Trust me, sweetheart, since you ran from me, then I can assure you that I have thought of little else but doing it and it has not one fucking thing to do with you rolling your eyes at me.” At this my mouth dropped open in surprise and he nodded to my face and said,
“Actually, you can include that expression on the list as well.” At this I snapped my mouth shut and narrowed my eyes at him.
“You’re unbelievable!” I snapped making him tell me in a firm and pissed off tone,
“No, what is unbelievable is that you made it this far and this long alone…I have to say, you broke all records with that one, Princess.”
“Oh, I was waiting for how long it would be before you went back to calling me Princess,” I threw back at him.
“I believe I used the term Khuba and sweetheart first, or didn’t you notice and was too busy waiting for one that suits your pissed off mood?” Grrr I hated it when the asshole made a point!
“Ahhh, Gods, you’re intolerable!” I snapped with a throw of my arms making him nod my way and tell me,
“Yes, and for these last two months, then the feeling is mutual, although I would have chosen impossible, stubborn, reckless, obstinate, and tenacious…oh, and of course, infuckingsane! But hey, you go ahead and pick one,” he snapped making me reply in a mocking tone,
“Oh right, just because I chose to leave you, eh…? Because that could never happen to the mighty Lucius without being insane…clearly.”
“Ahh, so you picked one…good choice, as it was the one I was leaning heavily towards myself.” I growled at him and turned back to the table and then spun around, opened my mouth to say something that never came. Damn it, but it left me at just the sight of him raising a brow in question before I huffed and turned back to the table again now looking like an idiot.
Then I took a deep breath, found my words, and turned to face him one last time.
“And she’s back again,” he muttered the moment I knew what I wanted to say, ignoring his sarcasm, and telling him,
“I was insane for…” suddenly I was stopped dead, losing my train of thought and the ability to speak when a hand covered my mouth and he was inches from me.
“I am going to stop you there, Princess, before the humour of this moment runs dry and the memory of your kiss is replaced by the bitter bite of your tongue lashed my way,” he warned making me look up at him with wide eyes before I mumbled against his hand,
“I thout you sid your kiss wass bett…er?” At this he grinned down at me and, keeping his hand in place, he leaned closer and whispered,
“It was but yours was a good contender for first.” I swallowed hard and his eyes flashed a shade of amber at the sight. Gods, but I had missed that sight, so much so that it made my chest ache. I would see it sometimes in my dreams. Those eyes watching me through the darkness, as if watching over me, guiding me to the safety away from my nightmares.
“But then, it is unsurprising, seeing as you are out of practice,” he told me in a playful tone that made me growl behind his palm before I gripped onto his wrist and bit into the soft fleshy part near his thumb. However, this didn’t exactly have the desired effect, as he just grinned down at me, before taunting me,
“Harder, sweetheart, for it tickles.” I growled and yanked it down with a hard tug forcing him to release me. Then I snapped,
“Oh, but I don’t want another mental image of you ‘practicing’ thanks.” At this his playful humour was gone in an instant and darkness took over it before he got closer to my face and snarled,
“Reel in your claws and tone down the bitch act princess, for it doesn’t fucking suit you!”
“Oh my Gods, you utter asshole!” I shouted pushing on his chest, happy that he stepped back so I could escape his hold.
“I can’t believe all this time I have been spending it miss…I mean thanking that I…uh…left.” I trailed off my sentence not knowing what to say to cover up the mistake I’d made, as I knew he heard it when he shot me a look of shock before his angry features softened. I turned my back to him and started to walk away when he grabbed my hand and tugged me back to him.
“Spending it?” he asked, making me clear my throat first before answering,
“I just told you.”
“No, what you just told me was a lie to cover up the truth,” he argued, making me swallow down about half of the things I really wanted to say to that. And he knew it. As he raised a hand before it turned into a fist and fell. Then he closed his eyes for the seconds it took him to say in a strained tone,
“Don’t say it, Amelia, don’t you dare say it.” I turned away from him and walked back to the table to grab my canvas book bag. Then I started stuffing the books I needed back inside it, as I told him,
“Consider this as me dared not to say anything else but, bye Lucius.” Then I folded the flap over the opening and hooked the strap across my chest before grabbing the lightweight jacket I’d brought because it was chillier in the mornings.
Then I started to walk away, not exactly getting far without him. This was because Lucius grabbed my hand in his and no matter how much I tried to get out of his grip, I couldn’t. Then he looked down at me and informed me,
“Like I said, you can have your time, but it is going to be spent by my side…”