To Love a Shifter: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set (58 page)

      “I’m still undecided if being thrown to the dungeons would be the better alternative.”

      Luka’s eyes narrowed. “Your parents have told me you’ve become…unreasonable.”

      “Your parents
don’t
have to tell me you’ve become more of a pompous jerk these days.”

      Luka laughed.

      It wasn’t the reaction I was hoping for. Worse, my body was turned on by it—a reaction I definitely wasn’t hoping for either.

      In a gentle voice that had me stiffening, he murmured, “Your parents are worried about you and so am I.”

      “Worried?” I asked with a mocking smile. “After almost three years of zero communication? Puh-lease, Luka. I may not be as smart as you are but I’m not stupid either.”

      He appeared startled at the sharpness of my words. “You’ve changed.”

      My smile glittered, but it also became more brittle. “Just enjoying my life the only way I know how.”

      Luka’s frown darkened. “I’ve read the report on your violations, Caylie. And I know that you know what you’re doing is not a good way to lead your life. You’ve been drinking poisoned blood all the time—”

      Actually, I wasn’t. It had been all for show—for him—but he wasn’t to know that. Shrugging nonchalantly, I answered, “Every kid my age does it.”

      His nostrils flared, and I knew he was closer to losing his temper—a rare sight, but one could hope. “Your grades are
abysmal.
”

      “I’m a
Sonora,
in case you’ve forgotten. I’ll never get kicked out.”

      “And you stay out late every night—”

      I let out a yawn. “What good would being a Caro do if I can’t stay out late? It’s not like I can party in the sun, can I?”

      Luka’s voice hardened. “Well, I’m sorry to tell you this, Caylie, but all those things have to stop
now
.”

      Shit
.

      That coldly commanding tone skittered over my spine, making me want to shiver. Why, why, why was everything about Luka Georgiades so much more of a turn-on now?

      I raised a brow, murmuring, “
Really
?”

      Luka’s expression became steely. “Yes.”

      I crossed my arms over my chest, knowing it would push my breasts up. “And how do you propose to do that?”

      For a fraction of a second, Luka’s legendary control wavered, his beautiful manners forgotten as his gaze strayed down.

      Yes, yes, you cold-hearted bastard. Do you want to touch them, cup them, suck them?

      I said blandly, “Well?”

      When our gazes met once more, he was flushed, fists clenched, back ramrod straight—the very picture of a man in the verge of breaking.

      Poor Luka.

      Having one of the finest minds of our race was simply not enough to save him from what was the most common of man’s downfall—thinking with his dick instead of his brain.

      “Well?”

      Luka’s eyes narrowed—an indication that he didn’t like how I was talking to him. Even so, his voice was calm and matter of fact when he answered, “If I have to spend every second with you just to keep you on the right track then that is what I will do.”

      Liar, you liar!

      I took a deep breath, trying not to show how his words…hurt.

      I wished it didn’t, but it did.

      Luka, you promised.

      I could remember how broken my voice sounded when I…

      Luka, please, you promised.

      I had begged him, and he had still left me.

      Letting out an incredulous and slightly shaky laugh, I said disbelievingly, “Do you honestly think for one moment I’m going to buy that? Come on, Luka. You and I both know you don’t really have any interest in staying with me. Been there, done that, not going to believe you ever again, you know.”

      Luka said nothing.

      No excuses, no apologies—no anything, and it made me so furious I could feel my fangs wanting to break free.
Why?
Why didn’t he even feel the slightest bit guilty for abandoning me?

      Unable to keep the bitterness from coating my voice, I snapped, “Why not stop with the pretense, Luka? You might want to do the
right
thing by getting me back on track but we both know that you can’t really stick it out in the end.”

      Tears clogged my voice, tears that I never had any plans of shedding. They were just…there, as if they had always been in the brink of falling. “Just call it quits now! Just fucking leave me like you did before!”

      But still his cruel icily beautiful face remained indifferent. “I don’t care about what you think.”

      Don’t cry, Caylie. Don’t.
I struggled to breathe, to keep the tears at bay.

      “Right now, what matters is that I have been appointed as your rehabilitator and I always do my duty.” He checked his watch, a slim gold Piaget that most guys his age would have trouble carrying off with such panache. But he did so, better than most adults. And God, even as I hated him, even as I wanted to cry because of him, I still couldn’t help feeling turned on with just the way he so elegantly moved, the cuffs of his hand-made suit falling back as he checked the time.

      “If you don’t mind,” he drawled ever so politely, “let us stop wasting my time and start with your studies now.”

      I turned my back to him, needing a moment to escape the sight of him, the mere presence of him. Haltingly, I asked, “H-how long should I expect to…
suffer
your presence?”

      “For as long as it takes.”

      Then that could be forever
, I thought dully. I needed my revenge like I needed blood to survive, but even as I hated him with all my heart I knew that I needed Luka, too. Today proved it. Luka back in my life as a foe was better than Luka out of it. The truth just made me want to cry harder.

      I said lightly, mockingly, “Promises, promises.”

      Luka answered easily, “But I do mean it. I will do whatever it takes to get you back to your normal self.”

      Straightening, I turned around to gaze at him again, control restored, not one bit of my sadness and unease showing on my face. “Whatever. Let’s get on with it then.”

      I climbed up to my bed—it was a literal climb since it was a huge four-poster bed, set on an even huger red-carpeted platform. After tucking my legs under me, I looked back to see him hard-faced again.

      This time, I couldn’t even rejoice in his suffering.

      His words still hurt.

      You could have had my body, you fucking bastard. You could have had it every night and I would gladly give it to you but you threw me away.

      I raised a brow. “Well?”

      His gaze left my face, slowly lowering back to the swell of my breasts over my blouse. I saw his eyes turning crimson red and I gasped, unable to believe that he had revealed himself this much this early. My breasts immediately reacted to his gaze, nipples begging more of his attention, of his touch.

      Then his gaze turned to the bed.

      Oh. Shit, oh, oh shit.

      Instantly, images crowded my mind—Luka in my bed, undressing me, sucking my nipples, his hands going down—

      I clenched my teeth together to keep my fangs from slicing out, burying my nails into my palms as I angrily strove for focus, concentrating on the pain in order to similarly bury those almost-blasphemous images.

      Arousal was a power game for us Caros. You lost if you gave in to lust first, and right now, I was pretty sure I was about to join the losing side. Unwilling to taste defeat this early, I straightened, squaring my shoulders, and tossed my hair over my shoulder, deliberately flaunting my breasts even more.

      His gaze jerked up—just in time for Luka to see
my
own gaze dip low…until it reached his dick, which immediately and
immensely
swelled in response.

      Shiit, shit, shit—was it just my imagination or was Luka’s dick the
largest
I had ever seen—or sort-of-seen?

      Luka’s head abruptly turned to the side. “This isn’t a good place to study,” he gritted out.

      I silently inhaled and exhaled, taking advantage of the few seconds he wasn’t looking at me to get my bearings back. Seducing him was part of the plan, but…not right now. Not just now—not just yet, not when things felt too intense.

      “We have to find another place—”

      “There is
no
other place and you know it.” Even though we had a big house, all the other rooms were usually occupied either by my parents or any of the countless associates they had over every day—and night—for business meetings.

      Luka didn’t answer—and he didn’t move either, not until more than a few moments had passed and he finally took one of the high-backed chairs from my private lounge area in my bedroom, carrying it to the top of the platform.

      My heart sort of squeezed at the sight. Sexual tension totally over, now replaced by the emotional kind—I missed catching glimpses of Luka’s old-fashioned courtesy. Other guys would have dragged that chair but Luka? No, that would have been impolite. He’d carry it instead—like he was now. And his sitting posture? Always beautifully perfect too—like now as well. Straight back, feet firmly on the floor, hands on his lap. He
never
ever turned the chair the opposite way to straddle it, the same way you’d never catch him wearing a cap, with the back in front.

      Luka’s elegant fingers slipped into the leather handles of my pink tote bag. “I take it this is your school bag?”

      I nodded.

      “According to your most recent grades, your greatest problem is history.”

      Actually—that was my favorite subject, but it was the easiest to flunk, hence the grade. “It’s just so boring.”

      “Nevertheless, you need to study it.” Luka’s voice took on a serious note. “As a Caro, it is your responsibility to study your race’s history. We are not like humans, Caylie. We may have all the same trappings they do and we may walk on the same ground but make no mistake: our existence is still not free from the dangers that our forefathers had died defending us from.”