Chapter Nine
Luca was so fucking pissed off at himself. Work wasn’t a good distraction. The social worker, Annabel, was due to arrive tomorrow, and he didn’t like the thought of that blonde bitch being in his home. He certainly didn’t like that he’d pushed Mavis away at every turn during this past week.
He’d done more work in an attempt to distract himself, but it had only made him even more angry.
Work wasn’t important to him, not like Mavis. Last night, he’d kicked her out of his bed, and he’d watched her walk out of the room with a slump to her shoulders. He hated seeing her like this, knowing he was the one causing her pain, but he didn’t know what else to do.
What if they could take her away from him?
He was the one that was supposed to be in charge and responsible for her. He needed to tell her that Annabel was coming, but each time he tried, he found himself stuck. He didn’t want to blow the bubble that had surrounded them the past few weeks. Their life had been perfect without any interference from the outside world.
Of course, that world had to invade his home.
The ranch hands and businessmen he’d been speaking with had asked him how fatherhood was, or how he handled his young daughter far away from the prying eyes of the world.
It had pissed him off, but it had also reminded him that he was supposed to be taking care of her, not keeping her to himself, which was what he wanted to do.
He didn’t want the world to know how precious she was, or how amazing their life was out here.
When people saw happiness like this, they set out to either destroy it or replicate it. This was their own piece of heaven.
He shouldn’t have yelled at her, and it pissed him off that he allowed the pressure of everything else to make him lash out.
She’d been so hurt, and he’d just walked away because that was what adults did.
She’s an adult too, asshole.
Stop treating her this way and either commit or let her the fuck go.
He didn’t want to let her go, and didn’t believe for a second that it was even possible for him to do something like that.
Could he really let her go?
No.
It was the one thing he couldn’t do.
He’d refuse to give her up.
Mavis deserved someone who cared about her, who would do everything in their power to keep her safe and protected, and he was that person.
What about love?
He wouldn’t think about that. Love wasn’t part of him. He couldn’t do it.
Susan was still cooking away, the delicious scents permeating the entire house. He checked upstairs but didn’t find Mavis anywhere in sight.
He checked the dining room, the library, and the movie room. Still nowhere in sight. He’d only caught her a few times in the kitchen, but he figured that was where she had to be.
Susan was at the stovetop, stirring something in a pot.
“Have you seen Mavis?” he asked.
“She went out in the yard. I don’t know what is going on with you two, but she looked really upset.”
He ignored Susan’s prying tone, and went out into the yard. He gave Mavis’s name a shout but still nothing.
The chill in the air nipped at the exposed flesh of his arms. Today he’d purposefully put on one of his business suits in an attempt to distract himself from the woman that was living with him.
He moved off the porch step and started walking through the garden.
She had to be in the pool house.
He’d not gotten the carpet removed yet, but it was on his list of things to do. Would she be disgusted when she saw the blood? The evidence of her virginity?
Thinking about that night made his dick hard, and all he wanted to do was lay her out beneath him and make love to her. He’d been a giant dick to her, and there was no getting past that.
Running fingers through his hair, he came to the opening of the pool and the house, only to see Mavis in the water.
Her eyes were closed, and he saw tears running down her cheeks.
You did that to her, asshole.
You made her cry.
“Mavis, honey, did you hear me shouting?”
“Go away,” she said.
She whispered the words so slightly, but he heard the pain deep inside them. She was upset, and he knew why.
He’d been a total dick and asshole to her, and she deserved more and better, especially from him.
“I’m not going away,” he said.
She opened her eyes, and he stared into their blue depths. “Why? Do you need your dick attended to, is that it? You want to forget for a few minutes that I’m a teenager. That you’re my guardian.”
“Mavis?”
“No. You can’t do this. It’s not fair. I may be eighteen years old, but this hurts. Don’t you get that? It hurts to be part of something and then have it torn away from you. I thought we were doing really well, and then today, why yell at me? Why do this to me? Why kick me out of your bed?”
He noticed her lips were blue, and he frowned.
“You heated the water, right?” he asked.
“Go away, Luca. I don’t want you here.”
He didn’t go away. Stepping up to the pool, he crouched down and felt the cold of the water.
“What the fuck! Get out of the water.”
“No.”
“How long have you been in there?” he said.
“Stop it. Just stop it.” She screamed each word at him.
“I’m not joking around here, Mavis.”
“Neither am I.”
“Then get out of the damn water and stop acting like a child.”
“How am I acting like a child? You can swim in cold water. I’ve not been in here long enough and I’m fine. I’ve read all about it. Leave me alone.”
He was done trying to reason with her.
Climbing into the water, he felt the chill go straight to his bones. If she wasn’t ill after this, it would be a fucking miracle.
She started to move away from him, and it was then he noticed she was completely naked, and it pissed him off.
He turned his back for two minutes and look what kind of shit was going on.
This was your fault.
She doesn’t know about Annabel.
Nor does she know that you’re a fucking dick.
He turned toward her, and she shook her head.
“Why can’t you just give me some time to think?” she asked.
“Because you can make yourself ill doing this, and now I’m pissed off that I wasn’t here to keep an eye on you.”
“You can’t control everything. Not even me. I can do what I want.”
“You sound like a child.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not even going to attempt to argue about this. I wanted some time away from the house. From everything. I’ve done nothing wrong and you yell at me, for what?”
“I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”
“No, you shouldn’t.”
He took a step toward her but stopped as she moved away. He didn’t like that she kept trying to leave him, to move away.
“Why did you?” she asked.
“Why did I what?”
“Yell at me. I only asked for you to spend some time with me in this pool. I don’t get it. Can I not ask you for something?”
“Of course you can. It’s just … Annabel is coming.”
She frowned. “Who’s Annabel?”
“The social worker.”
“She’s coming here?”
“Yes. Tomorrow. I didn’t … I don’t know what her power is in this situation. You’re of age, but I am still your guardian. I don’t know if she can take you away from me, and I don’t want to lose you, Mavis. I care, and that’s why I’ve been trying to keep you at arm’s length. I know you deserve more.”
“I don’t want her to come here. She can’t take me away.”
“She’s checking up on you.”
“Or she’s wanting to see what you’ve got,” Mavis said, snorting.
“Excuse me?”
“She was checking you out when you came to pick me up. It wouldn’t surprise me if she suggests she stay over or have dinner.” She shook her head and made her way outside of the pool. He watched her, giving her the few seconds she needed, but then he was at the edge of the pool, climbing out.
He couldn’t believe she’d been foolish enough to get in the pool fucking naked.
Her hands shook as she tried to get her clothes on. She’d been in the pool too damn long, and now she was at risk of getting sick or something.
Rushing to her side, he took her clothes out of her hands and picked her up.
“Let me down.”
“Not happening.”
“I don’t want you to touch me.”
“Too fucking late.”
He carried her back to the house. Once again, he ignored Susan’s gaze and took her to the bathroom. He had to get her warmed up.
There’s no way he was losing her.
Not now.
Not after he’d finally found her.
****
Luca had been right. Mavis gritted her teeth as she shook against the cold. He didn’t leave her alone though. He turned the shower on and stood with her, holding her in his arms as the water slowly started to warm her skin. He didn’t rush the heating. He took it slow, and she felt so damn numb, which was what she wanted to feel.
With his arms around her though, she couldn’t focus, nor could she breathe. She loved being in his arms more than anything else in the world. Whenever he held her, surrounded her with his warmth, she could finally breathe, and if he took that away, she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to handle that.
She wanted him.
Love.
It was a word that she had often mocked.
She didn’t believe in love.
Love was something people gave each other and took away whenever they got bored. She’d never wanted any part of it, but when Luca stared at her like she was the only woman in the world, for a little while, she’d hope.
Time passed, and she rested her head against his chest. Every few minutes or so, he’d change the dial on the water to make it a little warmer.
When the shaking had stopped and her body was once again warm, he turned off the shower and helped her out.
She didn’t stop him as he dried her body.
His gentle touches meant a lot to her.
“Are you going to push me away again?” she asked.
“No.”
“I don’t want you to lie to me.”
Luca cupped her face, the towel resting over her shoulders as he did so. “I can promise you, right here, right now, I will never, ever lie to you. I will always tell you the truth. I can’t live without you. I don’t want to. I’m going to deal with Annabel, and then we’ll talk.”
Already, she didn’t like the sound of this talk.
She didn’t fight him as he led her toward his bedroom. He tucked her into his bed and sat on the edge.
“I’m going to go and get some soup for you.”
“I feel fine.”
“For now. I’m not going to risk it though.” He reached out, stroking some hair from her face.
“I want to stay here forever, Luca. I don’t want to leave.”
“You’re young.”
“And you think that means I just want to leave? To go and explore the world because that is what every other young person does?”
“Mavis, people change their minds.”
“I won’t.”
“You don’t know that, and I’m not going to force you to do something you shouldn’t. I’m not that kind of monster.”
She felt tears well up in her eyes, and she didn’t know what to say or do that would make him see that she meant business. That she wanted to stay with him and that it wasn’t just a bunch of words to her.
God help her.
She had fallen in love with him, and now she felt sick again.
He leaned over, kissing her cheek. “Now, stay. Don’t think I won’t remember that this means a spanking is coming your way.”
“I’m sick.”
“You won’t always be, and I will take care of you.” He kissed her again, and she watched him leave the room, wanting nothing more than for him to join her.
Wrapping his blankets around her naked body, she closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of him.
To her, it didn’t matter what anyone said, Luca was part of her life, and she didn’t want to give him up, not now, not ever. She let sleep finally claim her as there was nothing else that she could do right now, and she was so tired.