Chapter Eleven

Lucas knew he should stop. He knew he should toss her onto that sofa, as far away from him as possible and demand all his damn money back... he didn't. He pulled her closer.

"Let me go..." she whispered again. Fire flared through his veins at her soft voice.

"And if I don't ...?" he repeated darkly, his eyes glowing in the flame that burnt to life in her emerald orbs.

He felt her struggle. "Then I-I'll scream and all other... c-consequences be damned," Kara stuttered as she pushed against him.

Lucas scowled and in a second he'd pushed her back. Kara gasped at the force in his push and found herself falling. He was immediately there again, catching her. She felt his hands wrap around her waist as he jerked her upright. Her breath deepened at his touch.

"Can't even keep yourself upright," he muttered, practically tossing her to the side.

Kara grabbed onto the armchair as he breezed past her, pulling herself upright. She stood by the armchair watching him as he sank onto the sofa and set one black booted foot onto his knee. A scowl twisted her mouth.

Look at him! Sitting on her sofa like he owned the whole damn world. So... unaffected by what he'd just done to her. Kara bit her bottom lip, watching as he lifted the remote and turned the TV on.

What had he done to her? Kara couldn't even explain it to herself. Frankly, she didn't want to. Whatever sorcery he'd put upon her to send her heart racing like that and her body burning like that, it was best left unidentified, she refused to be trapped.

She eyed him dangerously.

"Now this is what's going to happen," Luc began. Kara perked up. Oh, God. What was he going to demand of her?

Luc settled on a sports channel and watched some soccer while Kara stood and scowled at him.

"You," he said pointing the remote at her, eyes still trained on the screen. "...are going to do everything I say. Since you're a little thief, I don't think you've earned me going easy on you."

He glanced at her. "So I won't."

Kara sighed and approached to plop onto the sofa, but he raised a hand, stopping her.

"What are you doing?" Luc questioned and Kara pulled back, pouting. He wasn't going to let her sit in her own new cottage? What an ass.

"I was gonna sit..." she mumbled.

Luc shook his head. "No. I sit, you stand. I speak, you listen. You should be grateful, other thieves like you are toiling away in prison."

Kara scoffed. "Oh, for fuck's sake," she muttered angrily.

Lucas tilted his head at her, narrowing his eyes.

"You know what, Karen... which you and I both know is not your real name," he stated coldly, making Kara stiffen. "I think you're going to listen to me from now on, cause I'd say you're damn lucky I'm still talking. The last guy who stole from me... you want to know where he is?"

Kara gulped.

"No..." she whispered. She didn't want to know because she'd already imagined a million horrifying different possibilities and was afraid to find out which one was true. What if Lucas had buried the guy in a concrete floor alive and filled it with cement?

He smiled and nodded before lowering his foot and leaning forward. Kara's skin tingled.

"Now, listen. You are going to pay me back ever Franc you stole, alright?"

Her eyes widened. "What? Have you seeeeeen everything I've bought?" she whined, sinking dramatically to her knees. "I don't have that kind of money..."

Luc gave her a blank stare. "I don't care. You'll work for it. You've got a job here on the ranch, you should be able to earn a salary."
Kara stared at him. "You're serious."

He stared back, unblinking. She wanted to whine and just freaking throw a tantrum. How was she going to pay back all that money??
Well, that was usually what you would consider before stealing all that money, but she didn't know she would ever have to pay it back. She didn't think he'd find her. Dammit.

Fuck it, she wasn't doing it.

"I'm not doing it," Kara immediately stated.

Lucas titled his head with a frown.

"Say again?" he dared. Kara gulped. In a instant, she shuffled over to him on her knees.

"Please just forget about it. I'll never do it again, I promise. I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry," she begged, hating that it had gotten to this.

Lucas clenched his jaw, staring down at her big green eyes.

Fuck, when she was down on her knees like that. Staring up at him with those big eyes...her plump lips forming words that wasn't really hearing. Shit.

"Get up," Luc ordered roughly. when he told her to remain standing it was because he didn't want her close to him. The scent of her skin...it was fucking with him. And she was just a little street thief.

Kara frowned at his attitude. She rose to her full height and looked down her nose at him like she were a Queen and he, just a poor peasant.

'Fine," she practically snarled. "I'll give you back your damn money. But-"

"No," Lucas cut her off, watching her face darken with anger as she seemed to sink into her big jersey. "No 'Buts'. I don't need to hear anything from you."

"But I-" Kara began defiantly when Lucas stood up from the sofa, towering over her and the words trailed off. She looked down in irritation. Darn, if she'd known that little harmless trunk would bring her so many problems, she'd have stayed away. Or...maybe not.

"Every Franc," he said. "Now...Celeste sent some food over for you saying you're ill, but I think we both know exactly what that illness was, don't we? I bet you're feeling much better already. So I'm going back to that table and you're coming with me."

Kara made a face. "Why?"

"Because I said so," Luc responded easily. She only scowled harder.

"Fine."

Lucas watched her stomp over to a door before disappearing inside.

He sat back onto the sofa, running a hand through his hair. Damn, this dinner had turned into way more than he'd thought. How the hell had François found her? Her who's name he still didn't know. He was going to fix that.

A second later she emerged. Still in her sweatpants and hoodie, but now with a pair of loafers on her feet. She stomped back to him and placed her hands on her hips.

"Let's go then!" she snapped.

Lucas grinned before he could stop himself. She got angry so easily.

"I thought you would change or something," he stated, his lips twitching again. Kara scoffed.

"Why? I've got nobody to impress or dress up for."

He leaned back against the seat watching her glare at him as she stood so close to his legs. Nearly between them.

"Name," Luc said.

Kara lifted her chin like royalty and brushed him off. "Not important. Next."

Lucas' hand shot out and caught hers by the wrist, jerking her around to face him.

"Answer...the fucking question."

He saw her swallow, but she remained silent. He hated that. How she was so stubborn, she kept pushing him to do something a little extreme before she responded in the right way.

The next thing Lucas did threw Kara right off. With a flick of his wrist, she went falling forward all the way onto his chest, her eyes wide. When she was vulnerable, he knew she crumbled.

The position was the most embarrassing thing Kara had ever experienced. She glanced at his face and found his grey eyes staring intimidatingly at her. With a shriek, she closed her eyes tight and pushed her face against his body. It was so embarrassing, she could feel his chest underneath her face. His chest!!

Lucas froze the moment Kara's body made contact with his. And when she buried her face against him...the feeling of her dramatically horrified little pants against his heated skin...God, it was driving him insane.

He swallowed to moisten his suddenly parched throat. "Name," he rumbled again.

Kara shivered on his chest and it was all he could do to not lift her face and claim those inviting lips. Slowly, she raised her face to look at him.

He watched her hesitate, her cheeks as red as chillis. Finally, her lips parted. His eyes followed, slaves to her every move without even knowing it.

"Kara," she whispered.

Luc nearly groaned.

Fuck, he was so done.

"Get up," he commanded. She needed to get up before he did something stupid. Kara frowned down at him.

"You need to stop ordering me around, I will get up when I please, you are not the boss of me."

His grey orbs watched her, seeing how oblivious she was to the danger she was in at that moment.

When he remained quiet, Kara blushed.

"I'll get up...now.." she placed her hand besides him on the sofa and pushed herself up, hating the heat that suddenly took hold of her body. Her palms were even getting moist and it was that moisture that had her hand slipping and her body falling back on top of Lucas, hard.

His hands went to her waist of their own accord. Kara's eyes became saucers and she started scrambling to get up. This wasn't a position one was ought to be found in with one's enemy.

She was using maximum effort to upright herself, but his staring eyes and his hand on her back wasn't helping matters.

Suddenly they heard the front door open.

"Hello? Karreenn?" Celeste called.

Kara gasped.

Shit.