Chapter Eighteen

Kara sat cross-legged on her bed, staring at the wall in shock. A chill ran down her back and she shivered before rubbing her hands over her arms. The same way she'd shivered in Luc's arms and he had rubbed her...
Kara groaned in annoyance and leaped off the bed to pace before it, one hand at her hip, the other at her mouth.
She couldn't believe she let him do that! Who the hell gets so damn cozy with their enemies?
Who the hell gets so cozy with any man?! She huffed and wrapped her arms around herself. Earlier, she hadn't wanted Luc and the others to think she was immature and childish, but the truth was that Kara really had never been in this kind of situation before. Nobody had ever touched her like that and the fact that she let Lucas do so was one that made her blush in shame.
She'd always looked at the other girls in the slum with mild disgust, vowing to never let herself be like them.
They'd slept with any man they could find.
From Markov's guards to the clients in the bars and casinos.
It made Kara shudder.
Yet, here she was, her body tingling in remembrance of Luc's hands on her.

God, she'd grinded on him!
Kara's wide eyes stared at the walls as she chewed on her bottom lip. What on earth had gotten into her? And what was she going to do now? Being a man, he'll probably expect her to do this with him again. Hah! Never.
She's such an idiot.
Grimacing, she brought a paint streaked hand up to slap her forehead. Oh God, how was she ever going to face him again? This was the end! She might as well roll up the bed sheets and hang herself from the shower.
Only that probably wouldn't work and also she didn't want to die and leave behind her amazing TV and that yummy pizza all because of him!
Damn him.
With a huff, she sank onto the bed and crossed her arms. Her stomach rumbled and she remembered that she'd only had a few bites off pizza since her breakfast.
Oh, dang!
To get food, she'd have to go out there and face him. Kara sighed and rested her chin in her hand. Maybe she could hold out for the night?
Her stomach gave a loud rumble, telling her exactly what it thought of that idea.
Rolling her eyes, she got up.
"Fine," she huffed, staring at the closed door. She was really hungry, but she honestly just wanted to crawl into bed and never see Lucas again after that... whatever he did to her with his fingers! She needed more motivation to go back out there.
Then she remembered Jack Sparrow. A loud gasp escaped her and she went bursting out of the room. Kara was momentarily held back when she rammed herself right into Lucas, who for some reason had been standing outside her door.
He grabbed her shoulders, steadying her before he frowned down into her eyes. "Kara! What's wrong, is there someone in there?" he questioned.
She stared up at him. "Jack!" she gasped and shrugged out of his hold, heading straight for the sofa. A wide grin spread over her face when she saw that Luc had switched the channel back to the pirates.
Kara reached forward and grabbed a box of pizza which she put on her lap and devoured, slice by slice.
Lucas remained standing and watched her. He didn't know whether to mention what just happened or not. He couldn't help himself, but it had been a mistake.

He scowled, annoyed with himself. What the hell was he standing there like a naughty schoolboy for? He wasn't afraid of anything!
He approached and lowered himself onto the couch, facing Kara although she kept her full attention on a little monkey on the screen.

"Kara." he called firmly. "Listen..."

Kara's hand shot up in Luc's face, cutting him off. He looked at the hand with dangerously narrowed eyes.
She lowered it, but didn't face him.
"Don't speak to me, don't look at me, don't t-touch me, don't think of me. Mistakes happen, but only once, never twice," she stated shakily, staring at the TV.

Lucas scowled at her. "Don't you give me orders like I'm your garden boy. I give the orders!"
Kara rolled her eyes.
Irritated, he grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him. "You think I wanted to do that? Huh? I've never touched, much less slept with any woman who wasn't a model or successful businesswoman or a fucking actress! What makes you think I'd want a-"

"Street thief? Low life?" Kara offered, tears of rage glistening in her eyes.
Lucas glared down at her, cursing himself a million times over. What the hell was the matter with him, losing his temper like this?

She snatched her arm out of his hold. "I said, don't touch me!"
With that, she got up and stalked away from the lounge area, her favorite movie forgotten.
She approached her work station and quickly pulled her brushes out of the paint thinners and took them over to the sink where she gave them a good wash. He stared at her angry, jerky movements and knew he'd been a dick.
"Kara..."
"Please. Do not speak to me. I will work and pay you your money, then I will leave and go back home and you will never have to set your eyes on this street thief again!"

Lucas frowned. "Une minute... I never said you had to leave the ranch. What you do after you pay me back...that's... that's none of my business."
She couldn't leave the ranch! Where the hell would she go? And where is home?
Kara pinned him with a look as she rested a fist on her hip and the other hand on the sink.

"You think I'm leaving the ranch for you?" she demanded. When Lucas shrugged, she glared at him and threw her hands up in frustration.
"Are all men that conceited or only Frenchmen?! I'm leaving because I want to! It's my choice."
She furiously shook her brushes off and stalked back to her working station to tidy up.
Lucas studied her with a confused expression. He couldn't understand what the hell her problem was.
They shared the space in charged silence, Kara on the edge of her temper and still carrying embarrassment heavy in her gut.
How dare he insinuate that he would never sleep with someone like her? She didn't want him either!
She huffed as she set her paints on one side of the table.
Lucas sighed and finally stood to approach her, very well aware that he was going into a war zone.
He stood behind her as she furiously polished an already gleaming table.
"You'll polish the wood off," he murmured.
She threw him a lethal side eye and her chin jutted out in stubborn silence.
Lucas sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry."
Kara spun around and settled her hands on her hips. "What for?"
He shrugged. "For saying something you didn't like."
Kara tilted her head. "For saying something I didn't like? You were rude. Say it."
He narrowed his eyes at her and remained silent.

"Lucas," Kara said, awaiting a proper apology.
He swallowed at the sound of his name sliding off her tongue and turned away.
"I was rude. I'm sorry for being rude," he mumbled and went back to the sitting area. She watched him neutrally for a second before grinning in silence.

Feeling, triumphant, she turned around and finished tidying up her work station.
Kara winced as she realized that her right arm hurt a little, probably from painting for about nine hours straight. She massaged the shoulder as she approached the kitchen.
Lucas stared grumpily at the screen where the movie was coming to an end.
Kara bit her lip and bent to get an apple out of the fridge. She studied him as she munched loudly on her apple.
His frown was one of annoyance.
She shrugged. He shouldn't have come if he found her annoying, should he?
Tomorrow morning he'd leave and she wouldn't let him do this again. No matter how safe he made her feel. Because, if she thought about it, the danger she faced with her father wasn't nearly as bad as the danger Lucas Cartier proposed.
At least she'd dealt with Markov before, Kara had never in her life felt what Lucas made her feel. She wasn't going to have that!
With a determined nod, she strutted past the TV, purposely hindering his view for a few seconds and went into her room.
One shower later, she sat on her bed feeling fresh and exhausted at the same time.
The large t-shirt she wore barely reached mid-thigh, but was very comfortable. Kara tied back her hair, put off the light and went to sleep.
Lucas knew the moment that the light beneath her door went off, that she'd gone to sleep. His jaw clenched. Something was the matter with him. He's heard her shower running and had nearly lost his mind, getting tortured by thoughts of her being in there, naked and all wet.
Merde.
After glowering at the TV for a minute more, he switched it off and stretched himself out on the sofa, thinking of her. Kara.
Raphaël had already ruled out that it was a planned robbery and accepted that Kara took the money all on her own. He'd been shocked, telling Lucas that the girl looked little more than a school girl.
Lucas scowled at the ceiling and put his hand beneath his head. She was nothing like a school girl. School girls surely couldn't have bodies that felt like that! Or lips that felt so soft. Or eyes that blazed so green.
God, she annoyed him.
Kissing him, touching him like that, rocking on him like that and then telling him not to touch her! Who the hell does she think she is? Little minx. She stole his money and ran off to his step-brother's ranch, of all places. Not far enough, he still found her.
Lucas scoffed and readjusted his arm. He knew he'd seen her in the mall! She must've been with Celeste when she'd seen him approaching and ran.
Still, he found her.
And if she thought she was getting away, she was mistaken.
Lucas lay there, consumed by thoughts of her. He'd told her he'd come to make sure she was safe until she gave him his money, but really that wasn't it.
He saw how startled she'd been when he'd walked into Christian's room earlier and found her cleaning. She was so on edge. Turned around so fast and he was sure had she been holding a knife, it would have gone straight through him. She was scared.
And for some strange reason, Lucas wanted to make her feel safe. That wary look he'd seen in her eyes the first day he met her was still there. And her coming from Rein... of all places. She needed help, even if she didn't want to accept it.
With a sigh, he turned his head to the side and drifted off.
******
Kara shivered in her sleep, her hands tucked against her. She awoke with a frown and realized the duvet had been dragged down her body by her feet in her sleep. Why was it so cold all of a sudden?
She reached down drowsily and pulled the duvet up over her waist. When it reached her shoulders, Kara froze and glanced behind her.
Of course. She'd forgotten to close the damn windows. The curtains swayed in the cold breeze and Kara shivered when a gust of it blew over her bed.
With an annoyed groan, she got out of bed and trudged sleepily over to the windows. The night was dark and dead silent.
Covering her yawning mouth with one hand, she reached through the curtains with the other to pull the windows closed.
Out of nowhere, a cold hand shot in and grabbed her wrist.