Sitting opposite Lucas, I watched him finishing his meal as I played with Groot’s ears. My whole body thrummed with that delicious post-sex ache. You’d think I’d be used to marathon sessions of incredible, mind-blowing sex by now. But I wasn’t. And honestly, who wants to get used to something like that? Getting used to something implies it’s become routine. There was nothing routine about what Lucas and I had, both in our sex life and every other aspect of our life.
“Where did you learn to cook like this, Fluffy?” Lucas asked around a mouthful of food.
“Iraq.”
I repositioned Groot on my lap, curtailing his attempts to climb onto the table. Iraq. I knew Fluffy had returned from Iraq only a few months ago but—apart from the fact he was intimidating as all hell, an animal lover, and loyal to Lucas and Lila beyond question—I didn’t know much more about him. Like how did he know Lucas? And why the fierce loyalty?
“Fluffy, can I ask a question?”
He fixed me with one of his level gazes. There was a part of me that one-hundred percent believed he could move a mountain with that gaze. “As long as it’s not Why are you called Fluffy, sure.”
“Okay, that’s waving a red flag in my face.” I grinned. “But we’ll leave that for another day.”
He grinned in return. Damn, he was gorgeous. When he smiled, his face went from menacing handsome to make-your-panties-wet stunning. “Deal. What do you want to know?”
I flicked a glance at Lucas, currently serving himself up a second helping of ratatouille. “How do you know Lucas? How did you meet?”
Both men grew still. Fluffy watched Lucas, clearly waiting for something. What?
Lucas stabbed at his plate and nodded.
Leaning his butt against the edge of the kitchen counter, Fluffy crossed his ankles and shoved his hands in the pockets of his cargos. His eyes grew distant for a moment. A soft frown tugged at his eyebrows. “My niece fell in with a bad crowd. A real bad crowd.”
“Trinity,” Lucas clarified.
A big, fat, hot lump filled my throat. Oh man. The gang Lucas had once been in. The gang recognized as one of the most violent and sadistic and powerful in the country. Bad crowd was the understatement of understatements.
“She was only sixteen. Her parents were divorcing—my sister and her husband are shit people—and Lacey…” Pain etched his face, there and gone just as quickly. “Lacey was a good girl who met a boy who promised her everything she wanted. The boy turned out to be a Trinity member. But by the time I found out, it was too late; he’d given Lacey to the gang and she was their property.”
My gut rolled. Holy fuck. I didn’t need to ask what their property meant.
“I went AWOL,” Fluffy went on, studying something I suspected wasn’t in the room with us. “Got back to the States and tried to find her.” Disgust twisted his lips. “And I failed. Over and over.”
“When Trinity has something someone else wants,” Lucas said, stare locked on his plate, “they don’t let it be found.”
“But I did find a Trinity member. Lucas.” Fluffy’s low grumble made the ball in my stomach tighten into a knot. “And I threatened to kill him if he didn’t take me to Lacey.”
I blinked. Fluffy had threatened to kill Lucas. I had no doubt the Marine could kill Lucas, or any doubt Lucas could end Fluffy’s life. And yet, both men were still alive. “What happened?”
Fluffy’s chuckle was wry. And at the same time full of warmth. “He brought Lacey to me. Along with the severed dicks of the two Trinity members who had been keeping her as their pet.”
“Jesus.”
Fluffy turned to the counter, retrieved the coffeepot from the percolator and poured himself a cup. “After I took Lacey to the hospital, after I made sure she was safe, I found Lucas again and swore I would be there for him whenever he needed me.”
I swallowed, looking at Lucas still eating his dinner. Silent. Sneaking little bites to Francis, who—I just now noticed—was curled up at his feet. His expression was impossible to read.
“How long ago was this?” I asked.
“Over a year,” Fluffy answered, before taking a sip of coffee. He winced. “I make the coffee tomorrow, Ronnie. Okay?”
I nodded, too distracted by what I was learning to take offense at Fluffy dissing my coffee-making skills. “Sure. What happened to Lacey? Is she…is she okay? Did Trinity—”
“She’s living in the UK with my other sister.” Fluffy smiled. “She’s safe. And happy.”
“Wow.”
“So that,” Fluffy said, coffee mug raised to his lips, “is the story of how I met Lucas. And why I will gladly give my life to save his if the need arises.”