Midnight Daffodil (Poisonous Petals #1)

Chapter 42Luke

forty-two

LUKE

W hen Aidan called me, filling me in on his phone call with Olivia, I was pissed. The anger gave way to guilt, in turn, leaving me miserable. The sting of her calling him over me wouldn’t soon subside.

Why the hell would she call him? She was mine, not his.

A forensic officer team dusted Vera’s front door for fingerprints, crawling all over and looking for other signs of forced entry.

So far, they came up with jack shit.

“Are you both gonna avoid talking for the entire night?” Aidan asked. He stood beside me just outside the apartment with his arms crossed. “Real talk, it's killing the vibes, man.”

“Why’d she call you?” I growled.

“Woah,” he held his hands up and took a side step away from me. “I didn’t know she was gonna do that shit. I called you right after I got off the phone with her. Didn’t wanna end up looking like Matt.”

Aidan told the truth. I knew that. My fist clenched and unclenched. The evening turned to shit, and exhaustion overwhelmed me from the sleep I’d been depriving myself of. One of these days, that would catch up with me in the worst way.

“I don’t know why she didn’t just call me. We argued earlier, but still. She should always come to me.” My gaze pulled to her. She absentmindedly petted Noodle in her lap.

“So there was trouble in paradise?” He laughed. “Why don’t you just tell her you love her and have make up sex?”

I side eyed him.

“What?” He shrugged. “That’s the best part of being tied down, right? Pussy whenever you want. Pussy after every fight.” He tossed his head back, laughing. “It’s hotter and wetter.”

“You’re the reason they call us pigs.” I swiped a hand down my face. The CSI team was wrapping up. They briefed me on their findings and would run what little information they did have immediately.

Olivia refused to even look my way. She laughed and talked with Aidan and the others but ignored me completely. The way Aidan looked at her pissed me off. Her hair fell over her shoulder as she smiled at something he said. I clenched my fists, trying to keep my jealousy in check. I knew Aidan wasn't making a move on her…but still.

Motherfucker wasn’t even that funny.

The muscle in my jaw ticked, trying to keep my jealousy in check. Aidan was being his usual self—but that didn’t soothe the eruption beneath the surface. Every giggle, every shared glance between them, felt like a dagger—one I wanted to twist in Matt’s gut for shoving this wedge between Olivia and me.

Fucking Aidan and his accent overshadowing my presence.

“Aidan”—my words cut through the air, making both of them stiffen—“go wait for me in the cruiser. Take Rev with you,” I demanded. Rev had been peacefully sitting by my side after sniffing for anything more serious in the apartment.

Aidan moved at full speed without making a shitty joke for once.

“Thanks a lot, Aidan,” Olivia called after him, waving.

I opened my mouth to speak when a gust of wind brushed against my skin as she shut the door in my face. The solid thud echoed, leaving me standing there in stunned silence.

Well, that was fucking new.

“Olivia, open the damn door,” I said, knocking on it with my closed fist. It took everything in me not to kick the fucking thing in.

“No,” came her muffled voice from the other side.

“You can’t stay here,” I groaned, leaning my forehead against the cool exterior.

“I can stay wherever I want to.”

Christ, she would be the reason I had a damn stroke.

“We both know who’s behind this. What if he gets in while you’re sleeping?” I sounded pathetic. I didn’t give a damn; I’d do anything for her. And I was about to prove it.

“I don’t care.”

“You don’t mean that. Would you please just open the door?”

It flew open then, nearly sending my body barreling into her. “Go to work.” She tried to slam the door again, but I caught it with my foot.

She struggled against my weight for a second before giving up.

“Pack your shit,” I snarled, tired of her being mad, tired of me for being petty. I was better than this. I should’ve been better to her.

“You pack yours,” she said, crossing her arms and glaring at me.

“What?”

“I don’t know. Just leave!” She tried to shut the door again.

“God dammit, Olivia, stop. Stop trying to shut me out.” I grabbed her face in both my hands and brought my lips down to hers.

Her tiny gasp was all that I heard before she melted into me. Her arms went around me as I deepened the kiss. My tongue licked along her lips until she opened for me, letting me in.

I would’ve kissed her for twelve more hours, but I needed to get her the hell out of this apartment building. “Pack your stuff, angel. You’re done here.”

“Luke, I can’t. You can’t just kiss me and think everything is fine.” Her eyes fell, a storm of conflicting emotions swimming in them—fear, confusion, and something that mirrored the love that swelled in my chest for her.

“Everything is clearly not fine, and for right now, I’ll have to live with that. And we’ll be talking shit out, but you cannot stay here. It’s too dangerous. So pack your stuff, whatever you need, and let's go.” My thumb stroked her supple cheek.

Her expression softened, her voice so quiet I almost didn’t hear, “Why? Why are you doing all this for me?”

“Because, Olivia,” I sighed, looking down at her. “I love you. And every second I don’t know you’re safe fucking kills me. Every minute that I think he could have his hands on you makes my skin crawl. It’s hard to breathe when I’m worried about you. I’m losing sleep with how much I love you; there are not enough words to truly describe it. And I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.” Her lips parted in stunned silence.

“I just,” I rested my forehead against hers, “I love you.”

The silence grew heavy around us. I could feel my heart thunder against my ribs. My palms were sweaty, and I could barely breathe as I waited for her response.

“What about the cats?”

The cats?

I just confessed that I loved her, that it was eating me alive how much I loved her. A connection so deep it transcended time, altering my reality, and she responded with what about the cats?

“I’m cat sitting Olive, Oatmeal, and Noodle.” She motioned behind her inside the apartment and the three furry faces that stared at us.

“Bring them. When Vera comes back, she can get them from my place,” I told her as I nudged my way inside.

She didn’t argue this time and began packing her stuff. She tossed three carriers at me. Taking the hint, I started rounding up the cats into each carrier, which was a pain in the fucking ass.

She came out with two overnight bags. I carried those and the cats in their carriers down to the cruiser. Aidan hopped out to help load everything in, and the moment Rev saw the cats, he immediately whimpered, shoving himself in the corner.

The ride back to my place seemed like it lasted an eternity. The silence heavy, and I could feel the tension with every passing mile. We pulled into my driveway and got her stuff and the cats inside. She followed without a word, setting up food and water for the furry trio on the opposite side of Rev’s in the den.

I opened the carriers, and they barely stepped out, popping their heads out for a moment only to hide again.

“Do you need me to do anything before I head out?”

“I’ll be fine,” she muttered.

“Alright, well. If you need anything, just call me,” I said, heading back towards the cruiser in the driveway. “And I mean me, not Aidan.”

Redness danced across her face all the way down to her neck. She nodded, so I stepped out the door and down the porch steps to the cruiser.

Now who didn’t have words?

I glanced back at the house. My body was a lead weight, and my eyes stung.

“Man, you two fighting is like watching two geese squabble over a piece of bread,” Aidan laughed.

“Seriously, what the fuck does that even mean?” I asked, pulling out of the driveway.

“It means it’s pathetic.” He shook his head with a smirk. I wish I found life as funny as Aidan did. “I love seeing how pussy whipped you are; God damn, man, it could never fucking be me.”

I let Aidan run his mouth longer than normal. This had gone from a shit day to an even shittier night. And who knows what the fuck I would go home to. I wanted to turn around and fuck the attitude out of her. Show her how much she meant to me.

“So, uh, since your old lady isn’t fuckin’ with you right now, you wanna treat me to something to eat? Ya know, since I’m basically your lover tonight.” He slapped my shoulder. The pain radiated outwards from the fall, but I didn’t care.

“What do you want?” I asked, not bothering to entertain his stupid comments.

“I don't like this side of you. You let me call you my lover? You and Olivia need to make the fuck up. I miss bickering with your irritable ass,” Aidan chuckled.

“Shut up and tell me what you want.”

Tonight had overstayed its welcome already.