All Chapters of I Never Hated You : Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

It was comforting for Lucas to be around the animals, and it felt good to use his muscles, pushing harder than he usually would in order to wear himself out. It was easier to focus on the ache of sore muscles instead of letting his mind play over the chaos of the night before.The fight, the kiss, the police station…it had all been too much. The fight at least had been justified. Necessary. Perfect, a tiny voice in Lucas’s brain insisted, but he quashed that idea. He couldn’t be like that anymore. He’d learned his lesson the hard way. The way that made someone else pay for Lucas’s mistakes. He couldn’t fight again, no matter how exhilarating it had been. But this one time, with the justifications he’d had…damn, he had no regrets about the fight.The kiss had been a mistake, of course. Lucas hadn’t just stepped over a line, he’d jumped over the damn thing and sprinted as far away from it as possible. And he knew there’d be consequences. There was no way Father Mark was going to be comi

Mark refused to park his car closer to the apartment building. It wouldn’t have done any good the night before, he reasoned. The alley where the men had been hiding was right beside his building, not down the street where he’d parked. And there were elderly people in the building. He wouldn’t let his fear get in the way of showing those people basic courtesy and respect.Still, since the attack he’d made sure to leave the hospital in time to be home before dark, and even in the daylight he was keeping a close eye on his surroundings, looking out for trouble.He hadn’t pressed Lucas to identify the attackers. Maybe he should have, for Lucas’s sake as well as his own, but it hadn’t seemed right. Lucas had his reasons for secrecy, and he’d already helped Mark enough. When he’d had time to think about it, Mark had been pretty sure that he’d recognized two of the goons as the men who’d accompanied Lucas’s friend when he’d come to the halfway house. So there was some sort of social connecti

He looked almost pleased with the situation and the acknowledgement seemed admiring, as if he was tipping an imaginary hat in Lucas’s direction.It should have been comforting to know that Lucas had an ally, but instead Mark’s gut twisted unpleasantly. He didn’t like this man, didn’t like the history he and Lucas shared and the bond they apparently still felt.It wasn’t jealousy, he told himself as the men eased back off the lawn like a receding tide. He wasn’t quite sure what it was, but surely not jealousy.He made his way down to the sidewalk and shook a few hands, exchanged a few words, but most of the men seemed content to have come, played their part, and then leave without fanfare. Lucas stood at the side of it all, watching.A siren sounded from somewhere not far away and the pace of departure got a little quicker. Lucas jerked his head back the way they’d come. “I need to get out of here,” he said. He checked his watch. “And I need to get home. I think this has taken care of

“Dinner?” He frowned in confusion. He’d thought about the kiss in the alley. Thought about it quite a bit, and then jerked off in his little bedroom still thinking about it. And he’d decided that if Mark wanted to take it further, it would be a good thing. If Mark was looking for a fuck, Lucaswould be more than willing to go along with the plan. But dinner was inexplicable. “Why?”Mark looked awkward but squared his shoulders and said, “We could talk. Get to know each other.”“We talk here, don’t we?” Lucas squinted suspiciously. “What do you want to talk about?”A deep, frustrated sigh before Mark said, “Just talk. Like…a date. You know?”“A date.” Lucas let the word roll over his tongue. “A date.”“Yes, Lucas.” Mark seemed torn between embarrassment, amusement, and frustration. “A date. I’d like to go on a date with you. Does that sound like a good idea?”Well that was an easy question. “No. It does not sound like a good idea.”Lucas shook his head emphatically. “What did I tell yo

Mark grinned. “No couscous. I think I can manage that.” He swung the fridge door open and looked at the array of soft drinks he’d picked up in honor of his non-drinking guest. At least he hadn’t burned those. “Root beer? Cola? Ginger ale? Or I got these fancy ones…” He was suddenly, acutely aware of Lucas’s body as the other man swung around to peer into the fridge with him. They were close, their hips almost touching, and then Lucas crouched down to see the bottles and his hair brushed against Mark’s forearm. It was nothing special. They’d probably been in closer contact fifty times on the farm, working together on some task. And they’d certainly been more sexual over the last couple days, more overtly intimate. But somehow it was this casual, comfortable domestic touching that made Mark’s breath catch in his chest. Lucas reached for one of the bottles and half-turned to smile up at him.“I like pomegranate stuff,” he admitted as he straightened. “It’s kind of trendy, I guess, but it