Secrets - The secrets that protect us

Chapter 69

Lucas

He could get used to it.
Waking up with Luna in his arms, snuggled in bed under the warm sheets, her scent surrounding him, and her placing soft kisses over his face.

Opening his eyes, he saw her.
He could get used to seeing her first thing in the morning and hearing her voice.
"Good morning," she whispered.
"Good morning, my love." He leaned upwards, kissing her cheek. Falling back into the sheets, he stroked her side, his arm was wrapped around her.

He lifted her up on his chest and between his legs. His white shirt she had worn for bed had slipped down her shoulders, revealing a bit of her cleavage. Lucas wrapped his arms tight around her middle and enjoyed her fingers brushing over his face, tracing his cheekbones, nose, lips, and eyes.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, brushing back a strand of her hair. "Any soreness?"
"No, I'm feeling good." She kissed him. "Thank you for everything."
"I'll always be here for you," he promised as he tightened his embrace.

Luna laid her head back on his chest, her hand tracing his muscles, and they enjoyed each other's company a little while longer. He could stay here forever, just them, everything perfect and no issues. Just them enjoying each other, cuddled up in the warmth of the blanket.
He could imagine it, a life with her, but that was no new news.

He felt his body relax and fall back to sleep. Luna's eyes were long closed, her body had relaxed into his. She looked innocent when she slept, lips slightly parted and her eyes gently closed, eyelashes resting on her cheeks. He stroked her shoulder, pulling the shirt over it.

He closed his own eyes, was almost back to sleep when his phone rung, ripping him back.
Luna moved, rubbing her eyes and lifting herself on his chest. Placing his hand on her shoulder blade, he reached over to the nightstand, grabbed his phone and answered the call.

"Yeah?" Lucas greeted Jackson and put him on speaker so Luna could listen too. Jackson calling could only mean he wanted them to come to the ARIA, and with yesterday's news of demands, it was about making a decision.

"Luna with you?" he asked. Short, his tone gave away nothing, it was monotonic.
"Yeah, she's listening. Everything alright?"
"Time," Jackson answered. Time was running and things were tense. "How far are you with the legend. If you girls are close to something, we won't give in to demands."

Luna was awake, her mind working hard to figure out what to tell Jackson. She bit her lip, a habit of hers when she was nervous.
Lucas brushed his fingers over her back, silently telling her it was okay if she got nothing. It wasn't easy. If it was, Malcolm would already have it figured out.

She sighed. "Here's the thing. Emma and I have found nothing that matched, yet. However, I have a feeling that I'm close. I think the answer is somewhere in my mind, somewhere right in front of me and I just gotta grasp it. I think I'll have the answer when I see it."

Jackson was silent.
It wasn't helpful, it wasn't a definite answer, and a feeling alone was not enough in this moment. Jackson had to decide what to do. It didn't mean he doubted Luna to figure it out, it only meant time was running out.

"You have time until midnight tonight to figure it out. That's when Malcolm will call and demand the answer. If you girls have nothing, I'll be forced to negotiate with him. He has threatened to commit three attacks, taking hundreds of lives, we can't risk it if we got nothing."

Charlie had missed to mention that info yesterday.
This was bad, more than bad if Malcolm decided that he wasn't going to budge and wanted the full demand. Including Luna, who wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice herself for the lives of others.