Protected: (adj) 1. Not dangerous, unlikely to cause or result in harm, injury, or damage. 2. Not in a position or situation that offers protection, so that harm, damage, loss, or unwanted tampering is unlikely. 3. Unharmed, uninjured, or undamaged condition.

Bea had been playing with the same sugar packet since Lucas walked in. She opened her mouth to greet him, and then shut down. Of course, like the insecure, self-doubting nark she was she denied everything Nikko said a week earlier until she was face-to-face with the man who stirred the feelings she kept buried inside.

His hands fell over hers, eyes met and he smiled at her. Of all the women Lucas had ever had, something with Bea was by far the most difficult. She had this way of pulling him in with little if any effort. He looked at her and a swarm of butterflies took off in his stomach. She laced fingers with him and tried to remember the speech she'd been practicing in the mirror.

"I'm sorry for not returning any of your phone calls. When you asked me to meet your family I, uh, panicked. Then there was the dresser drawer and closet space." She held her grip when she felt Lucas try to pull his hand away from hers. "I've never had someone fight for me like you have. You treat me like I'm special and I've never been special in anyone's eyes but Nikko and it scares me."

Lucas took the opportunity to lean over the table and kiss Bea. She tasted so good and he couldn't help himself. Since the moment he stepped foot into the quiet café and saw her sitting in the booth by the window he wanted to kiss her.

He wanted to make her see he wasn't giving up on her, not when they had a connection. Their lips fell into each other, a silent promise that he would make her believe in. Her lips tasted like the vanilla pralines she'd been eating when he walked in. He maneuvered himself around the table, his lips never leaving hers. How he'd managed to do that without falling flat on his face Bea wasn't sure. They pulled apart and Lucas caressed her bottom lip with his thumb.

"Why didn't you return my phone calls?" The question lingered between them. Bea could hear the hurt in his voice but she didn't answer because what could she say to him?

"Sweeten?"

She looked up at him and those grey eyes she'd spent days admiring and nights gazing into were so light that they were almost transparent. The sight was so beautiful yet so heart wrenching, she knew it was her fault. Just as fast as she'd seen it, it was gone, replaced by the stormy grey that held her captive. His voice pulled her in and under as he spoke in that husky tone she'd known all too well.

"Why won't you let me in?" His question made her pulse jump and her breath hitch, "I just want to be with you, that's all."

Then he kissed her; it wasn't like his other kisses, no this one was rough and aggressive as if he was branding her with his lips. Her ears were deaf to the world around them and her eyes closed with the intention of staying that way. His lips left hers and she mewled when his lips left hers. She refused to open her eyes; convinced that she was hallucinating and Lucas was still across the table looking at her with those piercing eyes.

Touch me.

Hold me.

Love me.

She wanted to tell him, hell she wanted to say something, but the words lodged themselves in her throat like a dirty secret. He pulled Bea out of her daze by standing up; he threw a bill down on the table and tugged Bea's hand.

The sound of camera shutters and the once subtle hum of voices elevated to an all out commotion. The camera flashes hurt her eyes; it took her a moment to collect herself and just breathe. Lucas pulled her closer, tried to shield her from the flashes with his body.

He helped her into a Ford Expedition and for a second Bea was confused. Lucas got into the driver’s side, put the key into the ignition, revved the engine, and took off down the street.

She heard the sizzle of bacon as well as the soft cooing of her precious baby. Julia groaned into her pillow as Nikko's falsetto voice broke into the morning haze. "Wake up, Garce!"

Then he kicked the side of the couch and she fell. Julia pushed herself up with her elbows, and rose only to find her feet tangled up in the comforter, her hair matted to the sides of her head. She gave one more kick willing herself free from the web of blankets beneath her feet.

"What the hell did you do to my good pillows?" She looked down only to realize she'd forgotten to wash off the makeup that covered her black eye. Nikko mumbled something in French and shoved some towels in her hands. She sauntered in the direction of the bathroom only to hear Nikko all but yell, "And stop switching, there isn't anyone here for you to impress!"

She ignored that last comment and slammed the bathroom door shut behind her. She turned on the water, pulled off her clothes, letting them accumulate in a puddle beneath her feet. She stepped inside and the water spiraled down. She washed her face trying to avoid touching the throbbing skin around her eye too much. After she finished, she toweled off and applied makeup around the blue skin.

She dressed, ignoring the bruises that glared at her from the mirror, trying not to dwell on them as she hurriedly put on lotion. When she emerged, Nikko had already been feeding her son, well trying. She tried to restrain her laughter but it bubbled up and escaped. He shoots a glare in her direction, tried giving him the bottle once more, but the bald menace refused. "Don't just stand there bust out a tit or something."

"Let me show you." She walked up to him taking the baby from his arms. "You have to rub the nipple across his lips a few times, then after a while he'll just latch on."

"Well you finish feeding the shit machine while I go dress." Nikko walked past her, "Before I forget, we'll have to talk about that black eye."

Shit, he wasn't supposed to notice. "What are you talking about?"

His eyes became green slits. "You really want to play dumb?"

She scrambled for an excuse."It's nothing I…I uh, fell."

"You fell huh, and I'm straight." He stared at her hard. "You're going to have to tell her. If you don't I will."

He was staring again. With gunmetal grey eyes and it was hard not to fidget beneath his gaze. She wanted nothing more but to kiss away his tenseness but thought better of it. Hell, she didn't know what she wanted to say and the silence was making it harder. He turned his back to her, faced the stove, and stirred whatever was in the cast iron pot in front of him. Lucas hadn't dropped her off at her apartment. She thought he would but instead he brought her to his apartment. Bea was sitting at the island and Lucas was cooking something. Whatever it was, it had a mouth-watering aroma.

"Who hurt you?" Lucas' voice was amazingly low, almost animal. She could see the tendons in his neck rise and strain under the tanned skin. She wanted to kiss and bite them--God he was hot when he was frustrated.

"Huh?" that ruined her fantasy.

"Who hurt you?" His voice had dropped and his eyes were a violent storm that grew harsher the longer she was silent.

"Why?" She should have cursed him and told him to go fuck himself but she didn't.

"Because whoever hurt you didn't deserve you in the first place." He made her feel good when he said that but there was that insecure nark again whispering to Bea feeding all her self-doubt.

Do you really think he means it?

How do you know he's being honest?

Why would he care about you?

"Stop. Can't we just enjoy each others’ company?"

"Stop what? I always enjoy our time together." He turned back around. Using dexterous hands, he chopped up some vegetables.

Bea scoffed at him and mentally cursed him. "Being so-" loving was what she wanted to say but she stopped herself. "The things you say are so…"

"Honest?" He was chopping onion and the smell wafting through the air to her nose. She ran a hand through her curls trying to find the right words. "What do you want?"

"No-" She wanted to grab his face and plant kisses on him, then smack him afterwards. She wanted to climb on the table and eat dinner off him, she wanted to go to the living room and make him read to her. She wanted to climb into bed with him and make him hold her like he did before. She wanted to call him her boyfriend and not have people ask with their eyes 'how the hell it happened'. Most of all she wanted to believe everything he said to her.

"Baby, what do you want?" He walked over to her. He trapped her in between the island and him. He wanted to kiss away the lost look in her eyes; hold her until she felt safe and make her believe in herself. Just make her believe in something other than pain."Just say what you want."

"Stop saying things you don't mean!" Bea began to push at the solid wall of his chest, she frowned when he wouldn't budge.

"I mean everything I say. If I didn't, why say it? You know I don't mind you being nervous around me, sure. However, for you to have doubt about what I see when I look at you well that bothers me. Yes, I've gone out with models and movie starlets, but they can't hold a candle to you.

You have a light that I can't explain. I could have the shittiest day and all it takes is your voice or the thought of you to make my day go from bad to marvelous. You only have to walk into a room and everyone goes from tense to comfortable just like that. You never let people get the best of you and I admire that. I wish you could see what I see whenever I look at you.

You're so fucking beautiful to me. But, you make it so hard. It's as if you're keep hiding from me. Please tell me what I have to do--I just want to be with you." His arm wrapped around her and he praised her face with his lips. Her hands found his back and her nails dug into the firm skin just above his firm derrière.

"Lucas," her eyes were hazy and words slurred. His lips were so addicting; making her feel so loved, so alive, so special, and so beautiful. Then all she needed was to feel him so close that he was under her skin. So close that their hearts fell into sync.

"Say it." His voice was husky and made her nipples harden and jut out as if they were reaching for him through the cotton cups.

"I-" Her mouth was dry. Then her heart speed up. His hands pushed hair out of her face. "I don't-"

"Say you want to be with me too."

"Lucas?" Her voice was just above a whisper. "Could you just hold me?" and never let go.

His eyes softened. He kissed her forehead and wrapped long limber arms around her, pulling her close to his chest. Her vanilla and lilac scent permeated his clothes. Her hand reached forward needy. She needed to be close, so close he could feel her move under his skin. So close, he wouldn't know where he started and she ended.

"You ready to give us a chance?" He spoke into her hair and held her closer.

"Yeah."