A Perfect Storm

by Dane, Cameron

  Oh my Lord. Heat burned straight through Sophie. She’d been so intent on Lucien leaving so coolly and then so entranced with Magnus sharing this private information with her, she hadn’t even realized she was still completely naked. As she scrambled into her shirt, she took a moment to reassess everything Magnus had told her. “So what happened tonight,” she finally said, “is either a very good thing, or a very bad thing. Lucien might shut me out completely now because of what I did.” Sophie dug her fist into the arm of the chair and shook her head. “Darn it. I shouldn’t have pushed him. I sensed that he was fighting the pleasure, but I so wanted him to have a taste of what he’d made me feel, I didn’t let myself think there was a deeper part of him psychologically that would not want that pleasure.”

  Magnus unfurled her fist and drew her to stand. After setting her hand in the crook of his elbow, he led her past Jade still taking care of Cale and out of the room. “Don’t let the fact that Lucien walked away fool you. You are getting under his skin in a big way. He needs that.” Glancing down at her on their trek to her room, Magnus added, “More than you can know.”

  “But I don’t even know him. Not really.” As soon as Sophie said that, her heart squeezed, rejecting the statement. Instead, she looked up at Magnus, and her stare narrowed. “Why do you want me to push my way into his world like this anyway?”

  Deep amethyst stormed in Magnus’s eyes. “Lucien has been sad and angry for far too long. It’s time for it to stop. For whatever reason, I think you can make him care about something other than his pain.” Upon reaching Sophie’s door, Magnus leaned his shoulder against the wall, and pinpointed that bottomless stare on her. “I think, if given a chance, he could come to care about you enough to let go of all the other stuff eating at him.”

  Sophie flashed back through all the intense, breathless moments in Lucien’s presence since arriving at Ravenstoke, and she shivered. “I don’t know about that.”

  Flattening his lips, Magnus shook his head. “I think you do know. I think you can sense the power you have over him, and I think it scares you. It should. It means he could hurt you as a way to protect himself. He’s capable of it. Yet I ask you to take a chance anyway. I know you’ve only known him a few days, but he’s the kind of man where you know right away if you’re willing to be in it with him for the long haul. I think you’ve already made that decision.” Such confidence resonated in Magnus’s soft tone Sophie couldn’t even make herself shake her head to deny his claims. The man shrugged and then pushed his shoulder away from the wall to stand upright. “It’s up to you to figure out how to pull the trigger and get him to open up to you.”

  A nagging little scratching inside Sophie’s head, one that had been with her for the duration of her time on Raven Island, would not let her be free. “I know Lucien lured me to this island for a reason,” she told Magnus, looking him right in the eyes. “I don’t know why he did, but I know in my gut it’s true. Maybe you’re just helping him achieve his goal by saying these things to me.”

  “Maybe.” Not even a hint of argument or denial textured Magnus’s words. “Only you can decide if getting to Lucien’s heart is more important to you than whatever his motives might be.” As he stepped away, he added, “How big a risk are you willing to take?”

  Sophie grabbed Magnus’s arm before he could get away. “Why won’t you just tell me why I’m here so I can make an educated choice?”

  A gentle smile softened the rough edges of Magnus’s face. “As much as a very big piece of me might want to, I cannot break Lucien’s confidence. I won’t betray him in that way to help you.”

  Letting him go, Sophie mumbled, “I never should have answered your call that day.”

  The man had the nerve to outright laugh at her. “I don’t think you believe that. You want to be here. More, you love it. The choice is yours, though. Good night.” With a modified bow, Magnus retreated and left Sophie alone.

  If she’d been eight years old or at all a person with a petulant nature, Sophie would have stomped her foot. As it was, she sighed, scrubbed her face, and let herself into her room.

  Unable to overpower her body with sheer will, Sophie walked to the window. Tonight, Lucien had both curtains drawn. He’d blocked her out. Literally.

  Grumbling as she moved to the bed, Sophie muttered, “Think, think, think.”

  The problem was, in this situation, Sophie wasn’t entirely sure thinking would send her on the path to the right answer. To get through to a man like Lucien, she understood she would have to surrender completely to her feelings. She immediately shivered where she sat. I don’t know if I can.

  With a moan, Sophie covered her eyes and fell back into bed.

  Chapter Ten

  “Thank you for your fast work, Giles.” Lucien spoke on the phone to one of the investigators he’d hired to track down the history of Raven Island. “I’ll tell Miss Emerson the good news. Good-bye.”

  As Lucien ended the call, none of the upbeat tone he’d put in his conversation with Giles Newcastle resonated in his gut. A thudding heaviness sat there, as it had since leaving Sophie in the St. Andrew’s cross room the previous night. He’d spent much of the night berating himself for sitting there and allowing her to put her mouth on him for long enough to make him come. Who are you kidding, asshole? Lucien snarled in the privacy of his study. You didn’t let her do anything. She took, and you could not deny yourself the pleasure of her performing such a carnal, intimate act. For Lucien, right now, the intimacy he’d craved in that moment put him in far more trouble than the primal element of Sophie’s sweet mouth wrapped around his cock.

  She’d let him inside her ass too, for Christ’s sake, an erogenous zone as clearly untried for her as Lucien knew it was for himself. Shit, for just a split second, the honest need to roll over and offer her his hole in return for the trust she’d given had consumed him—and he’d never offered that vulnerability to another soul. Ever.

  With a groan, Lucien bolted out of his seat and began prowling the room, eager to find a way to set himself back on the right path. He could not let himself care about Sophie and her naive yet bold ways; if he did, he would never be able to go through with the final series of events he’d already set in motion by inviting her to Raven Island. Think about Josh. That damn sickening pang in Lucien’s chest that never went away when his brother popped into his thoughts hit Lucien hard enough to make him stumble. Remember who put him in that deathbed and that justice has not yet been done.

  Lucien looked up, caught the savageness of his reflection in the window, and tore his gaze away. Rarely did he look at himself anymore. His conscience still beat with enough life that guilt constantly ate at him these days—just not enough to put a halt to his plan. Lucien would use the lapse of control he’d experienced last night to his advantage. Magnus had already shared that Lucien’s leaving so abruptly had stirred Sophie’s curiosity even more. Lucien only had to tease and direct that interest, let that simmer into sympathy during the course of the day, and he would have her.

  Sophie would come to him, and Lucien would have the material to complete his revenge.

  * * * *

  Pausing in the hallway to Lucien’s study, Sophie silently psyched herself up to look Lucien in the eyes, be direct with him, and invite him to eat a late lunch with her. Somewhere in the vicinity very near to her heart, Sophie ached to get to know the man better, to be someone he could trust and confide in, even though she couldn’t understand why. As Magnus had so simply stated when walking her to her room last night, Lucien was a man a person decided about very quickly. Somewhere through a sleepless night, wherein Sophie had relived every feathery light or aggressively bold touch Lucien had delivered to her body, she’d made the choice to obliterate the lines of her professionalism and put herself completely into Lucien’s world. Eventually, hopefully, in his heart. Deep down, with a sense of purpose and certainty that made her very bones and muscles hurt in a way they never had with any other man, Sophie accepted she
wanted to know Lucien’s soul. She wanted him to offer that secret part of himself freely, a thousand times more than his body.

  Nagging underneath that desire to know Lucien in a more intimate way lived the very real knowledge that he was still leading her into a trap that could crush her—perhaps to a state from which she would never recover. Yet all night, no matter how many times she’d gone round and round about what to do, she’d always come back to one thing about Lucien Cabot: He was someone who struggled so clearly with grief over losing his brother, and someone who inspired such loyalty in his employees… Somewhere within a person like that a beautiful, loving, devoted soul had to exist. More than anything, Sophie wanted to know the man Lucien kept hidden behind his sardonic wit and cool eyes.

  Sophie had woken up this morning with a plan to ask Lucien to eat breakfast with her, only to have Magnus share that Lucien had taken a walk around the island to clear his head. Although deflated, Sophie had hung around the study, using the time to read more of the Raven Island history. When, after over an hour, Lucien still had not returned, Sophie had found herself unable to sit still, much as Lucien had apparently experienced earlier. After excusing herself, she’d wandered outside—hoping to see Lucien, she could admit it—and instead had come upon Cale doing some cleanup with Owen’s help. The snow from a few days ago now completely gone, Sophie had pitched in for a few hours, needing to do something physical to distract her from thoughts of Lucien, but had eventually returned indoors. One shower later, something she’d needed to get the sweat and grime off her from working outside, Sophie now found herself back at square one outside Lucien’s study door.

  Exhaling, pumping herself up mentally, Sophie pushed into Lucien’s study, only to find it completely empty. Not even Magnus remained this time. The spirit and energy Sophie had maintained since waking up that morning slowly seeped out of her pores, leaving her lethargic. How in the heck was she supposed to take a chance and pursue this man if he hid himself from her? Virtually every time she’d needed Lucien for something since arriving at Ravenstoke, she had come to his study, and there he was, working. Heck, he even plays in here sometimes. Yet all of a sudden, after what she’d done with him last night, he’d apparently decided to avoid the room like the plague.

  Jerking upright, Sophie spun and ran down the hallway toward the wing of rooms clearly designed for extracurricular activities. Perhaps Lucien had felt the need to reestablish the control he normally exerted over himself sexually and was right now watching another sexual tableau play out before his eyes. If he could sit through another round of sex among his staff members and not succumb to orgasm, maybe he would feel as if he’d restored some order to his life.

  Reaching the hallway, Sophie threw open the first door, only to find it empty and in shadows. She quickly did the same for the second and then the third, only to find them free of any afternoon peccadilloes too. Losing her burst of adrenaline, Sophie checked the rest of the rooms anyway but didn’t find Lucien or any of the other household staff. So much for that idea.

  Her burst of energy now sapped, Sophie trudged back down the hallway toward the stairs. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her she’d put off lunch for too long. Might as well at least satisfy the one hunger I can control. As Sophie made her way to the kitchen, doubts attacked her like buzzards on a carcass. What was she doing anyway, running around a castle trying to chase down a man who obviously didn’t want to be found? She’d never been one of those desperate women who put a man above everything else. If she continued to pursue this man—someone who’d given her every indication he didn’t want anything more than attachment-free fun—she treaded dangerously toward the realm of pathetic and starry-eyed romantic. Sophie shuddered at the thought.

  At the same time, much as she couldn’t get the nagging voice out of her head that told her she was at Ravenstoke for a reason, lived Magnus’s voice encouraging her to take a chance with Lucien. More than his words, Sophie recalled the sincerity in his eyes and his tone. He cared about his boss, and he wanted something to rattle the man’s cage. For some reason, he believed Sophie was the woman to do it. Mumbling with frustration at all the half information, secrets, and shadows, Sophie sputtered but then silently chastised herself for her indecision. She was never wishy-washy like this. Buck up, woman. Just decide once and for all what you want to do and then do it.

  She entered the kitchen to find Jade cursing “Stupid machine” and smacking her computer.

  Upon seeing the statuesque beauty, Sophie felt her cheeks heat. “Hi!” Shoot. She’d forced such a chipper tone into her greeting she might as well have been a cartoon princess with a bluebird on her shoulder. She sometimes wondered if the people in this castle could read her mind, though, and for a second, she’d thought for sure Jade would take one look at her and know she’d been running around the castle looking to give Lucien another blowjob. Taking a breath, Sophie said, “I mean, good afternoon.”

  Jade smiled, and it lit up the turquoise in her eyes. “It’s all right, you know. Blushing and awkwardness is okay. The hello is always weird the first few times after you’ve done something sexual in front of people who are virtual strangers to you.”

  “Yeah. Ahh…yeah.” Wringing her hands at her front and then behind her back, Sophie fidgeted, unable to stand still. “I’ve never done anything like that before,” she admitted. “And certainly never thought I would in front of people I’ve only known for a few days—with a man I’ve only known for that long too.” Her lips and tongue recalled the taste and feel of Lucien’s cock, and her face went even hotter. “Sorry. I’m acting like an idiot.”

  “It’s okay.” Jade’s gaze and smile remained open and welcoming. “But the circumstances are unusual in this case. I bet you’ve spent more time with us—I’m talking literal hours—since stepping foot on the island than you have in a month with some of the people you probably consider good friends.” Raising a perfectly arched dark brow, she added, “Most of that time has been spent with Lucien. It’s not so strange for you to feel a connection with him so quickly.”

  “I suppose.” Sophie still couldn’t help feeling as if she stood naked in this kitchen. After all, Jade had seen her nude twice now. Sophie could be honest enough to admit she had pictured Jade naked in those first few moments upon seeing her again. “It still doesn’t make all this feel any less odd, though.” Unable to help it, Sophie rubbed her arms and drew her hoodie sweater tighter across her front.

  Jade’s gaze softened as much as Magnus’s had last night. “I understand that too.”

  Drawn in to this odd, interesting group of empathetic people, Sophie shuffled closer to the table where Jade sat. “I noticed you beating up your computer when I walked in. Is everything all right?”

  “I’m trying to pare down the footage we shot of Owen playing in the snow,” Jade explained. “I want to send some of it to my mom so she can see how much fun he had. But this stupid machine keeps messing it up every time I try to save the clips and merge them together.” She glared at the laptop once more.

  After pulling out a chair and taking a seat, Sophie reached out but then paused with her hand inches from the laptop. “Mind if I take a look?”

  “Please.” Jade slid the computer in front of Sophie. “I’ll take any help I can get.”

  It didn’t take but one glance at the screen and layout for Sophie to nod along with a little “Aha.” She glanced up at Jade. “It’s not the computer so much as a program unfriendly for the user. It makes the process five times harder than it has to be.” After chewing on her cheek for a moment, Sophie finally blurted, “If you’d like, we can upload the footage to my laptop, and I can help you put something together in probably less than an hour.”

  “Seriously?” Jade’s eyes glittered like the purest Caribbean ocean water. “You don’t mind?”

  “No problem.” Buoyant again, Sophie squeezed Jade’s hand. “It’ll be fun. If you want to get a little splashier, we can cut it up and put some voiceover stuff in to
make it look like a little news story. Owen can narrate it, or we can put some music and splice it in a really cool way to make it look like a video on MTV. Whatever you think your mom will like.”

  “She’d like hearing Owen the most, and I think Owen would have a blast doing it.” After making a little squealing noise, Jade gave Sophie an abbreviated hug from the side. “Thank you so much.”

  Just as Sophie said, “It’s my pleasure,” her stomach rumbled again.

  Grinning, Jade glanced toward the kitchen area. “Emma left you some tomato soup in the pot on the stove. It’s made from scratch.”

  With a happy hum, Sophie got up to fix herself a bowl. “Thanks.”

  While Sophie prepared lunch, Jade went back to fiddling with the laptop. After bringing everything back to the table and gobbling a few bites to take away the edge on her hunger, Sophie couldn’t help sneaking glances at Jade. She could barely suppress the questions pushing inside her to get out.

  Sophie managed to get another spoonful of the smooth, tangy tomato soup down her throat, but when she opened her mouth to take a sip of water, instead she said, “Can I ask you a question that is entirely too personal and probably not appropriate?”

  With a shrug and a nod, Jade kicked back in the booth seating. “Sure. Ask away. Then I’ll decide if I want to answer.”

  “That’s fair.” Now that she had someone willing to speak, Sophie struggled to find the right question, one that wouldn’t offend this person she already feared she cared about much more than she should. After throwing out delicate phrases that sounded trite in her head, she bit the bullet and did what she did best: straightforward and blunt. “I’m making an educated guess that you and Emma are a couple. I’m doing that based on how loving I’ve seen the two of you be with each other, not only due to the kissing and sex between you, but in the affectionate words you use with each other too. But then Magnus was somewhat involved in what happened in the study as well. And on the first night I was here, I saw Emma with Cale and Magnus, and Cale acted as if the sun rose and fell on Emma. And then last night you were with Cale and Magnus, and while Magnus was the one who had sex with Cale, you are the one who took care of his body in the aftermath, so…”