by Ivy Layne
We pulled up to the valet parking line outside the hotel where the benefit was being held. A few minutes later, Lucas led me inside.
Vance and Maggie were in the lobby, and my jaw dropped when I caught sight of Maggie's dress. Lucas let out a low wolf-whistle. I elbowed him in the side, grinning.
Maggie had been right. She never would've picked a dress like that for herself, but I could absolutely see Vance choosing it.
The navy silk clung to her curves, outlining the hourglass of her figure, a high slit on one side revealing most of her leg, covered in sheer creamy stockings. The deep V of the neckline revealed the inner curves of her breasts. I hoped the fabric was taped in place, otherwise she risked a wardrobe malfunction.
The dress was elegant, classy, yet unabashedly sexy. Around her neck, she wore a choker of diamonds and sapphires, with matching jewels at her ears and on her wrist. Her red hair was a mass of fiery curls, spilling down her back.
Lucas and I joined them and I said, "I like the dress."
Maggie's cheeks went pink.
Vance said, "Told you."
Maggie sent him a mini-glare.
"You look beautiful," Lucas said, and the pink in Maggie's cheeks turned red.
"You really do, Maggie," I said. "You should hire Vance as your personal shopper."
"That's what I keep telling her," Vance said.
Maggie's mini-glare went full-throttle.
"If I let you pick all of my clothes, my breasts would be in danger of falling out every time I lean over," she complained.
"And that's a problem?" Vance asked, laughing.
Vance asked Lucas about Marissa, and we changed the subject. Aiden arrived with a date, some woman I vaguely knew by sight but whose name I couldn't recall.
We said hello, then wandered off to find a drink. There was dancing, and hors d'oeuvres carried around by waiters in white tuxedos, but no sit-down dinner. Along one side of the ballroom, long tables were set up displaying items for silent auction.
Arm in arm, Lucas and I strolled down the line, me sipping champagne and him a beer. Neither of us bid. Aiden had already made a donation on behalf of the family, and I didn't have the extra cash for luxuries I didn't need.
There was a house on the market three streets away from mine that needed a lot of work, but it had potential. I wasn't sure if I could swing it, but if I did, I'd need every spare bit of cash I could get my hands on.
I was just starting to wonder how long we had to stay when a hand closed around my elbow. Beside me, Lucas went stiff. I turned and met a pair of familiar hazel eyes.
Harrison. The first of my ill-fated fiancés.
"Charlie, dance with me," he said. Gently, I extracted my elbow from his grip.
Lucas angled his body in front of mine and eyed Harrison with an unfriendly glare.
"Who are you?" Lucas challenged.
"A very old friend of Charlie's," Harrison said in the cool, superior tone I'd always hated. "And who are you? I don't remember seeing you around."
Lucas declined to answer. Probably for the best, since I didn't know what he would say. To me, he said, "Do you want to dance with this guy?"
I didn't. But I knew Harrison. If I turned him down, he'd be an ass about it. With a tiny shrug, I handed Lucas my champagne and said, "Not really, but I probably should. I'll be right back."
I let Harrison lead me onto the dance floor. He pulled me into his arms and swirled me around the floor, glancing once or twice back in Lucas's direction. I didn't have any desire to spend time with Harrison, but he'd always been a good dancer.
"Who is that guy? Are you two together?"
"That's not any of your business, Harrison. What do you want?"
I was being abrupt, but I knew Harrison. He wasn't being polite. He wanted something.
"I heard Aiden fired you. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said. "It was a shock, but I'm moving on."
"You know, that company was the reason we broke up."
For a second, I lost the power of speech. "No, your repeatedly cheating on me is the reason we broke up. The company had nothing to do with it."
"I never would have slept with anyone else if you'd been around," he said.
I'd heard this before. It wasn't his fault he'd been fucking other women. It had been mine for not taking good care of him, for always working and not being around.
Maybe I had worked too much, but that didn't excuse his cheating on me again and again.
"Harrison, I'm not having this conversation. You need to grow up and take responsibility for your own decisions. You are the reason I ended our engagement. If you didn't like me working so much, you should've left me, not slept around."
"You're right. I know you're right. It was immature. We were too young and I was jealous. I should've been honest with you and I'm sorry."
We whirled around the dance floor for another minute in silence.
An apology from Harrison?
In a million years, I never would have expected him to admit he was wrong, much less say he was sorry. He'd broken my heart. Shattered it completely. I'll never forget the stabbing pain when I discovered that lipstick stain on his collar.
Finally, I said, "Thank you. I appreciate your apology."
"But you don't accept it?"
"Why not?" I said, tired of this conversation. "It's been a long time and I don't care anymore. Yes, I accept your apology, Harrison."
Shocking the hell out of me, he said, "I want to try again. Now that you're not with the company, you'll have more time. We can be together. I still love you, Charlie."
I had no words. None.
Whatever love I'd had for Harrison Kenmore was long dead, extinguished in the pain of his cheating and betrayal. There was no way I'd ever trust him again. Even if Lucas hadn't been in the picture, Harrison had no shot with me.
I was trying to figure out the best way to make it clear that we were never getting back together when the song ended. He delivered me to Lucas's side, saying only, "Just think about it, Charlie. Please. Give me a chance."
"What did he mean, give him a chance?" a strident voice interrupted. I looked up to see Elizabeth, Aiden's ex-wife, standing next to Lucas, her gray eyes cool and her pale blonde hair in a severe twist. She was a stone cold bitch, but she was a beautiful one.
Belatedly, I noticed that Lucas's jaw was set, his clear green eyes hard.
That was Elizabeth for you. She had the unique talent of irritating anyone she spent more than ten seconds with. I hated her. I'd hated her since I was fifteen and she'd never given me a good reason to change my mind.
To Lucas, I said, "How long has she been standing here?"
"She showed up halfway through your dance," he said through gritted teeth. "She's been filling me in on Harrison Kenmore and your broken engagement."
"I'm sure," I said, taking my champagne from him and looping my hand through his arm.
I knew exactly what Elizabeth had been telling Lucas. That it was my fault Harrison and I had broken up, that I'd let my best opportunity for a decent marriage slip through my fingers, blah, blah, blah.
I'd heard it all before. I didn't need a repeat.
"Well?" Elizabeth said impatiently. "Why did Harrison ask you to dance?"
"None of your business," I said. "Why don't you go pester someone else before I throw this champagne on you and you melt?" I said in the sweetest voice I could muster.
Elizabeth sent me an icy look. In one of my fits of teenage rebellion, I'd dumped a bucket of water over the balustrade at Winters House onto Elizabeth when she and Aiden were on their way to a benefit just like this one.
Her filmy chiffon dress had not stood up well to the dunking. Neither had her makeup or her hair. In one glorious rush of cold water, she'd transformed from a movie star to a drowned rat. Aiden had grounded me for a month, but it had been worth it.
"I've been getting to know your new boyfriend," she said, inclining her head toward Lucas.
; I tightened my arm around his, tucking myself into his side. The evening had started off promising, but in the past few minutes, the company left much to be desired.
I scanned the crowd for rescue. None was forthcoming.
Damn.
Looking up at Lucas, I said, "I'm sorry I danced with Harrison. He's an ass if he doesn't get his way. It was easier to dance with him than argue about it."
"What did he want?" Lucas asked in a quiet voice. We were both aware of Elizabeth listening avidly.
"Nothing. Just a dance."
Lucas narrowed his eyes at me. He knew I was lying. So did Elizabeth.
"No," she said in that sharp, snotty voice she used when she was about to start telling me what to do. "He wants to get back together with you. Angela said she overheard him telling Brad that he wanted another shot now that you weren't distracted by that company."
Lucas made a sound in the back of his throat I couldn't interpret. Whatever he was thinking, they weren't happy thoughts.
I wished I were still fifteen and reckless enough to shove Elizabeth off her high horse, literally, and storm away. Sadly, my manners had improved in the last nine years.
"I'm not interested," I said, not sure if I was talking to her or to Lucas. "I'd rather die alone than get back together with Harrison. He slept with half the country club when we were together, or don't you remember that?"
The last part was directed at Elizabeth. She sniffed and raised her chin, looking down at me with the haughty know-it-all expression I'd despised through my teens.
"If you'd been home taking care of him instead of wasting your time at the office, maybe you'd be married now instead of single, unemployed, and living in a dump."
"Shut up," I hissed through my teeth. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
"I don't? I know Aiden tossed you out of the company. All those years of sacrifice for nothing. Now look at you." She eyed Lucas with a sneer. "He's certainly nice to look at, but you can't dress up a thug and parade him around like he's our kind of people."
I dropped Lucas's arm and raised my hand, so ready to slap her my palm itched for the sting of impact. Lucas grabbed my wrist, forcing my arm back to my side.
"Not worth it, Princess," he said under his breath.
"Are you sure? I think it would be very worth it." Looking Elizabeth in the eye, I said, "Divorcing you is the smartest thing Aiden ever did. You were never good enough for him. You're a cold, manipulative bitch."
Elizabeth's eyes brightened and she leaned in. "That's right, Charlotte, I am. You'd do well not to forget it. I know who your little boy toy is and I'll make you a deal. Stay away from me and Aiden, and I'll keep it to myself."
I tried to step forward, but Lucas wound his arm around me, pasting me to his side. Stymied, I said, "I know who he is too, and you're welcome to tell anyone. I'm proud to be standing next to Lucas Jackson."
The rest of her words filtered through my brain. "What the hell do you mean 'stay away from you and Aiden'? There is no you and Aiden."
"Not right now," she agreed in a saccharine voice. "But now that you're out of the house, I think I can convince him to give me a second chance. Harrison isn't the only one who can beg for redemption. Your brother always liked it when I begged." She slid me a knowing smile.
"You're disgusting," I spat out. I would have said more, but Lucas tightened his grip around my waist and half led, half dragged me away from Elizabeth.
"What are you doing?" I asked as I struggled to keep up.
"Leaving. We're done with this."
"Now?"
"Now."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHARLIE
We didn't run into anyone on our way out. Lucas was silent while we waited for the valet to return with his truck, not speaking even when he helped me into the passenger seat, carefully arranging my full skirts so the door wouldn’t damage them.
Finally, when we were halfway home, he said, "Nice den of vipers you call friends, Princess."
"Neither of them are my friends," I said. "Harrison is a tool, and calling Elizabeth a viper is an insult to snakes."
Lucas's only response was a gruff sound in the back of his throat. In fact, he didn't say another word until we were almost home. He'd been so quiet that when he spoke, the sound of his voice startled me.
"Is it usually like that?"
"Like what?"
I wasn't sure what he meant. Was he talking about Elizabeth and Harrison? Or the party itself?
The benefit had been pretty standard as those things went, but Harrison's play for my attention and the scene with Elizabeth were definitely unusual.
"That's what I thought," Lucas said obliquely.
I didn't get it. "What do you mean?" I asked. He just shook his head and fell silent again.
He parked his truck in his driveway. I'd spent the day at my place, but other than my makeup, I hadn't moved my things back to my own house.
Was I still staying with Lucas? We hadn't talked about it. We hadn't talked about anything.
I let him lead me into his house, into his bedroom, and let him strip me of my ball gown in complete silence. Standing before him wearing only a white lace thong and matching thigh-high stockings, I shivered.
His green eyes burned, tracking me from head to toe with a hot, possessive gaze.
I expected him to be rough. Impatient. But Lucas Jackson always seemed to surprise me. He stepped closer, reaching out a hand to trace one finger across my collarbone, leaving a trail of heat in the wake of his touch.
"You're so beautiful," he said in a husky whisper. "So fucking beautiful."
I didn't speak. I couldn't. My heart was in my throat, blocking my words. "Lucas, please."
That was all I could get out. Please. I didn't even know what I wanted to say. I knew what I felt. Love and lust. Affection and need. I felt everything for Lucas, and I couldn't tell him any of it.
He was already slipping away. If I laid my heart out for him, he'd disappear.
All I could do was show him. Reaching up, I placed a palm on either side of his face, pulling his mouth to mine. I kissed him with everything I had, gently at first, brushing my lips over his, back and forth, tasting his breath, his heat.
Lucas stepped into me, his big hands coming down on my hips, yanking me into him. He was still fully clothed while I was almost naked. The tips of my breasts rubbed his tuxedo jacket and I leaned into him. He was so tall that at times like this, his size overwhelmed me.
I gave the kiss everything I had, opening my mouth to his, asking him to take what he wanted. Lucas didn't disappoint me. Sex was never our problem.
His fingers grasped my hips, the jut of his hard cock digging into my stomach. His mouth took mine, claiming control of our kiss, of me.
Dropping my hands, I went to work on his clothes, pushing the jacket off his shoulders, tearing at the studs on his tux, suddenly desperate to have him as naked as I was.
I got stuck on his cufflinks, my fingers fumbling with the small metal contraptions, distracted by our kiss and the rasp of his chest hair against my nipples. Abruptly, Lucas stepped back, tearing his mouth from mine.
Eyes hot, hands trembling, he yanked at his shirt, the cufflinks popping free, pinging to the floor. He shoved his underwear down along with his pants. I watched avidly, shedding my thong but leaving the stockings.
"On the bed," he said, the words thick with need. Drawing out the moment, I reached for my hair, pulling out pin after pin, releasing my curls from the elaborate style Maggie had fashioned from my short hair.
Lucas's eyes tracked my every move, his chest rising and falling in deep, harsh breaths. It was costing him to wait, to let me tease him.
It cost me too. Every nerve in my body burned, my breasts swollen and tight, the heat between my legs slick.
Dropping the pins to the floor, I shook my hair back from my face and stepped to Lucas. He stayed where he was, a fine tremble in his hands where they hung at his sides, his cock so
hard it pressed to his abdomen, the tip leaking a bead of pre-come.
Reaching out, I ran a finger along a curving line of ink on his shoulder, following it down his arm to his hand. His skin beneath my fingertip was warm silk covering hard muscle. He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen.
Aggressive and raw, sculpted from sheer power, yet gentle when he wanted to be.
My fingers interlaced with his and I tugged him to the bed, falling back onto the mattress, taking Lucas with me. I touched him everywhere I could reach, sliding my hands over his body, kissing his jaw, the side of his neck, his shoulder.
Rising over me, he pressed our joined hands to the mattress above my head. Arching my back, I spread my legs, inviting him into me. His cock was so hard, drawn so tight to his body, he had to release my hand to guide himself in.
I'll never forget how perfectly he filled me, the way his cock was made for me, how complete I was when Lucas Jackson was inside me. He took me slowly, gliding in deep and holding still for a heartbeat before he withdrew and rocked in again.
He was killing me, building pleasure in my core with every thrust, driving me closer and closer to my orgasm even as love and pain gathered in a tight ball in my chest, too much for me to contain.
A single tear escaped the corner of my eye.
Lucas dropped his head to mine, kissing away the salty drop. "Charlie," he murmured in my ear.
He didn't tell me not to cry.
He knew.
I couldn't hold him.
I didn't know how.
I had nothing to offer him but what he'd already taken.
My body and my heart.
He'd had all he wanted of the first and he had no interest in the second.
I fought my tears as hard as I fought my orgasm. I didn't want to come. I didn't want it to be over. I wanted to stay like this forever, joined to Lucas, everything I was belonging to him.
All too soon, Lucas reached his limit. With a groan, he moved faster, pounding into me, pushing me over the edge into an orgasm so hard it was a bright flash behind my eyes.
I cried out his name as I came, freeing my hands to hold on to him, my face buried in his neck, my tears streaking his skin.
