“Beautiful.” The corner of his lips curled up in a smirk, his eyes sparkling with mischievousness. “You should dress this way more often. It’s a good look for you.”
She laughed, despite herself. She ignored the backhanded compliment. She let herself revel in the power she now had over Rick, at least temporarily. Wasn’t this what she wanted? Wasn’t this exactly why she was taking advice from Lucas Cruz? To get Rick’s attention this way? To get him to look at her this way?
“Thank you,” she said. She tilted her head to the side. “So, what’s up? Why are you here?” He looked confused for a moment, and Avery rushed to explain. “That wasn’t what I meant. Sorry. Is everything okay? You usually don’t show up at my place late at night.”
“Yeah, I just…” He shook his head, still staring. She felt herself get giddy just watching him react. To her. She still couldn’t believe it. This just didn’t make sense. He reached up and that was when she noticed the bottle of wine in his hand. “I wanted you to try this…” He walked around her kitchen sink to get to her cupboard so he could grab wine glasses. “I’m just surprised you’re back so late – and that you didn’t drive yourself. You’re always the designated driver. What’s going on with you tonight?”
“Oh, um.” Avery’s thoughts started swimming quicker than she could keep up with. He said so much that she was attempting to string together a believable lie but all she could come up with was, “I guess I wanted to try something new.”
Rick stopped uncorking the bottle – he was in the middle of twisting it off before he set it on the sink to look at her with narrowed eyes. Avery felt her spine straighten. She shouldn’t have said that. How obvious could she be? Try new things? Avery didn’t try new things. She had the same style, the same haircut, the same car, for as long as she could remember. She refused to get rid of an old pair of converses from the eighth grade because she loved how comfortable they were, even if they were a bit ratty. And now all of a sudden she was wearing a cute dress with makeup, with her hair done, getting rides from people – one man in particular, but Rick didn’t know that – and staying out late on top of trying to take the reins in business?
Had she pushed things too far? Because it certainly seemed like she did.
“Trying new things?” he questioned with a perk of his brow. Avery was quick to study his eyes, but there didn’t seem to be any suspicion in them. If anything, they looked slightly approving. “You seem to be doing that a lot lately. You’re getting into business, you’re showing off your assets.” His eyes dropped pointedly to her chest, the way the dress emphasized her curves. “You’re staying out late, you’re going out with your friends like real girls do…” He let his voice trail off and walked back over to her, finally meeting her eyes once more. “What other surprises do you have up your sleeve?”
He placed his hands on Avery’s hips but Avery didn’t notice. She was too caught up in what Rick had just said for her to even feel his hands on her.
Real girls? Real girls? Real girls?
What did that mean? Did he not see her as a woman? As a feminine being? Did he not see her as an authentic person? She knew he was trying to give her a compliment, but it came out the wrong way and just being near him caused her insides to churn.
But she didn’t want to start a fight or correct his diction. In fact, she didn’t want to even clarify it. She was too offended and she knew she would say something stupid, something she would later regret.
“Anything left for me?” he asked, cocking his head to the side and dropping his lips to her neck.
No.
This –
No.
Why did this feel wrong? This was her fiancé for crying out loud. He was the one entitled to these things! It didn't make sense that her entire body cringed at his touch. It didn't make sense that her entire body was tense, that she wanted to shed her skin and be anywhere but with him.
Something must be wrong with her. It had to be the kiss...
Lucas freaking Cruz had the nerve to blindside her with a kiss of a lifetime. Avery had to bite her bottom lip to keep from sighing out loud, though if she did, it wouldn't really matter. Rick was kissing her. It wasn't as though he would know she was thinking about anyone else.
Did that make it right? No. But it did make being with Rick bearable.
The kiss Lucas gave her was firm and insistent but gentle at the same time. It wasn't incredibly passionate or a full-on makeout session by any stretch but his tongue flicked out of his mouth to trade her bottom lip, moisten it, and then slide back into his mouth as his lips closed the kiss. It last a few moments, longer than a simple peck, but it felt like the longest and slowest moment in the entire world. She got breathless just thinking about it. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and suddenly, being with Rick wasn't as difficult as it had been. In fact, being with him felt right and good and -
There was a strong sucking on her neck. Was he leaving her hickeys? Did she care? She was finally getting what she wanted and it was all thanks to Lucas. Maybe this whole thing with him really was working.
--
After another half hour, Avery gently kicked Rick out of the house. They now officially had their first make out session and he attempted to feel her up while they kissed on the couch. Avery didn't allow it but it still felt good knowing she was starting to accumulate the power she wanted to have over him.
When she was by herself, she padded into her bedroom and slowly removed her clothing so she stood naked in front of her full-body vanity mirror. Her eyes traced the curves of her body, the way her nipples hardened because of the cold, the maintained patch of hair between her thighs. She liked the freckles on her skin, the birthmark on her thigh.
For some reason, she imagined what Lucas might do if he were standing right behind her. He would cup her breasts with his big hands, making her gasp, making her head roll back and hit his chest. He would attack her neck with kisses just the way Rick had excepted to do so that he would have access to her entirely.
Her fingers started to dance against her clit, her legs falling open naturally. Her eyes rolled back as she began to imagine Lucas dropping one hand from her breast so it coiled to her mound. His insistent fingers would spread her lips until it got access to her clit and then he would tease her - tracing her nipple before tugging them and doing the same thing with her clit. She could feel him harden behind her, pressing into her lower back and she was not afraid, she was not intimidated. She wanted him. Badly. So she opened her legs further for him until, until -
When Lucas kissed her, she saw stars. When she touched herself to this fantasy of what he might do to her, she saw stars. She felt like a firework, exploding into the sky and coming down in waves of twitching. Her entire body was on fire. Her entire soul was consumed.
This was... This was...
How had she survived this long without this in her life?
10
When Avery appeared at Lucas’s door, she was giddy with excitement. What happened with Rick last night was more than anything she ever expected and she couldn’t wait to tell Lucas.
Which made no sense because she barely knew the guy. Except… as she thought about it, being around him made her feel as though she had known him for a long time. Known her longer than anyone. It was something she had never felt before, something she wanted to explore but also didn’t, because she was afraid of the implications. She was afraid of what it all meant. But instead of trying to figure it all out, she chose to push it down and ignore it. She knew she liked being around Lucas. She liked what she was learning. And everything he was teaching her actually worked. So far.
The minute Lucas opened the door, Avery all but skipped in, a big smile on her face. She was brimming with electricity, and when Lucas muttered a teasing, “Oh, hello Avery. Won’t you come in?” she actually giggled.
Giggled.
Her.
What. The. Heck.
“What’s going on with you?”
S
he spun on the heel of her boot in order to face him. He wore a tight plain white t-shirt and sweat pants that clung around his ankles. His feet were covered with black socks and there was a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. She wondered if she just interrupted him working out. Her words caught in her throat. He was too good looking for his own good. She swallowed and forced herself to look away from and hoped he hadn’t caught her staring.
“You smell.”
Her eyes snapped back to his, an affronted squeak slipping out of her lips as all thoughts of how beautiful he was temporarily forgotten.
“Excuse me?”
Lucas’s nostrils flared and he took a step closer to her, his eyes dropping to his neck, narrowing until –
“Is that a hickey?”
Avery went back to beaming, nodding her head enthusiastically. “Yes!” she said. “Lucas, yes. After you dropped me off last night, he was at my place, waiting for me.”
“Why was he at your place?” Lucas asked. For some reason, he did not seem as excited as she was. But it didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to let him bring her down. Not when she was succeeding.
“I…” She shrugged. “I didn’t ask. But anyway, you have to let me finish. He was waiting for me and when he saw me in what I was wearing, he called me beautiful and” –
“Well, you are beautiful,” Lucas said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Avery couldn’t be sure but it almost sounded as though Lucas were annoyed with something. But what, she didn’t know. “He should tell you that. Every day. This isn’t a revelation, Avery.”
“No need to be snippy,” Avery said, her voice still bubbly. “But anyway, before you interrupted, he said all these things and we kissed and I let him feel me up. Over my clothes, of course. Nothing further. I wasn’t ready for that. He wasn’t too happy about it either but I wouldn’t let him stay the night and then I came to you. In the morning, I mean. To tell you. Because it’s only been a few days, Lucas, and Rick couldn’t keep his hands off of me.”
She finally looked back at him, finally paused in order to catch her breath. That was when she noticed the hunched shoulders, the clenched jaw, the narrowed eyes. They were on her neck, probably on her hickey. It made her squirm on the inside to find him staring so thoroughly at it. In fact, if Avery was being honest, she didn’t want him staring at it at all. She almost felt ashamed that she had something so juvenile on her neck in the first place. She was an adult after all, and this wasn’t a professional look. How was she supposed to be taken seriously?
“What?” she asked, furrowing her brow. “Why are you looking at me that way?”
Lucas’s eyes snapped into hers, almost as though she had lifted him from some sort of spell. “You’re” - He stopped himself, looked away. Then, “I told you about wolves, Av. We don’t like to share. How would you feel if I was with another girl while I was teaching you this? Would you be okay with it?”
“I’m not your property,” she told her, her eyes flashing emerald. “I made out with my fiancé. I think that’s appropriate considering he’s my fiancé.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. “If you believe this” – she pointed between them – “is keeping you from hooking up with other girls, feel free to continue to do so. I know wolves can’t catch any STDs and they can’t pass any along so I’m not worried about that, especially since we’ll be using protection anyway.”
“So you’d be fine if I continued to date while teaching you about this?” Lucas asked. He still didn’t sound as though he believed her.
“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked. “I don’t expect you to be loyal to me. You aren’t anything to me, really. Don’t let me stop you from living your life.”
He pushed up his brow. “Okay,” he said, “if you’re sure. Bring your fiancé to my club tonight – Hades. The one we went to last night.”
“Why?” Avery asked.
“Because I’m going to teach you another lesson,” he replied. “This one’s about jealousy and how to use it to your advantage.”
“But why” –
“For now, I’d prefer it if you’d leave,” Lucas said, cutting her off. “I don’t like seeing hickeys on…” He let his voice trail off and he clenched his teeth together again, so he wouldn’t say anything else that might be insensitive. “Also, you smell. Like your fiancé. And I refuse to have that in my house.”
Before she could respond, he slammed the door.
---
It was easy to convince Rick to meet her at Hades. She didn't want him to pick her up because she wasn't sure how she was going to respond to whatever it was Lucas had in mind for her and she didn't want Rick to pick up the confusion that would surely wreck any semblance of a poker face she would have attempted on her own.
For some reason, she chose a dress that revealed every single curve on her body. It was tight and short, a dark green color that emphasized her eyes. She straightened her hair and swept her bangs to the left side of her face, giving her a feminine touch to her heart shaped face. Her makeup with smoky and subtle. Her shoes were plain nude heels but they were stilettos and four inches. She had never worn anything like it, and judging by the dropped jaw from her fiancé when they met in the parking structure, she knew it was right on point.
Was it weird that Avery didn't particularly pay attention to Rick's reaction? Her mind was too muddled with Lucas's last words.
"You should know something about werewolves, Ms. Montgomery. We don't like to share our things."
What was that supposed to mean, anyway? There was no reason for her to be jealous. She was with Rick. Unless Lucas was going to have some hot girl hit on Rick, his words didn't make any sense to her. She was kind of worried but maybe intrigued? Maybe she was worried because she didn't know how she was going to react.
"Come on," Avery said when they made it to the sleek black entrance. A line was already crawling around the side of the club and it was just after eleven. "We don't have to wait."
"How the hell'd you swing that?" Rick asked, his fingers wrapped around her wrist. He hadn't let go since they met up and he was gobsmacked at how good she looked. "This is the hottest place in Somerset right now."
Avery shrugged because she didn't care. The bouncer - the same one from before - smiled and let her in. When she tried to pay the cover, he waved it away.
"Mr. Cruz would fire me if I accepted money from you, Ms. Montgomery," he said as she and Rick walked through.
Avery smiled. "Please, call me Avery," she said before the stepped into the dim dance floor with neon blue lights.
She didn't know how it was possible, but her eyes immediately found Lucas in a swarm of people. A woman had her arm wrapped around his neck, pulling him close to her and whispering something in his ear. He was smiling - that soft genuine smile that wrinkled his eyes and made Avery's breath catch in her throat at its beauty. The two were sitting in a secluded VIP area, off to the side of the main dance floor, just the two of them. Her legs were clad in a red skirt and flung over Lucas's lap like he was the arm of a chair. His hand rested casually on her thigh. Avery was livid.
"Let's go get a drink, Av," Rick said, reminding her that she was engaged to a decent guy whom she was here with.
"Let's say hi to Lucas first," Avery suggested because she couldn't resist. She hoped the look on her face was innocent enough. "Then we can do whatever you want."
"It's Lucas now?" Rick asked, quirking a brow but following her nonetheless.
Avery didn't respond. Avery hadn't even heard the question.
"Actually..." Avery tried to calm herself down. She tried to think about how to handle it like a business woman. Surprisingly enough, she didn't hear her father's voice in her head, but her mother's.
Don't get mad, get even.
Okay, if Lucas wanted to give her a lesson in jealousy, she could give him one in turn.
"Let's dance."
Before Rick had a chance to respond, Avery pulled him onto the dance floor, close
to Lucas so he would notice them. She refused to look at him, however, and instead, kept him within her peripheral.
Avery positioned her body the same way many of the dancers did; with her back against his chest. If Rick questioned her, she didn't hear him. For one, the music was so loud it drowned out thoughts but also because she had this inexplicable urge to make Lucas jealous, to turn the awful, territorial feeling that was currently coursing through her the way blood did to go away. And to make him feel the same way. Rick's hands were all over her body. He seemed to drop whatever was bugging him and focus on feeling her up in front of everyone here. She didn't particularly care. She didn't even feel him clawing at her body. All she cared about was Lucas and his reaction.
She didn't have to wait long.
Before she knew it, she was ripped from Rick's grasp and dragged to the back of the club where seclusion was key and only employees were allowed. Avery didn't look back at Rick. She would decide later if that made her a bad person or not. All she cared about was Lucas right here, right in front of her, tension rolling from his body the way she had been rolling her hips just moments before.
When they were down a dark, empty hallway, Lucas pushed against the wall so her back hit the cool material.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he growled, his face inches from hers.
"You said today's lesson would be about jealousy," she replied, her eyes unblinking, her chin tilted up stubbornly.
"You being jealous," he corrected. "Not" -
"You were jealous," she stated and smiled at herself. She had the power to make Lucas Cruz jealous.
An Education in Business: A Somerset Novel (Somerset Series Book 3) Page 6
