Lucas: The Hunter Brothers Series (26 page)

“That
was years ago,” I said, shaking my head.

“Who’s
Pippa Plant?” Lucas grinned and I knew there was no point trying to stop her
telling the story.

“She
was the school bully. She was picking on my best mate and I was running my
mouth off as usual. She was harder than me, but I wasn’t just going to stand
there and take her shit. Anyway she decided she’d had enough of my backchat. I
tried to put up a decent fight, but she was solid and built like a brick shit
house,” she said as Charlie laughed.

“So,
I’m on the floor in the middle of the playground, getting a good kicking with
half of the school looking on, when I saw Jess pushing through the crowd with a
determined glint in her eye. I didn’t know what she was planning on doing. She
was really quiet and had never had a fight in her life. She marched straight up
to Pippa Plant and swung an almighty right hook. The next thing I knew, Pippa
was on the floor next to me. There was no screaming or hair pulling, scratching
or biting. It was as if she’d saved up years of anger and channelled it into
that fist. Even the lads were impressed, it was awesome.”

Charlie
was laughing and Lucas was gazing at me curiously. “The quiet ones are the ones
you need to worry about. When she loses it, she really fucking loses it,” Chas
laughed as I sighed deeply. It was the last thing I wanted to be discussing
when I was trying to be professional.

The
truth was I just wanted to get out of there. If it had been a date I’d be
mentally prepared and at least dressed the part, but it wasn’t. It was a
business meeting that had spiralled out of control leaving me feeling uncomfortable
and confused.

“Let’s
get some more drinks, Charlie,” Lucas said, rising from the table as I watched
him, irritated by the number of women who stopped him en route to the bar, my
annoyance etched in every feature of my face.

“What
the hell is the matter with you?” Chas asked, frowning deeply as I sipped the
last of my wine and tried to hold it together.

“I
don’t know what this is, Chas. I was meeting Charlie to discuss the engineering
event. I didn’t know Lucas was coming and then you showed up. No one’s
interested in the proposal I’ve spent ages working on, and the world and his
wife are eye fucking the man I screwed all over his office this morning,” I
sighed as she rolled her eyes.

“Of
course they are, get used to it. But it’s not them he’s here with, it’s you,”
she said as I shook my head.

“Yes,
but why? We don’t date, it’s not what we do,” I said as she threw me a puzzled
frown.

“Well
he obviously wants to spend time with you. I should have thought you’d be happy
about that,” she said, watching me closely. I was ecstatic about it, but I was
also extremely concerned.

“You
don’t understand, Chas. I am happy, but Lucas is intense. I’ve only just got my
head around the relationship we have, and working together, but he’s throwing
something else into the mix now, and I’m not sure I’m ready for it,” I said and
I could tell from the bemused look on her face that she didn’t understand.

I
knew she wouldn’t. Chas wanted the prize. She’d never have agreed to a sexual relationship
without the dating part. She’d insist on everything. Most women would and the
niggling fear griped away in the pit of my stomach. It was difficult to
understand it myself, never mind explain it to my sister. She had no idea of
the impact this incredible man had already had. If I gave him everything I’d
lose all control, fall further under his spell and there would be nothing of me
left. From then it would be a slow and certain journey to the heart crushing,
excruciating agony of loss.

 
I had felt that once before and couldn’t bear
to go through it again. If I wasn’t careful, Lucas Hunter would own my soul in
the same powerful way he already owned my body. I was being sucked in by a
force it was impossible to resist and I had to hold something back. The end was
inevitable. He was my Dom, not my boyfriend; our relationship stipulated by the
rules of a contract. This was not your run of the mill boy meets girl fairytale
and I couldn’t allow myself to believe that it was.

He’d
said it himself; he was out with his
friends
.
Not his girlfriend or his partner. Christ, I wasn’t even allowed to contact him
except in a professional capacity, suddenly seeing no reason why I should still
be sitting here. My so-called business meeting had very obviously concluded.

“I’m
heading off after this,” I said, forcing a smile as Lucas placed my wine in
front of me, only to be hit by a fierce frown.

“I
thought we might go to the club opening,” he said, holding my gaze and I could
feel my sister’s eyes burning into me.

“Come
on, Jess, it will be fun. We haven’t been out together in forever and it’s not
like you couldn’t do with a social life. You never get the opportunity to let
your hair down,” she smiled and I was suddenly incensed. Hadn’t she heard a
damn word I’d just said?

“I’m
not exactly dressed for it,” I snapped. It was far from the real reason I
didn’t want to go, but it was true nevertheless.

“There
are a few designer boutiques down this street and they’re still open. We’ll get
you kitted out, Jess, and see just how much of a dent you can put in my credit
card,” Lucas smiled as Chas laughed, clapping her hands excitedly.

I
shook my head slowly. “Thank you, Lucas, but I really need to get home,” I said
softly as he seared me with a fierce gaze and my skin bristled. I knew he
wasn’t happy and that was precisely the reason I had to stick to my guns here.

“What
do you need to get home for? Dex is staying away tonight, Jess. Come on, I’ll
help you shop. I bet I could do some damage to Lucas’s extensive funds,” she
grinned, winking at him as he chuckled softly.

“No,”
I said, much more firmly than I intended as she sat back in her seat and I
glanced away, knowing that Charlie and Lucas were exchanging looks. “My son is
staying out, but that doesn’t mean I have a free pass to go gallivanting all
over the city at a moment’s notice. I could get a call any second to say he’s
homesick or poorly or needs his mum. If he does I will be ready for him, not
inebriated in some nightclub.”

Chas
was shaking her head as I risked a quick glance at Lucas. His face was just set
in that unreadable expression and I had absolutely no idea what he was
thinking. “Listen, it sounds great and with a bit more notice I might have been
able to sort something out and come along, but I wouldn’t relax,” I said,
hoping that might appease the three pairs of eyes that were currently burning
into me.

“What
happened to spontaneity?” Chas quipped and I couldn’t believe she wouldn’t
leave it alone.

“It
spontaneously vanished when I was left with the responsibility of nursing my
mother through cancer and found myself with a child to care for at sixteen
years old,” I snapped, taking a sip of wine and knowing that I’d overstepped
the mark. Chas was trying to encourage me to have a little more fun. It was
hardly the crime of the century, but I couldn’t understand why she kept pushing
it.

“I’ll
take you home,” Lucas said firmly, pushing his chair back and rounding the
table quickly.

“I’m
sorry, Chas,” I said as she shrugged, smiling at Charlie. It clearly hadn’t
upset her as much as I thought it might. It seemed like I was the one reeling
with confusion and doubt, and the six foot three muscular specimen guiding me
out of the wine bar was much of the reason for it.

“I’ll
make a point to avoid spontaneous ad-hoc business meetings in wine bars in the
future if this is your reaction,” he said as I hit the pavement outside. I
couldn’t even begin to try and explain my bizarre behaviour so I didn’t, climbing
into the back of the car as he slid in beside me.

“Bathsheba?”
the driver asked as Lucas shook his head, giving my address and I wondered if a
date had been his plan all along. The silence was deathly, making the journey
awkward and uncomfortable and I didn’t want to leave things like this.

“I’m
sorry, Lucas. I’m not used to last minute changes of plan, I don’t have the
freedom for that,” I said, turning to look at him, but he didn’t look back.

“I
would have thought by now that you’d have learnt to expect the unexpected,” he
said, finally turning to look at me with a gaze that knocked the breath from my
lungs.

“Sexually
yes, but I didn’t know you expected to see me tonight. It’s three afternoons at
the club,” I said, trying to hold my ground under the intensity of that stare
and swallowing hard.

“And
I didn’t expect you to leave me with a raging fucking hard on all day after the
most incredible morning I have ever had. I distinctly remember saying that our
contract was fluid.”

I
took a deep breath, remembering how close we’d felt only hours before and
wanting to feel it again. I wanted intimacy and reassurance as he turned away,
looking up at the apartment as the car pulled to a halt.

“Goodnight,
Miss Evangelista,” he said suddenly in a tone that was bordering on cold and I
knew what I wanted wasn’t on offer. If I invited him up, he probably wouldn’t
come and it wasn’t my place to do so. Even if he did come, no doubt I’d be on
my knees servicing him when all I needed right now was a cuddle.

“I
was planning to read up on some events ideas,” I lied, desperate not to end
this wonderful day in such a tense and difficult fashion. He was right, this
morning had been incredible.

“I’d
prefer you to re-read the contract. You can start with the section on attitude
and my expectations. They are all there in black and white,” he said as I tried
not to respond to the sudden chill in his voice. It would only make things
worse.

But
then again, why the hell should I keep silent? “I see little point in
re-reading the contract if it’s so
fluid.
It would probably just be a waste of time. You may decide to change it
tomorrow,” I said as his eyes blazed into mine. I felt certain he was about to
chastise me, hoping it might actually take place inside my apartment and end
the night in a blissful fashion. A little light spanking for my attitude
wouldn’t be misplaced.

“Goodnight,
Miss Evangelista,” he said before turning away again, clearly trying to hide
his anger. Well that had backfired.

“Goodnight,”
I said softly, climbing out of the car and making my way dejectedly up the
stone steps, hearing the Bentley pull away behind me. ‘Well you fucked that one
up’ I muttered to myself, collapsing in a heap on the couch and sighing deeply,
wondering just how many women would be offering to service him in Bathsheba.

I
was still awake at three AM when Chas rolled in, looking extremely worse for
wear. “You missed a great night, why the hell didn’t you come?” she asked,
kicking off her heels and slumping into the chair.

“Because
Lucas and I don’t date, Chas, it’s not what we do,” I said, trying to hide my
immediate irritation.

“Well
it looks to me like he wanted a date tonight,” she grinned as I shook my head.
It would be pointless trying to explain myself further when she was in this
state. Besides, she’d never remember and I’d have to go over it all again in
the morning.

“Was
that woman from the wine bar there?” I asked, desperate for an answer to the
question that had been eating away at me all night. She nodded slowly.

“Yeah,
her and about a hundred others, leaving no room for doubt what they wanted from
your boyfriend,” she laughed and I had no idea why. I certainly didn’t find it
funny and felt sick to my stomach.

“Oh,
don’t look like that, Sis. I’ve told you before, the man in untouchable. Only
Marianne got close enough to wiggle her tits in his face and he told her to jog
on. He spent all night with the owner, they’re mates apparently,” she smiled. I
was undeniably relieved but even the thought of it riled me. Feelings of
jealousy and insecurity were new to me and difficult to handle. The more
involved I was getting, the more frequently I was feeling them, intensifying in
their ferocity as I tried to change the subject.

“What
about you and Charlie?” I asked as her face fell.

 
“He went home with a ten,” she said as I
stared at her in shock. They were only friends, but it surprised me anyway. After
their earlier flirting in the wine bar, there was a small part of me that had
thought they might spend the night together.

“You
don’t need to look at me like that. We’re just friends and he can go home with
whoever he likes. Besides he’s a tit guy and I don’t have your double D’s” she
smiled, but it wasn’t genuine. Whether she admitted it or not, I could tell
there was a small part of my sister that didn’t really buy that.

“I
got myself a date too,” she announced triumphantly as my eyebrows shot up.

“With who?”
I asked,
thinking this might be the reason she seemed less concerned about Charlie than
I thought she might.

“Gary
Knightley, he’s a footballer,” she grinned as I shook my head.

“You
know what they’re like, Chas. Can’t you just find someone who isn’t mind-blowingly
rich, seriously alpha, a target for every gold-digging bimbo this side of
Watford and as arrogant as arse?” I asked as she stood, stumbling slightly and
gazing down at me.