Lucas: The Hunter Brothers Series (44 page)

“Jesus
Christ,” I muttered under my breath, unable to stifle my shock as Dex ran
inside, picking up the remote control and racing the car at high speed around
the meters and meters of track, beaming wildly.

“Lucas
did all this for me?” he asked, turning to Mrs Kilbride, wide eyed and just
staring as joyous tears pricked at my eyes.

“I’ve
never seen him behave like this over anyone, dear, and I’ve known that boy
since he was five years old. And I’ve never seen him as happy as when he was
putting all this together,” she said as I shook my head in astonishment, my
heart soaring in my chest.

“When
did he even have the time?” I asked, still in a state of stunned disbelief.

“Last night, all night.
He came home in a foul mood. Pacing around the apartment, cursing angrily and
to be honest I kept out of his way. Then he disappeared for a couple of hours
and came back with all this stuff. The bed was delivered a few hours later. I
don’t know how he managed it, but that boy does anything he puts his mind to. He
stayed up all night putting everything together, still dressed in a tux. It was
quite something to watch, particularly when he got the race track up and
running,” she laughed softly as I swallowed hard.

“I
need to go,” I said, trying not to cry again as I hugged Dexter tight, telling
him to call me if he wanted to talk and that Chas would come and visit. I
wasn’t sure how long I’d be there, but it would be for every second that Lucas needed
me.

 
I was desperate to see him as I ran to the
car, staring out of the window and willing the miles away. I’d fallen deeper,
harder and faster for this man than I’d even realised, and so had my son. He
wanted it all and he’d get it, everything I had to offer and all I could give.
I’d been fooling myself if I’d ever thought any different.

He
was a powerful, incredible man with a determined will who had blasted his way into
my life. I’d been swept along on his strength, powerless to resist and no
longer wanting to. To love and be loved was the greatest treasure in this world,
and I could never have imagined just how much my blue eyed thunderbolt would
change my life. Lucas Hunter had mended the fracture in my heart, allayed my
fears and made me whole.

CHAPTER 34

The
house loomed large in the distance as we eventually pulled slowly down the long
gravel drive, arriving at the doorway as I saw the tall, dark silhouette of
Lucas standing on the broad, stone steps. The car had barely stopped as I dived
out of the door, running into his arms and almost knocking him backwards as he
gripped me tightly, burying his face in my hair.

“How
are you, Lucas?” I asked, forcing my face away from the warmth and comfort of
his hot, hard chest and gazing into those incredible eyes. My heart was aching
at the pain that dwelled there as I reached up to kiss him.

“I’m
better now you’re here,” he whispered softly, pulling me closer as the driver
dropped my bag at his feet. Lucas thanked him, bending to pick it up as we made
our way down the breathtaking hallway of the beautiful stately home. He was holding
me tightly by his side, tucked under his arm, and there was nowhere I yearned
to be more as he gazed down, stopping just outside a thick, rich mahogany door
and I felt his posture straighten.

“Are
you ready to face the family?” he asked as I smiled and nodded, grasping his
hand and squeezing it tightly, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves as he
pushed open the door and I followed him inside.

There
was a shift in Lucas as soon as we entered the study. The sadness was less
evident and he looked every inch a man in control. I gazed around the dark room
at the unfamiliar faces before my eyes landed on Charlie. He strode across to
me, arms wide open and pulling me into a hug as I held him tightly.

“Hey,
Jess, is Chas with you?” he asked as I frowned, shaking my head and wondering
why on earth he’d think she might be.

 
“No, Charlie, she isn’t. I’m really sorry
about your dad,” I offered as he nodded gently.

“Yeah,
it’s been a shock,” he said, his face pale as he stood back, returning to sit
on the dark green antique leather armchair, facing the fire and losing himself
once again in the flickering orange flames.

“Alison
Lovett, I’m the housekeeper,” said a tall, attractive woman in her early
thirties who’d been busying herself putting china cups onto a silver tray as I
shook her outstretched hand. I imagined her task today would be making copious
amounts of sweet, hot tea whether it was wanted or not.

“I’m
Jess, it’s nice to meet you,” I smiled, before Lucas told her she could knock
off for the day. She smiled and nodded and seemed pleasant enough, but she
lacked the wonderful open warmth of Mrs Kilbride.

I
looked across to the old green chair situated opposite Charlie in front of the
blazing fire, to the only person in the room who had not yet acknowledged my
presence. His strong body looked weakened by grief, his beautiful profile
softened by the mellow glow of the flames, and I recognised him immediately
from the first night I’d met Lucas.

Tyler
Hunter, lead singer of Heat and the very reason I’d been standing on that
decking, shivering in the cold December air in a pair of very tight hot pants.
“Tyler,” Lucas said firmly as his brother looked up at him, glancing at me
briefly before returning his attention back to the roaring fireplace. Lucas
tensed and I squeezed his hand supportively, smiling up at him to let him know
that his brother’s reaction was okay with me. Tyler Hunter had been the one to
find him.

Lucas
walked over to a huge mahogany drinks cabinet, decanting four brandies into
large round glasses, handing them to each of us turn, gesturing for me to take
a seat on the large hard leather sofa, facing the chairs. I sipped my drink
slowly, stroking my hand repeatedly over Lucas’s firm thigh and casting my eyes
over the large bookcase that ran the length of one wall. It was crammed left to
right with leather bound books and hard cover copies on every subject from
science to sport, business to the British aristocracy. I had never seen
anything like it outside the local library, but someone in this family liked to
read.

The
room was dark; the small table lamp and glow of the fire the only source of
light, reflecting the sombreness of the heavy mood that hung in the air.

I
wanted to open a window and let the crisp breeze blow through the room, but
grief was personal, and right now, three of the four Hunter brothers were doing
it their way.

 
“Have you heard anything?” Charlie asked as
Lucas shook his head.

“I’ve
placed an announcement in The Times and The Guardian and I’ve had Jackson
update the website. Our best hope is that he sees it and comes back,” he said
and I could only assume they were talking about the elusive Roman.

“He
won’t come back,” Charlie snapped, his voice laced with thinly veiled anger as
Tyler’s eyes shot up and stared at him hard.

“He
will. He’ll come back for us,” Tyler said defiantly as Lucas looked on, sipping
his brandy slowly.

“After what he’s done?
I seriously fucking doubt it, Ty,” Charlie replied, watching Tyler as he stood,
placing his empty brandy glass on the small table and announcing he was “Going
for a smoke.” I was desperate to ask what Roman had done, glancing up at Lucas
and realising immediately that now was not the time.

He
smiled gently before picking up Tyler’s glass and refilling it with brandy as I
walked across to join him. “May I?” I asked, holding out my hand and deciding
it might be a good way to try and get his brother talking.

“Sure,”
Lucas nodded, kissing me gently and I made my way out onto the patio, holding
out the glass to Tyler and smiling softly.

“I’m
sorry about your father, Tyler. You found him didn’t you?” I asked as he looked
up at me properly for the first time.

 
“Yeah,” he shrugged, every inch the cool rock
star, putting on a brave face, but it was impossible to disguise the torment in
those incredible blue eyes. I’d come to realise those were a family trait. They
didn’t have a mother and he might be feigning an act for his brothers, but
they’d need each other more than ever right now.

“It
must have been a terrible shock. I was there when my Mum died. I nursed her
through cancer and it was horrible, but at least I was prepared. Something like
this...” my voice trailed off as he gazed at me again. “I can’t imagine,” I
finished as he nodded.

I
didn’t know what to say. What could I say? There were no words that would ease
the hurt or lessen the pain. Grief was no stranger to me, and I understood all
too well the need to work things through in your own time. I also understood
the importance of family when the anguish and distress was all consuming. As
long as I was here, I intended to help however I could.

 
Tyler looked across at me, sipping his brandy
before offering me a cigarette and I took it, trying not to cough as I lit it
and failing miserably as he chuckled gently.

“You
don’t look much like a smoker,” he said as I smiled.

“I’m
not. My sister used to force me when I was younger. She tried to train me like
one of those beagles in the 1950’s, but I never really got the hang of it,” I
said, trying again as he laughed gently, his features softening as he watched
me curiously.

“I
was visiting today. He was just laid there on the kitchen floor. I hardly ever
visit,” he said, shaking his head and finally opening up. It was clear he was
still in shock and trying to come to terms with what had happened.

“Why
were you visiting?” I asked as he gazed out into the quiet space of the
perfectly manicured stepped gardens that seemed to go on for miles. The low moonlight
was reflected on the soft ripples of a huge twinkling lake in the distance. The
place was absolutely beautiful.

“My
old man hated my choice of career. He wanted me to join the family firm with
Lucas and Charlie. He told me that being a musician was juvenile and I should
grow the fuck up. I came to tell him it’s the debut of our new single on MTV
tonight. I thought he might finally be proud of me,” he sighed deeply.

“I’m
sure he would have been, Tyler. That’s an incredible achievement,” I smiled as a
wave of sadness washed across his handsome features.

“What
time is it on?” I asked, looking at my watch as he cast his anguished gaze to
the floor.

“Eight
thirty, but it seems pretty meaningless now,” he said, taking a long drag on
his cigarette as I tried to mimic his actions, spluttering slightly as he chuckled
gently.

“It’s
not meaningless, Tyler, this is a really big deal. Do the others know?” I asked
as he shook his head.

“No,”
he replied as I tried to steer the conversation onto safer territory.

“What’s
the song called?” I asked as a small smile tickled the side of his mouth.

“Obsession,”
he said as I thought about it for a moment.

“Is
that the song you opened your gig with at the record company party?” I remembered
the sound.

“Yeah”
he smiled, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “I didn’t know you were there.
Lucas never mentioned you that night.” I couldn’t prevent the soft flush that
crept up my cheeks.

“It
was the first night we met- well sort of. I was waitressing and doing a pretty
terrible job of it. I soaked him in champagne and I dare say he wasn’t all that
impressed with me at that point,” I said as he smiled softly.

“He
is now though, Jess,” he said, flashing his thick black brows suggestively and
I couldn’t help but giggle, extinguishing my barely smoked cigarette in a
ceramic flowerpot that Tyler was using as a makeshift ashtray.

“Come
on inside, its cold out here,” I said, opening the patio doors as he followed
me in, resuming his position by the fire. I sat beside Lucas who was gazing at
me curiously.

“Have
you been smoking?” he asked, pulling a puzzled frown.

“Of a fashion!
I’ve
never met anyone so bad at it,” Tyler quipped, laughing as Lucas pulled me
tight, kissing my head and seemingly grateful that his brother and I were now
properly acquainted. I checked my watch, wondering if I was doing the right
thing.

“Tyler’s
new single is on the music channel tonight at half past eight,” I smiled as
Lucas and Charlie stared at him in shock.

 
“Why the fuck didn’t you say?” Charlie gasped,
jumping up from his chair, punching Tyler hard on the arm and flicking on the
giant screen that was hanging on the wall above the fireplace.

“I
didn’t think...” Tyler started before Charlie cut him off.

“Didn’t
think what? If you didn’t think this was important you are seriously deluded.
If you pull this off, Tyler, can you imagine how much pussy I’ll pull having a
rock star as a brother,” he laughed, earning him a furious glare from Lucas. I
looked up at him, laughing and shaking my head as his expression softened and
he wound his arm protectively around my shoulder.

This
was infinitely preferable to the pervading sadness, and a little interlude of
light relief would do everyone good. There was all the time in the world for
grief, regret, guilt and recrimination and I knew that only too well.

I
was staring at the TV, watching the presenter talk about the ascension of Heat
and Tyler Hunter in particular. He looked incredible. He was beautiful in close
up, and on the screen he was absolutely smouldering. He was running his fingers
through mussed up hair, looking impossibly sexy with a broad white smile and
those mesmerising Hunter eyes. He had the same colouring as Lucas, but their
signature expressions were worlds apart. Where a silent gaze from Lucas
commanded authority and respect, Tyler’s screamed ‘Look at me’. He was a
performer in every sense of the word and I barely noticed the rest of the band.

“You
fucking poseur,” Charlie laughed as Tyler grinned broadly and I glanced up at
Lucas who hadn’t taken his eyes from the screen and was listening intently to
every word of the excitable presenter.

 
 
“They’re hyping it up,” he said proudly as
Charlie nodded.

“Yeah,
and they’re painting you as a real bad ass, Tyler. You’re going to have some
fun living up to that reputation,” he grinned as Tyler shook his head.

“I
could do with Roman’s help for that. He’s the baddest bastard I know,” Tyler
quipped as Charlie’s smile faded, his face darkening instantly and there was no
doubt that whatever his missing brother had done, it had affected Charlie most
of all.

“Look
it’s starting,” I said, trying to relieve the tension, curling under Lucas’s
strong arm and resting my hand on his chest as he kissed the top of my head
softly. All eyes were focused on a beautiful close up of Tyler’s amazing face,
before the camera panned down to sculpted abs, peppered with tattoos and he
began to sing ‘Obsession’.

I
watched mutely for the entire length of the five minute video, stunned and
captivated and barely able to believe that the glorious specimen smouldering on
that screen and belting out this incredible track was sitting only feet away. I
looked up at Lucas, noticing that he and Charlie were exchanging knowing
glances, wondering what the hell that was all about.