by Nana Malone
I could see some of the light draining out of her eyes. She didn’t want to believe the truth, but she really had no choice because she’d caught me red-handed. I was telling her the truth. For once.
“So, what? This whole thing, you looking out for me… am I some long con?”
I paced. I needed to get the shit I’d lifted to the drop point. But what was the rush? If Oskar was on, then it might be okay. Tony had threatened to tell her, so I might as well come clean. “No, you have nothing to do with this. Sebastian really did ask me to look out for you. It all just went sideways. I wasn’t supposed to fall for you. Then everything got fucked up and I had no choice.”
“Explain fast Lucas. Now, or I’m walking out of here.”
My heart squeezed so hard that I thought I was having a heart attack. The racking pain that shot into my body was real and visceral. Do not let her walk away from here. Do not let it happen.
“I went to college at UCLA. After my sophomore year, my Mom called me home for one last job. One gig. That was it. I knew I shouldn’t have really believed that, but I thought that I could convince her to come with me, that she needed to get away from my stepdad. He’s bad news. I always told her that. He used to hit her. He used to hit me. I thought I could get her away. I thought I could help her. It was the first time she’d ever shown signs of not buying his bullshit a hundred percent, you know?”
She nodded. “I get that you want to support your mom, but what you were doing outside… I don’t get that.”
“I wanted to save my mother, but doing that meant doing one last job. A big one. We had a whole plan set. Mom and I had planned to meet at the airstrip, take the money from the con and start over.” My hands shook. “She never showed. She chose him. Just like always.”
Bryna’s expression was hard to read. “And she just left you there? Did she ever tell you why?”
I swallowed, remembering how it had felt, waiting there, hoping yet knowing the truth. Once again, Mom chose Tony over me. “No. I finally had to just leave. I hadn’t spoken to her since, not until Tony came back and started pressuring me to do another job. He knew all he had to do was mention her to make me come running back.”
Bryna’s brows drew down. “He threatened her?”
“Yeah. Right after I met you, my stepfather showed up in New York. He wanted me to do another job to pay him back. He came up with the usual threats to try and get me to comply, that my mother would suffer, and that he’d hurt her. I knew better now. I didn’t listen.” I scrubbed my hands down my face. Time was running out.
“Good, God. He sounds like an asshole.”
“Yeah, he is.”
She frowned then. “But, if you’re here, and I just saw you steal a ring, then…”
I swallowed hard. “He had better leverage this time.”
She frowned. “What could he possibly have on you? If you knew not to trust him with your mother, why would you trust him with anything else?”
Fuck. “You.”
She frowned. “What?”
“He’d been following me. He had pictures of you, and after you were mugged, I just—I couldn’t take any risks.”
“You’re doing this because of me?” Her brows lifted, and her eyes went wide. The horror on her face was so plain.
She could see it. I was a monster. That good guy she’d insisted lived inside me… there was no such thing. “Yes, you.”
“But why? What do I have to do with any of this?”
“That mugging was no accident. Maybe I suspected before, but he just fucking confirmed it. I wondered, but when he confirmed, I knew I was out of options.” Here goes nothing. “He threatened to hurt you and tell you the truth about me, and I wanted to protect you.” I was rambling now. “I have so many other secrets it’s like I’m a fucking pressure cooker.”
“What truth? What could you possibly be hiding? If you’re telling me this, what could be worse than this? Jesus Christ, have you killed someone?”
The pain sliced deep. “You think I’m capable of that?”
“No. But you’re standing here looking worried and terrified and about to let this shit control your life. What could be so bad?”
I swallowed hard and then muttered the one thing I’d never said aloud except to one other person. “I am the lost prince. Sebastian is my brother. But before that I was a different person. I did things. Stole, lied. Anything I had to do to survive. If I didn’t do this job, he was going to tell you about my past and hurt you. I couldn’t risk it.”
I could tell that it took several seconds for that to sink in properly. When it did, she blinked rapidly and stared at me. Her brows were drawn together in concentration, at first as if disbelieving, and then her eyes roamed over my face, my chin, the one I’ve been told looks so much like my father’s, the one I’ve been told makes me look somewhat like Sebastian. Then she gasped and stepped back. But she didn’t drop on a knee or some such shit. She just stared at me. “Oh my God!”
I didn’t know which was worse, the prince thing or the thief thing. “You cannot tell anyone yet. Marcus and Roone, they’re my guards.” It was then that she surprised me, because I thought she was going to open the door of the conference room she’d locked us in and run. I expected to never see her again. But with her back pressed against the door, she merely sagged. “You’re the prince.”
I sighed and nodded. “Yeah.”
“And you risked your new life to protect me? If you’d been caught tonight, it would have been a huge scandal.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
Her brows furrowed. “My father. He knows? He would have to vote. That’s why he thought you would give me up and send me home with him. You haven’t officially been named and signed in to the royal registry. All members of the council can refuse to sign and force another vote. It’s only happened once that I know of from history class.”
I nodded. I felt so weak. All I’d ever tried to do was protect her, keep her safe, and do what my brother had asked. But I’d screwed up left and right. I’d screwed up by being who I was, by falling in love with her, by not keeping my hands off her. Wait what? Shit. Love? When the fuck did that happen?
I didn’t have time to examine my feelings right then, and all I could do was nod. “Yeah.”
“This, tonight. Not your plan.”
A harsh chuckle tore out of my throat. “No. I would never have agreed to steal from Sebastian. I tried to fix all of this, but everything just got so jacked up.”
Bryna held out her hand. “Take my hand.”
What the hell. “No. Bryna, no! I need to get back out there and see if any of this is salvageable. I had a plan to end it all, but I didn’t count on you being here.”
“Nothing you’ve told me is making me run. Let’s face it. You need someone in your corner, not someone to run from. So, if you don’t mind, I’m going to hold your hand, and then you and I will get out of here. Tell Roone and Marcus whatever you need to, but you’re walking away. Just like you wouldn’t let me cave with my parents, I’m not letting you cave either. Do you understand? Don’t do this. Fight. Be the new Lucas. The one you want to be.”
I looked at my pouch, the one where I’d been tucking all the jewels, and turned my gaze to her dark eyes. Then I did something I didn’t think I’d be capable of doing again. I placed my pouch on the table, took her hand, and left it all behind.
34
Lucas
We’d been quiet in the cab ride home. Marcus rode in the front with the driver. Roone followed in a separate follow car. When we left, I’d shot a text to Weller that I needed to get Bryna out of there. I knew I’d jeopardized everything.
Walking away like that… Would they still catch him? Was he in the wind? I’d walked away for her. My life could be in shambles back in the real world. But I’d deal with that later.
Tonight the woman I didn’t deserve had asked me to walk away with her and I had. I’d deal with all the consequences of that tomorrow…If tomorrow comes.
We were silent as we waved to Fred then walked to the elevator. Marcus went up first to sweep the floor. The next one came down and we stepped in just as Roone marched into the lobby. He had his take no prisoners face on. Was something wrong? Was he still pissed off? There was no time to ask him what was happening back at the event. Deal with it tomorrow.
We stepped inside the elevator, leaving Roone in the lobby. Gently, Bryna took my hand. I marveled at how soft her skin was.
She turned to me easily, and I couldn’t help but wonder… Was this real? Was she mine? I tugged her close and dipped my head. Reckless and impulsive—that was my MO.
From the moment I’d met Bryna, I’d had some outrageous fantasies about her lips. How they would feel under mine, how they’d look around my—
She moistened her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue and I bit back a strangled moan.
“I’m going to kiss you again now, if that’s okay.”
She gifted me with a smile. “I think it might be okay.”
The tip of her tongue peeked out to lick her lip again, and my cock jerked. Cupping her face in my hands, I pressed my mouth to hers, meaning to be gentle. Instead, I felt like I had electrodes molded to my lips, sending electric currents of need through my body. Shit.
She moaned, and I dragged her closer to me, unable, unwilling to break our contact.
My tongue coaxed a response, demanding more. When her tongue answered and met mine, need slammed into my body with such force, I thought I might explode.
Holy hell. But my body didn’t believe that. I wanted her so badly my blood boiled. As our tongues danced, I lifted her so that her legs wrapped around me. I fisted my hands in her hair and could feel the heat from her core. Her soft moans urged me on—to sink deep inside her and never come up for air.
The elevator dinged, and we both pulled back. Her eyes were wide, her lips soft and thoroughly kissed. Her chest was rising and falling as she dragged in air.
I eased her down my body. The moment we broke contact, I missed her. I took her hand and tugged her back against me. “Bryna—” I was quickly distracted by the long column of her throat. I kissed along her skin, and she shivered.
“Lucas, that feels…”
In the foyer I turned her around and backed her against the wall, bracing myself for the shot of electricity bolting through my veins. But when I dipped my head and our lips met, her return kiss was so tender it had me on slow melt. While my lips glided over hers in curious exploration, her tongue teased and coaxed mine.
Hard and fast was what I wanted—or thought I wanted. I’d gone looking for a flash of heat. My body hadn’t bargained for this kind of slow and easy kissing. It burned just as hot.
Heat spread from the center of my body, rising to the epidermis and scorching my skin from the inside. Breath trapped in my throat, I tried to speed up the pace. The slow torture was telling me everything I needed to know about her. She was thorough. Took her time. Didn’t rush things. She liked to be in control. It also meant she was confident and strong.
If she kept the slow burn up any longer, I would become a believer in spontaneous combustion.
Without breaking our kiss, I slid my hands down her arms and brought them up to wrap around the back of my neck. I mumbled nonsense words, more focused on getting her as close to me as physically possible. One kiss had reduced me to a horny teenager, and my brain couldn’t compute.
Looking down at her, feeling her warmth around me, the soft curves of her body gently molded against me, I couldn’t remember my own name. Couldn’t think beyond what I wanted. Couldn’t think beyond the need slamming through my chest.
Bryna arched her body into me and smiled. I couldn’t remember why I’d ever thought it was a good idea to stay away from her. As I kissed her again, I thought I was branding her as mine, but it was her leaving an indelible imprint on me.
In the tiniest corner of my mind, a voice called to me to be careful. It tried to warn me that she was dangerous to me. That she wasn’t mine. But I didn’t listen. All I could hear were her ragged pants. All I could think about were those lips and where I wanted them. How much I wanted her to be mine.
She tasted like home. The flavors and scents of the islands wrapped around me. Intoxicating me. My hands tightened on her waist, and I nipped at her bottom lip as she responded with a shiver. My damn dick pulsed against the front of my tuxedo pants.
With every breath, shift and wiggle from her, I could feel the heat of her. I traced a path to her neck, inhaling deeply. She arched into me, pressing those full breasts into my chest. Needing to feel more of her, I slid a hand up to the V of her dress. Tracing the material as it clung to the rise of one perfect mound, I heard her sharp intake of breath and watched with fascination as her nipple puckered under the stretchy fabric. No bra. Shit.
Continuing to trace my finger at the edge of the fabric, I used the other hand to restrain both of hers above her head. She didn’t struggle, only rocked her heat against me. Taking advantage of her arched form, I hovered my mouth for a moment over the puckered bud. I blew a warm breath, and she shivered again as her body arched even more.
Not one to disappoint a lady, I pressed my lips over the raised peak and suckled her through the soft material. Her breath came out as a drawn-out moan, and I tugged harder, trying to taste every rich flavor of her skin through the fabric.
Letting go of her hands, my fingers trembled as I peeled back the shoulders of the dress. One simple tug and it skimmed off her shoulders to her waist, baring the dark rose-tinted tips of her breasts. Another tug and the dress slid to the polished travertine of the floor. Perfection.
My brain stuttered. I’d seen her naked before. But that had been so brief. Now I could memorize her form with my hands. It had been a long time since anyone affected me. Since any woman had touched more than just my flesh. Bryna had managed it the moment I saw her. And now… Now she stood before me in all her naked perfection, and my mind completely fuzzed out on what to do.
Lucky for me, she knew what she wanted. “Lucas, I need this.” She gazed up at me through thick lashes. “I need you.”
I couldn’t move. I’d had sex—lots of sex. Shit, I’d had all sorts of sex on six different continents. Never once had I felt truly connected. Not like I did now. Bryna reached for me, and I could only watch as delicate fingers tugged my crisp white shirt out of my tuxedo pants. She leaned in close comingling her scent with mine.
Her hands, delicate, but sure, moved inside the shirt, skimming my shoulders as she slipped it and my tuxedo jacket off. At the contact of skin on skin, my cock pressed against my pants, urging, begging me to love her. To slide into her soft warm depths and never come back up for air.
Heat flared in Bryna’s eyes as my cock nudged her belly. As I felt the now-familiar shock of electricity, I eased her hands away from my belt. I grabbed a foil packet from my wallet before violently kicking off my pants. I left the boxer briefs on, tucking the condom in the waistband at my back.
For a moment, I saw the look of confusion in her eyes. My body finally surging into motion, I shifted her onto the antique desk in the entryway, hovering over her lips again like a starving man.
My hands took their cue from the roaring, pulsing blood in my veins and slid over her hips to her ass. Cupping her flesh, I levered her against me. “Put your legs around my waist.”
When she complied, I cursed as her wet heat met the cloth covering the head of my straining dick. I braced her against the corner and slowly kissed her again. Taking my time, I teased her tongue into dancing with mine.
I traversed a path from her full ass to her waist to her breasts, never quite reaching the sensitive tips. Bryna moaned and rocked against me trying to get closer, urging me to take her breasts in my hands. When I gave her what she wanted, she moaned and arched her back, giving me better access.
Those breasts were a thing of beauty. I’d always been an ass man, and Lord knew Bryna had one that could win awards, but her br
easts were quickly making me a breast man. They weren’t much bigger than a B-cup, but they were high and firm.
Bryna arched her back as much as the confined space would allow. I took the hint. Dipping my head, I grazed first one nipple, then the other with my five o’clock shadow. I followed up with my tongue and with playful tugs with my teeth.
“Lucas.”
I wanted to hear her moan again.
I growled against her breast. “I like it when you say my name.”
She said it again on a whisper, and I sucked in a delicate tip. With one arm wrapped around her for support, I slid my hand down the flat expanse of her belly. Only pausing to trace a circle around her belly button, my hand slid farther down, searching for her center.
When I found it, I hissed in a breath. She was wet. Slick. Teasing the entrance, I slid one finger into her moist core and she bucked. I buried my lips in her neck, inhaling the scent of her. She smelled like home. Gently, I withdrew then entered, withdrew then entered, in a slow, lazy rhythm that said we had all the time in the world. When in truth, we only had a minute before I spontaneously combusted.
Her hands fisted in my hair and she rocked her hips against my finger, trying to force me to increase the pace. I didn’t. Instead, I inserted another finger and kept up the rhythm. Nice and easy. We had all the time in the world.
Bryna raked her nails up my back and I chuckled through a hiss. “You’re making it really hard for me to take my time.”
Doing it again, she asked, “Who said I wanted you to take your time?”
Hell, if that didn’t wreak havoc with my self-control. Easing my fingers out of her, I reached around my back for the condom. With a series of wiggles, my briefs went the way of her dress. Getting the condom on in our current position took more effort than I thought, but when I was sheathed and my cock nudged her slick folds, I didn’t care. All I could think about was how she felt against me.