by L. J. Dee
Lucas. The Hunter Brothers Series Copyright ©2014 L. J Dee
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher in writing. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely incidental.
This book contains sexual scenes and is recommended for readers over 18.
With thanks to my wonderful husband and family & my army of beta readers who made The Hunter Brothers Series possible.
Lucas. Roman. Charlie. Tyler.
Welcome to the extraordinary world of The Hunter Brothers.
Bound by blood, sizzling genetics and a fierce determination to protect one another; when their lives are thrust into a spiral of uncertainty, the Hunter brothers find themselves hunted. As their enemies close in, boundaries are crossed and loyalties tested as they are forced to fight for the things that determine their very existence.
One by one, the women in their lives discover that loving a Hunter is the most exquisite type of torture; a limitless bliss with a dangerous dark side. Destinies collide with desire and fates converge, drawing them into an intriguing tale of sex, power, lies and loss, obsession, death and love.
From the dangerous rogue to the demanding Dom; the playboy charmer to the charismatic rock star, they will stop at nothing to protect the two things they value the most...love and family.
Life with a Hunter is always one hell of a ride.
Equally Alpha. Deliciously different.
***
Book One: Lucas
‘Lucas flashed into my life like a glorious thunderbolt, electrifying my senses with those cobalt blue eyes; then just like lightning he was gone.’
Jessica Evangelista has had it tough. Pregnant at sixteen, she’s fought hard to protect the little boy she loves. Life never dealt her a break, until now. But when her thunderbolt lands as a permanent fixture, seriously sinful and impossible to ignore, he threatens every aspect of the life she’s strived so hard to build. When you’re fighting for a chance, there aren’t many rules. Jess only has two;
She will never sleep with her boss.
She will never risk it all.
Lucas Hunter is a man used to getting what he wants. A master of the boardroom and the bedroom, he’s respected, magnetic and powerful, and that’s the way he likes it. Dark and dominant, serious and brooding, he lives for control. But when a beautiful waitress crashes into his life, he knows he needs to win her. What he doesn’t need is a woman who blindsides him at every turn, forcing his ordered world into absolute chaos.
He doesn’t pick up waitresses and he doesn’t f**k employees.
Relationships come with a cast iron contract.
Some rules were made to be broken. Some feelings are just too powerful to ignore.
Lucas: Book #1 The Hunter Brothers Series
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
LUCAS
Book One
CHAPTER 1
I sat on my bed across the hallway, waiting for what would come next. If I was betting on it, here’s how it would go down;
Begging.
Insults.
Threats.
In that order.
“Please, please, please, Sis.” That was begging covered.
“I’ve asked Mrs Jones and she’ll have Dexter. It’s Saturday tomorrow so he hasn’t got school. I’ve been turning this guy down for three months now. There’s a trick to this and it’s a very fine line. I know I’m getting close to him giving up altogether and he is just perfect,” Chas shouted as I rolled my eyes.
It was always the same. They were all perfect. Chas wasn’t like most people. She didn’t see someone and think ‘nice eyes’, ‘nice arse’ or ‘nice personality’, ‘I’ll go on a date and give it a shot’. She had a list, a very long one. It was probably just as well because Chas got hit on a lot.
Her perfect guy had to have it all, and from the effort that she’d put in already I guessed this one did. She didn’t waste time and three months was a pretty hefty investment.
“You should see him, Jess. CEO at thirty, gorgeous, sexy, loaded, absolute playboy and totally unobtainable,” she said, still on the edge of begging but I could tell she was firing herself up for the insults.
“He’s not that unobtainable, he’s taking you out,” I shouted back, rolling my eyes.
“Yeah but you know what I mean. Seriously, Brad Johnson does not have to try for a date.”
Wow! This was a surprise, even by her high standards and I couldn’t contain my shock. “The Brad Johnson?” I asked, betraying the fact that I was seriously impressed. He was probably just about the ultimate prize for Chas, even I’d heard of him. I wasn’t giving in yet though.
“I hope you’re not thinking of sleeping with him,” I shouted, knowing that Chastity usually lived up to her name. I was surprised she’d ever had sex at all with the hoops she made men jump through, but there were a few who’d got through the net.
She took it as a victory. “You’ll do it?” she squealed.
“I didn’t say that, Chas. All I want is a good book and a nice bath. I’ve been working all week and I’m shattered.”
“You were born middle aged, do you know that? This will be a fun gig, it’s a record company party and you know what they’re like,” she laughed. I did. Lots of alcohol, even more drugs and the outfit would be ludicrous. The insult hadn’t gone unnoticed either.
She wasn’t wrong. I was twenty one years old and a visit to Playbarn was the highlight of my weekend. I owed her though and I knew it. Worse still, she knew I knew it. The reason I’d been working all week was because she’d secured me a job that I was overpaid and under qualified for. I don’t know quite how she’d done it, but I was certain what it wouldn’t be. I guessed she would remind me of that very fact in the next ten seconds.
“Anyway, have you forgotten why you get to do a cushy little nine to five?” she asked as I poked my head around her door. I couldn’t take it anymore; the girl was making my ears bleed.
“No, Chas, you never let me forget.” She knew I’d give in and I eyeballed her through the mirror as she straightened her glossy brown hair.
“So what am I wearing then?” Part of me was afraid to ask and as she pulled an itsy bitsy coat hanger from her wardrobe and held it up in front of me, I wished I hadn’t.
“You have got to be kidding me, I can’t wear that,” I gasped, wondering if there was even enough material to cover my damn nipples.
“Why not? You’ve got the figure for it. That’s the beauty of having a kid at sixteen, everything just pi
ngs right back into place.” She was laughing as she patted my stomach, knowing from the look on my face that she’d gone too far but she didn’t seem overly concerned about it.
“Don’t pout, no one tip’s a miserable waitress, Jess,” she said as I just stared at the skimpy black hot pants and silver bikini top. I didn’t imagine for one minute that anyone would be looking at my face if I was wearing that.
“Oh get real, it’s obscene,” I snapped, snatching it from her and holding it against myself.
“It’s a theme night. They’re showcasing a new band called Heat; hence the hot pants,” she said as though that made it OK.
“Whose genius idea was that? It’s December. It’s freezing cold and I’ll be purple. A purple pouty waitress,” I huffed as she burst out laughing.
“That’s a horrible visual. Go and stand in the bath and I’ll spray tan you, you need to be there at eight.”
Great! The only thing worse than covering my sister’s job on a Friday night at the end of a long week; spray tan. I’d have to spend all night on Sunday scrubbing it off. It went with the territory for Chas and it suited her, but for reasons unknown it just made me smell of slightly rotten vegetables.
“Let me pack a night bag for Dexter and give him a kiss and a cuddle first. Once you’ve finished creosoting me I’ll have to stand spread eagle for an hour until the damn stuff dries. If he cuddles me then, he’ll wake up like an Oompa Lumpa and I’ll be patchy,” I sighed.
“Yeah, no one wants an orange kid, or a patchy, purple, pouty waitress,” she laughed as I made my way into Dexter’s bedroom where he was playing knights and castles.
“Mummy’s got to work tonight, Dex. I promised Chas that I’d cover her shift, so Mrs Jones is going to let you sleep there.” I smiled as he ran to hug me, but not before clattering my arm with a plastic sword that hurt a lot more than I suspected it should.
A bruised, patchy, purple, pouty waitress....This just got better and better.
I packed his favourite pyjamas, a Disney classic and Ted, his unoriginally named bear and brushed his teeth before he went. No doubt he’d watch a film with Mrs Jones until late, gorge on chocolate and his teeth would be the last thing on his mind. She used to have him a lot more when Chas and I were both working for Elite entertainment. It was getting a bit much for her, but with my new day job she hadn’t had him at all for the last two months and I knew she’d be looking forward to it. From the look on his face, so was Dexter. She was the nearest thing he had to a grandparent and she spoilt him like crazy.
“Give Mummy a kiss and I’ll take you next door,” Chas said, grabbing his night bag while I picked him up.
“I love you, Mummy,” he cooed in his cute little voice as I covered him in kisses.
“I love you too. I’ll see you in the morning. Be a good boy for Mrs Jones won’t you?” I smiled, putting him down as Chas grasped his hand and led him towards the door, turning to shout to me.
“Get naked, I’m going to make you fabulous,” she laughed as I heard Dexter gasp.
“Aunty Chas, you said naked,” he giggled as she raised her eyebrows.
“I know, naughty me,” she laughed as they went next door and I stripped off, greasing my eyebrows and my hairline and getting ready for Chas’s imminent assault with the spray machine.
“You’ll be good to go in twenty minutes or so,” she said as I stood in the bath with my arms and legs spread, butt naked and sporting what used to be a white shower cap until she’d splattered it with the vile orange liquid. I was certainly looking a lot less sexy than I hoped I would by eight o’ clock tonight.
“So tell me about Brad Johnson,” I shouted across the hall as she got ready for her hot date.
“I’ve been running into him at loads of our events recently and he’s asked to take me home so many times that I’ve become a bit of a challenge to him now. I think I’ve confused him, Jess. The thing I’ve learnt about men is that even the smart ones are pretty stupid,” she laughed.
“How do you mean?” I loved Chas’s strange theories on men. Mostly they were ridiculous, but now and again she’d uncover a gem that was so profound you’d momentarily think she was Einstein or an eminent gender psychologist at the very least. This one I had to hear.
“Well he’s a gorgeous sought after bachelor and I first met him at a club opening. Nice club, but even so, you know how they can be. That outfit was so small it made your hot pants look like a kaftan! I was in charge of the girls that night, run off my feet, when Brad Johnson called me over and propositioned me - something along the lines of ‘do you want to come and blow me off in the toilet?’”
I couldn’t suppress my horrified astonishment. “What an arsehole, he really said that?” I screeched.
“OK, not that crass, but that’s what he meant. He was actually shocked when I laughed in his face and told him not to let the hooker outfit fool him. I told him my name was Chastity and never had a woman been named so appropriately and that he’d never have me, certainly not in public restroom.”
“Ahhh, the classic challenge; dress like a hooker then act like a prude, now I get it. That will confuse a guy every time,” I laughed sarcastically but she either didn’t hear or didn’t care.
“It did, especially a man with an ego that big. I wasn’t sure from the look on his face that he’d ever been turned down before. Honestly, I don’t know where they get off. It was obvious I was working,” she shouted and I rolled my eyes. I’d never been able to understand what she saw in men like that.
“So we left it at that but he was watching me all night, except for the times he was in the bathroom. At the next event he tried again. That time I was in classic Armani so he suggested taking me home, which was a step up for him. This same game’s gone on for three months and recently he’s been practically drooling. I almost felt sorry for him at one point. Anyway, he tracked me down at work this week, brought me flowers and asked me out properly.” I could hear the smile in her voice.
“Have you insulted him yet, Chas?” This was her speciality, an invaluable skill that made her a fantastic cocktail waitress. Chas could do offensive with such grace and poise that it sometimes took a while for people to realise she’d actually just insulted them. Men loved it. It was a strange phenomenon.
“Yeah loads,” she laughed. “That’s the key to men like that – you have to make them work for it.” I wouldn’t know.
“So where’s he taking you?” I asked as she popped into the bathroom to show me her outfit, twirling around the floor as the shimmering pink fabric twisted at her knees. Her nude heels clicked loudly against the beige ceramic tiles and her green eyes were twinkling excitedly. She looked absolutely radiant.
“Oh, some posh restaurant that Time Out is raving about. I can’t remember the name. We’re meeting at Number One Chelsea. What do you think?” she smiled as I nodded my head, slightly embarrassed to be still standing spread eagle in my naked glory.
“He’s a lucky guy, you look stunning.” It was true. She was classically beautiful, striking as opposed to my ‘cute’ and floating around the bathroom, posing and preening before stopping in front of me and trying to stifle her grin.
She poked my arm and then my leg, inspecting her finger. “You’re done. You can shut your legs now. It must be five years since they’ve been open that wide and they were in stirrups then,” she laughed as I swatted her with the shower cap, scowling.
“I know, maybe if I’m really lucky at that record company party tonight, some arrogant conceited bastard who thinks he’s God’s gift will allow me to blow him off in the men’s room,” I replied tartly as she threw me a particularly nasty, steely eyed glare.
“I’ve got my eye on the prize, Jessica Evangelista, and there is nothing wrong with that,” she snapped, waltzing off to her date with Brad Johnson.
“I’ll thank Patrick for the ridiculous hot pants then,” I shouted after her as she poked her head back around the door frame.
“They were my idea,”
she laughed, ducking as I threw the shower cap, missing her entirely and splattering a few remnants of liquid tan across the woodwork. ‘Why did that not surprise me?’ I thought, making my way to my room and doing my best to transform myself into a glamorous rock chick waitress.
I hauled my tangerine coloured arse out of the taxi and followed the rest of the army of almost naked waiting staff in their leopard skin heels, tight black hot pants and silver bikini tops into a side room for a pre party pep talk. ‘Keep the glasses full, no scheduled breaks, take one when necessary, tips were our own, no sexual contact, blah, blah blah......’
This was the official line, but we all knew there were only two rules. Smile and do not drop your tray. I knew from painful experience that the second was a lot harder than it looked, for me anyway.
“Your tan looks good,” the boss smiled at me, walking over when he’d finished the talk.
“Thanks, but be honest with me, Patrick, do I smell of dead veg?” I asked as he cast me a bemused frown and sniffed my shoulder, looking down at me as he shook his head.
“Thank God for that, she must have changed the brand,” I said as he chuckled gently.
“Listen, Jess, I’ve put you on champagne,” he smiled knowingly.
“Cheers” I laughed, wondering if Chas had primed him. Not that he’d need a reminder of how useless I was at waitressing the food. I’d never been any good and over four years experience had made me little better. I failed to master the sexy shimmy and sassy attitude of my sister despite my best efforts.
I’d always suspected Patrick had a soft spot for Chas, although he’d never admit it. I assumed that’s why he let her duck out of events she’d helped to organise, to go on random dates with unobtainable playboys at the last minute, shoving her largely inept sister in to cover the understaffing.
“So who is it tonight?”
“Brad Johnson” I said as I looked up at his kind smiling face, raising my eyebrows.
“Impressive if you like that sort of thing, but that guy’s a dick. I don’t know why she does it to herself, Jess. Honestly, I’ve seen so many good men ask your sister out. Really nice ones that will treat her like a princess, but she always turns them down. I don’t get why she goes for those kind of guys. Women are just objects to them and they always treat girls like shit,” he sighed, shaking his head. I did, but I wasn’t telling Patrick.