An Education in Business: A Somerset Novel (Somerset Series Book 3)

by Heather C. Myers

  But the words were out and they wounded his pride more than he would ever admit. That was okay because she saw it in his eyes, she saw the way he broke, and whatever the repercussions might be, she didn’t regret it one bit.

  Everything happened in slow motion. Her eyes honed in on the motion, on Rick’s hands reaching for her, his fingers outstretched. He was going to choke her, squeeze the life out of her, perhaps even strangle her to death. Then, without warning, something knocked him off of her with such force, he toppled a few feet from her. A loud growl accompanied the attack, and before Avery could get a hold of her senses, she heard a couple of crunches – loud, sickening crunches. She craned her neck, and there was Lucas, on top of Rick, pummeling him to a pulp if she didn’t stop him right this second.

  “Lucas,” she managed to get out, but his name was weak in her mouth. She cleared throat and blinked so she could focus more clearly. “Lucas.” He didn’t exactly stop but he did turn to look at her. There was anger there, clear, dark anger even as he looked on her. “Stop.”

  He looked like he was going to keep going. He looked like he wanted to argue with her. But something stopped him, something made him hesitate.

  “What the fuck is Lucas Cruz doing here?” Rick managed to get out. When Avery saw him, she winced; he was bloodied and bruised. He might even need stitches above his brow. “Is he the one who gave you those hickeys? He’s the one fucking you, isn’t he? I know what you told me, I just didn’t think you’d actually like him.”

  “I’m here on business,” Lucas all but spat out, disgusted with Rick’s mere presence, breathing the same air that he was. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”

  Rick opened his mouth to argue, but Avery intervened. “Get out,” she told him, her voice as cold as her insides felt. She picked herself up slowly and walked over to her ex-fiancé. Her legs shook and she thought for sure she was going to make a fool of herself and have them give out on her. But she managed to get to Lucas’s side with no one’s help but her own. “And never come back here. I’m serious, Rick. Take your stuff and go.”

  “You’ll regret this, you bitch,” Rick said.

  “You call her something like that again, I’ll make sure to break you in two,” Lucas snarled, his shoulders high, his nose wrinkled. It was the first time Avery saw his as even resembling a wolf. “You have my word.”

  “You belong with each other,” Rick snapped. He managed to get up on his own and head to the doorway.

  Lucas didn’t relax until Rick was out of the house and the door was shut and locked behind him.

  18

  Avery pressed her lips together, sighing through her nose. Lucas leaned against the locked door, his hands hanging loosely from his pockets, his eyes on his shoes.

  “Listen,” she said, her voice coming out stronger than she anticipated it to. She thought it might shake; she thought she might hesitate, but it came out strong and direct. It came out the way she wanted to be as a person. “You don’t have to tell me what happened between you and Rick. You don’t have to tell me anything. But clearly something did happen, and I want you to know, I’m here for you.”

  Lucas picked his eyes up from his shoes so they locked onto hers and Avery almost buckled due to the amount of emotion she saw in those big, brown eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and she reached out to grab the edge of the kitchen island, the marble smooth underneath her fingers.

  “Do you…” She let her voice trail off, a small flush tainting her cheeks. Now she hesitated. “Do you want to take a bath with me? I have a Jacuzzi bathtub and I’ve never gotten to officially break it in just yet. What I mean is, I’ve rarely used it, and never with anyone, and I’d like to use it with you…” He shot her a warm smile and her blush turned even darker. “I’m babbling, aren’t I?”

  “It’s cute,” he assured her. He rolled his shoulders back and freed one hand from his pocket so he could place it on the small of her back. She shivered underneath his touch. He had touched her in more ways than one and yet she still had no idea how he was able to cause such a reaction within her. She hoped it never stopped. “I would love to take a bath you.”

  She smiled and led him to the master bathroom, attached to the master suite in her home. Not Rick’s home, not their home, but hers and only hers.

  Avery hadn’t been lying when she said she had barely used it. Rick wasn’t much of a bath man and Avery didn’t have much time where she could take a bath, even by herself. But she had always wanted a Jacuzzi bathtub and now she was so glad she had been insistent on getting one. It wasn’t attached to the stainless steel shower, though it was placed beside it. It was a large porcelain tub that could fit both Lucas and Avery comfortably. There was a small light brown nightstand that had different shampoos, conditioners, body washes, and a couple of bath rags just in case placed to the side of the tub for easy access. Avery always imagined she could read in the tub and use the stand for her books as well.

  “This is gorgeous,” Lucas commented. “Why don’t you fill the tub?”

  Avery grinned and did so. She always liked things a little bit hotter than normal, which was another reason why Rick would not bathe with her. She slid into the water with ease and leaned against the porcelain edge of the tub, where there was a curve that fit her neck perfectly. The water pinched her skin and she knew it was turning pink due to the heat but she didn’t care. She loved the feeling; it was soothing, relaxing, and she felt her entire body’s tension ease out of her. The aches, the headache, the bruises, were starting to subside. Her eyes rolled closed and she settled in, feeling the bubbles push into her body.

  “Holy crap, Avery,” Lucas said as he eased himself into the tub. “How has your flesh not melted off of your skin?”

  Avery smirked and opened one eye. “I like it,” she told him.

  “Well, I must like you if I’m subjecting myself to this,” he said and she chuckled.

  “Oh, hush.” She lifted her head up and positioned herself behind Lucas, wrapping her arms around his shoulders so her hands dangled on his chest. He relaxed against her, his head against her shoulder, her chest against his back.

  “It happened a long time ago,” he told her, looking at the water lapping at his skin. “We were both in the same Brit Lit class at Somerset Academy. Some vampire was our professor. He was a popular kid. I guess he’s good looking. I don’t know.” He shrugged. “At the time, no one knew what I was and I wanted to keep it that way. At the time, no one knew vampires or werewolves existed.”

  “Then how did you know the professor was a vampire?” Avery asked, resting her head against his broad shoulder.

  “Because he still teaches there and hasn’t aged a day,” Lucas said with a grin. “Trust me, all the girls in class had a thing for him. Anyway, we’re getting off point. We were both in class. I was dating a girl, Liv, a wolf from my pack. We were encouraged to be together for the pack. She would have made an excellent Alpha female. We weren’t serious yet but I really liked her. I wanted it to get more serious but only after we graduated. She was in class, too. She would laugh at all of his jokes – and he made lots of jokes.”

  Avery nodded against his shoulder, her grip on his chest tightening. She felt his muscles twitch in response and she knew he was finally relaxing in the hot bath.

  “I didn’t like the guy,” he said. “Can’t tell you why. Maybe it’s because I heard he was dating a freshman at the time while he was a senior.”

  “That was me,” Avery said quietly.

  Lucas furrowed his brow. “What?” he asked.

  “I met Rick when I was a freshman at SU,” she explained. “We’ve been together ever since.”

  “So… so you know what he did and you’re still with him?” Lucas asked and Avery could feel his entire body tense under her touch. He sounded angry. Angry and disappointed.

  “What did he do?” Avery asked.

  Lucas craned his neck and locked eyes with Avery at an awkward angle, trying to read her fac
e. She hoped he saw the truth of her ignorance, that she really did have no idea what he was talking about. Rick did a lot of things while they were in college, many of which she didn’t want to know about. Clearly Rick had done something to piss off Lucas, but Avery had no idea what that was.

  “He slept with my girlfriend,” he told her. “I walked in on them. Liv thought I was at the pub with the guys, watching our basketball team, but I came back early because I was over it and wanted to hang out with her. Plus, our basketball team sucked at the time.”

  Liv, Liv, Liv…

  Why did that name sound so familiar?

  “So I went back to her dorm and I walked in on them,” Lucas said. “The minute I saw them together, I was livid. I ripped Rick off of her and socked him a couple of times in the face. I think Olivia screamed at me but I couldn’t hear her. It didn’t even matter that I was twice his size. That smirk that was on his face… Like he knew what he did and didn’t care.”

  “Yeah,” Avery murmured. “I saw how you reacted when you saw Rick on top of me.”

  Lucas immediately shifted, pulling away from Avery so he faced her in the tub. “No,” he said, shaking his head. The ends of his hair stained his neck, clinging to his skin for dear life. Avery couldn’t blame them; she would do the same thing. “No. What happened back then was nothing to how I felt when I saw…” He bit back a growl and his jaw popped, indicating his fury. “My feelings for you surpass what I felt for Olivia Steinback, for anyone.”

  If Avery slowed down and really heard what Lucas had said, she would have realized he all but told her he loved her. However, the first thing her ears picked up was the name – Olivia Steinback. She knew that name. How did she know that name?

  “Olivia Steinback,” she finally said, picking her eyes up from the water so she could meet Lucas’s. “Rick would tell me a Liv Steinback was his study partner for Brit Lit class…” Her voice trailed off and she shook her head. “I didn’t even think to question it. I didn’t want to be that girl…”

  “Hey.” He picked her chin up with his thumb. “You aren’t that girl. Rick was an asshole and Liv was a slut. You are” –

  “Exactly like them,” Avery said. Lucas opened his mouth to argue but she stopped him with a smile. “Lucas, you can’t tell me what we did – regardless of our logic – wasn’t the same thing that they did to us. At least I know he did cheat on me. I always suspected but didn’t have proof and didn’t want to assume…” She shrugged her shoulders.

  “You don’t regret what happened between us?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “Do you?”

  “As long as you didn’t use me specifically to get back at him,” Avery said, looking him directly in his eyes.

  “Of course not,” he said, giving her a sharp look for even suggesting such a thing. “You don’t realize what I feel for you, do you? You think that this is some kind of game, that I’m only attracted to what you look like and how you might be in bed and how you can help me get back at Rick?”

  Avery opened her mouth to respond but she couldn’t formulate words. She wasn’t sure what to say or how to respond. To be honest, she hadn’t really thought about it.

  “Av, I’m crazy about you,” he said, sitting up and locking eyes with her. They burned gold, intense and passionate, wanting her to believe in everything he said. “You have no idea just how much I” - He cut himself off and she wished he hadn’t. Instead, he leaned forward so his forehead grazed hers and his eyes dropped to her lips, causing her heart to flutter against her chest, as delicately as a ballerina’s footsteps. “When I care about someone, when I bring them to my place or to my club, they mean something to me. I’ve never done it before. I’ve never met anyone I deemed as worthy seeing that side of me. You’re different, Av. Don’t doubt yourself. You’re better than that.”

  He pulled her close to him so she straddled him in the water. Just by her movement on top of him, she could feel him start to respond.

  “I could give two shits about Rick,” he told her in a dangerous voice, just above a whisper. “I could give two shits about anyone or anything else. You’re all that matters to me.”

  “I’m sorry for bringing it up,” she murmured, genuine in her apology. Her eyes found his lips and without thinking twice – without thinking at all – she leaned forward, closer to those lips, so alluring, so inviting.

  “I understand,” he said. His index finger traced her bottom lip for a second, maybe more, before he leaned back, disentangling her from his body. “Avery, I want you. I want you all. I’ll wait for as long as you’ll have me wait but I…” His eyes dropped to her neck, her shoulders before trailing under the water. “The things I could do to your body. I would have you crying tears of pleasure, coming with my name on your mouth, and seeing stars all at the same time.”

  Avery gulped. “Let’s do it.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, but once they were out, she didn’t regret them. Not one bit. They were true, genuine, and she needed him to know that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. Maybe even more so.

  “Don’t tempt me, Av,” he warned her, his voice still low. “I won’t stop if I start.”

  “Then don’t.” Avery had no idea where this boldness came from, but she was glad. She would never have had the courage to say these things beforehand.

  Lucas clenched his jaw, and without saying a word, he stood up and got out of the tub, keeping his eyes on her the entire time.

  19

  Avery never expected to see something so beautiful in her entire life. The minute the thought hit her brain, she cringed at the cliché, but no other words could describe the sight of Lucas Cruz, completely naked in front of her, dripping wet. He looked like one of those Greek marble statues she learned about in her art history class and she could not keep her eyes off of him. Everything about him screamed machismo – male, Alpha, strong – from his rippling muscles to his broad shoulders. Everything about him looked hard and solid, like rock under her soft hand. His thighs were huge, probably from the running he did both as a human and a wolf. He had surprisingly little body hair. The perfect amount, in her opinion. Like a sprinkle of pepper on scrambled eggs. His olive skin was smooth and contrasted with her pale skin, and the sight of them together would be enticing to watch.

  “You’re beautiful,” she told him when her eyes finally found his. She wasn’t embarrassed when he found her watching her stare at him so openly. She did not turn red. She did not look away from those dark eyes – had they gotten darker? To be honest, she had not expected to speak at all, but the words escaped from her mouth like a convict might escape from prison.

  He looked down at her and she could tell he wanted her, could tell he wanted their bodies to finally connect. She could from his peripheral that he was getting hard but she was not afraid. She was not ashamed or embarrassed. In fact, she found she wanted him just as badly.

  “No one has told me that before,” he said, his voice caught between a low murmur and a deep husk. Somehow, goosebumps sprung across her body even though the water was still warm. Even her nipples tensed but she could not tell if it was due to the goosebumps or due to his stare. She didn’t think it mattered, really.

  “Then everyone else is a fool,” she said.

  He clenched his jaw, and those eyes she could not look away from finally turned black.

  “Let me see you,” he commanded in a gentle tone. His Alpha was coming out and she found she liked it.

  As such, Avery stood in the bathtub, keeping her eyes in his. Her shoulders were rolled back, her chin was tilted up. She knew she had her share of flaws but she had never felt more confident in her entire life. And she had never been naked in front of anyone before.

  His eyes consumed her like a wolf consumed prey, and her nipples reacted, getting even harder as he explored body with just sight. She couldn’t even imagine how her body would respond when he was finally inside of her.

  “Bedroom,” he breathed out, his black e
yes roaming over her body like a starving animal looking at a steak. “Before I fuck you over the sink and watch your face in the mirror as you come all over my cock.”

  Avery let out a squeak before she could stop herself. Lucas reached for her, and before she knew, she was swooped up in his strong arms and tossed over his shoulders like he was a caveman and taking what he deemed was his. He led her out of the bathroom and to her California king bed, their bodies both glistening with bath water. Neither one of them had taken the time to dry off, but Avery didn’t particularly care.

  He laid Avery down on the bed and wasted no time crawling on top of her. Avery sucked in a breath, her heart hammering against her chest. This was for real. This time, they would actually be having sex. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that but she wanted it. And that was what mattered.

  “Avery,” he whispered, looking down at her with those penetrating eyes. He reached down and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her eyes, curling it behind her ear. “I want you. Badly. But I understand this is your first time, so if you want to wait, if you want” –

  “I want you,” she said, interrupting him. “I’m not going to lie. I’m nervous and a little bit scared. But I trust you. And I want this, I want you. I have no doubt about that.”

  “We’ll go slow,” he promised her, his voice husky but gentle. A raw caress. His fingertips rubbed her cheekbone, his eyes transfixed by the freckles there. “Your first time will be everything you expect from it and more. And then, then I’ll show you the many different ways I can please you and I can teach you just what to do to please me.” He took her hand in his and kissed the inside of her wrist. “Are you ready?”

  She swallowed, nodded. He smiled – a genuine smile that shone through the lust and desire – and slowly kissed her lips. He eased her mouth open with his gentle, probing tongue before tilting her head back further into the pillows to explore her mouth even more. She felt herself relax against him, even though she still felt her body tense due to the slight coldness her damp body experienced. Her nipples were marble against him.