When Lightning Strikes (The Storm Inside Book 3)

by Alexis Anne

  “You are not an asshole. She needed to know.”

  “She deserves better than me.”

  Eve punched my arm. “Don’t ever say that again. She chose you. You don’t get to devalue her choice because it makes you feel better.”

  I rubbed my arm and glared at the feisty—but correct—woman standing across from me. Sometimes it really sucked that Eve knew me so well. “What do I do? How do I make this easier?”

  “For you or for her?”

  “Both?”

  “I don’t know. Is this what you want? To be tied down like this?” She nodded downstairs and then at Natalie’s door.

  Every time I thought about them I felt lighter. Tied down was the exact opposite of how Marie made me feel, and that was my answer. “Yeah. I’ve always wanted this.”

  “Then just keep doing what you’re doing. The rest will work itself out. I think.” Eve frowned.

  “What’s going on?”

  She shrugged. “Just thinking about Jake. Sometimes the more I tried to fix things—the more I tried to make him happy—the worse things actually got. You can’t force some things. Give it time. You both need time to adjust to all of this.”

  She was right. It wasn’t the answer I wanted, but she was right. We started walking back toward the stairs. “And how are you two?”

  She shrugged. “Fine. We’re good. Trying to get pregnant and it’s not going well, but that’s just a bump in the road.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. A baby?” Jake and Eve were trying to start a family? And I didn’t know about it?

  But Eve looked a little uncomfortable. “Yeah, but it hasn’t happened yet. And we didn’t want to make you feel weird, so we were keeping it under wraps.”

  “Me?” Why would being an uncle make me feel weird? “I can’t wait to spoil that baby.”

  “I always feel like we just barely have a hold of you, Greg. I was worried a baby would make you feel uncomfortable, and that’s the last thing either of us want. You are our family. Forever and always. No babies or fifteen.”

  “Fifteen?”

  Eve shuddered. “Not fifteen. Can you imagine me with fifteen kids?”

  “No, but I can see Jake.”

  She smiled. “Yeah, me too. I’ll give him as many as I can.”

  “You will,” I assured her. “Just give it time.”

  She pushed me off and laughed. “Nice, throwing my own advice right back at me. Really, really subtle, Hamilton.”

  I followed her down the stairs dreaming of pink baseball uniforms and tiny blue baseball bats. A baby Spencer was going to be so much fun and I couldn’t wait to spoil it rotten.

  *****

  “Jake and Eve are trying to get pregnant,” I said the minute the door was closed.

  “Oh,” Marie murmured. “They are gonna have a gorgeous baby. Good at sports.”

  “No doubt,” I agreed. I put my arm around Marie and scooped her up, walking her into the little living room and laying down on top of her. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’ve got a plan of attack for dealing with Edward. This is the first time I’ve had so much support. I think if I can talk it out with someone each day, then I’ll get through it just fine. I might need a night of heavy drinking and fucking when it’s over, but I should be good after that.”

  My dick sprang to attention at the idea of fucking. “Oh baby, you know I can take care of that for you.”

  She ground those amazing hips up and against me, making me even harder. “Yeah? You’re up for the task? Maybe I better audition you first?” She threw her arms around my neck and tried to look serious. “Okay, I just came home and I look miserable, what do you do?”

  I kissed her. Hard and deep. She moaned and took it, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and grinding even harder. “I’m gonna have to take you upstairs for the next trick, can’t risk Natalie coming down and seeing my bare ass.”

  Marie laughed as I stood up and hauled her right back into my arms. I was feeling like a caveman—like I needed to be as manly as humanly possible. And what was more manly than carrying my woman upstairs?

  Nothing.

  Marie seemed to be totally into it, laughing and sucking at my neck as I took each step. I noticed how she sidestepped my initial question, but I also knew the easiest way to talk to her was to make her happy. When she panicked, she put up her guard, so the last thing I was going to do was put her on the spot.

  I closed her bedroom door and took her to bed, slowly worshipping every inch of skin I could find, loosening her clothes, and generally enjoying the fact that she made me feel amazing.

  “Did I ruin us today?” I asked. My lips were on the soft spot next to her belly button and I was afraid to look her in the eye because if I saw fear or sadness or regret, I wasn’t going to be able to hold myself together.

  She ran her fingers through my hair. “No. You didn’t ruin us.”

  Thank fuck. “Did it change us?”

  “Maybe.” Her fingers moved faster, more intently. “I never thought about this before. Honestly, I never really thought I’d feel this close to somebody.”

  I hauled myself up and over the top of her before she could say anything else. That was enough. It was all I needed. There was hope for the future and right now we just needed to be.

  “Can I make love to you right now? Would that be alright?”

  If I could freeze time I would. I had a woman in my arms that wanted me, who knew me, and yet still wanted me. I had a reason to get up in the morning and a desire to do more than get through the day. I wanted to be better, to give these two ladies everything I had.

  I still didn’t understand it all, or know how I was going to reconcile it all in my mind, but at this moment, my life was more than my own. It was Marie’s and Natalie’s, too. I had a responsibility to them and I was sure as hell gonna give it everything I had.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I felt a prickle as we walked inside Saison Grille. Memories of the night I saw Greg from across the room—of approaching him at the bar and taking a chance on going home with him—flooded my mind.

  My how things had changed since that night.

  The hostess took us to the table where Greg was already waiting for us. He stood the moment he saw us approaching, buttoning his suit jacket and slipping a hand in his pocket. He was cool, casual confidence with a side of cocky in his navy blue suit, cut to fit his wide shoulders and trim waist. It made the blue of his eyes sparkle with a warmth that other colors simply couldn’t reveal. That was why I loved it when he wore navy. I swear it made him see me differently.

  My father took the lead, striding toward Greg before stopping and holding out his hand. “Edward Bancroft.”

  Greg took his hand and gave it a firm shake. “Greg Hamilton. It is good to meet you, sir.”

  I stopped beside my mother (who most certainly was not supposed to be here). Natalie was two steps behind us.

  Edward turned and held out his hand. “This is my lovely wife, Lucinda.”

  Mother smiled. It was so fucking fake. I hated that smile because, to me, it was the very definition of everything I never wanted to be.

  I didn’t want to play games with people the way she did. I didn’t pretend to feel things I didn’t, or enjoy people I hated, merely to get ahead. I wanted to be genuine. It felt like a piece of me died each and every time I had to fake my way through a conversation. I simply could not lie to get ahead the way she could.

  “Lucinda. What a pleasant surprise.” Greg’s rough voice turned to butter and a sly smile pulled at his lips.

  Oh, I knew that smile. It was Greg’s own version of Lucinda’s smile. When it was turned on me it was for good: to convey his dirty thoughts without saying a word, but when it was turned on anyone else, it was Greg’s way of saying “go fuck yourself”. He didn’t like my mother at all, and they had barely said five words to each other.

  “Yes, Mother surprised us all by tagging along with Father.” And by surprised I mean
t tricked. This is what they did. They switched up plans, withheld information, surprised me—whatever it took to fuck with my head. This was their very special way of seeing how serious Greg and I were.

  And not because they cared about who their daughter was spending her time with. Oh no, this was business, as it always was and always would be. Who I associated with was Bancroft Sports business as much as it was mine.

  It was times like this I wondered why I still worked for my father. I should have left years ago, but I was only thirty and had a child I’d been raising for as long as I could remember. Sometimes I forgot how hard it was to see where I was unless I actually stopped long enough to look around.

  I was stopped right now and getting a good look. It was eye opening to say the least.

  My parents took their seats and Greg hugged Natalie. “Long time no see, kid.”

  They fist bumped behind my parents backs and then he moved to me, curling his hand around my waist and to the small of my back, pulling me into him for a chaste, but electric kiss.

  “Hello, beautiful. Did you have a good day?”

  Who was this sweet, polite man? I kinda liked him simply because I knew he was carefully hiding the guy I loved so much in an effort to both enchant and piss off my parents. I cupped his face and pulled him back for another quick kiss.

  “I did. And you?”

  “I did, but I’m happy to finally see you.”

  I smiled. Normally he would have said “it’s about fucking time I had you back”. This sweet stuff was an adorable change of pace.

  He held out my chair and I sat, the hostess handing me a menu and promising to return with the bottle of wine Greg had just ordered.

  I could do this. With Greg beside me, grounding me to this life, I could avoid slipping away like I usually did. I smiled at him and he squeezed my hand. For once I didn’t feel alone.

  Conversation stayed pretty meaningless while we sampled the wine and ordered appetizers. It wasn’t until the first round of food was in our bellies that things took a turn for the serious.

  “So Greg, how is business?”

  “Very good sir, thank you for asking.” It surprised me how someone who so hated authority could lapse into such easy respect in conversation. I imagined Greg was mentally punching my father in the face every time he called him sir, but I never once saw any evidence of it on his face.

  “And your new contract with Steele Industries?”

  Greg leaned back in his chair, taking a slow sip of wine before answering Edward. “Very lucrative. I see you’ve been doing your homework.”

  “There are rumors that a merger is in your future. Any truth to it?”

  Greg shook his head slowly, his eyes locked on Edward. “Not in the least. Spencer, Hamilton, and Associates is a small, privately owned firm. It will always be a small, privately owned firm.”

  “Despite your partner stepping back to pursue more academic interests?”

  “Our goals dovetail nicely. Jake is helping groom and encourage the next great generation of engineers. We have our pick of the best thanks to him.”

  Edward smiled and glanced at me. “You’ve picked quite a smart businessman, my dear. I talked to Marty and Sven and they were both quite impressed. They told me to invest now.”

  This was a test. Edward was dipping his toe in the water, stirring up a few waves of trouble to see how each of us handled the disruption. It was one of his classic maneuvers.

  “Greg is quite impressive. His company is doing great work.” The combination of local projects with cutting-edge research was turning Greg and Jake’s company into a major player with prototypes and forward-thinking technology. Greg acted like it wasn’t a big deal, but I knew it meant a lot to him. I saw the light in his eyes every time he told me about his day, each meeting that went well, every project that came online. He liked to appear detached and shrewd, but in reality, Greg was incredibly invested in his company and every one of his employees.

  It was another part of what I loved so much about him. He cared about so much, even when he didn’t show it.

  “We aren’t looking for investors right now,” Greg added with a sideways glance in my direction.

  Edward grunted. “But you do have a partnership with Steele?”

  “Only for two projects we are both working on. We’ve had a good relationship with them in the past and when the opportunity to develop a new floodwater management system came along we knew we needed access to engineers and equipment more specialized in robotics than we are.”

  “Marty and Sven said that this will be the beginning of a new era, and that your company is leading the charge.”

  Greg’s chest puffed up just a little. “That is one possibility. And…who are Marty and Sven?”

  I touched his hand, drawing his attention to me and away from my father. “Edward likes to invest in start-ups now that he’s taken a small step back from Bancroft Sports. One of his investments is in a company called Consolidated Technologies. Marty is his business advisor and Sven is his engineering liaison.” I had known Marty for years and I had met Sven on several occasions since Edward invested in the start-up.

  Greg held my gaze. I couldn’t read exactly what he was feeling. “I had no idea your father was so interested in small engineering companies.” He turned and smiled at Edward. “Seems we have more to talk about than I realized.” He gave my hand a comforting squeeze, letting me know everything was fine.

  “Greg is a reader, too, Grandfather. He’s very smart,” Natalie piped up. She was carefully observing most of the conversation and I appreciated her little bit of levity.

  “What do you have on you tonight, Kid?” Greg smiled over at her and Natalie blushed before reaching into her purse and pulling out a copy of Something Wicked this Way Comes. He shook his head and reached into his jacket, pulling out another Nancy Drew.

  She giggled and took it from him. “Thanks.” Then she immediately shoved Something Wicked back into her purse and quietly opened the Nancy Drew.

  My mother raised an eyebrow. Reading at the table was terribly impolite, after all.

  “She’s a child stuck at a table of adults discussing investments,” I sighed. “But try and keep it to just a chapter or two, okay?”

  Natalie nodded, already lost in the story.

  “So Greg,” my mother took over, apparently given a window by the book exchange. “You’re thirty-five, never married, no children?”

  Why was she here? Oh, that’s right, to make my life hell.

  “No ma’am.”

  “Has something changed?” She waved her hand toward Natalie. “Obviously you’re very good with her.”

  “Yes, something changed.” He pulled my hands to his lips. “I finally met Marie and Natalie.”

  My mother was not impressed with his answer, but I sure as hell was. If I’d been standing I probably would have swooned.

  The corner of Greg’s lip twitched when he looked back at Lucinda. “There aren’t exactly a lot of women to date when you work twenty-four, seven, three-sixty-five like I did until two years ago. I literally buried myself in work on the other side of the world.”

  She could take that and run any number of unpleasant directions. Wine, I needed more wine. I grabbed the bottle and poured it myself—so very uncouth.

  But Lucinda barely noticed me. Normally she would have sliced my lack of manners to the bone before I even had my palm on the bottle.

  “That sounds like a difficult way to live.”

  “We all make our choices,” Greg answered quietly. “But it’s one helluva way to make a fortune if you’re careful. They pay contractors very well over there.”

  “And no taxes,” Edward agreed with a raise of his glass.

  I rolled my eyes. Of course Edward would go there. We needed a change in conversation immediately.

  Luckily Edward beat me to it. “I’d like to review your travel plans for summer, Natalie. How long will you be with your father?”

  “Ju
ne fifteenth through the end of July,” she said quietly. Her eyes darting to me. She was worried about me. “We’re going to follow the Tour de France and spend a week in Italy.”

  “Lovely. Hopefully you’ll be able to squeeze in a few days with us in New York, too.”

  I wanted to say no and end the conversation right then and there, but instead I let it go. There was no reason to fight about this over dinner when I could simply run into “scheduling issues” later. “Yes, we’ll review all her plans and see what we can do.”

  After dessert, my parents returned to the hotel in their rental car and Natalie and I squeezed into Greg’s Porsche. I was seriously willing to do anything to get away from my parents, including fit into the tiny shoebox he called a car. “You need a bigger car,” I joked as we all walked into my house.

  “I know.”

  “I was kidding, Greg. I’m not telling you to get a new car.”

  “I know,” he repeated. “But I want a new one. I should drive something we can all fit comfortably inside. Besides, I bought that thing as a reaction…I kinda hate it now.”

  I pulled him to me. I loved that I still learned something new every day. “Oh really? A reaction to what?”

  “Tanks, sand, and trucks.”

  Oh. “I guess I never really considered that…”

  “Why would you?” He cocked his head and smiled. “I wasn’t kidding when I told your mom I worked constantly over there. If I wasn’t sleeping or eating, I was working. I didn’t even take vacations unless I was required to. I never did anything for fun I just…” he shook his head. “I just wanted to bury myself so deep I couldn’t think.”

  We were standing in my foyer, Natalie banging in the kitchen putting away the leftovers my parents were horrified we took, and Greg chose this moment to be honest and revealing. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest, see the throb of the vein in his neck, and all I wanted to do was wrap myself around him and let him bury himself in me—and not even in the dirty way. If Greg ever needed to get lost again, I wanted it to be with me. I never wanted him to be alone again.