Chapter 8

Lucas’s POV

The door shut behind Kane and Zack, the silence that followed was perfect.

Finally.

I’d been waiting for this all evening, waiting for Kane to get called away, for Zack to follow. Waiting for her to be here without them hovering like guards over a precious little secret.

Ava sat at the table, shoulders a little too tense, pretending to focus on the food in front of her. She hadn’t taken more than two bites in the last five minutes but her hand kept moving, cutting her meal into smaller and smaller pieces like it would save her from having to talk to me.

Cute.

“You always this quiet?” I asked, breaking the silence. My voice came out smooth but I saw the slight stiffening in her shoulders.

She didn’t look up. “You could just eat your dinner.”

I smirked. “But then I wouldn’t get to know you.

That made her glance up, just for a second. The look in her eyes was a mixture of suspicion and defiance. I liked it.

“You don’t need to know me,” she said, before she dropped her focus back to her plate.

I leaned forward, elbows on the table, my gaze fixed on hers. “That’s where you’re wrong. You’re my brother’s mate… and my brother’s mate… and whether you like it or not, mine too.”

She pushed her chair back abruptly. “I think I’m done eating.”

I didn’t stop her immediately. I let her walk toward the doorway, thinking she’d get away and then I moved.

One step and I was in front of her, leaning against the doorframe like I’d been waiting there the whole time.

“You could say please,” I said lightly.

Her arms crossed over her chest. “Move, Lucas.”

I let my gaze roam over her face, down her body, then back up again. “Or what? You’ll call Kane?”

She didn’t answer but the tension in her jaw was all the answer I needed.

“You feel it,” I murmured. “Don’t pretend you don’t and you could stay here and admit what you already know.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And what’s that?”

“That you want me.”

She tried to sidestep me but I shifted just enough to keep her in place.

When she tried again, I closed the gap, my hand coming up to brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear. It was a small touch but enough to make her inhale sharply.

“Why fight it?” I said, my voice low. 

She opened her mouth to speak but I stepped in closer, pressing her back until it hit the table.

“Kane’s not here,” I continued, bracing one hand on the table beside her hip. “Neither is Zack, it just you and me.”

She tried to push me away, her hands against my chest but it wasn’t a real push, it was the kind that left her palms there, feeling the heat of me through my shirt.

“Lucas—”

“Say my name like that again,” I cut in, leaning forward until my lips brushed her ear, “and I’ll take it as an invitation.”

Her pulse jumped. I could feel it, see it and hear it.

My other hand slid down and moved over her hip and found her thigh. I traced my thumb in a slow circle over the fabric of her dress, teasing and testing her.

"She drew in a shaky breath and I let my lips brush her temple with a slow and teasing smile."

“You’re hot,” I said softly. “That’s for me, isn’t it?”

Her eyes lit up but her voice was unsteady. “You’re… impossible.”

“I let out a low, dangerous chuckle. ‘No… I’m inevitable.”

I pressed my hand more firmly to her thigh, my thumb brushing higher, moving just above her knee. Her breath was quicker now and I could felt the heat.

“You could tell me to stop,” I murmured. “But you won’t.”

Her lips parted and for a moment I thought she might but she didn’t.

I took that silence as permission.

"I slid my hand higher, fingers pressing into the side of her thigh. I leaned closer, my chest against hers, drawn to the scent of her arousal."

“You’re mine too, Ava,” I said, my tone almost gentle but edged with claim. “You just don’t want to admit it yet.”

Her eyes darted to the side, but I caught her chin with my free hand, tilting her face back toward me. Our eyes locked and I felt her resistance waver under the weight of the bond.

For a moment, I thought about kissing her, just to see how far she’d let me go.

Then the front door opened. Kane’s voice cut through the air, sharp and unmistakable.

I stepped back slowly, deliberately letting my hand slide from her thigh as if I alone had the right to touch her. Her flushed cheeks, the uneven rise and fall of her chest, the heat lingering between us, all of it would hit Kane the second he saw her.

When his footsteps reached the dining room, I turned toward him, a lazy smirk on my face.

“Evening, brother,” I said smoothly. “Did the meeting go well?”