Chapter 18: So That's What He Likes About You

Claire gave herself over to it completely, no longer holding anything back.

This man was demanding, intense, and utterly unlike anyone she'd been with before and she was enjoying every second of it.

If I'm going to be swept up in this, she thought, I might as well enjoy the ride.

There was something satisfying, too, in knowing exactly how much he wanted her.

They didn't surface until well past noon.

Eventually he carried her to the shower, where round two got just as thoroughly out of hand as the first.

They finally emerged clean, unhurried, thoroughly spent.

Claire lay stretched across the bed, boneless with exhaustion, her stomach growling loud enough to be funny.

Lucas, meanwhile, had already dressed a sharp suit and tie, looking freshly composed and unbothered, like the last few hours hadn't happened at all.

Even in a five-thousand-dollar suit, Claire thought, watching him from the bed, he still looks like trouble wearing a nice jacket.

Lucas draped a blanket over her and stepped away to make a call.

Claire drifted, half-asleep, barely registering him leaving the room.

Just as she was slipping under properly, the blanket disappeared and she found herself pulled straight into a warm, solid embrace instead.

"Get dressed. I'm taking you to eat."

"I've got a meeting after, so I'll drop you back at the office first."

Claire blinked up at him, memories of the last several hours flickering unhelpfully through her mind.

She took the clothes he handed her and got dressed.

A black blazer set brand new, tags still attached. The cut was sharp, elegant, exactly her style, and it fit like it had been tailored for her specifically.

They walked out of the villa together. Just as they reached the entrance, a luxury car screeched to a stop in front of them.

The door flew open, and a woman stepped out perfectly put together, and absolutely furious.

"Lucas! You told me you weren't interested in women!"

"Who is she? Why is she coming out of your villa?"

"And why are you holding her like that?!"

Vanessa Sinclair was Lucas's business partner and, by her own definition, his most persistent admirer.

She stood there, practically vibrating with jealousy and hurt.

She'd been chasing Lucas for years without so much as a flicker of interest in return.

His rejection had never been subtle. Their entire relationship had remained strictly professional, no matter how hard she pushed.

Vanessa refused to accept that.

She'd spent her whole life being wanted surrounded by suitors, adored, chased. Lucas Kane was the one exception, and that exception had consumed her.

The harder something was to get, the more she wanted it.

She'd convinced herself that Lucas simply hadn't found the right woman yet that once he did, once he understood what he was missing, he'd finally come around to her.

Their families ran in the same circles, their businesses complemented each other perfectly, and even her father had all but arranged the match already.

And yet, after years of effort, she'd never even been allowed past his front gate.

This woman had walked straight out of it.

How am I supposed to swallow that?

Jealousy, once it took hold, rarely stayed quiet for long.

Vanessa's eyes locked onto Claire with open hostility.

Claire was beautiful infuriatingly so but so was Vanessa. She scanned her from head to toe, trying to find some obvious explanation, and came up empty.

Her chest heaved, fury simmering just beneath the surface.

Claire met that murderous stare with an easy, unbothered glance, then turned her attention lazily back to Lucas.

Lucas's expression had gone cold, his jaw tight with obvious irritation.

"Vanessa. I've told you before we're business partners. Nothing more."

"Who she is isn't your concern."

The words landed like a slap. Vanessa's chest tightened, the ache spreading through her before she could stop it.

She'd started out simply refusing to accept his rejection chasing the challenge of it. But somewhere along the way, that had shifted into something real. He was, infuriatingly, exactly her type.

Years of carefully engineered opportunities, subtle and not-so-subtle, and none of it had ever moved him an inch.

Seeing his cold expression now, jealousy overrode whatever restraint she had left. She stepped forward and shoved Claire hard.

"You homewrecking little what gives you the right to go after him?"

"So he does have a type. Guess he was lying the whole time."

"What makes someone like you think you deserve him?"

Lucas moved instantly, stepping between them before Vanessa could touch Claire again.

"Vanessa. Keep this up, and our partnership is over."

"The Kane Group losing one business contact isn't going to keep me up at night."

Vanessa froze, stunned, tears welling in her eyes humiliated and furious in equal measure.

She didn't dare push further. If he actually cut ties, she'd lose even the thin excuse she had to stay near him.

At least as a business partner, she still got to exist in his orbit.

Lucas wrapped an arm around Claire, guided her into the car, and pulled away without a backward glance.

Vanessa stood in the driveway, jaw clenched, tears sliding silently down her face.