Chapter 5: You Want It That Badly?

Claire's hand slid slowly from Lucas's chest down toward the inside of his thigh. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, looking up at him through her lashes. "Is this good?"

The combination of her sugar-sweet voice and the boldness of her hands was enough to shake even a man as controlled as Lucas.

The others at the table watched, clearly a little stirred themselves by how far she was willing to push things their expressions shifting into something openly entertained.

Lucas's cold composure gave way, bit by bit, to something playful and edged with mischief.

"You want it?" His voice had dropped an octave, rough at the edges.

Claire looked up at that ridiculously handsome face and nodded, soft and serious. "Mm-hm."

His mouth curved. He reached out and pinched her cheek, light and teasing.

"Beg for it, and it's yours."

That caught her off guard she hadn't expected the aloof, untouchable man to suddenly flip the game on her. A flush crept across her face, and her lips parted in a pout.

"Lucas... please?"

Her wide, pleading eyes and the softness in her voice would have brought most men to their knees on the spot.

Lucas caught her wrist and pulled, drawing her flush against his chest.

Claire went still, pressed against all that solid muscle, and something dark flickered behind his eyes.

He tipped her chin up, his mouth drifting toward hers slowly, close enough that she was certain certain he was about to kiss her.

But just as their lips nearly touched, the corner of his mouth ticked upward in the faintest smile instead.

"You really want it that badly?" His voice, low and warm, brushed over her skin along with his breath tobacco laced with that impossible cologne and for a second, Claire's mind went completely blank.

This man is dangerous.

He pulled something out of her that Nathaniel never had. Nathaniel had been handsome, sure, but he'd never made her feel anything close to this kind of pull.

Claire smiled, tilted her chin the rest of the way up, and closed the last inch herself pressing her mouth against his, drawing gently on his lower lip.

Her kiss was searing, her tongue tracing along the seam of his mouth.

Lucas held perfectly still for one heartbeat, his whole body going rigid and then he surged forward, taking control of the kiss with a hunger that surprised even her.

The men around them exchanged knowing looks, grinning.

The kiss stretched on, growing hotter, more reckless by the second, until finally Lucas pulled back.

Without a word, he scooped her up into his arms, stood, and walked straight out of the bar.

"I'm heading out. Enjoy the rest of your night," he called over his shoulder.

One of his friends laughed after him. "Take care of yourself, Kane. Have fun."

He shot a loaded look at the others as Lucas disappeared through the doors.

Lucas carried Claire out to the parking lot and stopped beside a champagne-gold Rolls-Royce Phantom.

Claire's eyes widened at the sight of it.

That car has to be worth a fortune.

She'd suspected he had money the second she'd spotted him at the bar. She just hadn't expected this.

Some things really do show, no matter how quiet a person is about them.

Looks like I landed the perfect catch tonight. Looks, money, and everything in between.

She was still turning that thought over when he set her down in the passenger seat.

Lucas leaned across her to fasten her seatbelt, his mouth grazing dangerously close to her ear as he did.

The warmth of his breath against her skin sent heat rushing straight to her face.

She looked up at him, eyes half-lidded. "Lucas... you're such a tease."

He glanced down at her flushed cheeks and laughed under his breath, that wicked little smile doing devastating things to her pulse.

Straightening up, he shut her door, walked around, slid into the driver's seat, and started the car.

Claire sank back into the leather and studied him properly for the first time.

He drove with total focus, his profile cut sharp and clean in the passing light.

That face should be illegal.

Thick, dark brows swept up toward his temples, framing a pair of narrow, sharp eyes that gave him an air of command most men spent a lifetime trying to fake.

In twenty-four years, Claire had never once seen a man built like this.

And rich, on top of everything else.

His straight nose, the firm line of his mouth she found herself staring longer than she meant to.

Handsome, wealthy, and utterly unbothered by his own effect on people. The full package.

Standing, she guessed he'd top six-three easily.

And his body she'd felt it firsthand, pressed against her was carved with the kind of muscle that came from discipline, not luck.

Lucas Kane was, without exaggeration, flawless from head to toe.

Claire allowed herself a small, satisfied smile.

Tonight, she thought, glancing sideways at him, might just be my lucky night.