Chapter 6: The Domineering Thrill

Claire wore a satisfied little smile, her mood soaring.

So this is what it feels like, landing a rich one.

Still handsome or wealthy, it didn't matter. Lucas was a game to her, nothing more.

His money meant nothing to her personally. She'd cut him loose soon enough anyway.

The Rolls-Royce pulled into one of Meridian City's most exclusive residential districts.

Claire stepped out and took in the sprawling private villa in front of her without much reaction at all.

She wasn't here for his bank account.

She just wanted to know what it felt like to be the one calling the shots for once.

And with a man this flawless looks, money, everything lined up wouldn't that be even more satisfying?

Before she could finish the thought, Lucas's arm had already wound around her waist, pulling her back against him.

"What's going through that head of yours?" His voice, low and rough against her ear, sent a shiver straight down her spine.

His grip was firm, his arms solid steel beneath the fabric of his shirt, and heat rushed to her face all over again.

For all her bold, unbothered act, Claire was quietly nervous underneath it.

This was, after all, the first time she'd ever done anything like this the first man besides Nathaniel she'd let this close.

Her whole body ran warm, her ears burning, the thin fabric of her dress doing nothing to shield her from the heat of his arms.

Her pulse spiked, her cheeks coloring in a way that made her look almost fragile.

Lucas caught the shift in her expression immediately, something wicked flickering in his eyes. "Shy now?"

"You weren't nearly this shy back at the bar."

His voice carried a low note of teasing that was somehow even more unsettling than his silence had been.

Claire flushed harder, biting her lip. "I am not shy."

That only made him laugh under his breath clearly, if not obviously, entertained by how hard she was working to keep up the act.

He tipped her chin up with one finger, studying her flustered face with a crooked, knowing smile.

"Embarrassed this easily, and you still went out looking for trouble?"

By then they'd already stepped inside.

Claire took in her surroundings as he led her through the entryway, still tucked against his side.

The villa was massive three stories. The ground floor opened into a sweeping, sunken living room; the second held bedrooms and a private study; the third, she could see, had a home theater and a rooftop pool terrace that looked like something out of a magazine.

Lucas lifted her without warning and carried her toward the bedroom.

The door shut behind them with a soft click, and his mouth found hers before she could say a word.

Claire found herself pressed against the door by the full weight of him, startled for only a moment before her arms came up around his neck, pulling him closer.

Back at the bar, something about her had already gotten under his skin a pull he wasn't used to and didn't entirely trust.

Lucas wasn't a man who chased indulgence. If anything, he'd spent twenty-eight years actively avoiding it disciplined, distant, uninterested in anyone who tried to get close. But this woman had slipped past every wall he usually kept up without even trying that hard.

Something about tonight is different, he thought, and let the thought go.

The rest of the night passed in a blur neither of them tried too hard to slow down her name caught somewhere between a whisper and a sigh, his composure finally, fully undone.

Much later, wrapped in the quiet dark of the room, Claire lay curled against him, her heart still racing.

In twenty-four years, she had never once felt anything like this.

Whatever Nathaniel had been looks, money, charm Lucas eclipsed him completely, in every measurable way.

"Lucas..." she murmured softly into the dark.

..........

Losing Control

She had never felt so free, so genuinely happy like, for the first time, she was finally living as herself.

"Lucas..."

Her voice came out soft and unguarded, her eyes bright and half-lidded in a way that made her whole face glow.

Watching her like that, something dark shifted behind Lucas's gaze.

"You're burning up too." His voice was rough, almost strained, like the words cost him something to say.

He gathered her up and laid her back against the sheets.

Whatever restraint she'd started the night with was long gone by now. She curled into him, unguarded, soft in a way she never let herself be.

"Lucas. Hold me."

She looped her arms around his neck, looking up at him with nothing held back.

His face filled her vision as he leaned down.

"Alright. I've got you." His voice dropped to something low and private against her ear.

She smiled, her voice barely above a whisper.

His eyes had gone dark and unreadable. He cradled the back of her head in one hand and kissed her, slow and certain, like he had every right to.

"You're perfect," he murmured against her shoulder, his hand tracing the curve of her waist.

She held onto him, matching him without hesitation.

A faint, wicked smile touched his mouth as his fingers traced her cheek.

"Thinking about me?" he asked, low and teasing.

Heat rushed to her face, her eyes glossing over.

He let out a quiet laugh at the sight of her, something rumbling low in his chest.

"Say my name."

She caught her lip between her teeth. "Lucas."

That earned her a slow, satisfied smile before he kissed her again, deeper this time, unhurried.

The rest of the night unfolded exactly the way both of them wanted it to no more hesitation, no more games, just two people finally giving in.

Lucas found himself thinking, somewhere in the haze of it, that this woman was unlike anything he'd let himself feel in years.

Intoxicating. Unpredictable. Dangerous, in the way only the best mistakes usually were.

He hadn't lost his composure like this in longer than he could remember.

Tonight, apparently, was the exception.

She wanted to play with fire, he thought, pulling her closer. Fine. Let's see how well she handles it.