This… was not at all what Ezra had been expecting when he’d sent me here. He’d thought I could find the culprits right within the Hell Kickers’ ranks and deal out vengeance there. Holly was a wild card neither of us would have anticipated.
I could still get our vengeance, but I didn’t know how quickly I could put that in motion. I needed to talk to my brother first, make sure he didn’t strike back at the Rosanos while I did my work. Get the go-ahead to tell at least the brothers what I’d discovered so the Hell Kickers would back off on the Nobles. I didn’t have time to plan a subtle killing while a war was already swinging into full gear.
Besides, the brothers might want to deal with their former stepmom and her treachery their own way.
I watched Holly and Brant for a while longer, but all they did was talk, without any noticeable affection between them. Had she seduced him, or was this a purely professional arrangement? I guessed it didn’t really matter either way.
When they got up to leave, I hustled away. I had to get in touch with Ezra before I made any further moves. Holly, the mastermind behind the disastrous deal—who would have thought?
This time, I strode right into the brownstone and up to my bedroom. Thankfully, I flicked on the light before moving toward my bag with its concealed phone, or I might not have noticed Lucan sitting in the chair near the window before he realized what I was up to.
I stalled in my tracks at the sight of him and folded my arms over my chest as he stood up. “What’s with the repeat of the room invasion?”
He raised his eyebrows. “What’s with the repeat of the night-time stealth mission? I didn’t think you’d still feel the need to sneak around when we’re on the same side now.”
I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t slip out the window this time, and I’m back way before midnight. I think you’re tracking my movements a little too closely for someone who’s supposedly on my side.” Why was he still watching me that warily?
My stomach started to sink, but at the same time, Lucan’s stern expression fell. He took a step closer to me and stopped with an embarrassed dip of his head.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Old habits—and I’ve always been the one who keeps the closest eye on things. If you were trying to figure out more about the war that’s brewing, I’d have hoped you’d let us in on it.”
I exhaled in a rush, his apology softening my momentary irritation. It was hard to be annoyed with Lucan in general when he thought so much like I did, always considering strategy and logistics. I’d have been wary of me too, even after everything we’d hashed out.
But I couldn’t bring him in on what I’d learned yet, not until I was sure of how Ezra wanted to handle the situation. I could set even more havoc in motion if I moved too incautiously myself, and my first loyalty was to the Nobles.
I strolled a little closer to Lucan, letting a teasing smile play with my lips. Letting myself appreciate him in a way I’d tried to resist the last time he’d been in my bedroom: the sculpted lines of his handsome face, the definition of his lean form that showed through his fitted button-up and slacks. The passionate alertness in his dark brown eyes.
I’d told Darius I wasn’t going to choose between the three of them. I was allowed to want all three of them now. And the last time Lucan had come into this room, I was the only one who’d gotten off. I could distract him from his questions and return the favor in a very enjoyable way.
“We can’t makeeveryaction we take a group operation,” I reminded him in a light tone. “I’m pretty sure you’re not bringing me around for all of your business activities. If I find something I think you need to know, I’ll fill you in.”
His pupils dilated at my approach, and an answering heat trickled through my veins. “Nothing to report so far, then?” he asked, his voice dipping lower.
“Nothing,” I agreed, hating the lie, and stopped when I was close enough to run my fingers down the front of his shirt. “But since you’re already here… I’m sure we could find other ways to occupy ourselves.”
He sucked in a breath. “Anthea…” But then he didn’t seem to know what else to say.
I trailed my fingers back up his chest to the side of his neck, holding his gaze. My heart thumped in a heady rhythm, anticipation building inside me. “You seemed to have all kinds of things you wanted to do with me when you thought I was the enemy. Have you suddenly lost interest in screwing me now that you know I’m not trying to screw you over?”
His throat worked. “No. Not at all.”
“Good.” I stroked my fingertips down his neck and then skimmed them all the way to the waist of his pants. “Because I remember how much you liked one particular thing we can do together.”
When I cupped my hand against his groin, I found him so hard that an eager twinge pulsed between my legs. I nudged him backward with my other hand. Lucan reached for me, grasping my hair, but I pushed him right down into the chair he’d recently vacated and sank down between his splayed knees.
His eyes widened. “Fuck. Anthea, you don’t have to—”
“I want to,” I interrupted. “I remember how much I liked doing this too.”
I unzipped his fly and freed his rigid cock. Lucan tipped back his head with a groan as I circled the corded length with my fingers. His hips jerked with my experimental pump, but then he gripped my hair harder, stilling me.
“I want you to know—it isn’t just screwing to me. It never was, even when I was angry with you. I—I haven’t been with anyone in the last seven years. I never wanted anyone to have the chance to mess with my emotions the way you did… and I’m not sure I could have met anyone who’d have affected me as much as you do anyway.”
I hesitated, the weight of his confession settling over me. Was he saying he was avirgin—one of the powerful Rosano brothers, at the age of twenty-four? Or maybe he’d had some teenage flings before our night together, when he and I hadn’t gone farther than I’d been about to right now, and he’d simply been abstinent since then. Either way, it said a lot.
Guilt over my ulterior motives, however minor they might be, jabbed at me. “It isn’t just screwing to me either,” I said. “What I’ve had with the three of you—I can’t imagine anything else comparing. But if you don’t want to do this right now, if the issues between us are too fresh—”
“No,” Lucan said hoarsely. “I’m not standing back while my brothers step in this time. I need you to know that I want you just as much as they do.”