An Unlikely Bride (Lucas & Ava)

When people threaten me, I generally shrug them off. Blake’s different. His quiet, measured tone states that he’s the dominant one with all the power. Destroying me would be as easy as flicking lint off a finger, and the instincts that kept me alive and relatively unharmed in the poor, rough neighborhood where I grew up clang a warning bell.

Blake climbs behind the wheel of the car. It’s black, and as he drives off the license plate starts with YME.

I watch the car disappear, my hands and legs trembling.

Then it hits me… Lucas never spent the night with another woman.

I shake my head. It just means he didn’t spend last night with Faye. It doesn’t change anything.

I can’t let it.

Chapter Five

Lucas

I feel almost human after some spicy tomato soup and scrambled eggs. Blake had a few bites, claiming that he wasn’t that hungry due to jetlag. Then he disappeared, telling me to eat to start making up for the last three days. “You can’t win a war on an empty stomach.”

Bossy bastard. But I have to admit he’s right about eating. I stand up and stretch my legs. Maybe it’s the full belly or maybe it’s something else—the weather is absolutely gorgeous this morning—but I feel more grounded. Stray thoughts are no longer tumbling around inside my head, and for once I have a bit of clarity.

Just then, the door opens and Blake walks in, bringing the cool breeze from outside with him.

“Where have you been?”

He dumps his keys on the narrow table by the door where Gail places the mail. “Just checking out the community. It’s surprisingly nice. Cheaper than Boston, too.”

I narrow my eyes. Blake’s passion is for technology startups, and I doubt that’s changed in the last two years. “Don’t bullshit me. Houses aren’t your thing. That’s why you have a special advisor handling your real estate portfolio.”

“A man is entitled to indulge his curiosity.” Blake comes into the living room and takes a seat. “Guess who I ran into?”

“Who?” I have a bad feeling about this. Blake is entirely too pleased.

“Ava Huss.”

“What the—? You went to her house? What the hell were you thinking?”

He snorts. “I don’t even know where she lives. Besides, do you think I’d be crass enough to do that? She was outside, jogging.”

I don’t understand. Ava hates jogging. She told me so.

Blake continues, “There’s nothing wrong with striking up a conversation.”

“So…how is she?”

“Fine. Better than you actually. At least her skin hasn’t been scrubbed raw, and she doesn’t look like she hasn’t eaten in the past week.”

I ignore the jab, relieved that she’s been taking care of herself. Knowing her terrible childhood, I don’t ever want her to go hungry. Then it hits me: he actually spoke with her, which makes no sense at all. “How did you get her to talk to you?”

“I said hello like any normal human being. You should try it sometime.”

I shake my head. “She hates you. Said you were nasty to her two years ago.”

“She mentioned something about that. The thing is, I really don’t remember. So yeah, I might’ve said something to her. Who knows? Couldn’t have been that important.”

His arrogance is breathtaking. “It’s because of you that I had so much trouble in the first place. You made her leave.”

“I didn’t make her do anything. She chose to go.”

What the hell? “You think she still would’ve left if you hadn’t said those things to her?”