Devour (Unbreakable Bonds 4)

“And we’re talking about Lucas,” Sarah leaned over the desk again, her blond hair falling in a cascade around her face, but Lucas still caught the hint of a smile. She was enjoying this.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I believe she’s referring to your bespoke Savile Row suits, extensive collection of handmade Italian shoes, and handsome selection of watches,” Candace said. “Every time you make an appearance, you’re always looking…just so.”

Lucas rolled his eyes and Jude chuckled before he added, “It’s true. And you’re both going to be wearing these, right?”

He’d been thinking about getting Andrei an engagement ring and then a second wedding ring, but Andrei wasn’t a jewelry kind of guy. Andrei would see having two rings as unnecessary and he’d be right. Lucas should be waiting to pick these out together, but he didn’t want to waste another second. He wanted his ring on Andrei’s finger today, claiming him for all the world to see. If it had been an option, he’d have dragged Andrei down to the courthouse and married him today, too, but he knew Ian would never forgive him. And he did want all of his family present when he started his new life as Andrei’s husband.

“Yes, definitely.”

Sliding forward to the edge of his seat, Jude leaned over the desk and looked at the rings. Within a minute, he pulled aside four—a white gold, two silver, and a titanium. All were relatively simple in design with one little flourish. “Those are my suggestions.”

Lucas bit back a smile as Jude had chosen one that his own eye had come back to more than once. The titanium one had a brushed finish and in the center was a single round-cut, one-carat diamond. Simple and elegant. With a nod, Lucas picked up the titanium ring and held it up to Candace. “This one. Tell the jeweler. I want two as quickly as possible. Send the rest back.” He paused and raised one eyebrow at Jude. “Unless…”

Jude chuckled and shook his head. “Nothing sounds better than spending the rest of my life with Snow, but there’s no reason to rush into this. I’m happy to move at the pace he’s comfortable with.”

An unexpected lump grew in Lucas’s throat and he had to clear it before speaking. “Ash is lucky to have you.”

“I’m lucky to have him.”

Sarah’s phone suddenly started to chime, breaking the moment. She grabbed it and shut off the alarm, cursing under her breath. “Lucas, I’ve got to get out of here and pick up my daughter from her dance class. I’ll have your will and other estate planning updated in the next week. I’ll need to meet with Andrei to get a little more information before I can finish setting up the trust for his parents.” After she finished shoving papers into her briefcase, she leaned over and brushed a kiss across his cheek. He was stunned at the gesture since she’d never done that before. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you.”

“I expect a front row seat for the wedding.”

“Of course.”

She scooped up her coat from the seat beside Jude and paused to squeeze his shoulder. “It’s good to see you again, Jude. Keep them out of trouble for me.”

When Lucas looked back over at Jude, he found that his expression had grown clouded as he watched Candace carefully gathering up the rings and putting them back in place before closing up the case and then placing it in a larger lockbox. Something was bothering him.

“Candace, could you give Jude and me a moment?” Lucas murmured, still watching Jude who was now watching him with a look of speculation.

“Of course. I’ll be downstairs catching up on email. Text me when you’re ready to continue.” Less than a minute later, she was closing the door behind her as she carried her laptop and phone down to the living room.

“Tell me you’re not rushing into marriage with Andrei because you think Jagger is going to kill you,” Jude said without preamble and Lucas couldn’t help liking that about the man. He didn’t need to be pushed or prodded. He didn’t pretend to not know exactly why he’d asked for a private moment.

“If I’d been sure that it wouldn’t send Andrei running, I would have asked him months ago. I fell in love with him that first week he was protecting me.” Lucas paused, pressing his lips together. “I didn’t want to scare him. And…and I needed to be sure that I could be everything that he needed. That I could give him all of myself before I even murmured the word marriage.”

“Were you unsure because of Snow?”

The question stunned him, leaving Lucas sinking back into his chair as he stared at Jude. And for the first time since meeting the man, he broke eye contact first, a testament to his own unease about the topic of Lucas’s relationship with Snow.