Shiver (Unbreakable Bonds 1)

Lucas grinned. “What island is that?”

“I don’t know,” Rowe said rolling his eyes. “When was the last time I took a vacation?” He paused, his brow furrowing in thought. “She is straight, right?”

“Yeah.” Lucas snickered.

“I don’t know. All those women in business suits come off hungry and angry. My best friends are all gay. Obviously I can’t tell anymore who’s straight or bi or gay or a purple fucking people eater.”

Rowe’s exaggeration forced a loud bark of laughter out of Lucas. He grinned back. Lucas knew that he was the serious one of the group, but he’d taken brooding down to Snow’s level and their little family couldn’t handle two Snows.

“Come on. Walk me out,” Rowe said, waving for Lucas to accompany him.

“Hot date?”

Rowe groaned. “Mel bought new curtain rods. I promised I’d be home early to help hang curtains.” He made it sound like he was being dragged off to a Siberian gulag for ten years of hard labor.

Lucas chuckled as he followed Rowe down the hall. “Married life is rough.”

“Fuck you.”

They’d reached the living room when Lucas’s new bodyguard stepped in the front door. He was an older man with a scarred face and bulky frame. Rowe had said that the man was an ex-cop and could be trusted. Lucas had barely looked at him and was only vaguely aware that his name was George. Sadly now that Rowe had talked a little sense into him, Lucas was starting to feel a smidge bad about dismissing the man so completely. Since Lucas was staying at home, he had requested that the man take up his post outside the front door rather than in the penthouse. He also wasn’t staying over at night, which hadn’t pleased Rowe at all.

“Mr. Vallois? There’s a Chris Green here to see you,” he said, his voice rough and scratchy.

“How did he get up here?” Lucas demanded, walking into the kitchen.

The bodyguard shook his head. “Do you want me to send him away?”

“Who is he?” Rowe’s entire body tensed as he went on alert.

“That guy you shoulder checked at my club a few weeks ago. Before the incident. I thought…” Lucas’s voice drifted off as he ran out of words. He thought there might have been something, a one-night stand to blow off a little steam, but then Andrei stepped into his life and Lucas lost all interest.

“Let him in,” Rowe said firmly as the bodyguard waited for an answer.

Lucas frowned at his friend, but bit his tongue. This was a good test. With Andrei out of sight, could he also be out of mind? Lucas had his doubts, but he was willing to test it.

Chris Green was a handsome man in his early thirties with brown hair and fair skin. His brown eyes skimmed over the penthouse, taking in the wall of windows that looked out over the city before settling on Lucas and Rowe standing near the island in the kitchen. He seemed taken by surprise to be faced with someone other than Lucas, but he quickly slipped his smile back in place, seeming a little unsure and nervous.

“Hi, I know we haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Chris Green. We…um…ran into each other at Shiver a couple weeks ago.” He extended his hand to Lucas.

Lucas stepped forward and quickly shook his hand, but still kept the island between them, not wanting to close the space more than necessary. “I remember you, Mr. Green. This is my friend, Rowan Ward.”

Chris started to reach for Rowe, but Rowe actually took a step backward and leaned against the counter, watching the man through narrowed eyes. Lucas wanted to chuckle. There was nothing welcoming about Rowe. He was quite talented at making people uncomfortable when he was feeling overly protective.

“Can I ask how you got up here?” Rowe demanded.

He flushed. “My boss lives a few floors down. I was delivering some contracts to him to look over. He mentioned that you lived here,” he said, his eyes shifting to Lucas. “I thought I would drop by. I haven’t seen you at Shiver since that night and I’d heard that you were in an accident.” He gave a shrug and nervously clutched the edge of the counter. “I thought I’d just drop by. Check on you.”

Lucas forced a small smile. “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Green.”

“Chris, please.”

“Thank you, but as you can see, I’m just fine.”

“Then would you have dinner with me?”

Lucas paused, staring critically at the man. Dinner was definitely out. But he could so easily usher Rowe out the door and guide Chris up the stairs to his bedroom. That would release the last of the tension humming through his body. But even as he thought it, Lucas knew it wasn’t going to happen. There was nothing. No spark. No stirring. No hint of interest. Whatever had captured his attention at the nightclub just weeks ago was gone. The man seemed pale and thin and flat compared to Andrei. There was nothing in his eyes that burned with life and passion. There was just…nothing and for a moment, Lucas couldn’t decide if he was relieved or disappointed.