Baby Steps (Yeah, Baby Book 2)(18)

Another glance up confirmed that his business colleague was nearing me. Maybe I’d drawn this guy’s attention because I was the only woman eating anything at this shindig. A glance out of the side of my eye told me that wasn’t the right guess. He was striding towards me, the speculative gleam in his eye making me uncomfortable. Did he know about Lucas and me? Was he going to cause trouble for the company? Crap, when was Lucas coming back anyway? I glanced frantically around the room hoping he’d returned from smoking a cigar on the terrace.

“It’s a shame to see a gorgeous woman like you sitting alone.”

Double crap. Still no sign of Lucas. On the plus side, it didn’t look like this guy had come over here for nefarious purposes. He’d come to flirt with Lucas’s step-sister, who was single and most definitely not pregnant with her step-brother’s baby. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and smoothed the skirt of my dress so it covered my thigh since his eyes were locked on the bare skin showing there. On second thought, fixing my dress might not have been my best decision tonight because his gaze moved from my legs to my boobs. They’d always caught guys’ attention since they’d practically appeared overnight in high school. With them being slightly bigger from the pregnancy already, they were even more of a guy magnet. I was also regretting my choice in dress as he claimed Lucas’s chair and stared at my chest.

“You’re Jade, right?”

I cleared my throat, drawing his gaze up to my face. The grin he gave me was unapologetic, and kind of bordering on sleazy. “Yup, that’s me.”

“I’m Charles Montgomery the third.”

He sounded like a pompous ass! One who’d taken hold of my hand and was tracing circles in the palm with one of his fingers.

“I’d like my hand back, please.”

His hold tightened when I tried to tug it away. Better make that an aggressive, arrogant ass.

“And I’d like to keep it,” he murmured. “How about we come to a deal of some kind. I’m sure I can persuade you to my way of thinking.”

“I’m not interested,” I hissed, tugging harder. His hold became painful, making me cringe. “Please,” I whimpered.

“Now that’s a word I’d like to hear you say, but in a more private setting.” My stomach churned as he leaned in closer. The smell of scotch on his breath was overwhelming. "We both know I’ve got exactly what a girl like you wants in a man. A fat wallet and an even fatter—“

He didn’t get the chance to finish his offensive comment. Lucas had returned and jerked him out of his chair by the collar of his shirt. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Montgomery?”

“Nothing that concerns you, St. James. The girl and I were just coming to an understanding.”

Lucas’s gaze swept me up and down, checking to make sure I was okay. Fury flared in his eyes when he caught sight of me holding my wrist gingerly. I jumped up from my chair when he pulled Charles even closer.

“It looks like Jade wants nothing to do with you or your understanding. So how about you keep your hands off her.”

“Please,” Charles sputtered. “A woman like her wouldn’t be offended by my offer. I was going to be very generous with her.”

“Shut the fuck up before I make you,” Lucas growled.

“Why are you so pissed off?” As crazy as it seemed, Charles looked like he truly didn’t understand Lucas’s anger. “You should be happy to get her off your hands after the way her mother trapped your father into marriage.”

I gasped in outrage at the slight to my mom, the sound reminding both men of my presence.

“You know what? I don’t have time for this shit.” Lucas punctuated his statement with a sharp jab to Charles’s chin, releasing his collar and letting him fall to the ground. Then he reached for me and ushered me out of the room.

Lucas had fully explained his situations and concerns before I completely agreed to attend the dinner. I was pretty sure his plan to lure clients on his own without the help of his current board had been thrown out the window. Practically dragging me from the most expensive restaurant in town while threatening a colleague and punching him in the face probably wasn’t the best way to earn anyone’s business.





Chapter 10


Lucas


I kept a firm grip on Jade’s hand, dragging her away from the lecherous asshole who’d had the nerve to touch what was mine. Glancing behind to make sure I wasn’t going too fast, my eyes once again skimmed over her.

When she had walked down the steps earlier in the evening (informing me it was the only way to make a grand entrance), she’d taken my breath away. Her platinum hair was pulled back into a long, straight ponytail, showing off her neck, with sparkling studs in her ears. Her collarbone and shoulders were bare save for the tiny straps of her emerald green dress. The rest of the shimmery fabric molded to her body, those unbelievable curves, making my mouth water. The dress fell to just above her knees, but there was a peeking split on her left side going up higher than I was comfortable with.