The picture had been taken when he was helping me into the limousine. His hand had slipped from my lower back to the curve of my ass right when the photographer had snapped it. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the look in his eyes was beyond heated. It reminded me of a wild animal who’d caught sight of its prey, and there was no mistaking who he was stalking—his step-sister, as the headline proclaimed in bold print.
“I can’t seem to catch a break,” I mumbled, dropping my head onto the cool granite of the countertop.
“Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad, sweetheart,” Lucas murmured in my ear, wrapping his body around me and pressing mine against the cabinets. “Not when my morning is starting off with the sight of you bent over like this.”
My fist clenched and the crinkling of the newspaper caught his attention. He took a step backwards and slid the paper away from me, smoothing the wrinkles out as he read the article. I swiveled around, picking up my tea and sipping it while I watched him, wanting to see his reaction. His eyes were grave when they met mine once he was done. “Looks like the cat might be out of the bag. I better contact the company’s head of public relations, fill her in on the situation and see how she thinks we should handle it.”
He didn’t look too upset, which surprised me considering what he’d told me about keeping our relationship quiet just the other day. It gave me hope for our future as a couple, but I didn’t like being called a situation. I sure as heck didn’t appreciate someone else getting to decide how, if, and when we talked about our relationship.
“I’ll give you five days, Lucas.”
“For what, sweetheart?” he asked distractedly, staring down at his cell phone while he typed out a message.
“Five days to figure out how you’re going to handle the situation.” I practically spit the words out. “I’m giving you five days to decide exactly how important I am to you.”
My explanation certainly captured his attention, and his anger too, judging by the hint of fury in his eyes. “And what exactly happens after then?”
“I refuse to be your dirty secret. My mom was married to your dad one day before they died. We weren’t raised together. Heck, we didn’t even know each other when we first met, when we created a life together.” My hand curled around my stomach protectively. “I’m not ashamed of what happened between us, of my feelings for you. For six weeks, I knew what it felt like to miss you. I like having you back in my life. More than like it, even.”
I took a step closer to him, resting my hand on his chest while I stared up into his eyes. “I’m falling for you, Lucas. So hard and fast that I’m already half-in-love with you. Maybe even all the way.”
His eyes lit with male satisfaction at my admission. “You have to know I l—“
I pressed my finger to his lips, stopping the flow of words. “Not like this.” I shook my head emphatically, tears welling in my eyes. Stupid hormones. “Not right now. I want you to take these five days and really think about what you want. It can’t be a knee-jerk reaction to the thought of losing me or the baby. And while you’re thinking, you have to know I’d never keep you from him or her. Your decision needs to be about where you see our relationship going. Just the two of us, as a couple.”
“Dammit, Jade, you’re not being fair.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmured softly. “But I don’t have time to worry about fair. I’m carrying your baby and I have my debut show to get ready for in five days. Once it’s over, I’ll be ready to hear what you have to say. Until then, I’ll keep my lips shut to the press if anyone happens to call me. I won’t be easy to find, though, since I’ll be busy at the gallery.”
“Too busy to spend time with me?” Disappointment was clear in his tone, and there might even have been a hint of hurt there too.
“I’ll be home each night,” I sighed. “In your bed, if that’s where you want me.”
“Then I guess we have a deal. Five days from today, the minute your art show is over, you’ll have an answer,” he gritted out, swooping down to claim my mouth in a brutal kiss. “In the meantime, your ass better be in my bed each night. Or else.”
My knees buckled when he strode out of the room, and I moved over to the padded seat in front of the picture window and dropped down onto it. I’d snagged my phone off the counter on my way across the room and typed out a 911 text to my best friend. We’d been playing phone tag ever since I’d found out Lucas was my step-brother and I was pregnant with his baby. I’d had too much going on to worry about not connecting with her, but now it was urgent I spoke with her. I needed my bestie, she was the only person in the world who could possibly understand what I was going through. Lucky for me it only took about a minute before my phone rang with her call.