CHAPTER THREE

Lucas pov

I got back to my mansion feeling exhausted after the long day. As I parked my car, my mind kept drifting back to Claire and her son, Brian. The resemblance was uncanny - those eyes, that smile, it was like looking at a younger version of myself. 

A nagging doubt crept in. Could Brian be my son? Claire and I had that one night of passion years ago. But she said Brian was only five, which would mean she was with someone else when we...No, I shouldn't jump to conclusions.

I was still mulling it over when my phone rang. It was Mom. 

"Lucas! Why on earth did you cancel your dinner date with Chloe?" she demanded. "The poor girl was left waiting at the restaurant like a fool."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I had a business meeting that ran late, Mother. I was too tired for dinner."

"That's no excuse! You didn't even have the decency to call Chloe and let her know?"

"I was going to message her," I lied, not wanting another lecture.

"Well, it's too late for that now. You need to start taking this relationship with Chloe seriously. The Quinns are expecting you both to be engaged soon."

I gripped the steering wheel tightly as frustration built up inside me. "Mother, I've told you before, I'm not ready for that kind of commitment yet."

She made a tsk sound. "Don't be ridiculous. Chloe is a wonderful girl from an impeccable family. You'd be lucky to have her as your wife."

Lucky? The word felt like a slap. I thought about Claire again, the connection I felt with her, the explosive chemistry. That was luck.

"I have to go, Mother. We'll discuss this another time." I ended the call abruptly before she could protest further.

With an irritating sigh, I got out of the car and headed inside, tossing my suitcases casually onto the marble floor of the Antechamber. I needed a drink. 

Kicking off my shoes, I strode into the living room and poured myself a healthy amount of scotch. I downed half the glass in one go, savoring the slow burn down my throat.

As I settled onto the plush couch, memories of that night with Claire came rushing back unbidden. Her soft skin beneath my exploring hands, her breathy moans of pleasure as we moved together, the incredible tightness of her around me as I thrust deeper and deeper...

I closed my eyes, a faint smile playing at the corners of my mouth. That had been one hell of a night. Meeting Claire again after all these years, it felt like fate was giving me a second chance.

This time, I wouldn't let her slip away. This time, I'd fight for what I wanted - or who I wanted. Even if it meant defying my mother and the future she had all planned out for me.

My jaw clenched with resolve. I would get to the bottom of this Brian situation too. If he was my son...well, Claire had some explaining to do for keeping that from me all this time.

Draining the last of my drink, I set the empty glass aside and leaned back against the cushions. I was deeply lost in thought, considering my next move, when a slight noise from the other side of the room made me sit upright.

I wasn't alone in here. Someone else was in my house.

I froze as the sound registered, barely perceptible but unmistakable. Someone else was in my house. With a rush flooded my veins as I reached under the couch cushion for the gun I kept stashed there. 

Sliding it out quietly, I rose to my feet and moved with silent steps toward the hallway. My grip tightened on the weapon as I approached the door to my bedroom, the only other room on this floor.  

With my free hand, I flipped on the light switch. "What the hell?" 

There sat Chloe, perched primly on the edge of my bed, looking entirely too comfortable invading my personal space like this.

"Chloe? What are you doing here?" I demanded, the gun still leveled in her direction though I knew I wouldn't actually use it.

She blinked up at me with those big doe eyes. "Why did you leave me at the restaurant, Lucas? Why didn't you answer any of my calls or texts?"

The accusatory lilt in her tone instantly put me on the defensive. "How did you even get in here?"

"Why did you make me look like a fool?" she pressed, ignoring my question entirely.

My jaw clenched as impatience and annoyance flared within me. "I had a business meeting that ran late. I was going to message you but it slipped my mind, okay? You didn't have to come barging into my home like this."

"This is the second time you've stood me up!" She rose from the bed, hands planted on her hips in a gesture of indignation. "What is going on with you, Lucas? One minute you're charming and attentive, the next you're hot and cold. I don't understand!"

"Maybe I'm just not that into you, Chloe," I bit out callously. "Did that thought ever cross your pretty little mind?"

The stunned look on her face almost made me feel bad. Almost. But a larger part of me was sick of dancing around this issue, catering to her feelings while my own wants and needs were constantly dismissed.

"We were never officially dating," I went on bluntly. "Any assumptions about us being a couple were yours alone. I'm not interested in getting engaged or married or any of that, especially not to you."

Tears sprang to her eyes and she grabbed her purse from the bed, clutching it tightly to her chest. With a wobbling chin, she hurried past me toward the door. "You're despicable, Lucas Andreson," she choked out. "An arrogant, selfish prick."

I didn't try to stop her or offer any placating words as she fled from my bedroom. Let her think what she wanted – I was over walking on eggshells around her and my mother's expectations.

Once she was gone, I called out sharply. "Margaret! Get in here right now!"

The poor woman nearly tripped over herself in her haste to get to me, eyes widened in fear as they landed on the gun still gripped in my hand. "Y-yes sir?"

"How the hell did Chloe get into my home?" I growled, feeling the migraine building behind my eyes. "You're supposed to be screening visitors."

Margaret shrank back like I'd struck her. "I-I don't know, Mr. Andreson. She must have slipped past while I was..."

"Save it," I cut her off curtly. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again. No more uninvited guests in my home, do you understand? Especially not Ms. Quinn."

She nodded fervently, looking on the verge of tears herself. "Yes sir, I'm so sorry..."

Waving a dismissive hand, I turned and stalked back toward my bedroom, beyond done with this whole situation. Once inside, I tossed the gun carelessly onto the bed and collapsed onto the plush mattress with a groan.

For a single, blissful moment, my mind was blessedly blank of any thoughts or worries. But it didn't last long before Claire's face materialized in my mind's eye, that radiant smile, those captivating eyes. Just the memory of her was enough to momentarily erase the stress and irritation from moments ago.

A faint smile tugged at my lips as I remembered our night together, the explosive passion, the way our bodies seemed to join together like two perfectly matched puzzle pieces. I could still hear her breathless gasps of pleasure echoing in my ears, still feel the warmth of her silken skin beneath my roaming hands...

I groaned low in my throat, wanting nothing more than to lose myself in those intoxicating memories for a while. To hell with Chloe and her hurt feelings, to hell with my mother's incessant nagging about settling down and acting like an upstanding member of society.

All I wanted was Claire. If she'd let me, I'd spend hours meeting myself with every single delicious inch of her body. If Brian was mine...well, we'd find a way to make it work, to be the family I realized now that I craved more than anything.

My gut twisted with a new sense of resolve. I had to find out the truth, one way or another. And then I could decide how to proceed and fight for what - for who - I truly wanted.