Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Alexei
Arriving at Lauren’s office building and seeing her light on had truly given me hope after a terrible day. She had stayed. Surely, that was a good sign, especially if it meant she was in no hurry to return to her boyfriend.
Who was due to propose.
Her compassion when I shared about Sasha almost undid me. I did not deserve it. Not after how I had treated her. I refused to use her good nature to make me feel better.
But this new information had me itching for battle.
He doesn’t see you as a threat.
Well, he should.
Now I was ready to kiss her. To claim her. To show her how a man who truly wanted her should react around her. I would use our sexual chemistry to force a break of her … vows. But those were to me, not to him, were they not?
Yet my conscience had something to say about it. This isn’t fair, she had said.
I agreed, in principle. Besides, I did not want to win her on a technicality, with a circumstantial surrender to temptation and a brief loss of control. I wanted her to be all in.
I dropped my hand and sat back to give her space—and a chance for my cock to calm the fuck down.
“When did you tell him?”
She examined her nails, though I couldn’t help noticing that her hand shook. “None of your business. All you need to know is that he’s aware of the situation and after the initial shock, he reacted with maturity and grace.”
“So, he understands that you are currently unavailable for a wedding with him?”
She growled. “He understands that this is a purely administrative snafu that will be handled very, very soon.”
“I wonder if he knew when I spoke to him. He didn’t sound like he knew.”
Her eyes flew wide. “You spoke to Thad?”
“Yes, he called a few days ago asking me to invest in some fund.”
“I didn’t know that.”
I had been as surprised as she was now. “If he had known that I was married to his girlfriend, it would be strange not to mention it, yes? But perhaps you are right. He is perfectly fine with our marriage. Not threatened at all.”
She stood and paced the room for a moment, hands on hips.
I could only admire how she looked in her smart business suit—long pants, a fitted blazer, a silk blouse that revealed the swell of her breasts.
Of course, a skirt to highlight her shapely legs would be better, but my cock fully appreciated the view all the same.
She also wore sneakers, which was very on brand for Lauren.
As was her current mood.
“You seem upset.”
“I’m not. I just—I’d prefer he didn’t immediately jump on my associates to pump them for money. It’s a bit …”
“Grasping? He is certainly taking advantage of your connections.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t go looking for chinks in the armor of our relationship. Thad and I are fine.”
“Are you?” I stood. “Because this notion that he is not threatened by me, that he is perfectly fine with my presence in your life, is absurd. If I learned that my woman was married to someone else, I would be raising hell!”
She stopped her pacing to face me. “That’s where you and he differ. What’s the point in getting mad about something you can’t control? He knows I’ll be shot of you soon, ergo nothing to worry about.”
“He should be worried. You’re my wife, Lauren.”
“In name only!” But I could tell from the way those silver eyes darkened to pools of mercury that she appreciated my possessive claim.
“The name should be enough.”
A claim too far, it seemed. Her gaze shifted to the desk.
“Thinking about that hockey stick?”
“Oh, we’re past thinking. I’m already planning my moves. Should I destroy your left ankle or crush your testicle? The choices thrill me.”
“I’m just pointing out the strangeness of your boyfriend’s reaction here, Lauren. I would be very selfish if you were mine.”
“Well, I’m not yours. I’m not … anyone’s. I’m my own person, which is why I don’t like this idea that you think you know better than me. You’re not my future, Alexei. You’re barely my past.”
That cut deeper than expected. The idea that I could go home again—to Lauren—had consumed me since the moment I reconnected with her in Las Vegas. It had kept me sane while I planned the rest of my career and my father’s life. She was my North Star, yet she did not see me the same way.
Her phone buzzed and she checked it. “That’s Thad.”
The man who thought it was perfectly okay for her to be married to someone else.
“I will leave you to discuss whatever it is you discuss with this man of your dreams.”
She reached for the hockey stick.
“Goodnight, Silver Eyes.” And then I made my exit before she could assume an attack position.