Chapter 11
Lucas
I watched from my car as Victor walked Alison to her door, his hand lingering on hers for a moment too long. The possessive gesture made my wolf snarl with barely contained fury.
"Easy," I murmured to myself, gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. "Not yet."
Victor's sleek car pulled away from the curb, disappearing around the corner.
I approached the private elevators that connected directly to each townhouse, catching the elevator Alison was in just in time.
The doors started to close, and I moved quickly, reaching out to stop them. Her eyes flew open, widening with shock and something else—something that looked remarkably like anticipation—when she saw me.
"Lucas," she breathed, backing against the elevator wall as I stepped inside. "What are you doing here?"
"Following up on our conversation," I replied, allowing the doors to close behind me. "You and I have unfinished business, Alison."
She straightened, that familiar fire returning to her eyes. "How did you get in here? This is a secure building."
"Is it?" I raised an eyebrow, deliberately not answering her question. I reached past her to press the button for her floor, my arm brushing against hers in the process. Even that slight contact sent a jolt of awareness through me, my wolf responding to the proximity of my mate.
The elevator began to rise, the small space filling with her scent—flowery perfume layered over her natural sweetness, and beneath that, the lingering cologne of Victor Chen. I fought back a growl.
"You had quite the cozy dinner with Victor," I observed, watching her reaction carefully.
"That's none of your business," she replied, chin lifted in defiance.
"Did you like it?" I asked, moving closer, intentionally crowding her. "Playing the adoring employee while he fawned over you? Accepting his gifts? Letting him touch you?"
Her eyes narrowed. "You're being ridiculous. And inappropriate. Victor is my boss—"
"Victor wants to be much more than your boss," I cut in. "And we both know it."
"So what if he does?" Alison challenged. "Victor has been nothing but respectful and supportive for five years. Which is more than I can say for you."
The barb hit its mark, but I refused to be deterred. "Do you like him, Alison?" I asked, my voice dropping lower. "Answer me honestly. Does he make your heart race? Does your skin burn when he touches you?"
"Stop it," she whispered, but there was uncertainty in her voice now.
I moved closer still until mere inches separated us. "Because that's what happens when I touch you, isn't it?"
She swallowed hard, her eyes locked with mine. "What do you want from me, Lucas?"
"The truth," I said simply. "Just once, Alison, be honest with yourself. With me."
Something shifted in her expression, a crack appearing in her carefully constructed walls. "What truth? That my body reacts to you? That's just biology, nothing more."
"Is it?" I challenged, pressing the emergency stop button, halting the elevator between floors. "Then tell me you've never thought about me in the past five years. Tell me you never wondered what might have been."
Her eyes flashed with anger. "Of course I thought about you! You humiliated me, fired me, and left me dejected and alone. Those aren't the kind of memories that fade easily."
"And the good memories?" I pressed, stepping even closer. "The way we fit together that night? The connection that was there before everything went wrong?"
Alison looked away, but not before I caught the flicker of vulnerability in her expression. "There was no connection. We were drunk and drugged."
"Look at me," I demanded softly. When she didn't, I gently took her chin, turning her face toward mine. "Look me in the eye and tell me you've never thought about us since that night."
Her breath hitched, her pulse jumping beneath my touch. For a long moment, she remained silent, struggling with herself. Finally, she whispered, "Lucas, I don't know what you want, but this isn't the way to get it."
"I want you," I told her, and closed the space between us further. Her breath hitched, and her heart beat even faster. "And I know you do too. Your body told me as much in that conference room this morning."
She looked away, her face going beet red at the thought of what transpired between us in that conference. We'd both let ourselves go and surrendered to the heat of the moment. I felt something from her then, and I knew I would get her back. She would be mine.
"Lucas, you missed out on your chance, you…" she was saying, but I stopped her.
I didn't wait for more. I lowered my head and captured her lips with mine.
She gasped against my mouth, her body tensing momentarily before melting into me.
The packages she's been holding dropped from her hands and clattered to the ground.
Her lips parted, allowing me to deepen the kiss, to taste her fully.
She tasted of wine and sweetness and something uniquely Alison that made my head spin with desire.
Her hands, which had been pressed against my chest in token resistance, now clutched at my shirt, pulling me closer. I pressed her against the elevator wall, fitting my body to hers, groaning at the perfect rightness of it.
"This is insane," she gasped when I finally released her lips to trail kisses down her throat.
"This is inevitable," I corrected, nipping gently at her pulse point, feeling it jump beneath my lips. "It always has been."
I reached for the control panel, restarting the elevator. As it lurched back into motion, Alison seemed to gather her composure, pushing at my chest with more determination.
"This doesn't change anything," she insisted. Those were similar words she offered at the café conference room earlier in the day. Yet, here we are.
The doors opened onto a small private foyer that led directly into her townhouse. Before she could step out, I scooped her into my arms, earning a surprised yelp.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, struggling half-heartedly. "Put me down!"
"In a moment," I promised, carrying her through the foyer to her front door. She was lighter than I expected, fitting perfectly against my chest.
I set her down just outside her door, but kept her caged between my body and the doorframe. "Invite me in, Alison."
Her eyes widened. "Absolutely not."
"Why not?" I asked her, looking deep into her eyes to let her know I knew her secret and that she didn't have to hide from me anymore.
"Lucas," she started, and I placed my finger on her lips, shushing her up so she couldn't whip up any other excuse.
"Mom?" A small, sleepy voice called from inside the apartment. "Is that you?"
Alison froze in my arms, her eyes flying open in panic. She pushed against my chest with sudden strength, and I released her immediately, stepping back just as the door swung open.
A small boy stood in the doorway, rubbing his eyes sleepily, dark hair tousled from bed. He looked to be about four or five, dressed in Spider-Man pajamas. When he blinked up at us, I felt my breath catch.
I remembered what Victoria said about the boy with Alison and his eyes.
Or rather, what she left unsaid. And Alison as well.
She had slipped earlier on about her pregnancy, but I knew it wasn't time to push on that.
I needed to win her over first and then find out if what I suspected was true, but all my plans were thrown out the window immediately I set eyes on him.
Those eyes. My eyes. Amber and unmistakable, set in a face that bore Alison's delicate features but undeniably reflected mine as well.
My son. There could be no doubt, no question. My wolf recognized him instantly, the blood connection humming between us like a physical force.
"Leo," Alison said, her voice admirably steady as she quickly straightened her dress. "What are you doing up, sweetheart? You should be in bed."
"I heard noises," the boy—Leo—replied, his curious gaze shifting from his mother to me. "Who's this?"
Alison shot me a warning glance before turning back to her son with a forced smile. "This is Mr. Hawkins."
"Hello there, Leo," I said, smiling at him and then at Alison, who, from the terrified look in her eyes, realized that her secret wasn't really a secret anymore.