Chapter 19
By Thursday night, Sabrina was convinced the universe actively enjoyed testing her patience.
Mostly because she was currently standing inside an overcrowded rooftop bar surrounded by influencers, actors, models, and people who looked genetically engineered for expensive lighting.
And Lucas looked completely at home in it.
Which felt rude, honestly.
The event was for some luxury watch brand Sabrina had already forgotten the name of twenty minutes after arriving.
All she knew was:
Unfortunately for Sabrina's sanity, several of those women already seemed familiar with Lucas.
Too familiar.
"You okay?"
Sabrina glanced sideways toward Chloe, who had somehow talked her way into attending as a plus one.
"No."
"You've been glaring at blondes for thirty minutes."
"I'm observing."
"You're jealous."
"I'm irritated."
"Same thing."
Before Sabrina could deny it, another model approached Lucas near the bar with a bright smile and immediately touched his arm.
Sabrina looked away so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash.
Absolutely not.
Chloe watched the interaction carefully.
"Oh, that one definitely dated him."
"How comforting."
"You're spiraling again."
Sabrina grabbed a champagne flute from a passing tray.
"Tonight I support women respectfully from a distance."
Chloe snorted.
Across the rooftop, Lucas laughed politely at something the model said, but Sabrina noticed something interesting almost immediately.
He kept looking over.
At her.
Not subtly either.
Every few seconds his eyes drifted back toward where she stood beside Chloe.
Like he was checking she hadn't disappeared.
Dangerous information.
Unfortunately it did nothing to help the jealousy twisting low in her stomach.
Because no matter how many late-night conversations they shared, this was still Lucas's world.
Beautiful women.
Industry people.
Public charm.
Sabrina still felt like someone accidentally dropped into it.
"You're doing the thing again," Chloe said quietly.
"What thing?"
"The comparing yourself thing."
Sabrina sighed.
Because annoyingly, Chloe was right.
Still, it was hard not to notice the difference between herself and the women surrounding Lucas tonight.
They looked polished.
Untouchable.
Effortless.
Meanwhile Sabrina had nearly cried trying to do winged eyeliner forty minutes earlier.
The rooftop doors opened again behind them before Chloe could continue emotionally attacking her.
A familiar voice spoke moments later.
"Sabrina?"
She turned immediately.
A man around her age stood a few feet away holding two drinks with clear surprise on his face.
Dark hair.
Nice smile.
Sharp suit.
And annoyingly attractive.
Recognition hit a second later.
"Ethan?"
His face broke into a grin instantly.
"No way."
Sabrina laughed softly in disbelief as he stepped closer.
"I haven't seen you in years."
"Since college, I think."
Chloe looked delighted already.
Interesting traitor behavior.
"You two know each other?" Chloe asked.
"We had journalism classes together," Ethan explained easily. "Sabrina used to destroy everyone in debates."
"That sounds fake," Chloe said immediately.
"It's true," Ethan laughed.
Sabrina rolled her eyes. "I was unbearable."
"Still are?"
"Frequently."
He smiled at that.
A real smile.
Warm enough that Sabrina forgot for a second she was standing in a room full of emotional problems.
"You look good," Ethan said.
"Oh no," Sabrina muttered instantly. "You're flirting."
"That obvious?"
"Painfully."
Chloe looked moments away from applause.
Sabrina laughed despite herself.
Honestly, talking to Ethan felt easy.
Normal.
There was no pressure.
No cameras shoved directly in her face.
Just conversation.
And maybe that was why she relaxed enough to stop paying attention to Lucas entirely for several minutes.
Which turned out to be a mistake.
Because she didn't notice Lucas approaching until Chloe suddenly went silent beside her.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Sabrina turned.
And nearly froze.
Lucas stood a few feet away now with one hand in his pocket, expression calm enough that most people probably wouldn't notice anything wrong.
Sabrina did.
Because she knew him now.
And Lucas looked annoyed.
Not public-annoyed.
Personally annoyed.
His eyes flicked briefly toward Ethan before returning to Sabrina.
"You disappeared."
The sentence sounded casual.
The tone did not.
Sabrina blinked slightly. "I was standing right here."
Lucas ignored that completely.
"Who's this?"
Oh.
Oh, interesting.
Ethan smiled politely and held out a hand.
"Ethan."
Lucas shook it once.
Brief.
Cool.
"Sabrina's boyfriend," he answered smoothly.
Sabrina nearly choked.
Boyfriend.
Not fake boyfriend.
Not date.
Just boyfriend.
Ethan's eyebrows lifted slightly before he recovered.
"Right. Of course."
The atmosphere shifted immediately afterward.
Subtle.
Still sharp.
Lucas moved closer beside Sabrina naturally, fingers brushing lightly against the small of her back.
Possessive.
The realization hit her instantly.
And judging by Chloe's expression across from her, she noticed too.
Dangerous.
"You know," Ethan said conversationally, "I was actually asking Sabrina if she wanted to grab coffee sometime."
Lucas smiled.
Not warmly.
"I'm sure you were."
Oh my God.
Sabrina stared at him.
Because Lucas sounded jealous.
Actually jealous.
Ethan, to his credit, looked like he suddenly realized he'd accidentally wandered into dangerous territory.
"Well," he said carefully, "I should probably—"
"Probably," Lucas agreed smoothly.
Sabrina kicked him lightly under the table area near the lounge seating.
Lucas didn't even flinch.
Ethan laughed awkwardly before giving Sabrina a quick smile.
"It was good seeing you again."
"You too."
Then he disappeared back into the crowd surprisingly fast.
The second he left, Sabrina turned sharply toward Lucas.
"What was that?"
Lucas looked genuinely confused. "What?"
"You practically threatened him."
"I shook his hand."
"You looked homicidal while doing it."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"That feels dramatic."
"Lucas."
Now he looked amused.
Which somehow made things worse.
Chloe looked between them with the expression of someone witnessing premium entertainment.
"I'm going to leave before this becomes foreplay," she announced.
Sabrina nearly died.
"Chloe!"
But the traitor was already disappearing toward the bar.
Lucas watched her leave before looking back toward Sabrina.
"You were laughing with him."
She blinked.
"What?"
"With Ethan."
The words came quieter now.
Less teasing.
More honest.
And suddenly Sabrina realized this genuinely bothered him.
Her heartbeat stumbled immediately.
"You flirt with women constantly at these things," she pointed out.
Lucas's jaw tightened faintly.
"That's different."
Sabrina folded her arms. "How exactly?"
He opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because apparently Lucas himself didn't know why it felt different.
Sabrina watched realization slowly cross his expression in real time.
Oh.
There it was.
The exact moment Lucas Cooper understood he was jealous.
His gaze shifted away briefly while he rubbed a hand across his jaw.
"You liked him," he muttered.
Sabrina stared at him in disbelief.
"That's your concern?"
"He was flirting with you."
"And?"
Lucas looked back at her immediately.
And there it was again.
That possessive tension underneath his calm expression.
"He wanted your number."
Sabrina's pulse jumped hard.
Because Lucas sounded irritated by that.
Actually irritated.
"You're unbelievable," she said softly.
"Why?"
"You have women throwing themselves at you every five seconds."
"I don't care about them."
The answer came instantly.
No hesitation.
None.
Sabrina's breath caught slightly.
Lucas seemed to realize what he'd admitted only afterward because his expression shifted faintly.
Too late.
Way too late.
Neither spoke for a second.
The noise from the rooftop blurred strangely around them while cold wind swept through the space.
Lucas stepped slightly closer.
Not enough to touch.
Enough to feel dangerous.
"You didn't answer him, though," he said quietly.
Sabrina blinked.
"What?"
"About coffee."
Oh my God.
He was still thinking about it.
Something warm and chaotic twisted through her chest.
"You were glaring at him like an overprotective guard dog," she muttered.
Lucas's mouth twitched slightly.
"That's not a no."
Sabrina stared at him for another second before laughing softly in disbelief.
"You're jealous."
The words landed directly between them.
Lucas went still instantly.
Not defensive.
Just caught.
And somehow that was even more devastating.
Finally he exhaled quietly through his nose.
"Sabrina."
"No, I need a minute actually." She looked genuinely amazed now. "Lucas Cooper is jealous over a guy asking me for coffee."
His expression tightened faintly.
"I don't like him."
"You met him thirty seconds ago."
"That was enough."
She laughed again despite herself.
God.
This was dangerous.
Because suddenly Lucas didn't feel untouchable anymore.
He felt human.
And worse?
He looked almost frustrated by the realization himself.
"You know what's really interesting?" Sabrina asked softly.
Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly. "I'm afraid to ask."
"You didn't even try pretending you weren't jealous."
A quiet pause followed.
Then Lucas looked directly at her and said:
"I didn't realize I was until I saw him touching you."
The words hit like a truck.
Direct.
Honest.
Accidental.
Real.
Sabrina forgot how breathing worked for a second.
Because that wasn't PR.
That wasn't fake dating.
That was pure instinct.
And judging by the look on Lucas's face afterward, he knew it too.
Neither moved.
Neither looked away.
The tension between them sharpened so suddenly Sabrina could physically feel it.
Lucas's gaze dropped briefly toward her mouth.
Her heart nearly stopped.
Again.
But this time, instead of pulling away immediately, Lucas stepped closer.
Close enough now that she could feel warmth beneath his coat despite the cold rooftop air.
"Sabrina," he said quietly.
Her pulse thundered violently.
"What?"
For one impossible second she thought he was finally going to kiss her.
Then someone shouted Lucas's name across the rooftop.
The moment shattered instantly.
Lucas closed his eyes briefly like the interruption physically offended him.
Sabrina laughed softly under her breath from pure nerves.
"This keeps happening to us."
Lucas looked at her again.
And this time the frustration in his expression wasn't about interruptions anymore.
It was about restraint.