Page 158 of Boss of the Year

“Say it,” he said. “You want to come, baby? Then you’ll admit the truth. Say what we are, or else beg me for it. Either way, you’re mine.”

I shook my head back and forth. No, I wouldn’t. Iwouldn’tgive in.

He pounded into me hard enough that I saw stars, but when my mouth opened to scream, all that emerged was a whispered, “Please.”

It wasn’t quite begging, but it was close enough.

He shifted his balance, then rolled his body once more over my clit.

Stars were visible over the skies of Paris for the first time in a generation as my orgasm swept through me, hot and vicious.

“Lucas!” I started to scream before his mouth swallowed every ounce of my pleasure.

His groan was harsh and low as he followed, driving into me one final time, imprinting my body onto the brick.

“Marie,” he chanted, low and broken. “Marie. My Marie.”

For a moment, the world fell still. The sounds echoing from the boulevard were muted by our breaths, and the rest of Paris had gone quiet while we recovered.

His forehead dropped to mine, our breaths mingling, his hands soft now, like he didn’t know how to let go. “Tell me what I can do to make it right.”

My body sagged underneath his weight. “I don’t—I don’t know if you can.”

His sigh seemed to deflate his entire being. Gradually, he pulled out, then released my legs to the ground so he could dispose of the condom. It wasn’t until we had both put our clothing back to rights that he turned around.

“I know I fucked up, but this can’t be the end. I won’t let it.”

But I was already shaking my head. “You’re just upset because you finally found someone you can’t control.”

“No, I’m upset because when it comes to you, I can’t controlmyself.” He paced in front of me, as panther-like as ever. “I’ve been going crazy for the last few days, worried about you, do you know that?”

“Worried about me? Or worried I’d go back to New York and ruin all your plans to keep me away from Daniel?”

He turned with an expression like fire. “It wasn’t like that, I swear it.”

“It was exactly like that! Your stepmother’s texts went off like an alarm when I got up to makeyoubreakfast. Not because you were paying me, but because it seemed like the nice thing to do after we just made lo—” I shook my head.

No, I would not say that out loud. Not after what we had just done.

“You got up to—” He shook his head. “I can explain. Please, Marie, just let me explain.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” I took several deep breaths, as much to keep from crying as to calm my racing heart. “Was she wrong? Were all five of her texts completely and totally wrong? Did you or did you not take me on this trip to seduce me away from your brother?”

His mouth opened as if he wanted to argue, but nothing came out. My heart split in half all over again, and the tears flowed freely as I turned into the wall, wishing with my whole being that I could just disappear the way I used to.

All my life, I wanted to be noticed. I wanted to be free of the shadows, to find a place in the light where someone would finally recognize me as someone worthy of attention.

I never considered what might happen if the person who saw me was the wrong one.

“Fuck, don’t—please don’t cry like that, baby. I can’t take it—” Lucas hovered around me like a bird unsure of where to land.

I just cowered further into the wall, swiping tears from my face. Oh, the truth hurt. God, it hurt so much.

“Look, whatever my family planned, whatever I agreed to do…you and I have nothing to do with them,” he tried again. “Nothing, Marie, I swear it.”

“Ha!” It was a harsh spit of a laugh. “Everything you did was calculated. Every conversation, every t-touch, every k-kiss. From the very beginning, it was just to keep me away from your brother, wasn’t it?”

Lucas moved as if to cage me again, but when I stepped to the side, he stopped. A stream of light from a nearby streetlamp cast over his face, showing the way the muscles in his neck strained with the effort to stay away.