Page 29 of Lucas (The Valeur Billionaires #2)

I toss my phone back in my purse. I could go alone and tell her he’s busy, but she’ll keep nagging and nagging until she meets him. Michelle has always been the type to get her way.

I close my eyes and exhale. I’m going to pay dearly for this request.

Michelle, my friend from college, wants to have lunch with us. Could you join?

It’ll look suspicious if you don’t show up. We’re supposed to be newlyweds.

I add the last part for good measure. Maybe it will lower the price.

Lucas

I thought I was an insufferable bastard.

I smile. Damn it, I’m going to pay for this.

You asked me not to tell anyone, including my friends, about our fake marriage. So I have no choice but to pretend.

There. Shifting the blame onto him is always preferable.

Lucas

Fine. Send me the details.

That’s it? I stare at the screen, searching for hidden meaning. He just agreed? No conditions? No innuendos? No demands for sexual favors? What does this mean?

I enter my office and close the door. The stack of binders from yesterday still awaits me on the desk.

I’m dealing with trivial matters like lunch dates and arguments with Lucas when I should be thinking about the real problem.

How do I save Gant, and how do I prevent Lucas from seeing these problematic reports?

I sit in my chair and immerse myself in work.

When my alarm rings, signaling it’s time for the lunch meeting, I stand and stretch, massaging my neck and shoulders. My body is stiff from sitting hunched over the documents for so long.

“I could help you with that.”

I lift my gaze to find Lucas in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

I slam the binder shut. “What are you doing in my office? Don’t you know how to knock?”

“I know how to knock. Never knocked up anyone, though.” A lazy smile spreads across his face.

“Do you have one thought that’s not sex-related?” I collect my jacket and shrug it on.

“Hmmm. Nope.” He straightens. “Let’s go, wouldn’t want to keep your friend waiting.”

“Insufferable,” I mutter, rounding the desk and advancing toward him. He holds out his hand, and I ignore it.

“Yeah, you mentioned that.” He offers his hand again. “We’re newlyweds, remember? Or would you prefer I put my hand on your ass instead?”

My eyes widen, and the spot between my legs throbs. For one wild second, I imagine what would happen if I let him do it, let him touch me, but I place my hand in his and he grasps it.

This is what he does, what he’s good at. Temptation. I need to remember that when I fall for his trap.

We walk to the nearby restaurant, and I spot Michelle already seated at a table. She stands when she notices us, hugging me, winking, and then hugging Lucas.

I narrow my eyes when their embrace lasts longer than a few seconds and clear my throat.

We sit, and Lucas places his hand over mine on top of the table. I bite my lower lip, resisting the urge to yank my hand back when my whole body tingles from his touch as if every nerve ending has awoken in anticipation .

We order, and the server collects our menus.

Michelle smiles. “So, lovebird, how long were you hiding him from everyone? Because one day you’re single, and the next month you’re married? Are you sure you’re not pregnant?”

I let out a nervous laugh. It was easy to sell a few fake dates to the press.

Lucas made the whole thing sound like we’d been seeing each other for a while and only went public once we got engaged.

They ate it up and asked for more. But Michelle knows me, and we didn’t prepare a story.

I should have thought of answers in advance.

“I–I…” I stammer.

Lucas flashes his panty-melting grin. “When you know, you know. Right? What’s the point of waiting when you’ve found the right person? And Ava’s not pregnant. Although I definitely intend to put a few babies in her soon. How many do you want, Wifey? Six? I certainly enjoy the process.”

I choke.

“Do you need some water?” Lucas offers me his glass, that smug smirk still plastered on his face.

I bite my tongue, lift my leg under the table, and jam my heel into his foot.

The grin vanishes, and his face contorts in pain.

Now it’s my turn to smile.

“Oh, are you okay?” Michelle looks at him with concern.

“He suffers from terrible gas.” I lower my voice. “It’s a difficult problem,” I whisper.

Lucas shoots me a scorching glare, then turns to Michelle. “Better than the snoring. Do you know how hard it is to fall asleep when she snores so loudly?”

Michelle giggles. “You two are adorable.” She glances between us. “I didn’t know you were already planning on kids.”

“We’re not,” I answer before Lucas can get in another terrible comment. “Lucas here is just joking. Right, babe?” I place my hand on his thigh and squeeze. Hard. “He has a crazy sense of humor.”

His thigh is so firm. And thick .

I swallow, my hand still resting on his leg.

He grunts. “Yeah, just kidding. I don’t want kids anytime soon. But Wifey here wants an entire basketball team, and she’ll get whatever she asks for because that’s the kind of man I am. A woman pleaser.”

“Yeah, a woman pleaser,” I mutter under my breath. He’s so good at these lies.

He places his hand over mine and tugs it toward him. My fingertips are now dangerously close to his cock. Close but not touching.

What is he doing? He’s not going to put my hand on it, is he?

He removes his hand from mine and I let out a breath.

I could pull my hand back, but I don’t. I could move my fingers a fraction and touch him. Is he hard because of me?

The server arrives with our food and I snatch my hand back, folding them on the table. What the hell am I doing?

Lucas chuckles.

He knows. I don’t know how, but he knows I was close, that I wanted to touch him.

“So, Lucas, do you have any siblings?” Michelle asks.

I’m grateful for the distraction. I need to think about something else besides his body pressed against mine .

“Yes. I have three —two brothers and a sister. Didn’t you see them at the wedding?”

“I wasn’t sure who was your family. Are any of them single?” She winks.

“Michelle!”

“What? You snagged yourself a rich, hot one. I want that too.”

I can see Lucas’s chest puffing up from here. Can’t feed his ego with compliments, so I don’t respond to that at all. I lower my gaze to my plate and pick at my food.

“Liam is the youngest and still single,” Lucas answers. “He’s only twenty-eight, though, and I don’t think he’s ready to settle down yet. It seems no one is up to his standards.” Lucas chuckles. “Actually, he’s your age, right?”

“No.” Michelle shakes her head. “I’m thirty. Two years older than Ava. We met in college, in the business program. I had to retake a course. Turns out I’m not so great at Strategic Management.”

“What do you do, Michelle?” Lucas takes a bite of his food and looks at Michelle like she’s the most fascinating thing in the universe.

My chest tightens.

“I sell medical equipment. Go from clinic to clinic, hospital to hospital, selling them supplies.”

“Sounds like it involves a lot of travel.”

“Yeah. That’s what I love most about it.

I love interacting with people, seeing new places.

But I’m not home much, which makes it hard to form relationships and friendships.

I always try to throw a party when I’m back in town to see everyone at once.

Ava doesn’t like to come to my parties. She’s too serious. ”

I twist my lips. I’m not too serious. I just don’t enjoy Michelle’s irresponsible, carefree friends. Thirty-year-olds without a care in the world. I never fit in there.

Lucas glances at me, looking almost curious. “Yeah, she’s not much of a partier, is she?”

“That’s not true. I just have different preferences.” I lower my eyes to my plate and continue pushing the food around.

“Oh? Like what?” Lucas prods.

They both stare at me, waiting for an answer.

“What is this, gang up on Ava day?” I take a small bite and chew slowly.

What do I enjoy doing? I studied in college, got my master’s degree.

Started working for Gant, replaced Father just a few months ago, and now I’m immersed in the company and all the tasks involved in running it.

What have I done in recent years besides study and work?

The silence stretches uncomfortably as I struggle to find an answer. Lucas and Michelle exchange a glance.

Lucas clears his throat. “Hey, no pressure. We all have different ways of unwinding.” His voice is gentle, and I'm grateful for the lifeline he's thrown me.

Michelle nods, her earlier teasing tone replaced with something softer. “Yeah, Ava. I didn't mean to put you on the spot. Maybe we can plan something you'd enjoy next time I'm in town?”

I manage a small smile, relieved that the moment has passed. “That would be nice.”

We finish eating, the conversation drifting to lighter topics.

As we prepare to leave, Lucas apologizes that we need to hurry back to the office. I hug Michelle, promising to meet up again soon .

“You barely touched your food,” Lucas comments the moment she walks away.

“I ate as much as I wanted. Are you monitoring my plates now?”

“Need I remind you who watched over you last night when you were sick and nearly passed out? You promised me you’d eat at lunch.”

“And I did. You’re not my father, and I didn’t ask you to watch over me, not yesterday and not now.” I raise my voice without meaning to.

“Okay. You’re right. You didn’t ask.” A shadow flickers in Lucas’s eyes, but he changes the subject. “What about those documents I requested?”

“I’m working on them. You’ll get them soon.” I increase my pace.

“What’s there to work on? You need to click a few buttons on the computer and send them to me. Do you need help with that?”

“No, our old files aren’t digitized. I need to search for them.”

“You’re not very good at lying.”

“Unlike you.” I stop in my tracks, and someone from behind almost collides with me.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” I resume my pace, but Lucas grabs my arm, halting me again.