Page 47 of No Ordinary Love

"Hugh, I respect you, you know that, and I hate to say this and say it so bluntly, but this is between Kath and me. It has nothing to do with you."

Hugh's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze cold as ice. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? You're just as selfish as your father; he also didn't care how his decisions impacted others. There's more at stake here than your personal life, Lucas. LPC is working on some important deals right now, and you wouldn't want anything unfortunate to happen because you decided to make a rash choice."

Fucking hell!

Hugh sounded like a mob boss, and he was seriously pissing me off.

I held his gaze, my jaw tightening. "Is this anice house you have; you wouldn't want it to be burned downsort of threat?"

I played nice with family, and I thought of Hugh as that, but he should've known better than anyone that when it came to business, I was cutthroat, and I'd slice him or anyone else without compunction. I hadn't grown LPC, an established company, by over fifty percent in three years by being a nice guy.

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm simply reminding you of the consequences of your actions. You and Kath are good together, Lucas. It would be a shame to throw that all away."

I controlled my temper and took a moment so I wouldn't ram my fist into Hugh's sneering face.

Kath, sensing the shift, stepped closer to her father, her voice softer now, more controlled. "Lucas, just give it some time. We don't have to make any public announcements right now. Let's just…think about it. For the sake of our families, for the sake of everything we've built."

"There are no announcements to be made, Kath. We were never together, and we aren't going to be. You're a friend of the family, and we work together." I turned to Hugh then. "You threaten me again, Hugh; I'll stop thinking of you as a surrogate father and start thinking of you as a belligerent member of the board. We are a private company, not a public one, and I am the CEO. Keepthatin mind and also what happened to the lastbelligerentboard member."

It was a fair threat because that member had been unceremoniously kicked off the board. I had maneuvered it.

Hugh went red with anger. "You son of a bitch, how dare—"

"Daddy, stop it," Kath cried out and turned to face me. "Please, Lucas, take some more time to think about this. We can revisit when cooler heads prevail."

I turned to Kath, her eyes still burning with that fierce determination, that refusal to let go. Why had that stubbornness seemed attractive all those years ago? Now, it appeared obnoxious and even desperate.

"Nothing to revisit. We're done."

She said nothing, just held my gaze, and I could see the wheels turning in her head, already planning her next move. I could guess what that would be. With a personal setback, father and daughter would shift their focus to the professional. Hugh and Kath Bellamy didn't like to lose, and they'd come at me with guns blazing.

Chapter 17

Amara

"You're drunk," I stated unnecessarily when I opened my front door and saw Lucas.

"Notdrunk,a little…tipsy." He grinned at me, and my heart stuttered. He was so handsome, and when he let go of that Covington stiffness, he was endearing and charming, the way he used to be when it was just us.

I let him in.

"Like you were," he teased as he removed his suit jacket and threw it on my couch, "when you texted me."

"So, this is tit for tat?" I put my hands on my waist because I wanted very much to touch him, feel him, be with him.

It was easier to resist him when I was angry with him, but, lately, he'd been muddling the waters with his declaration of love; by sending me flowers and telling me how Kath and he were not together.

"I'd text,Tesoro, but you still haven't unblocked me on your phone."

He walked up to me and took my hands in his. He brought them to his mouth and kissed my knuckles.

"You're upset," I remarked.

I loved this man, and I desperately wanted to comfort him. He was sad, and all I wanted was to make him happy. Would this feeling ever go away—the need to see the one you love cared for and well?

"Yeah." He placed my hands on his chest. "I fucked up so much with you."

His heart was beating fast, and my fingers curled into his white dress shirt. For months and months, I'd seen him get dressed in the morning, saw him button his shirt, put on his tie, drink his coffee, and kiss me before he left for work. The everyday life of a couple had been intoxicating for me; it spoke volumes about our intimacy, our closeness, our harmony.

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