Page 19 of Devious Temptation
I’m torn between letting them work it out and protecting her for a while longer. Either way, I’m fucked. One way or another, I’ll be betraying one of them. It should be Rhys that I pick, no questions asked. But the fact that he willingly cheated on Lucy puts him right back at the top of my shit list.
I thought I raised my sons to be respectful, but the damage Charlotte has done to Rhys with her pandering bullshit is evident. Unfortunately for him, this isn’t one of those times when I can take Rhys’ side just because he’s my son.
Lucy looks at me with tears lining her thick lashes again. “I’m sorry. I never meant to put you in the middle of this.”
Of its own accord, my hand moves to her bare knee, my thumb swiping along her smooth skin. “You have nothing to apologize for. If anything, I feel likeI’mthe one who should be apologizing.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“No, but he is my son.”
“Well, this isobviouslya trait he got from Charlotte.” Lucy spits out my wife’s name like it personally offends her before raising the glass to her lips, berry gloss coating the rim as she consumes half of the drink in one gulp. Her headlolls to the side to rest on a fluffy cushion, mussing her hair and making it look even more like she was just thoroughly fucked. My pants become extremely uncomfortable as my cock strains against the fabric. “Why did you stay with her?”
“Honestly? Because she’s entitled to half my net worth, and I think it’s more of a punishment for her to rely on an allowance.” It’s petty. But I don’t give a shit. “Charlotte hasn’t worked a day in her life. She’d request spousal support and claim that she never worked because she was raising the kids.”
Lucy runs a finger around the rim of her glass. “What about if you ever meet someone else? Wouldn’t you want a chance to be happy?” Her eyes are half-lidded as her tongue darts out to lick her lips. The bottom one disappears between her teeth as she stares at me, reminding me of the night I saw her in the pool house.
Simultaneously, we raise our glasses, pausing to share a laugh before finishing our drinks. My cock is so hard I know she’ll see it if I get up to replenish them. As if she can read my mind, Lucy stands and holds a hand out for my tumbler.
“I guess it would depend on the woman.” I stare at the curve of her ass that’s covered in black lace as she walks by, and with her back turned, I take the opportunity to adjust myself, settling into a more comfortable position. It feels like the temperature in the room has risen about a hundred degrees, and I’d give anything to take a dip in the pool right now.
Preferably with her.
Preferably with her naked.
Our fingers don’t touch this time when she passes me my drink. But as soon as she lets go, she raises a hand to brush it through my hair the way I’ve watched her do to Rhys a million times. “You should let the silver come through. Women love silver foxes.”
My dick jumps so hard her eyes dart down to the movement, and the intimate gesture is short-lived as her hand falls away. A cloud of sweet lilac lingers in the air as Lucy takes her place on the other end of the couch. “Now that the initial shock is over, is it bad that I’m kind of relieved?”
Canting my head to the side, my eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”
She fists a handful of wavy curls and leans an elbow on the back of the couch, crossing her toned legs as she stretches them toward me on the cushion between us. “Rhys was so unhappy with my decision to go to California. Honestly, I’m not sure we would have survived the long distance,” she explains dejectedly, staring off into space. “I guess it’s better we broke up now. I can at least make peace with it before I leave. Who stays with their high school sweetheart anyway, right?”
It’d feel like pillow talk with her half-naked appearance and the alcohol, but the mention of my son’s name on her lips sobers me a bit. “You know, Lucy, thereisa great big world out there,” I repeat the words I said to Rhys on prom night. “It’s good for you both to explore what’s beyond all this.” I gesture out the window.
A frown twists her face. “You say that like we’re going to get back together someday.”
“Maybe someday you will.” I lift my shoulders in a shrug. Still frowning, she shoots her liquor back. “Youknow, for a girl who swore once she would never drink again, you’re doing work on that bottle.”
A melodic laugh fills the room, and it’s loud enough that Rhys will undoubtedly hear it if he is still outside the door. “I told you! It’s the amber-colored ones I don’t do well with.”
Chuckling, I lean over to grab her glass. We both freeze as my large frame hovers over her. Slowly, she slides down the cushion until she’s practically lying beneath me. “Lawson…”
Her sweet sigh spurs me to rise from the couch, turning so she can’t see the extent of her effect on me. My balls are so blue they probably look like swollen blueberries.
As I debate pouring her another, she makes the decision for me. “About… that night… the one where you saw us in the pool house… and what happened in my bathroom?—”
“We don’t need to go there, Lucy.” Abruptly, I turn toward my desk so she can’t see the vulnerability in my eyes.
“What if I want to go there?” She’s not slurring her words, but they’re laced with the tequila she’s been drinking like it’s water.
“We can’t. You’re upset, and justifiably so, not to mention a little drunk. You wouldn’t be bringing this up with an old man if you weren't.”
Really, that’s all this is—a silly crush that I shouldn’t encourage.
“Don’t you want me?” The words sound so fucking innocent, setting my insides on fire.
Fucking hell. Iwantto encourage it. “I’m not going to?—”
