Page 26 of Lavender and Lightning

Alice’s Kitchen, where Rhett and I went on our first date, is Lucas’s primary place of employment, as far as I understand. He’s bounced all over the St. Clair properties, but Alice’s is his home base.

“Still doesn’t make him the boss of me. But we’ll just let him keep thinking that he is,” Lucas comments with a wink.

I giggle, looking back down at the shirt in my hands. I rub the material between my fingers for another moment.

“But to answer your question, it was hard at first, before we officially became a pack. A lot of accusations of favoritism and sleeping my way to the top. But Rhett and Lex never let me believe the nasty things people said,” Lucas continues.

“Alexandra said y’all didn’t form the pack until after…”

“After Seth pulled his bullshit, yeah. It might seem a little cold, but Lex wanted to protect us from Seth as much as she could. He can’t touch anything we’ve built now,” Lucas finishes as I trail off.

I turn to look at him, my brow furrowed. “I thought bond mates become part of whatever pack their alpha is in.”

“They usually do, but it’s not an automatic thing. Seth wants in, bad, but that’s a line that Lex refuses to let him cross,” Lucas says neutrally, his smile dropping.

I nod thoughtfully, turning back to the closet. Nothing else jumps out at me, so I cross to the doorway, but Lucas doesn’t move. He’s lanky, but somehow manages to take up the entire space, looking down at me with an expression I can’t quite name. It’s soft, but there’s a flash of heat in his eyes. I stare up at him, not backing down as we hold eye contact. Time seems to stretch, each heartbeat feeling like hours.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m not going to be able to resist,” Lucas whispers, low and raspy.

“Resist what?” I breathe, afraid to break the fragile quiet.

“Kissing you.”

My eyes flick to his mouth, then back up to his eyes. The low ember has sparked to life, naked desire dancing in the steel-blue of his irises. I watch as the pupils expand, his nostrils flaring as he breathes deep. My nose detects pine smoke and marshmallows pushing to the front of his scent, and my mouth goes suddenly dry.

“What’s stopping you?” I breathe, licking my parched lips.

The corner of Lucas’s mouth twitches up in a devilish smirk, and he shifts to stand up straight. I have to take a step back to keep eye contact. He’s a full head taller than my five-and-a-half feet, and the powerful set of his shoulders makes my stomach flutter. Lucas takes a slow step forward, as if he expects me to back away or tell him to stop. When I don’t move, he moves into my space, so close I can feel the heat radiating off his body. I lose myself in the depths of his eyes, the way they dart around my face, gauging every reaction.

The tips of his fingers brush against my cheekbone with the lightest touch, and I can feel the slight tremble in his hand as he cups the side of my face. All the bravado of moments ago is gone, replaced with trepidation and excitement. I don’t move, hardly even breathing as his face inches closer. My eyes slide closed, and I suck in a deep breath, taking the plunge as his lips brush against mine for the first time.

Every inch of my skin comes alive with goosebumps, and I drop the shirt, my hand coming up to cup the back of his neck. I’ve kissed betas before, but none of them have ever made the primal part of my mind perk up and pay attention quite like this. Lucas’s other hand finds my waist, sliding around until I’m wrapped in his embrace. He pulls me closer, fingers flexing against my scalp.

The first brush of his tongue against my lower lip has me whimpering, and I open eagerly for him. He tastes sweet and smokey, like chocolate and gin and fire. He moans into my mouth, his hand sliding back into my hair, pulling slightly at the base of my skull. His kiss doesn’t demand my submission like Rhett’s, and it doesn’t have the edge of feral need like Mateo’s. His mouth moves with me, each of us taking the lead in turns.

When we pull away, both of us are breathless and I keep my eyes closed, head spinning.

“Wow,” Lucas breathes.

I open my eyes and stare up at him in alarm. His face is bright with a full smile, one that makes him look somehow even more beautiful.

“I… I’ve wanted to do that for a while,” Lucas admits, cheeks and neck turning pink.

My heart skips as my lips pull up in a smile, my face heating. “Really?”

Lucas nods. “Better than I’d hoped,” he says with a chuckle.

I giggle, and Lucas leans in, brushing his nose against mine affectionately. “That’s my favorite sound.”

“What? My laugh?” I ask through my giggles.

Lucas kisses me again, hotter and more insistent this time. His hands tighten on me, and I moan again, molding my body to his as much as I can. My toes curl into the carpet, and I breathe his scent deep into my lungs. The smoke and woody essence of him makes my heart flip and turn, my stomach joining the synchronized swimming routine in my torso. Lucas stays close when he pulls away, forehead resting on mine.

“I changed my mind. That little moan is my favorite sound,” he says seriously.

I can only laugh and kiss him again. When we pull away, Lucas laughs, and bends down to gather up the dropped shirt and hand it back. He lets me wander around the room, and I find a cardigan that smells strongly of Alexandra, cloves and orange peels with a hint of smoke. Lucas disappears into the bathroom for a moment, coming back with a towel. I stagger back as I inhale a powerful burst of Rhett’s scent.

“We share a bathroom, and that’s from this morning. I can get something of Matty’s, if you want?” Lucas asks, eyes bright with enthusiasm.

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