I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling. "You're not," I corrected. "You're working for Copper Wolf Enterprises. I just happen to be the sole director of that company."
He nodded slowly, actually taking note of this information. It was public knowledge, though, so I wasn't risking anything by filling him in.
"And the Timberwolves?" he asked, vaguely confused.
"Are mine too. But Copper Wolf will be your employer because you're front of house staff." I tilted my head to the side, letting that information soak in.
Understanding dawned. "Ah, and Timberwolves run things back of house, then?"
I smiled. Copper Wolf owned and ran all the legitimate businesses—like my vodka brand and the bars and the strippers within them—while the Timberwolves ran everything else, taking a cut of all drug sales within Copper Wolf venues and running what were easily the most high-class and exclusive escort services in the country—among other, less glamorous aspects of gang life. I liked to keep my fingers in every pie possible, with the exception of those I'd traded to Archer D'Ath for his help five years ago.
Yes, both entities were run by me, but keeping them separated on paper was what had let my wolves fly under the radar for so long. For the better part of five years, people have thought the Timberwolves were extinct, but I’ve always known that can't last forever.
Silence extended between us, but for some reason it wasn't uncomfortable. Neither one of us felt the urge to fill the gap with idle chatter, and he seemed just as content as me to soak in the building sexual tension.
Lucas pushed off the counter where he'd been leaning and took just one step closer, eliminating almost all of the space separating us. "Well, whoever he is, he's a fucking idiot."
It took me a second to follow his train of thought back to the Reaper-owned bar and the man I was supposed to be making jealous by fucking Lucas in the back room.
He wasn't wrong, though. That had definitely been a motivating factor.
"How so?" I murmured, gripping the counter behind me and tilting my head back to look up at him. Damn, he was tall or I was small or... both. Even with my stilettos on, I was craning my neck with him so close.
He brushed his fingertips over my décolletage then gently gripped my chin as he bent closer. "Because only an idiot would say no to you, Hayden. But I'm glad he did."
My breath caught as he touched his lips to mine. It was a gentle kiss, like he was asking permission, yet the way he still held my chin in his grip said he wasn't actually asking. And I was more than okay with that.
The second my lips parted, he deepened the kiss. His fingers released my chin, but only so his hand could cup my face, holding me captive as he kissed the breath out of me and left me trembling with need.
"Sorry," he murmured in a husky voice, his huge palm still cupping my face and his lips only an inch from mine. "I needed to do that."
I let out a small laugh. My hands were still gripping the edge of the marble at my back, but my whole damn body was pressed up against him like a magnet. "Needed to?"
He nodded. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since the moment you walked out of your office last night. Just now, standing here and talking to you, I thought I was going to die if I didn't kiss you soon."
"Well fuck," I teased on a low chuckle. "I've killed men plenty of different ways, Lucas, but that'd be a first."
His lips curved in a wide grin, and his eyes seemed to take in every millimeter of my face. "Don't joke; I'm serious. The need to touch you is..." He trailed off, sobering as he shook his head. "Sorry, I'm probably freaking you out now." He dropped his hand from my face and took one tiny step backward, creating a vacuum of air between our bodies.
Weirdly, though, he wasn't freaking me out in the least because that was exactly how I was feeling, too.
My red lipstick was faintly smeared over his mouth, and it only seemed to make him even sexier. I had only invited him over for one thing, and it sure as fuck wasn't conversation. So I reached out and started unbuttoning his shirt, slowly, holding his heated gaze as I worked.
"I wouldn't want to risk you dying on me," I informed him with a tiny smirk. "It'd be way too hard to explain to my cleanup crew, and I'd rather not have them inside my personal space."
His shirt was a soft linen thing, rolled up casually at the sleeves and not tucked into his jeans. So when I finished the buttons, it was easy enough to push it off his shoulders and leave his whole upper body bare.
Lucas caught my hand as I trailed my fingers over his chest, tugging me closer once more and bringing his lips back to mine.
"You're something else, Hayden," he murmured against my mouth some moments later when we were both breathing heavily and his jeans strained tight between us.
I let out a low chuckle. “I’ll take that as a compliment, Lucas.”
“It’s definitely intended as one,” he replied before kissing me again hungrily. His hands ran down my body, tugging at my clothes, then stripping my red silk camisole off in a smooth motion that barely even paused our kiss a second.
As badly as I was tempted to fuck him right there in my kitchen, I really didn’t want to run the risk of Seph coming home early and walking in on us. So I pried myself away with monumental effort and shot him a wild grin.
“Come on; I’ll show you my room.” It was such a teenager thing to say, but it amused me. I’d been largely robbed of my teenage years. My father had sent me to a training camp for killers before I even hit puberty, then I foolishly ended up engaged to my first boyfriend before I was even fifteen. I grew up way too fast, but something about Lucas made me feel young again. Carefree and impulsive. I loved it.
He followed eagerly as I led the way through my huge apartment. With a flourish, I pushed open the double doors to my suite and indicated for him to enter. He didn’t hesitate, heading directly across to my Alaskan king bed—easily as large as two normal king-size beds—while I closed and locked my bedroom doors. There was no way I was letting my little sister mess with my afternoon fuck date.
“Is this why you wanted me to come over this afternoon?” Lucas asked with a lopsided smile. He sat on the foot of my bed, leaning back on his strong, tanned arms as I unzipped my skirt and let it pool at my feet.
I tilted my head to the side, admiring the sight of him on my bed. Zed was the only guy who’d ever been in this room, and that had been purely platonic.
“Would you be offended if I said yes?” I stepped out of my skirt, walking towards him in just my matching black lace underwear and shiny Louboutin heels.
He watched me like a starving animal, and his breath sped up as I stopped between his spread legs. “No,” he answered in a hoarse voice. “Not at all. I hate that some other guy is under your skin, but I’m happy to reap the rewards.”
I barked a sharp laugh, shaking my head. “This level of honesty is refreshing, Lucas.” I threaded my fingers into his brunet hair, quietly loving that it was just long enough to tug. “But while we’re being honest, we’ve got to be clear on something.”
“I know.” He gave a resigned groan. “This can’t be a regular thing because you don’t fuck employees.”