Chapter 60 Let Me Protect You
Briar's POV
His hand guided mine forward, the cue sliding through my fingers with smooth precision. The eight ball dropped into the corner pocket with a satisfying thunk that echoed through the room.
My heart hammered against my ribs so hard I thought he must be able to feel it. I needed to move, to put distance between us before I did something stupid. But my muscles had locked up, frozen by the heat of his chest against my spine and the way his breath continued to ghost across my neck.
I tried to straighten up, but his arm tightened around my waist and his other hand slid down to wrap around my wrist, holding me in place.
I managed to get one foot back, creating maybe an inch of space, but it wasn't nearly enough. My side brushed against the table as I twisted, trying to face him, and that's when I felt it. The soft press of his lips against the curve where my neck met my shoulder, so light it might have been accidental if not for the way his mouth lingered there.
Heat flooded through me, making my knees weak. This was dangerous. This was exactly what I'd been trying to avoid. I turned my head, intending to tell him to back off, but the movement only brought our faces closer together. He shifted his weight, one hand bracing against the table on my other side, effectively trapping me.
"From the moment you agreed to play," he said, his voice rough and low, "you knew this would happen. Don't pretend you didn't."
My whole body trembled. He was right. But the image of Leah's phone screen flashed through my mind. Julian's threat echoed in my ears, and suddenly the warmth of Lucian's body felt suffocating.
I pushed him back hard. "Don't act innocent. You already got what you wanted from Leah, so what are you doing here playing games with me?"
Lucian went still, genuine confusion replacing the heat in his eyes. "What? Leah? I think of her like a little sister. Where is this coming from?"
A cold laugh escaped my throat. "Right. A little sister who gets to wrap her arms around your waist and rest her head on your back. Very brotherly."
Understanding dawned across his features, followed by something that looked almost like relief. "That's what this is about? That's why you blocked me?" He actually smiled.
"And the photo," I added, my voice tight. I looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "The countryside. The bicycle. Her sitting behind you. And your face when you turned to look at her, smiling like she was the only thing in the world worth seeing."
Lucian was quiet for a long moment. Then he made a sound that might have been a laugh if it hadn't sounded so incredulous. "I think I remember that day. Reginald dragged me out to some farm experience thing. Leah twisted her ankle so I gave her a ride back on the bicycle they rented."
My head snapped up. "Reginald?"
"Yeah." Lucian tilted his head, studying my expression. "You didn't know Leah is Reginald's granddaughter?"
The information rearranged everything I thought I understood. "I do now," I managed to say.
"As for the smile," Lucian continued, amusement coloring his tone, "a bird shit on her hat right before I turned around. I heard her shriek and looked back to see what happened. I was laughing at her, not with her. Is that the smile you're talking about?"
Heat flooded my face as mortification replaced jealous anger. Of course. I'd tortured myself over a photo of Lucian laughing at bird shit, had blocked his number and avoided him, all because I couldn't trust that anyone would actually choose me.
Lucian moved away from the table, hoisting himself up to sit on the edge. After a moment he leaned forward, bringing his face close to mine again, and the smile that curved his mouth was pure satisfaction.
"You were jealous," he said.
"I was not," I shot back, but my face was burning.
His smile widened. "Then unblock me."
He reached out and caught my hand, pulling me forward until I stood between his knees. His expression had changed, the amusement fading into something more vulnerable. "I'm not trying to force you into anything," he said quietly, his thumbs tracing small circles on the backs of my hands. "But I'm allowed to have feelings too. I'm allowed to feel uncertain and worried. So just give me something. Give me a straight answer about what you want."
But all I could think about was Julian's face when he'd cornered me in my office, his casual threat to destroy anyone I cared about. What good would giving Lucian a straight answer do when I couldn't even protect myself, let alone him?
Lucian's hands moved from mine to my back, his palms pressing against my spine through my shirt. The pressure was gentle but insistent, straightening my posture and pulling me closer until barely any space remained between us.
"Whatever you're afraid of," he murmured, his voice low and certain, "I can handle it. From now on, let me protect you."
Something cracked open in my chest at those words, some protective wall I'd built around myself. He was offering to share the weight I'd been carrying alone for so long, and the temptation to accept was almost overwhelming.
But pretty words were just words. Julian had the power to crush Lucian's work without breaking a sweat. How long would Lucian's promise last when Julian started applying real pressure?
I pulled my hands free from his grip, the loss of contact making my chest ache. "There's nothing to say," I managed. "I should go."
The look on his face nearly broke my resolve. I turned toward the door, each step feeling like walking through quicksand. Behind me I heard him draw breath to speak, but the sound was cut off by the sudden bang of the door at the top of the stairs being thrown open.
Kai appeared on the landing, his expression grim. "Sorry to interrupt whatever this is," he said, not sounding sorry at all, "but we have a problem. Sienna just left and I found something on her phone you both need to know about."
My stomach dropped. "What kind of something?"
Kai descended the stairs quickly, his phone already out. "I was teaching her how to play this mobile game and she went to the bathroom. Her phone got a notification about an encrypted file with a virus alert, so I opened it to clean it out." He paused, his jaw tight. "It was a product packaging design. With Vance Botanicals' logo all over it."
The betrayal shouldn't have surprised me. I'd known there was a leak for weeks. But hearing it confirmed still felt like a punch to the gut.
"Do you know who sent it?" I asked.
"The file properties showed it came from an internal email," Kai said. "Someone named Jessica in your design department."
Jessica. The woman I'd just promoted after Harris got laid off. The realization that her loyalty had been an act made something cold and hard settle in my chest.
"I understand," I said. "Thank you for telling me."
While Kai and Lucian started discussing security protocols, I edged toward the stairs. This was my out, my chance to escape before Lucian could corner me again. I made it down the steps and across the main floor, my hand already reaching for the door handle, when something orange streaked past my ankle and into the building.
I jumped back with a startled yelp, nearly losing my balance. An orange tabby cat darted up the stairs with surprising speed, launching itself at the landing before climbing up Lucian's leg and settling onto his shoulder.
Lucian's hand came up automatically to steady the cat, his fingers scratching behind its ears. Then both of them turned to look at me, the cat's amber eyes and Lucian's gold green gaze fixing on my face with identical intensity.
I knew he had more to say. I could see it in the set of his shoulders. But I couldn't stay, couldn't let him pull me further into his orbit when I had no way to protect him from the fallout that would come.
A car horn sounded behind me. My driver had pulled up to the curb, the headlights casting long shadows through the open door that stretched from my feet all the way to the base of the stairs.
I turned away from Lucian and his cat and his promises, and walked out into the night.