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4 On The Table (Lucas)

"Not how I would describe her," I replied, peering up at her as she reached for an empanada. "But yes. I did."

"So what's the plan? Assuming you have one."

I did. I had several, actually. But they all depended on her. And I needed her to know that she had a choice in this.

"Piper," I started and she seemed caught off guard at hearing me say her name. She looked up at me and, as our eyes met, her lips parted slightly. I couldn't help the way my gaze was drawn to them, coudln't stop my imagination from running wild at the sight of them, and she noticed. She cleared her throat and sat back in her chair and I returned my gaze to her eyes, internally cursing myself. The last thing I needed was to scare her off the moment she walked through the door. "You've sacrificed so much of yourself, so much of your life, on behalf of this ruse of ours and, while I am more thankful than you could ever possibly know–"

"I haven't," she blurted then, interrupting me. "Sacrificed, I mean."

I cocked my head, waiting for her to explain. Her lips parted once and then again as she tried to formulate the words she wanted to say to me. Finally, she sighed in exasperation and fell back in her seat.

"To be honest, Lucas, I forgot we were married."

The words hung between us for a moment while I stared back at her in shock. Her cheeks tinged pink with embarassment as she realized what she'd said and how she said it. Then, finally, I burst out laughing. Her brow furrowed and she watched me, confused, as I regained control of myself, dabbing my mouth with a cloth napkin and sitting back in my seat, looking her over.

"How is that possible, Piper?" I asked. "I mean, there have been no... complications on your end? No man you've fallen in love with and had to explain that you were already married? No questions from your parents about how often we see each other or even flagged fields on paperwork and tax returns?"

She sighed, rubbing her temples as if I'd just gifted her with the biggest migraine she'd ever had.

"Honestly, I think I've just been willfully ignoring it. My accountant goes my paperwork. In fact, he might be the only person in New York who actually knows I'm married. My mom stopped asking years ago and I don't talk to my dad. As for guys..."

She trailed off, blushing again. I liked when she did that. It was cuter than it should have been.

"Well, let's just say they aren't exactly lining up around the block," she finished.

I looked her over from head to toe, taking my time in my examination. She watched me, squirming a bit in her seat at the intensity of my gaze. But then I smiled and she seemed to melt a bit.

"Pity for them," I drawled. She blinked back at me.

"Rules," she spat and I raised a brow. "We need rules for– if I'm going to stay here with you while we get all of this ironed out."

I couldn't help the smile on my lips. I'd gotten to her enough to cause a retreat. That was something, at least.

"Rules," I repeated, relaxing in my seat as I took a sip of my scotch and waved for her to continue.

"We get our story straight and we stick to it. I'll come with you to a few company events. It would be good to get ourselves out there, in your world, to prove that we're in... a loving marriage," she swallowed the last words as if they were poison and I raised a brow as I swirled the remaining liquor in my glass. "No interactions with the feds that we don't tell each other about. No more directing your servants to pull me into things I'm not aware of. No dating other people."

"Agreed," I told her, sitting forward and starting to rise from my seat.

"No sex," she blurted.

I froze. My eyes met hers and she visibly gulped but held her ground. I allowed my lips to spread into a slow, lazy grin and let my voice drop an octave as I answered.

"I wasn't aware that was on the table, cariño," I drawled, my voice dripping with that masculine sensuality that I knew drove women wild.

"It's not," she replied, firmly. There was a ferocity in her eyes that I couldn't help but admire and I smiled as I remembered what I liked most about Piper Clark. She was not a woman to be crossed, nor was she one who could be tamed. And yet, there was nothing I wanted more in the world.

"As you wish," I told her, holding my hands up in surrender as I walked toward her but then I reached over for an empanada, the sleeve of my suit jacket just barely brushing her exposed arm and I could hear the hitched breath as she took it. I couldn't help the smirk on my lips as I turned away, headed for my office and a late night of distracted work. "See you in the morning, bella."