Bad Intentions by Tara Wyatt

14

Lucian stood in front of the floor length mirror in his closet—the one that held clothing, not an arsenal—doing up the buttons of his white-button down shirt. He could hear Olivia humming to herself from the adjoining bathroom where she was in the middle of her own morning routine, drying her hair and putting on her makeup. He grinned, a tingling heat working its way through his chest just knowing she was nearby. He was only running on a couple hours of sleep, and he was facing a potentially very messy and dangerous situation, but he’d never been happier. He’d never felt more alive and more awake. Everything that had happened yesterday had been five years in the making, and while a part of him mourned the time lost, time that he could’ve been with her, he also knew that yesterday had been the start of the rest of his life.

He was in love with Olivia Walsh, and he was never letting her go.

His blood heated as he remembered the way she’d woken him up, with her fingers curled around his cock, her mouth trailing sleepy, soft kisses across his chest. He’d turned her onto her side and slowly worked his way inside her, aware that she must’ve been sore but unable to turn down the chance to have her again. They’d made love slowly, his hand massaging her clit until she’d come with a soft cry. Until he’d emptied himself inside her.

Reluctantly, they’d gotten out of bed, needing to get ready for work, but then she’d surprised him in the shower, where they’d spent nearly an hour touching and kissing and exploring before he’d lost himself inside her. Again. His cock twitched at the memory of taking her against the wall, her legs wound around his waist, hot water sluicing over them.

He had no idea how he’d managed to stay away from her for five years, because now that she was his, he couldn’t seem to stay away for an hour. He smiled, shaking his head as he adjusted his shirt cuffs. He was an addict, and he never intended to kick this habit.

And it wasn’t just the sex. It was her. Olivia. They’d spent hours talking last night, and the more they’d talked, the more she’d shared, the more he wanted to know. The more he wanted to open up to her. He’d told her about his shitty childhood, about his brothers and sister, about his newborn baby nieces. He’d told her about how the Kings of Hell’s Kitchen had come to be, about his relationship with Sal Perri. He’d shared things with her that he’d never told anyone before, not even his brothers. Not even his fellow Kings.

She’d told him about losing her mother at such a young age, her close relationship with her father, her hopes and dreams for the future, which included running her own design firm and having a family.

Having a family. God. Something he’d thought was completely out of reach for him now felt so much closer. Not today, not tomorrow, but he could already see himself marrying Olivia. Could see her pregnant, her belly round with his baby, and glowing with happiness.

Astounding how much life could change in the space of a day. But he knew that all of this wasn’t because some seismic shift had truly occurred. No, it was because he’d finally stopped denying himself everything that had been there, right at the tips of his fingers for years. The chemistry, the attraction, the love and the need to protect—they’d all been there for far longer than the past twenty-four hours.

He moved into the kitchen to make coffee for both of them and as he was waiting for the water to heat in the fancy Breville machine on the counter—he was particular about his coffee—his phone rang. His brother Max’s name flashed across the screen, and Lucian smiled, knowing that he and Willa had to be back from their trip to Paris by now.

“Hey, brother,” he answered, putting the phone on speaker while he got the coffee going. “I thought you’d be back any day now. How was Paris?”

“Uh…this is Lucian, right? Lucian Prescott?” said Max, a teasing note in his voice. “Because whoever this is sounds way too fucking happy to be the Lucian I’m looking for.”

Lucian laughed, and he knew Max wasn’t wrong. There was a happiness that had settled somewhere deep inside him, so deep it felt as though it were rearranging him, piece by piece.

“So, I have some news,” said Max as Lucian started the coffee machine and picked up his phone, taking it off speaker mode. He grinned, pretty sure he knew what Max’s news was. “I asked Willa to marry me.”

“Wow. And what did she say?”

“She said yes, you ass.”

Lucian chuckled, genuine happiness filling him up at the news of Max and Willa’s engagement. “That’s wonderful news, brother. I’m truly happy for you both. You, especially. Willa’s good for you.” He’d seen the way Max had changed once he’d fallen in love with Willa, finally letting himself emerge from the shadows where he’d intentionally lived for years, believing that kind of love and happiness wasn’t for him.

“She is. I don’t know what I did to deserve her, but I’m a lucky man.”

“Why don’t we do something to celebrate in a couple of weeks? I know Theo and Lauren will be in town then, and I’m sure we could convince Sebastian and Kayla to come, too. Maybe even Aerin, although she’s got her hands full right now.”

“Yeah? That’d be nice. It’d be good to see everyone, and I know Willa would love to celebrate with her friends in person. She misses them.”

“Then it’s settled. I’m throwing you an engagement party. Pick any one of my restaurants, send me a guest list and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Thanks, Lucian. I really appreciate that, and I’m sure Willa will, too.” There was a pause before Max continued speaking. “So. Uh. What the hell’s going on with you?”

“Lucian, baby, can I use your toothpaste? I didn’t—” Olivia stepped into the kitchen and stopped talking when she saw the phone pressed to his ear. Her eyebrows lifted and she mouthed “sorry” to him as she headed for the fridge.

Max chuckled, his deep voice vibrating through the phone. “Lucian, baby? You wanna fill me in on that one?”

Lucian watched Olivia, who looked gorgeous—as usual—with her long, dark hair swept up in an elegant topknot and pretty makeup. She was wearing a pale pink sleeveless blouse and a pair of slim-fitting black pants, a pair of nude pumps in one hand. She opened the fridge, sticking her head inside and emerging with a container of yogurt. She set the pumps down and slipped her feet into them, and a warmth spread across his chest at the simple intimacy of watching her get ready for her day.

“That was my girlfriend, Olivia.”

At his words, she spun to face him, a big smile on her face. He winked at her and she blew him a kiss.

“Since when do you have a girlfriend?” asked Max, a note of incredulity in his voice, and Lucian couldn’t blame him for being surprised. It had been a long time since he’d been in any kind of long-term relationship, and he realized then that he hadn’t had much interest in dating ever since he’d first met Olivia.

“It’s a new development, but something that’s been in the making for a long time,” he said, staring at Olivia as he spoke. A pink flush rose on her cheeks, and he slowly walked toward her, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. She smoothed her hands over his chest.

“Well. Bring her to the engagement party. I’d love to meet her, and I’m sure everyone else would, too. And by love to meet her, I mean I’m fucking dying of curiosity.” He laughed. “I’m honestly a little scared to meet the woman who finally tamed you.”

Lucian chuckled. “Congrats again, Max. Give my best to Willa.”

The call ended and he set the phone down on the counter so he could wrap both arms around Olivia.

“Who was that?” she asked, grinning up at him.

“My brother, Max. He got engaged to his girlfriend and called to share the news.”

“Oh, that’s so nice. Good for them,” she said warmly.

“I told him I’d throw them an engagement party in a couple weeks. I also told him that everyone would get to meet you.”

“Since I’m your girlfriend.” Happiness and humor danced in her eyes and he lowered his hands, giving her ass a squeeze.

“Damn right you are.”

“You know what that means,” she said, leaning back and looking up at him, her brows coming together.

“What’s that?”

“We need to tell my dad. We should have dinner with him soon. Maybe next week?”

Shit. But she was right. There’d be no hiding this, and he had no desire to sneak around. She wasn’t some dirty little secret to be hidden away. She was his, and he wanted the entire damn world to know it.

He sighed, kissed her forehead, and then moved away to fix her a cup of coffee. “You’re right. We do need to tell him. On a scale of one to ten, how likely is he to murder me on the spot?” He handed her the mug.

She laughed softly. “I’d say a solid five. Maybe even a six if you can’t keep your hands to yourself.”

“I managed to keep my hands to myself for five years. I can handle one evening.”

She smiled and then took a sip of her coffee. “He’s not going to be thrilled about the age difference, but I think he’ll get over it when he sees how happy you make me. And he does like you. He respects you.”

“Liv, he can’t ever find out about any of the things I told you last night.” He met her eyes. “I know you’re close with him, but you can’t tell him about the Kings of Hell’s Kitchen or anything related.”

She nodded, a solemn expression on her face. “I know. I would never do anything to put you in a bad position.”

“I hate asking you to lie to him…” He sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. “This is what I meant when I said things were complicated.”

She set her coffee down and wound her arms around his neck. “I can handle complicated, as long as you come with it.”

He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve her. He’d probably never know.

They finished their coffees and then headed down to the parking garage so that he could drive them to the Prescott Group offices. He had things to attend to today—aside from some Kings of Hell’s Kitchen business, he had meetings, conference calls, planning around the Vegas expansion to see to—and Olivia was meeting with vendors and contractors at the bistro in order to get things rolling. He’d told her that it was alright if she wanted to keep a low profile while he handled the Massimo situation, but she’d refused, the fire in her eyes making him proud that she was his. She was tough and wasn’t going to let Massimo scare her away from her life. And as much as he would’ve preferred to lock her away where he knew she’d be safe, he respected her need to keep living her life.

By the time they stepped out of the elevator and into the bustling office, they were running nearly ninety minutes late, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel bad about it. What was the point in being the boss if you couldn’t come in late once in a while? Taking her hand in his, he led her past his office, where Chloe informed him that everyone was ready and waiting for him in the conference room. Even though it wasn’t a Monday, he’d called a meeting with the Kings of Hell’s Kitchen to bring them up to speed on the potentially complicated situation he’d just pulled them into. Olivia didn’t say anything as they made their way down the hall to the conference room, her eyes bouncing around the space, taking it all in.

Luca, Killian, Sasha, and Ryu all sat around the conference table, tense expressions on their faces that only intensified when he stepped into the room with Olivia. They’d been mid-conversation, but it died immediately, silence filling the space. Tension permeated the air, thick and heavy.

Luca frowned, his eyes jumping from Lucian to Olivia, whose hand was still in his. He pulled out a chair for her at the end of the table and gestured for her to sit down. She did, her gaze scanning the men sitting in front of her.

“So. It’s true, then,” said Luca, leaning his elbows on the table. “You decided to steal a mob hit man’s girl.”

Lucian raised an eyebrow and then slowly shook his head, sinking down into his seat at the head of the table. “That’s not what happened. Everyone, this is Olivia Walsh. Olivia broke up with Massimo Greco weeks ago. I’ve known her for five years, and she turned to me for protection when Massimo threatened her. He’s been stalking her, and I’ve promised to keep her safe.”

Killian snorted derisively. “Looks like she got a lot more than protection in the bargain.”

Before Lucian could say anything, Olivia stood, her hands braced on the table in front of her. “First of all, I don’t care how dangerous or scary you all are, you won’t talk about me like I’m not sitting right here. It’s rude, and from what Lucian’s told me about you, you’re all better than that. Second, I really don’t think we’re here to debate my relationship with Lucian, who hasn’t done anything wrong. Yes, we’re together, but that happened long after I told Massimo to fuck off. So if you wanna talk shit about me, do it to my face and make sure you’ve got your facts straight.”

She turned her head, looking each of them in the eyes before sitting back down in her chair and crossing her legs. Lucian rubbed a hand over his mouth, trying to wipe away the smile at her fiery outburst. Blood rushed to his cock as he studied her. His girl had guts and didn’t take anyone’s shit, and he loved that about her. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d told her that everything about her was a turn on.

Sasha let out a low chuckle, then tilted his head, looking at Lucian. “Okay. I get it.”

“Massimo is stalking her and has been for weeks now. I talked to Sal Perri, who said he’d tell Massimo Olivia was off limits. But clearly the message didn’t sink in because not long after that, he tracked her down and threatened to assault Olivia in a public place. When I scared him off by telling him the truth—that Olivia was with me—he left, and we haven’t heard from him since, but we all know he’ll resurface. Massimo is a hot head, and he’s jealous and possessive. If he feels entitled to Olivia, she’s in danger. I’m going to meet with Sal shortly to discuss this, because I don’t want it construed that I’m inserting myself into mafia business. That’s not my intention. But I’m also not going to hesitate to take Massimo out if he tries to hurt Olivia.” He blew out a breath and folded his hands together on the table. “I understand that this is complicated. This is personal. It’s far from neutral. In other words, it’s a whole fucking host of things we’re not supposed to be. This puts us in a delicate position. So I’m telling you right now, if you want to distance yourself from it to avoid the fallout, I understand.” He looked around the table, meeting the eyes of his men. “But I intend to protect what’s mine, and I don’t care who I have to hurt to keep her safe.”

“Do you love her?” asked Luca quietly, his dark gaze intense.

Lucian nodded, meeting first Luca’s eyes and then Olivia’s. “I do.”

“Then that’s enough for me.”

“Me too,” said Sasha. “We can handle the fallout. Maybe it’s time we ruffled a few feathers.”

Ryu said nothing, his expression stony. After a moment, he nodded, just once.

Killian was the last to speak. “You know that you might be blowing everything up, right? You’re close with Sal, but he might see this as an act of aggression, you taking up with Massimo’s girl and then taking Massimo out if he won’t let her go.”

“I know. But I’m not going to let anything happen to her, and if that means starting something with the Italians, then so be it.” The idea made his stomach churn. Sal was his mentor. His lifelong friend. Hell, he’d been more of a father to him than anyone else in his life. But none of that mattered in the face of keeping Olivia safe. Lucian knew what Massimo was capable of. He knew how dangerous he was. This was a man who killed, who tortured and mutilated, because he liked it. Because he was good at it. If he had to put a bullet in him, he wouldn’t hesitate, no matter the consequences for his relationship with Sal.

Killian squinted at him. “Tell me again you’re sure.”

“I’ve never been more sure of something in my life.”

Killian leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Fine. Then I’m in, too.”

“Good.” He tipped his chin at Killian. “Take Olivia to the bistro. I have to meet with Sal, but I want eyes on her at all times. You’ll be in charge of her security while she’s working.”

Killian frowned, opened and closed his mouth, and then sighed, a look of grudging resignation on his face. “Fine.” He stood, jerking his head toward the door. “Miss Walsh, if you’ll come with me.”

Olivia looked at Lucian, who nodded, encouraging her to go with Killian. She probably thought he was overreacting, but she didn’t know that Massimo was a twisted fuck.

And he planned to keep it that way.