“I think Ren would be very disappointed if the man charged with taking care for her ever allowed another man to dictate his actions. Ren needs a very strong man. Don’t think to wrap her in cotton and pretend you aren’t a dominant man. She won’t thank you for it and it will immediately drive her away. Ren is a woman who is very comfortable with her needs and wants. She doesn’t like games and she won’t appreciate you pretending to be what you’re not in an effort to woo her.”

Cole’s breath huffed out in a sound that came between confusion and exasperation. “You’re a twisted son of a bitch, you know that? You’re giving me a primer to seducing the woman you care about away from you. You’re bitingly possessive one minute and lazily accepting the next.”

A slow smile twitched the corners of Lucas’s mouth. “But you need no such primer. You were Ren’s first. You should know how to please her. And if you don’t, she’ll simply come back to me that much faster.”

Cole settled onto the couch and after a moment, Lucas took his seat across from Cole. For the space of a few seconds, Lucas studied the man who’d meant so much to Ren.

“Tread carefully, Madison. It puzzles you that I’d provide you so much information. I want Ren to be happy, but more than that I want her to feel safe and comforted. Her last relationship damaged her.”

Cole’s nostrils immediately flared and he sat forward, his expression blank. “What do you mean by ‘damaged’?”

“Her lover didn’t give her what she needed. Worse, he made her second guess what she knew to be true. What she needed and wanted. He made her feel inferior. A slut and a whore who was too bold, too spirited and too confident. He tried to destroy that in her. He wanted a hapless doll to vent his authority. He didn’t want a strong, vibrant woman and so he tried to make Ren something she wasn’t.”

“Son of a bitch,” Cole bit out.

“Tell me, Madison, did you ever try to make Ren feel that way?”

“Hell no! What the fuck are you implying?”

Lucas smiled again. “Funny, that’s what she herself told me. That you were never anything but cherishing, possessive and caring.”

Cole’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly are you getting to here?”

“You’ve already admitted your mistake. I’m merely driving the point home. But at the same time I can only be grateful that you walked away from her because I wouldn’t have her now.”

“If I have my way, you’ll have her no longer,” Cole said in a tight voice.

Lucas ignored the challenge. He wanted to make sure all of his con ditions were outlined so Cole would have all the facts when he made his decision.

“There is another condition, one I take very seriously.”

Cole gave a short nod to indicate Lucas should continue.

“There will be no other women during the time Ren is with you. I realize in some circles, it’s accepted for a submissive to accept whatever her master chooses to do. Some men will take multiple women. I can’t speak as to their motive or desires. I won’t tolerate such disrespect of Ren.”

Cole’s brows drew together. “I have no interest in other women but I’m curious as to why you feel so strongly about it.”

“I would not ever have her feel as though I needed more than she could give me. Again, in her last relationship, it was something the dickhead she was with did and it undermined her confidence. It took a while for her to recover her spark, and I’d never have it extinguished. Besides, if you need more than Ren can provide, she doesn’t belong with you anyway.”

“We agree on that much,” Cole conceded. “I would never hurt her that way.”

“I’m glad to know my intuition wasn’t wrong about you.”

Cole’s brow wrinkled again but Lucas ignored it and got to his last condition.

“Ren must have a private place of her own in which to work. Her career is very important to her. It’s part of her identity. She needs an area free of distractions where she can write and draw. I expect you to provide it and not encroach on those times when she chooses to work.”

“What does she do?” Cole asked.

“She writes and illustrates children’s books.”

Cole’s eyebrows went up. He looked surprised but he didn’t give voice to it.

“I will of course provide Ren a place to work that is free of distractions.”

Lucas nodded and then stood. The meeting was done. Cole would need time to consider Lucas’s proposal. There was little point in rehashing the same points over again.

He turned to go but then at the doorway, he hesitated and twisted to look at Cole once more. “Don’t take my generosity for what it isn’t. I do this for Ren and only Ren. Don’t mistake the gift as evidence that I’m giving her up. I won’t ever give her up without a fight.”

“Understood.”

“Think about what I’ve offered. You have my number. Call me when you’ve made your decision and I’ll make arrangements to bring Ren to you. I want it to be at your home. It’s important for her to know that I’d never allow this to happen in her sanctuary. With me, and at her home with me, she is safe from all things, all hurts, everything that makes her uncomfortable. I would preserve that at all costs.”

Cole nodded. “I’ll be in touch.”

And, Lucas realized as he rode the elevator back down, Cole would be in touch. He had the look of a very determined man. The time that Ren would spend with Cole would be the longest weeks of Lucas’s life.

When he’d first made the decision to offer Cole the proposition, he hadn’t imagined that he’d feel so …gutted. There simply wasn’t another word to describe the ugly sensation snaking its way through his chest.

He could lose Ren. And it was the very last thing he wanted.

CHAPTER 9

Ren knew when Lucas told her to dress for a night at the club that she’d been working too hard. It was a signal she’d grown to recognize. Whenever Lucas thought she was pushing herself too hard, he’d take her to the club for an evening to blow off some steam, relax and enjoy one of her favorite activities.

She loved to dance. Loved to dress sexy and get down and dirty on the dance floor. And Lucas loved to watch her, so it was a win-win situation for her.

Tonight, perhaps more than ever, she needed that extra boost, so she dressed a little more daring than usual. Lucas hadn’t told her not to wear underwear so she chose an extra short skirt that hugged the curves of her ass and looked glued to her body.

Her top was skimpy but not trashy looking, thanks to Lucas’s impeccable taste and his bottomless wallet when it came to giving her the best of everything.

Her midriff was completely bared, as was her back. The top was secured by a tie around her neck and it hung loose over her breasts. Any movement at all would give those close to her a prime view of her nipples.

But since Lucas rarely left her side or let her venture too far when they went to one of his clubs, she didn’t really have to worry about what others saw. She only cared what he’d be able to see and appreciate.

She was pondering her choices in shoes when Lucas walked into the bedroom, his hands shoved into his worn jeans, and as usual in bare feet. For a moment she let her gaze wander appreciatively over his well-toned body. But what drew her the most was the comfort she enjoyed from his warmth and the way he felt against her.

His eyebrows went up as he too sent his gaze seeking over her body. “Very sexy. Is this a test to see if I can make it out of the house without fucking you?”

She grinned, relaxing as some of the tension bled out of her. She’d been tense ever since her meeting with Cole, and she couldn’t really explain why. She’d been invaded by this anxious sense of dread, like when she worried about something but didn’t really know about what. It was as though an ominous, heavy cloud had settled over her.

Foregoing her usual reserve with Lucas, she went to him and put her arms around him, hugging him tightly against her. For a moment he seemed surprised and then he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.

He tucked her head underneath his chin and rubbed his hand up and down her bare back. “What were you contemplating so seriously when I came in?”

She smiled against his chest. “Nothing so earth shattering. I couldn’t decide which shoes best suited this outfit.”

His hand strayed over her ass and just barely below the curve of her buttocks to where the hem of her skirt rested. “What outfit?”

She laughed this time and pulled away, smiling up at him. He smiled back, clear affection in his eyes. She loved him this way. Calm and easygoing. Just as she loved him at his most intense.

“Do you wish me to change?”

His gaze drifted down her body, and she felt a surge of pleasure at the clear appreciation written on his face. “No. I like what you’re wearing. The important question is whether you like it and if you feel as confident and sexy as you look.”

It was hard not to feel that way when he looked at her like he was.

“Well, if I’m going sexy and daring, I’m going to go whole hog,” she said as she pushed back into the large closet that housed all of the clothes and shoes Lucas had bought for her.

She came out a few seconds later with a pair of fire-engine red stilettos.

“I want a preview before we go out,” Lucas growled.

“In that case, why don’t you go get dressed. I’ll be waiting when you get out,” she said, lowering her voice to a wicked murmur.

He sent her a decidedly predatory look and then turned to go into his own closet.

Smiling, she sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on the sleek, expensive shoes. They gave her a nice height boost and with them on, she reached Lucas’s nose.

She waited a moment until she heard Lucas returning and then she stood, angling her feet so she presented a sexy pose, her legs displayed to their best advantage.

He came to a full stop when he saw her. She shivered at the sudden fire in his eyes. Loved how he reacted, loved that she could incite such a reaction from this tightly controlled man.

“Do you have underwear on?”

She lowered her lashes provocatively and murmured a shy, “Yes.”

She watched him from underneath her lashes, knowing he loved it when she played coy. As much as he revered the strong, confident woman she was, he was turned on when she decided to play the shy virgin.

“Show me.”

Deciding that simply peeling up the tight-fitting skirt would be way too mundane, she eased backward, sliding onto the edge of the bed. She rested back on her palms and allowed her thighs to part so that he could see the hint of lacy lingerie.

In a flash, he was across the room standing between her knees. He shoved at the stretch material of her skirt until he rolled it past her hips, baring the daring black see-through lace of her panties.

She tried to control her smile as he quickly realized just what pair of panties she had on.

He made a sound that was a mixture of approval and crazed desire. Then he went for the fly of his slacks. He freed his cock and in a moment’s time he was pressing through the slit of her panties and deep inside her pussy.

His fingers dug into her hips and his eyes bore ruthlessly into hers. He yanked her toward him and then hoisted her legs to curl around his waist.

“Careful,” she murmured. “Wouldn’t want to get messy on our way out to the club.”

He thrust hard and deep, forcing a gasp from her. Then he leaned down and kissed her, the gentleness a direct contradiction to the force in which he possessed her.

“I’m going to come so deep inside you that there won’t be a mess.” His deep voice slid over her, dark and sensuous, like his touch. “Be a good girl and don’t spill a drop. If you do, I’ll have to punish you. Besides, I like the idea of you going to my club with my cum inside you.”

“You’re such a caveman,” she teased.

He answered her with another punishing thrust. Then he wrapped his hand in her hair, pulling and angling her head so that he could graze his teeth along her jaw. “Damn right, I am.”

She let out a soft, helpless whimper that she knew would excite him all the more. As expected, he became more punishing and soon the room was filled with the harsh sounds of raw fucking.

Her entire body shook as he pounded into her. He shoved aside the thin barrier of her top so that her jiggling breasts were visible.

He thumbed one dark nipple and stilled his thrusts for a moment. “I’d love to pierce your nipples. Perhaps that will be your next gift from me.”

A delicious thrill rolled through her body. Lucas was generous in all things, but she loved especially when he bestowed gifts that he enjoyed. The idea of pleasing him with the erotic jewelry excited her.

He began to thrust again, but they were tight, controlled thrusts. Three more and he suddenly went stiff and she could feel the hot, slick sensation of his cum coating her passageway.