Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 67966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Dare he believe the man had been thinking of him just as much as Lucas had daydreamed of him?
He hurried to his office bathroom and checked his appearance in the mirror. He quickly ran his comb through his hair and gargled some mouthwash to get rid of the alcohol smell. He decided to leave the first couple of buttons of his shirt undone before he shut off the light and closed the door behind him.
Lucas stood in the doorway of his office, watching the numbers on the elevator illuminate one floor at a time. The steel doors opened, and Thorn stepped out of the elevator in a pristine black suit and black dress shirt.
His jet-black hair was damp from the rain and pulled into a tight bun at the nape of his neck. His well-groomed beard had just enough trendy stubble to make him appear less pretty and slightly more rugged.
Their eyes met, and Lucas knew now why he was so enraptured with Thorn Blackwell.
It’s because he was all man, the complete opposite of his ex-husband.
Thorn didn’t need a millionaire to take care of him and be his sugar daddy. The look he was giving Lucas had nothing to do with his bank account.
Lucas held the door open and motioned Thorn inside, his pulse kicking up at the sight he’d been craving for nights.
When Thorn brushed past, Lucas nearly groaned.
A damp whoosh of stormy air with a hint of saltwater came in with him, the kind of late-night scent that made his cock take interest.
Thorn crossed the office as if he owned it, not stopping until he was in front of the wall of glass where streaks of lightning crackled across the dark sky.
Lucas kept the overhead lights off. Thorn belonged in this hour of the night, his silhouette outlined with shadows.
After weeks of aching for Thorn, burning to see him again, Lucas should’ve felt relief having him there at last. Yet the casual way Thorn stood there, back turned, as if Lucas’s obsession was nothing, as if Thorn left every man he encountered with the same feeling… It low-key pissed Lucas off.
Neither of them said anything, and Lucas was amazed that the silence wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. Maybe Thorn was a thoughtful man, an intellect who pondered his words carefully before he spoke them.
“I’m sorry to come by so late, Lucas, but I had a feeling you’d be here,” Thorn said, his voice deep and low like he liked. He also liked the way his name sounded coming out of Thorn’s mouth.
Lucas cocked his head to the side, curious. “Why would you have a feeling I’d be at work at three in the morning?”
Thorn dropped his chin to his chest with a soft sigh. “Because your friend Oliver told me you spend your days and nights here…ever since you and your ex split a year ago.”
Lucas blinked as he processed what he’d just heard, and then he was moving across his office until he was only inches from Thorn.
Lucas considered himself a smart man and was usually the sharpest in the room, but he was genuinely baffled by Thorn’s statement.
Oliver had asked him out for drinks, and Lucas remembered something about him saying it would be the opportunity of his life, but if Oliver hired Thorn to entertain him, he was going to kick Thorn out right before he went to Oliver’s house and whipped his ass in the middle of the night.
Yes, Lucas was horny and aching for some mature company, but he wasn’t so goddamn desperate that he’d take it from some high-priced escort.
Lucas stood in Thorn’s space and growled in irritation, “Explain.”
Thorn stared him in his eyes, and the fury that’d been building in Lucas’s chest began to fade.
God, why is he so gorgeous?
“Oliver Ackehurst was a heart who resided at my haven, Belladonna, after his divorce.”
Lucas thought back a couple of years.
His friend Oliver had been a mess after his partner left him, but Lucas had been so in love at the time that he hadn’t noticed when his business partner became distant and was no longer the life and soul of the office. Oliver had stopped socializing and buried himself in work, kinda like Lucas was doing now.
“A ‘heart?’” Lucas prodded. He was thinking the worst, but he hoped none of the negativity flowing through his mind was true. “Are you some kind of relationship therapist?”
The side of Thorn’s mouth tilted as he shook his head slowly. “Not quite.”
“Thorn,” Lucas gritted, inching closer.
He wanted honest, forthright answers. He didn’t play games—hell, his least favorite word in the dictionary was coy.
Lucas was the CEO of one of the largest investment firms in the country, and he fired anyone who didn’t give him direct, confident answers to his questions.
“If you don’t give it to me straight, I’m gonna throw you out of my office, and you won’t be taking the elevator.”