Page 13 of Until She's Mine
Tobias laughs. “Not at this one. Everything will be perfect.”
Lucian’s lips curve into the faintest of smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Perfect,” he echoes and turns to Helen. “Mother, I’ve got to go now that Tobias is here to take over. There’s still some work I need to attend to at the office.”
“Of course, darling,” Helen says, her smile tight-lipped. “Don’t work too hard.”
Lucian rises from his chair and gives a curt nod to the room. As he passes by me, his hand brushes against my shoulder. It’s only a fleeting touch, but it leaves my skin tingling in its wake. I freeze before abruptly standing up.
“I’ll walk you out,” I say. Tobias glances up, his brows furrowed, but he doesn’t protest.
Lucian doesn’t stop or acknowledge my offer. He strides down the hallway, and I hurry to keep up, my heels clicking softly against the marble floor. The air between us crackles as we move further from the parlor, the sound of Helen and Tobias’s voices fading into the distance.
When we reach the grand foyer, Lucian stops and turns to face me. “You shouldn’t have followed me,” he says quietly.
I think of my bag left behind in the parlor. My hands feel empty without it.
“I didn’t—” My voice falters as I take a step forward. “I just needed to get out of there.”
“You’re lying, but that’s all right. I’ve always liked your lies better than anyone else’s truths.”
I look away, my cheeks burning. “We need to talk.”
He tilts his head. “Do we?”
I can feel his breath on my skin, warm and unsettling, as he leans in just enough to make my pulse quicken. The foyer seems too small suddenly, the air too thick, and I struggle to find the words that have been clawing at the edges of my mind for four days.
“You know we do,” I whisper, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “This, whatever this is, it can’t go on. It’s not right.”
“And yet, you followed me out here. You could have stayed in that room and played the dutiful fiancée, but you didn’t. Why is that, Evelyn?”
I open my mouth to respond, but no words come. “I—”
The moment stretches, fragile and taut, as I search for an answer. Lucian watches me with that same infuriating stillness as if he already knows the truth I’m too afraid to voice.
“Go back to Tobias,” he says, “before he comes looking for you. When you’re ready to admit what you really want, you know where to find me.”
He steps back, and I reach out instinctively, my fingers grazing his wrist. Lucian’s gaze drops to where my hand lingers, and he slowly lifts it to his lips and presses a kiss to my knuckles.
“Don’t,” I whisper, my voice trembling. “Don’t make this harder than it already is.”
His expression softens, just barely, and he lifts his other hand to brush a strand of hair from my face. His touch is achingly gentle. “You made it hard when you walked into my life and refused to leave.” His thumb traces the curve of my cheek before he drops his hand, the absence of his touch leaving me colder than before.
Before I can respond, he turns and strides toward the door. The heavy oak door opens with a soft creak, and he steps outside without looking back.
I take a deep breath and compose myself before returning to the room where my fiancé is waiting. Tobias looks up as I re-enter. “Everything all right?”
“Yes,” I lie as I take my seat beside him. “Just needed a moment.”
Chapter 7
Evelyn
The café’s wrought-iron chair digs into my thighs as I shift uncomfortably. Across the table, Sophie stirs her matcha latte, her French manicure gleaming under the soft café lighting. The scent of bergamot and steamed milk does little to calm my nerves.
“You’re doing that thing again,” she says without looking up.
“What thing?”
“The thing where you pretend you’re fine while shredding a napkin into confetti.” She nods at my hands. “Wedding stress or Blackwood drama?”
