Chapter 53: I Want You, Annabel

Olivia’s POV

It was Lucian.

I stared up at him in complete disbelief, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. For a moment, I honestly wondered if I was still dreaming. After Lucas had somehow ended up in my bed the previous night, surely the universe wasn’t cruel enough to send his brother into the same bed tonight.

Apparently, it was.

Lucian hovered above me, one hand planted beside my head. He didn’t look like the cold, angry Alpha I had met on the staircase earlier today. His dark hair was messy, his eyes were heavy, and his breathing was warm against my face.

Then the smell hit me.

Alcohol.

Strong, expensive whiskey.

He had been drinking.

"Lucian?" I gasped, placing both hands against his chest. "What are you doing?"

Instead of answering, he caught my wrists and held them lightly above my head. His eyes moved slowly over my face, and something about the way he was looking at me made my heart beat even faster. There was anger there, but there was something else too. Confusion. Frustration.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice rough.

My heart stopped.

"What?"

His eyes narrowed. "Who are you, Annabel? And why the hell are you messing with my mind?"

"Lucian, let me—"

Before I could finish, he brought his mouth down on mine, sealing his lips over mine.

I gasped in surprise, and he took immediate advantage of it, deepening the kiss. The taste of whiskey filled my mouth, sharp and bitter, but beneath it was Lucian. His kiss was nothing like the controlled man I knew. It was desperate, almost as though he had spent far too long fighting something and had finally become tired of fighting it.

For several dangerous seconds, my mind went completely blank.

Then common sense finally returned.

I turned my face away, breaking the kiss as I struggled to catch my breath. "Lucian, stop," I breathed, staring into his darkened eyes. "Do you even know what you’re doing right now?"

His grip on my hands tightened slightly, his face inches from mine. "Yes," he whispered against my lips. "I’m kissing my wife."

Before I could decide what to say to that, he kissed me again.

A low groan escaped him as his mouth moved against mine, and an unwanted shiver ran through me. My body was reacting far too quickly to a man I was supposed to be pushing away. Still, the smell and taste of whiskey wouldn’t let me forget the obvious.

I broke the kiss a second time, panting as I pushed against his shoulders. "Lucian, you’re drunk."

He didn’t move away. He simply stared down at me, his breathing heavy, his dark eyes fixed on mine.

"I want you," he said simply.

My eyes widened. "Lucian—"

"I’ve wanted you for a long time," he cut in softly, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper.

Before I could process his words, his mouth found mine again. His hands left my wrists and moved down my body, gathering the hem of my nightdress and pulling it upward. His large palm squeezed the side of my thigh, the touch sending a wave of heat straight through me.

He broke the kiss and trailed his lips down my jawline, pressing hot, desperate kisses against the sensitive skin of my neck.

"Lucian... you’re drunk," I managed to moan, my hands instinctively tangling into his messy dark hair as my head fell back into the pillow.

He made a soft sound of agreement against my collarbone, ignoring my weak protest. His fingers hooked into the thin straps of my nightgown, pulling them down past my shoulders. Then he leaned down, taking my nipple into his mouth and sucking softly while his other hand found my other breast, kneading it gently.

A sharp gasp escaped my lips, and my body betrayed me completely, arching upward as a sudden pool of heat settled between my thighs.

"Lucian..." I whispered again, my breath coming in short, ragged hitches. "You’re... you’re drunk."

Lucian stopped. He slowly lifted his head, his chest rising and falling heavily as he looked directly into my eyes. The haze of alcohol was there, but beneath it was something entirely clear.

"I’m not drunk," he said, his voice deadly serious.

The whiskey on his breath strongly disagreed with that statement.

"I want you, Annabel. Do you want me?"

No.

That was what I should have said.

There were probably a thousand reasons why the answer should have been no. He had been drinking. I was lying about who I was. He thought I was another woman. Lady Rebecca had practically ordered me not to sleep with him only hours ago.

Do not sleep with Lucian.

Her warning rang loudly in my head.

But then I looked into his eyes.

Fuck.

Why did he have to look at me like that?

For once, there was none of his usual coldness. He looked tired, frustrated, vulnerable, and completely open in a way I had never seen before.

I should have pushed him away.

But instead, I reached up, wrapped my arms around his neck, and pulled him down into a fierce kiss.

That was all the permission he needed.

Lucian growled low in his throat and deepened the kiss with a sudden, wild ferocity. His hands tore through the fabric of my nightdress, ripping the thin silk easily and pulling it away until it was completely out of the way.

I gasped at the sudden cool air against my bare skin, but before I could process it, his fingers hooked into the sides of my panties, tearing the lace right down the middle and tossing the ruined pieces onto the floor.

His mouth went back to my chest, sucking hungrily on my skin until I was squirming beneath him, gripping his dark hair tightly.

Then, his fingers slid downward, finding my wet entrance. Without waiting, he pushed two fingers inside me.

I arched off the mattress with a sharp gasp, my fingers digging into his broad shoulders.

"Fuck... baby," he growled against my skin.

He began working his fingers inside me with a steady, torturous rhythm, using his thumb to gently rub my sensitive core. He leaned up to kiss me again, catching my quiet moans in his mouth as I instinctively parted my legs wider for him.

Just as I felt the pressure building inside me, he suddenly pulled his hand back.

Holding my gaze, he slowly lifted his fingers to my mouth and licked them clean, his eyes never leaving mine. The sheer intimacy of the gesture made my heart stall in my chest.

Lucian stood up from the bed, his tall, broad frame towering over me in the dim light of the lamp.

He grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, throwing it onto the floor. His bare chest was solid, covered in intricate tattoos that wrapped around his torso and muscles. But my eyes immediately caught on one specific piece of ink—but I swallowed hard, quickly forcing my eyes away before I could dwell on it.

Lucian reached down, unzipping his trousers. He pushed them down along with his boxers, stepping out of them in one swift motion.

When my eyes landed on his cock, my breath hitched entirely.

He was fully erect, thick, and intimidatingly huge. I swallowed hard, a sudden wave of nervousness mixing with the heavy heat still throbbing between my legs.

He climbed back onto the bed, shifting between my knees and gently pushing my legs further apart.

"Lucian..." I whispered, my voice trembling slightly as I looked up at him. "Can you... can you please be a little gentle? It’s been a really long time, and I’ve only done this once."

Lucian paused, his expression softening as he looked down at my nervous face. He leaned down, pressing a surprisingly soft kiss to my forehead.

"I will," he whispered against my skin.