Page 166 of Love Unspoken

After dinner, when we stepped out into the cool Charleston night of early November, Lucas reached for my hand. His touch was warm and familiar, and I didn't want to let him go.

TWENTY-SIX

LUCAS

"What's wrong?" Amara asked me as I got ready for work.

It was a week before Thanksgiving, and we were holding the last LPC board meeting of the year. I felt anxious, and in the past, I wouldn't have let Amara see that. But now, we were more open with each other, starting to share our burdens in a way we hadn't before.

I was spending more and more nights at her place, though we were still sexually frustrating the hell out of each other. However, last night, I lost control and ate her pussy until she screamed my name. She'd given me a hand job for the ages, letting me come all over her gorgeous breasts. We were exploring each other's bodies without taking that final step.

As hungry as it made us, it was also highly erotic.

"Hugh is trying to get me ousted as CEO."

"What?" she screeched.

She was working from home for the day as she didn't have classes. She was in yoga pants and a loose sweater. Her hair was up in a loose bun and she looked adorable as hell.

"Is this because you won't date his daughter?" she demanded, and when I shrugged, her eyes sparked with anger. "That son of a bitch. This is unprofessional behavior. Marry my daughter, or I'll ruin you? What is this, the medieval fucking times?"

"You're cute when you're angry." I kissed her nose.

She batted me away with her hands. "You can't let him do that."

"Honestly, Amara, I'm past giving a shit. I've got enough money, and if the board is⁠—"

"Stop." She put her hands on my arms as if holding me still and looked me in the eye. "This isn't about the money. You know, when we met, you told me the best thing about your job and managing LPC was that you employed over three thousand people around the world, giving them a chance to have better lives. That's why you do what you do. You're not some corporate whore."

I wish she'd just admit how much she loved me because she fucking did. My glorious Amara who'd fight the world for me, and I'd do the same for her. I had made mistakes, but never fucking again.

"I know, but I'm tired of⁠—"

"Have you talked to the other board members?" She talked over me.

"I—"

"When is the board meeting?"

"Amara, baby, listen to me⁠—"

"When?"

"Tomorrow at eleven."

She gently pushed me away and picked up her phone from her bedside table. She then sat on the bed cross-legged.

"Rena, hey, so Lucas here tells me Hugh is trying some bullshit to get him fired."

I smiled and watched her go to bat on my behalf. Was there anything sexier than your woman when she was ready to go to battle to defend you?

"You need to talk to the other board members and threaten their asses if they go against Lucas." She paused and then laughed. "I knew I could trust you."

She nodded as she listened to my Grandma and laughed again. "That sounds fabulous. I'd love to be a fly on the wall."

She ended the call and made a face at me. "Why didn't you tell me you already had it handled? Rena said you've strong-armed the board, and Hugh is going to be sorry to take you on."

There were no guarantees, but I was ready to hammer the last nails in Hugh's coffin, maybe even Kath's. I knew she was working with her father to run me out of my own family business with a no-confidence vote from the board. The plan I already knew from one of the board members was to place Kath as the CEO. It was a pipe dream, and Hugh was out-classed. Regardless, it felt damn good to see Amara fight for me.