Lucas was in a mood tonight. Not just any mood. The mood. He could hardly keep his hands off of me all the way to the club or even when we made it inside, always guiding me along with a hand on my lower back, veering down to cup my ass when he thought no one was looking. But Leah had seen it once or twice and shot me a grin every time she did. His attentions were making me restless and, more than that, they were making me want to grab him by the collar and drag him back into that limo all the way home where I could really see what he wanted from me.

But we had signed up for a night out with friends and his head designer, Nate, spotted us the moment we walked in to the hip new club. He rushed over to us, whiskey in hand, and threw and gave us each a hug in an overly familiar greeting that had everyone laughing. I introduced Leah and Connor as he proclaimed that some guys from the office named Drew and Reggie were already in the VIP area where he'd left them. Apparently, Nate got the invite to this opening because the owner was his brother's best friend. So that invitation came complete with VIP table and bottle service, a term which, the moment Leah heard it, had her scurrying past the red ropes for a bottle of her prized tequila.

"Tequila is quite the choice for a starter," Nate joked, smirk on his lips as he raised a glass to Leah who was already ordering.

"Honey, tequila is just me getting started," she shot back.

"I like this one," Nate shouted to Lucas over the music. "She single?"

Lucas looked at me.

"Nearly always," I answered and Nate grinned before moving away to talk to Leah. Lucas and I exchanged a glance and a knowing smile.

"Hey, big boss," another man called out in greeting, shaking Lucas' hand as the other stepped forward. "Nice to see you out tonight."

"Nice to be out tonight," Lucas replied, relaxing more easily into this environment than I thought he would. "I didn't know you were coming, Drew."

"Yeah, well, Priya said if I didn't, I'd be out on my ass in the morning. Something about impressing the CEO," he answered, giving Lucas a pointed look. Lucas burst out laughing, holding his stomach as he smiled.

"Well, schmooze away," Lucas said as Leah handed he and I each a shot of tequila. "If my wife's friend has anything to do with it, neither one of us will remember it in the morning anyway."

Drew laughed outright and did the shot along with us. I watched Lucas take his, mesmerized by the muscles in his throat contracting to swallow the liquid. He set the shot glass down and then turned to me. We locked eyes and he smiled, nodding his head at the shot still in my hand.

"If I have to, you have to," he told me and I just rolled my eyes and threw it back.

"Yes!" Leah cheered, pumping her fist in the air as she grabbed the whole bottle and took a sip.

For a while, we sat at our VIP table, mostly talking, sort of drinking. Nate and Leah were flirting heavily by his second whiskey and her third tequila shot. After that, she switched to Vodka cranberries and grinned like a fool every time he spoke to her. Connor was locked in some disagreement with Reggie about an artist that they both knew of. And Lucas and I were still talking to Drew. Suddenly, I noticed a perfectly manicured hand squeezing my husband's shoulder and I looked up to see a drop dead gorgeous Latina woman standing over us and smiling.

"Valencia!" Lucas cried in greeting, moving over so that she had somewhere to sit. "I thought you decided not to come."

"And miss Lucas Vega's big night out? Fat chance," she answered with a dazzling smile.

I hated her immediately.

I glanced over to Leah who was watching us now, a fiercely protective look in her eyes. Her gaze met mine and we had one of those classic, wordless, eye-contact only conversations that only female friends could have.

Who's this bitch?

I don't know. Should I be worried?

If she doesn't get her paws off of your man, I will remove them for her.

I glanced up to find that she was still touching him, her hand remaining on his shoulder. I turned back to Leah.

That murder on the Pacific plan, is that still viable?

I'll throw her overboard myself.

What do I do?

Re-establish dominance. I haven't heard an introduction.

I nodded slowly to Leah and then turned back to Lucas and Valencia, clearing my throat loudly. Lucas turned to me.

"Oh! Valencia, this is my beautiful wife, Piper," he introduced us, smiling sweetly at me as if he hadn't just been ignoring me entirely while this random woman sank her literal claws into him.

"Nice to meet you," I said, trying to sound polite but failing in the effort.

"Lovely to meet you as well!" She cried. "I've heard so much about you."

"Funny," I snapped. "I've heard no mention of you."

She cocked her head to the side, brows furrowed briefly in confusion.

"Can I get you a drink, Val?" Nate interrupted and she turned her attention to him, smiling and ordering something I couldn't hear.

Lucas gave me a funny look, as if something was amusing to him.

"What?" I snapped at him.

"Are you jealous?" He asked, stupidly sexy smirk still plain on his lips. I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes, looking away from him. I knew I was behaving like a petulant child but I couldn't help it. I was feeling a lot of things that I hadn't expected and possessive over Lucas Vega was at the forefront. "Piper."

He reached out and took my hand.

"Do you want to dance?" I asked without looking at him, my eyes on the crowd of moving, sweating bodies on the dance floor nearby. He looked out at the crowd too and then nodded.

"Sure," he answered.

I stood from the table, pulling him away from the VIP area, away from our friends, and away from Valencia. If there were any doubt about whose man Lucas Vega was, I would put them to bed now.

With Leah giving me approving looks from across the room, I pulled him into me and started to dance. The music was loud, reverberating against my eardrums, bumping against our bodies. I lost myself in the rhythm, moving my body to the beat against his. We couldn't hear each other even if we wanted to so there was no talking. The only communication we had was between our bodies. I ran my hands up and down his chest, wrapped my arms around his neck and ran my fingers through his hair, turned around and grinded against him until I felt his erection against my ass. His gaze became dark, hooded, and he kept his hands on me as we moved. Holding onto my hips, grabbing my ass, rubbing my arms. By the third song, we were both sweating, chests heaving from the movement and the effort of keeping our passions at bay. I turned around and we locked gazes and Lucas muttered a curse before grabbing my hand and pulling me through the crowd.

I called out to ask where we were going but he didn't answer. Likely, he couldn't hear me over the music. But I found out soon enough when he bypassed the bathrooms and led me down a dark hall until we found a door. He shoved through it and into the alley on the other side. It was lit, albeit poorly, by one solitary streetlight above. I didn't have the chance to look around much more because he pushed me up against the brick a moment before his lips came crashing down onto mine.

I kissed him back, breathless and needy. Our tongues intertwined and he cupped me under my ass and lifted me against him. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my back pressed hard against the brick. He pulled back and left a trail of scorching hot kisses down my neck to the tops of my breasts. I moaned and felt his cock twitch between my legs.

His hands rose up my thighs, pushing my dress up as he went. He pressed a finger between my legs and moaned at the lack of fabric there. I had conveniently forgotten to wear underwear tonight. He bit my shoulder to show his appreciation and then moved his lips to my ear.

"I want you, Piper," he groaned. "Right here, right now."

I glanced down the abandoned alley.

"Right now?" I asked, wide eyed.

He reached up and cupped my cheek in his hand, his eyes blazing into mine.

"Now," he told me, firmly.

I nodded eagerly and waited as he reached for his wallet. He flipped it open quickly but then froze.

"Shit," he said.

"You didn't bring—"

"Leah asked for it," he grumbled. "Said she was going to need it."

"I'm on the pill," I offered and his gaze snapped up to mine. "If you're okay with that?"

He stared into my eyes for a moment and I could tell he was considering.

"Fuck," he growled then and lowered me gently onto the ground.

Disappointment swelled within me as I stood up on my own. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed before turning abruptly back to me.

"I want to have this conversation again," he told me. "About taking that step. But not like this, cariño. Not in an alley, not when we've both had this much tequila, and not because we're this desperate."

I smiled sweetly and sidled up next to him, standing on my tiptoes and giving him a kiss on the cheek. I lingered there and whispered my response, "I'm always this desperate for you."

He groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face and wrapping an arm around me.

"Let's get back inside, where there are witnesses, before we make a mistake," he ordered.

"A fun mistake."

"Even so."

He opened the door and held it open. I made a pouty face but marched through. We made our way back through the dark hallway to the club beyond. As much as I teased him about his choice, I had to admire it. He really respected me, truly, actually, respected me. And he was trying to earn my trust. The least I could do was grant him it. Though, that became harder to do when we reached the VIP table and returned to a very touchy, and now very tipsy, Valencia.

"There you are!" She exclaimed as soon as we were in view.

"Wonder where you two got off to," Drew added, wriggling his brows.

"Just checking out the club," Lucas answered easily.

"Sure," Nate replied, obviously unconvinced, and everyone started laughing.

We ordered more drinks and, while waiting for them to be delivered, Leah and Nate snuck off somewhere themselves. Reggie had met some girl and was dancing with her. Connor was off dancing on his own and having a great time. And Priya finally made an appearance which sent Drew running off after her. So Lucas and I were alone with Valencia. She turned her megawatt smile onto us and sipped her apple martini as she shouted over the music.

"This is fun," she said. "We should do this more often!"

Lucas just sipped his drink and gave a polite nod.

"Lucas, have you told her what happened at the board meeting today?" She asked. I turned to Lucas, brow furrowed. She must have taken from my expression that I hadn't heard the story so she launched into it. "He was amazing! Put all those old bastards in their place. Every inch the powerful CEO, this guy. I've never seen him so pissed!"

She squeezed his shoulder again and my eyes darted to the contact. I saw red.

"Valencia, listen—" I spat.

"Piper," Lucas interrupted, his voice low. I shot a glare at him, at her hand still on his shoulder.

"Val!" Someone screamed and I looked up to see a woman with beautiful dark skin and a vibrant smile hanging over the bars of the VIP lounge. Valencia gasped and shot up from her seat, greeting the woman with a full kiss on the lips. My jaw dropped.

"Amelia, you made it," Valencia greeted her excitedly before turning to us. "This is my girlfriend, Amelia."

"Your—" I started, stunned.

"A pleasure to meet you, Amelia," Lucas interrupted, an amused gleam in his eye as he reached over and shook her hand.

"You too, sir. It's great to meet the boss that Val speaks so highly of," she replied and then turned back to Valencia. "Come on! Let's go dance!"

Valencia obliged, taking her girlfriend's hand and rushing off to join her on the dance floor. I stared after them in a minute, in a daze, before I turned to Lucas. We were alone now. He was sitting in his seat, staring down at the contents of his swirling glass, cheeks dimpled as he kept himself from laughing.

"You knew," I spat.

He raised a brow as he finally looked at me, losing the battle against his laughter and letting out one small chuckle before clearing his throat.

"I don't know what you mean," he replied, acting innocent.

"You knew I had no reason to be jealous and you let me get that way anyway," I snapped. "Shit. I acted like such an idiot."

"Yes," he agreed, nodding his head with a smile as he leaned forward. "You did. But I stopped you before you could say anything you might regret."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You're cute when you're jealous," he answered with a shrug. "And it was a huge boost to my ego. Not to mention how much I enjoyed all your tactics to claim me."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You're an evil man, Lucas Vega," I snarled.

He set his drink down and reached for my hand, leaning forward to whisper in my ear so that only I could hear him.

"You've claimed me. I'm yours," he breathed. "Now, let's get out of here so I can show you that you're mine."