Cheater (Curious Liaisons, #1)(46)

“Nope, just imagining what that would be like, getting mounted by Avery Black.”

It was my turn to choke.

The driver stopped in front of a large building a few blocks away from our downtown offices, closer to Pike Place Market, which made me want to go shopping for flowers and toss some fish around while sipping coffee.

I reached for my seatbelt; Lucas pressed a hand to my fingers and whispered in my ear, “Admit it, you’re thinking about it too.”

I exhaled and tried to even out my breathing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Liar.” His chuckle was warm, seductive. “You’re right—I bet you’re crazy in bed, wild, violent. If there was a Carl, I’d have half a mind to be jealous.”

“That would be the day.” My voice was raspy and stupidly turned on.

Our eyes locked.

He leaned forward, just as the rear door opened beside me.

I jumped back and quickly wiped my mouth of any remnants of sugared donut, then numbly reached for my purse.

Walking was an issue.

You know, for obvious reasons. You needed legs to walk, and mine had turned to jelly. I couldn’t even feel my legs, or my face, and it was all Lucas’s fault.

Hating him was difficult.

Being attracted to him was inevitable.

Because many years ago—my life goal had been to find and marry someone just like Lucas Thorn.

Not the one I was helping lie to his entire family or the one who slept with a different woman almost every night, but the one who had held my hand when I watched scary movies.

Or the one who’d kissed me on the night he was found in bed with my look-alike sister after promising me things he had no right to promise.

I was a pawn in his game.

He’d just needed someone to save him from himself.

Great. History was repeating itself, because back then I had been willing to save him over a stupid crush and maybe because I thought he actually cared more about me than about my sister. And since I’d always been in Kayla’s shadow—he made me feel special.

My morose thoughts really weren’t helping things.

The morning went from bad to worse when Lucas’s mom jumped up in the waiting room and shouted by way of greeting Lucas and me: “We’re GOING TO HAVE A BABY!”

“Run!” I gripped Lucas’s hand. “We can still make the elevator if we run.” The elevator doors closed in our faces.

Lucas cursed. “We could always jump through the glass window and pray a garbage truck is driving by.”

Patty barreled toward us, arms outstretched, tears running down her face.

“I’m in.” I nodded earnestly.

Lucas let out a defeated sigh as his mom gripped him by the ears and pressed a kiss to each cheek. She then turned her attention to me and began crying even harder as we all headed back toward the doctor’s office.

Why did she have to cry?

“I just knew it.” She wiped under her eyes. “I’m so sorry, but you’ve just always been my favorite of you three sisters, and when poor Lucas confessed his true feelings for you—”

“Mom!” Lucas yelled.

My mouth dropped open.

“Oh”—Patty covered her mouth with her hands—“I thought she knew?”

“Knew that I adored this little slugger?” He, no joke, pulled me into his arms and noogied my head, then poked me in the chest.

I smacked him in the arm and shoved him away.

His mom blinked in confusion at our exchange, while Lucas turned bright red and pointed to the receptionist’s counter. “Shouldn’t Avery fill out her paperwork?”

His mom’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, we’ll just . . . Why don’t we go get that and you can find a seat.”

Lucas laughed. “Mom, I’m not staying. I came with Avery, but I’ll go wait in the car.”

He was already backing away.

“No.” Patty shook her head sternly. “If you’re going to be together forever, you go through thick and thin together, in sickness and in health!”

“But Avery’s completely healthy!” he argued. “Look at her!”

I preened, couldn’t help it.

“She has a history of anemia!”

I paused as sweat started to pool down my back. How would she know that? There was no way unless—oh no, oh no, no, no, no. I squeezed Lucas’s hand, nearly cutting off the circulation. His eyes narrowed.

“Just how would you know that?” Lucas asked while Patty fidgeted with her purse and then cleared her throat. “Mom?” No doubt, he was ready to make a run for it. Again.

“I may have made a call.” She smiled cheerfully. “But it was for the best.”

Moms.

Whenever they did something wrong, they always justified it by saying, “It was for the best.” As if their manipulation made it all okay because, HEY, I’m looking out for your best interests.

“What was ‘for the best’?” I repeated, my entire body going numb this time. The sweat ran down my back and trickled even more—great, just great.

“The engagement party,” she said, dodging the question. “I’ll just go get a clipboard.”

I gasped.

Lucas swore and looked ready to commit murder.