Chasing Forever Read online

  Lucas knocked on Richard’s door, and Richard held up one finger indicating he was still on the phone. Lucas leaned against the wall next to the door with his ankles crossed. Too frustrated to ignore him, Regan stood in front of him and put her hands on her hips.

  “Are you ignoring me?” she asked.

  “No,” he answered.

  “Did you get the Rule 12(b)(6) motion I emailed you yesterday?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you mad?”

  “No.”

  “Can you expand your answers beyond one syllable?”

  The corners of his mouth twitched. “Maybe.”

  “Ahh, two syllables. I’m impressed. Can you try putting together two words or maybe even a full sentence?”

  “I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to charm you into making another mistake.” He turned to the side, pulled his phone out of his pocket, and started scrolling through his email.

  She put her hand over his phone. “Don’t be a jerk.”

  “I’m being practical. I’d like to avoid further whiplash. One minute you’re acting as if you’re interested in me, the next you’re talking about Parker. By the way, did you see Parker this weekend?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I didn’t do anything this weekend except work on the motion you wanted, and Parker and I aren’t exactly serious. We’ve only been on two dates.”

  “Is that right?” he asked, turning to face her again. “Are you sure he’s on the same page because when I met him, he seemed to think things were pretty serious between the two of you.”

  Regan shrugged. “We’ve known each other for a couple years. He was being considerate. Nothing more.”

  “If you say so.”

  Regan’s eyes narrowed. “Unlike you and your friends, I don’t enjoy playing games with people so regardless of how you thought Parker acted when you met him, Parker knows where our relationship stands.”

  “I’ll ignore the cheap shot about playing games because on some level I earned it. But I’m curious…” Lucas shifted his body so his lips were only inches from her ear and he whispered, “did you tell Parker what happened at the park on Friday?”

  She turned her face and his lips were so close that if she leaned forward just slightly, maybe an inch or two, she would feel his lips brush against hers again. He bit his lower lip, and her fingers twitched with the thought of running her finger along the seam of his lips. She loved the way his lower lip was noticeably larger than the upper.

  “Well,” she said in a soft voice. “Technically, if Parker and I aren’t exclusive and if the thing in the park was a one time thing, I don’t think I need to disclose anything to him. It would be nothing more than a momentarily lapse in judgment.”

  He lowered his voice even further, a slight smile curling up the corners of his lips. “And, technically, what happens if the thing in the park wasn’t a one time thing?”

  She should walk away or at the very least take five steps back. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to. The way he looked at her as if he were challenging her, teasing her, wanting her, drove her absolutely crazy and not in a bad way. She glanced down the hall toward Annabelle’s desk to check if they were being watched. All clear. “Are you insinuating that you’d like it to be more than a one time thing?”

  “Technically, if you’re still—”

  “Lucas. Regan,” Richard said from his doorway. “Thanks for waiting. The CEO of Jestine Development is a talker. Sometimes I feel like his therapist rather than his attorney.” He shook his head.

  Regan took two steps back and looked down hoping to hide the blush creeping across her cheeks. She was playing with fire.

  “No problem,” Lucas answered.

  “Come in,” Richard said, waving his hand in their direction.

  Regan followed Lucas into the office and sat in the open chair near the door. “Jack called this morning. We spent an hour reviewing his attorney fees. He’s requested that we find ways to be cost effective with billable hours and expenses.”

  Regan didn’t comment. As a summer associate, it wasn’t her place to say anything. Two hours of Lucas or Richard’s time exceed the amount of her monthly rent.

  “We can do that, but it will be tricky with the trip scheduled this Wednesday,” Lucas commented. “Two attorneys, two nights, two hotel rooms, numerous meals. We could comp Regan’s time as a gesture of goodwill.”

  Richard leaned back in his chair and crossed one ankle over his thigh. “That was my initial thought too, but I remembered your request to stay at your family’s vacation home. I mentioned it to Jack and he liked the idea. We don’t have to comp Regan’s hours, and Jack doesn’t have to pay your hotel expenses. It’s a win-win situation.”

  Regan had to force herself to remain seated. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She wanted to stay as far away as possible from his family’s vacation home and Lucas too. Being around him clouded her judgment and she already suffered enough fallout from her cloudy judgment where he was concerned.

  Lucas cleared his throat. “As long as Regan is comfortable. I’m fine with that.”

  She felt Richard’s eyes boring into her, waiting for her answer. “I’ve heard it’s nice. What do you say? Do you think you’d be comfortable staying there?”

  Not even close. “As long as I have my own space,” she answered weakly, visualizing her morals and convictions bending with every word.

  “Of course you will. There are plenty of bedrooms. I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise,” Lucas added.

  Richard slapped his hand on his leg. “Great. It’s all settled. Jack will be happy.” He smiled at Regan. “Thanks for being a team player, Regan. That’s what we’re looking for at Martin and Black. I didn’t know if you’d go for it, but I appreciate it. Jack has been a client of this firm for over fifteen years, and he’s a great source of referrals. I don’t want him to be unhappy.”

  Too bad Jack’s happiness threatened her sanity and her carefully laid out plans for her future—a future that should happen far, far from Lucas Evanston.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Regan stepped off the small regional jet feeling slightly queasy. She never liked flying under the best circumstances, but flying in a small plane into a small mountain airport had her literally clutching the armrests of her seat. When she landed she was tempted to check if she left dents in the metal. If she had been alone, she would have had her face in a courtesy vomit bag, but with Lucas watching her, she smiled as though nothing was wrong.

  “You feeling okay?” Lucas asked, grabbing her luggage out of her hand.

  “I’ve got it,” she answered, reaching for the handle.

  “No,” he said, moving the handle out of her reach. “Let me do it. I thought you were going to be sick during the landing. Those high winds really move a small plane. If this wasn’t a business trip, I would have driven from Denver, but we didn’t have time.”

  She sighed. “I’m better now, but I’m not looking forward to the flight home.”

  “If we finish early, we could drive to the Denver airport if it bothers you.”

  “We’ll see,” she replied. “So what’s the plan for today?” She and Lucas didn’t have seats next to each other on either flight, so she slept the entire way, which was good because she didn’t get much sleep last night. She kept playing their conversation outside of Richard’s office over and over in her head. She analyzed every word and then she analyzed every movement and then it was three in the morning and their flight was at eight in the morning.

  “We pick up the rental car and then I thought we’d stop by my house to drop off our things. We’re meeting Jack at the mine at three so we can take pictures. Sound good?” he asked, turning his head to look at her.

  “It’s fine. Do we have any plans this evening?”

  “We’re meeting Jack for dinner at seven-thirty.”

  “All right. I hope the restaurant isn’t too dressy. I have a suit, but nothing else.”
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br />   Lucas stopped at the rental car desk and handed the attendant his driver’s license and the firm credit card. “It’s the mountains. Anything you have will be fine. Formal isn’t required.”

  “That’s good to know,” she answered as she watched Lucas sign paperwork.

  Lucas picked the keys up from the counter and motioned for her to follow. “So…you never said how Parker reacted to our trip.”

  “You’re right.”

  “Was he mad?”

  “Was Olivia mad?” she fired back at him.

  “Why would she care?” he asked as he popped the trunk of a white nondescript sedan, placing their luggage inside.

  Regan opened the car door. “You still talk to her as evidenced by the conversation in your office, you dated in college, perhaps you still do based on what I heard.”

  He chuckled and shut the trunk. “Were you eavesdropping?”

  She rolled her eyes when he sat in the driver’s seat. “Not even close. You instructed me not to lurk outside your office, and once I was inside, I could hardly hold my hands over my ears.”

  “I guess not,” he responded as he turned the key in the ignition.

  “Are you going to answer the question?” she asked again.

  “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “Riiight,” she answered, drawing out the word sarcastically.

  “Look,” he said, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. “I talk to Olivia on occasion. We had plans to meet for dinner and I cancelled due to this trip. We are not involved in any way other than as acquaintances. We see each other a few times a year and most of the time, it’s at some joint family function.”

  Regan turned to look out the window. He’d said something similar in college when they started dating, but she never thought Olivia agreed with his description of their relationship, and after she had walked in on the two of them the night everything fell apart, she didn’t know if she agreed either.

  She remembered that night vividly. Drew offered to walk her to Lucas’s room the minute she walked into the fraternity. When she opened the door, she saw Lucas leaning against the wall, with his hand on Olivia’s waist, their heads bent close together. She asked what was going on, and every time she thought about that day, she wished she had turned around and walked out without asking for an explanation because what followed was worse than she could have imagined.

  Unfortunately, Lucas wasn’t cheating on her as she initially suspected, or maybe he was, but that detail didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that her relationship was a lie. Olivia orchestrated the whole thing to embarrass her and her father, and after that night, her social life crumbled. Her father, on the other hand, hardly skipped a beat. Olivia had already been kicked off the dance team and the University didn’t do much of anything to her dad because the Great Professor Pierce was a moneymaking machine with grants following him wherever he went. Despite her heralded family background and money, Olivia never stood a chance.

  “If you say so,” she responded without any inflection.

  He put his hand on her thigh and squeezed. “I promise.”

  She looked down at her thigh and then at him. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Forget I brought it up.”

  “It could matter.”

  She scoffed. “Hardly.”

  “Okay, let me put it another way. I want it to matter. I want you to care.”

  “You do?” She answered her voice quivering.

  “Yes and maybe you do too.”

  ***

  Lucas leaned against the fireplace mantle in the family room of his family’s vacation home. Looking around the room, he fleetingly regretted bringing Regan here. Sure, he liked that he could spend some uninterrupted time with her, but the house held a lot of documented memories in the form of pictures of his childhood growing up with Olivia, and he didn’t want to remind Regan of his connection to Olivia.

  Considering what Drew said about Olivia last week and Regan’s dislike of her, he didn’t know if he could tolerate having her in his life any longer. Eliminating her from his life wouldn’t be easy. They had a long history and their parents were best friends, but he didn’t have any choice if he wanted Regan in his life and he did.

  “Hey,” Regan said quietly as she walked toward him.

  “Are you ready to go?” he asked.

  “Yes. How long is the drive?”

  “About thirty minutes.”

  Regan turned to look at the clock above the fireplace mantle. Her gaze drifted to the pictures lining the surface. She picked up one of him and Olivia standing next to a chair lift, just fresh from a day on the slopes. “This looks as if it was taken a while ago.”

  “Four or five years ago, I think.” He took the picture out of her hand and set it down.

  She stared at him for a few minutes and then walked around the room, letting her finger trail along the back of the camel colored leather sofa. “This place is really nice. I can see why you love it here.”

  “I’ve had a lot of great holidays here,” he answered vaguely.

  “I bet,” she said waving her hand toward the mantle directing his attention back to the pictures. “This room is incredible with its high ceilings and the wood beams. I imagine it looks insanely beautiful at Christmas time.”

  “My mom likes to decorate for Christmas. It’s her favorite time of the year,” he commented, watching her cautiously.

  “I’m sure.” She paused by the piano and lifted up the fallboard. “Do all of you sit around singing Christmas carols too?” She laughed, but it wasn’t carefree. It sounded sharp and tainted with bitterness. “Do you play the piano while Olivia sings and dances? She loves attention.”

  Lucas walked toward her and shut the piano fallboard. “Not even once.” He didn’t want to talk about Olivia. He studied Regan watchfully trying to gauge her mood as he took her hand, tracing small soft circles with his thumb on the inside of her wrist. “Let’s not talk about her for the next few days. You know Olivia and I grew up together and our families are friends. You know what happened between Olivia and I in college, and you know I still talk to her on occasion. Beyond that, there isn’t much worth discussing. Let’s focus on us.” He squeezed her hand, then let go.

  “I don’t know what you expect to happen over the next two days and it’s making me uncomfortable,” she answered, her voice barely audible.

  He didn’t know either. He’d been torn since their kiss in the park. The rational part of his mind knew he should leave her alone, but after that small taste, he hungered for more. “We’re going to meet Jack, look around the mine, and go to dinner. Beyond that, I don’t expect anything.”

  “Truthfully?” she asked looking both relieved and disappointed.

  He smiled. “I’d like us to enjoy each other’s company without worrying about the past or the future, and if that means we sit around playing charades, Pictionary, or something more, that’s fine. Nothing’s going to happen that we don’t want.”

  Regan exhaled loudly. “Okay. I can do that.”

  She sat down on the upholstered piano bench and crossed her legs. Lucas watched the movement, his gaze caressing the skin on her legs exposed by the slit in her skirt. After a few seconds, he looked up and grinned. Her legs killed him. Leaning forward, slowly so he didn’t scare her, he rested his hands on the piano encaging her, and her eyes widened as her breath caught in her throat. His body already on fire, he wanted to forget Jack, the mine, work, and carry her to his room. More than anything, he needed to kiss her again.

  He lifted one hand and pushed her hair behind her ear. “I believe you can, but the question is: can I?” Seeing desire flash across her face, he brushed his lips across hers, keeping his eyes open the entire time trying to gauge her reaction. He liked when she looked at him like that, her green eyes dreamy and unfocused. It made his insides squeeze, but he didn’t want to push her so far that she retreated into her shell again. He made that mistake at the park. He wouldn’t do it again. />
  Smiling, she grabbed onto the front of his shirt pulling him closer, and as his mouth collided with hers for a second time, he knew she wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her. She was warm, responsive, and sweeter than he thought possible and he wondered whether he’d ever get enough of her. He couldn’t wait to touch every part of her and re-learn everything little detail about her. It’d been too long since he had her all to himself.

  Unfortunately, if they indulged in anything more than a brief kiss right now, they would never make their meeting on time, if at all. Pulling away, he rested his forehead against hers, watching her swollen, raspberry-colored lips suck in air, and it took all of his resolve stop himself from throwing her over his shoulder and taking her to his bed. “Let’s go before we make some really bad decisions.”

  “Bad for us?” she asked.

  “No, bad for our careers, fun for us.”

  She merely nodded as he lifted her off the piano bench by her waist and kissed her on the lips one more time hard and fast before entwining his fingers with hers. This was going to be a long afternoon.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “So, what do you think?” Lucas asked as they pulled over on the side of a gravel road lined with tall pine trees. It was a perfect mountain day, not too hot and not too cold.

  “That I should have changed into my jeans and hiking boots.”

  Lucas eyed her slim pencil skirt and her heels. “You’re right.”

  “Why didn’t you warn me?”

  “I like looking at your legs, particularly in those shoes,” he commented as he opened his car door. In fact, those shoes were giving him all sorts of interesting ideas. Maybe if she wanted to do more than play Pictionary after dinner, he could persuade her to indulge in some of his ideas. “Your legs may be the only interesting visual the entire time we’re here.”