I hear James behind me and startle as his footsteps thud heavily on the staircase.
Fuck.
“Is someone here?” His expression drops and his voice turns serious as he looks over my shoulder.
“Lucas, it’s?—”
“Lucas?” James’s voice interrupts us, and I squeeze my eyes shut, wishing, just for a moment, that this was all some twisted dream. When I turn around, James’s focus falls to the bouquet in my hands. His expression shifts and the colour drains from his face as his eyes flick between me and Lucas. His jaw ticks.
He stands with only a towel slung low around his hips, his chest bare and glistening, the sharp V of his hips leading to places I know far too well. The fact that his skin and hair are still damp from the shower makes it painfully obvious he didn’t just drop by for tea.
“I didn’t know he was coming,” I say.
James’s eyes narrow as they lock on Lucas, and I can feel the tension rolling off him in waves.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Lucas asks. I watch helplessly as Lucas’s gaze sweeps over James—from the damp strands of his hair down to his bare feet.
This doesn’t look good.
“Are you two shagging?”
Silence.
Lucas steps over the threshold, and I instinctively retreat, caught off guard.
“I said,” Lucas seethes through gritted teeth, “Are. You. Fucking. Her?”
“Yes,” I whisper in response, the word slipping out before I can stop it.
“April—” James moves towards me.
“No, James, it’s fine.” I lift my hand to stop him. I turn back to Lucas, squaring my shoulders to feign a confidence I absolutely do not have. “We’ve been seeing each other. And before you ask again—yes, we are sleeping together.”
Lucas’s face twists in disbelief, as if the words physically wound him. “You … withhim? He’s mybrother.How could you do this?”
The look he shoots me feels like a bullet, and I swallow the lump rising in my throat, forcing the tears to stay at bay. “Me? Are you serious? How couldIdo this? We wereengaged.” I emphasise my words. “You hurt me in ways I can’t even explain. Youbrokeme.” My voice cracks. “And James was … it just happened. Youtoldme you couldn’t return the depths of my affections.”
Lucas’s nostrils flare. “I made mistakes, April, but Ineverstopped loving you. I was wrong.” His voice strains. “We could’ve fixed this. I wanted to fix this … we could’ve had everything.”
James shifts, subtly positioning himself between us. “You need to leave, Lucas.” His voice is steady and cold. Protective.
Lucas’s eyes flick to James. “Of courseyou’dswoop in, wouldn’t you?”
“Oh, you are so full of shit and you know it,” James says. His hand brushes mine, reminding that he’s here with me.
“So, what’s this about then, James? Payback? You wanted revenge, so you decided to fuck myfiancée?”
“Ex-fiancée.”
My eyes flick between them, because I have absolutely no idea what Lucas means.
“Payback?” I ask, completely lost.
James’s jaw tightens, the muscle in his cheek twitching. His eyes bore holes into Lucas’s. “Stop it, Lucas,” he warns, his voice full of venom.
But Lucas doesn’t stop. He steps closer, invading James’s space, their faces just inches apart.
“Oh no, I think I’ll continue. You couldn’t handle the fact that your girlfriend wantedme.”
