The cold ocean breeze blew across the stone balcony, but Clara did not feel the chill. She only felt the burning heat coming off the towering man stepping over the low divider.
Lucian walked with slow, dangerous confidence, his long pants low on his hips and his bare chest exposed to the moonlight. Broad muscles cut across his dark skin, showing his incredible power with every single step.
Clara backed up until her lower back hit the stone balustrade. She gripped the cold stone edge behind her, refusing to let her eyes show fear.
Lucian stopped inches away from her. The heavy smell of rich scotch, clean cedarwood, and warm skin wrapped around her senses. He lifted his crystal glass, took a slow sip, and set it down on the wide stone wall right next to her hand.
"You should be sleeping, little mouse," Lucian said, his low voice smooth like dark silk in the quiet night air.
"I cannot sleep when I am locked in a cage," Clara said, lifting her chin to look directly into his dark eyes. "And stop calling me a mouse."
A quiet laugh hummed in Lucian's deep chest. He reached out, his warm, heavy hand landing on her bare waist right over her robe. His strong fingers gripped her soft hip, pulling her an inch closer to his hard body. The heat from his palm soaked right through the fabric, making Clara’s breath catch in her throat. Her pulse slammed wild against her skin.
"If this was a real cage, you would be crying in the corner," Lucian murmured, stepping closer until his bare chest lightly brushed the front of her robe. His eyes narrowed, turning cold and sharp. "Tell me something, Clara. Why did you run away like a coward when Victor took your mother's estate? Why did you hide behind a cheap velvet mask at a club instead of fighting back like a real Vance?"
The sharp insult hit Clara like a sudden slap. Her blood boiled instantly, hot anger washing away every ounce of fear in her mind.
"I am not a coward!" Clara spat out, her hands coming up to press hard against his bare chest to push him away. His chest was solid like iron, warm and heavy under her palms, refusing to budge even an inch.
"You know nothing about what happened! Victor took my mother's medicine! He hired fake lawyers to lock up our bank accounts before my mother's body was even cold in the ground! I was eighteen years old, penniless, and hunted by his thugs!"
Lucian did not pull away from her hands resting on his broad chest. Instead, his dark eyes flared with intense interest as he watched the fiery anger light up her beautiful face.
"So you gave up?" Lucian taunted softly, his voice dropping into a low growl. His hand slid from her hip, tracing up her ribs, his warm thumb resting right under the curve of her breast. "You decided sweeping floors in a nightclub was better than claiming your birthright?"
"I was saving every penny to buy a lawyer who could not be bribed!" Clara yelled, stepping right into his space, her eyes blazing with fierce determination. "I was surviving! And I will get back every single thing Victor stole from my family. I do not need your pity, Lucian Vane. And I am nobody's victim!"
Lucian stared down at her trembling, angry lips. Her fierce words shattered his cold, calm composure completely. A dark, hungry desire lit up his eyes, replacing the cold mask he always wore.
Before she could speak another word, Lucian grabbed her jaw firmly with his strong hand, lifting her face up. He bent his head and captured her lips in a fierce, breathless kiss.
Clara gasped against his mouth, her eyes widening in total shock. The kiss was hot, possessive, and electric. His tongue slid against her lower lip, tasting her sweetness, while his heavy body pressed her flat against the stone wall.
A wild, dizzying heat erupted deep in Clara's stomach, melting all her strength away. Her fingers, which had been pushing against his chest, curled tight into his soft skin, holding on to him as the world spun around them.
He kissed her like a man starving in the dark, taking everything she had to give. His thumb stroked her cheek, his breath hot against her skin as he slowly pulled back, his dark eyes staring down at her flushed face and parted lips. Clara rested her forehead against his chest, her small shoulders rising and falling fast as she tried to catch her breath.
"You really do have fire in you," Lucian whispered, his voice rough with pure desire. "Good. Because I hate weak women."
Clara looked up at him, her lips tingling from his kiss, her cheeks burning red. "You are insane," she breathed out, her heart hammering against her ribs like a drum.
"Maybe," Lucian agreed softly, his thumb gently tracing her wet bottom lip. "But you like it."
Before Clara could form a sharp comeback to defend her pride, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the bedroom doorway inside.
The terrace door swung wider, and Silas stepped out into the moonlight with a smirking grin spread across his handsome face. He wore a loose white shirt with the top buttons undone, leaning casually against the doorframe as his clever eyes swept over the tight, hot scene between Lucian and Clara.
Silas lifted his hand, holding up a sleek black paper envelope sealed with a thick red wax stamp.
"Sorry to break up the party, big brother," Silas said, his voice full of smooth amusement as he twirled the envelope between his fingers. "But a courier just delivered a special gift to our front gate."
Lucian did not let go of Clara's waist, but his dark eyes shifted instantly toward Silas. "From who?"
Silas’s smirk grew wider, his eyes glinting with a dangerous, playful light under the moon.
"It is an encrypted message from Victor Vance," Silas replied softly, holding up the letter so the red stamp caught the light. "And it is addressed directly to the property of the Vane brothers."