Her impassioned speech shook him. Her eyes had darkened and she leaned forward, her voice cracking with emotion. This wasn’t a woman who’d moved on and forgotten the man she’d once given her very soul to.

A sensation that felt very much like dread settled heavily into his chest. The weight was uncomfortable, like a rock pushing down on him.

Cole had said he’d want Ren to be happy. Could Lucas say the same? He’d told Cole as much. But were they just words? A week ago he would have said without question that her happiness was everything to him. He spared no expense to ensure she had everything she could possibly need or want. He anticipated her moods, protected her, cared for her and yes, he cherished her.

But could he really take that step to ensure her happiness? To give her a choice?

His mouth was dry and he loathed the indecision that racked him. He’d already taken the first step. Ren was his. She wouldn’t question what he chose to do with her body. But he couldn’t control her heart and that realization unsettled his carefully ordered existence.

What he planned to do could very well mean losing her, and he wasn’t at all sure he could ever live with that.

Lucas chose the meeting to happen at Cole’s offices. Cole wouldn’t have expected Lucas to come to him. The more expected move would have been for Lucas to have made a power play, invited Cole into his sanctum so that the confrontation occurred on Lucas’s turf.

Lucas wasn’t one to be threatened by the power of others. He could easily meet Cole on his own terms and where Cole felt most comfortable. The outcome wouldn’t change regardless of where the meeting was held.

He parked on the street outside the tall downtown Houston office building and strode inside. He checked in with security, got a visitor’s pass and then took the elevator to the thirtieth floor.

He’d done his homework on Cole Madison. He was a successful real estate developer but he had his hands in many other pots. He had a Midas touch when it came to business and what he touched turned to gold, making him a sought out investor for up-and-coming enterprises. In recent years, he’d focused quite a bit on the timber industry in Southeast Texas and had partnered with Damon Roche in quite a few projects.

When he stepped off the elevator, Lucas was greeted by Cole himself. Apparently Cole wasn’t into power games any more than Lucas was. Cole didn’t make Lucas wait and showed him directly into his office.

Lucas declined Cole’s offer of a drink but took the seat in the sitting area away from the desk when Cole issued the invitation.

Lucas leaned back and simply waited, his gaze tracking Cole as he took the seat across from Lucas.

“I want her,” Cole said bluntly.

Appreciative that there would be no skirting the issue, Lucas nodded. “I know you do.”

“What exactly is the nature of your agreement with her?”

Lucas lifted an eyebrow. “You don’t expect me to tell you that, do you?”

“Is she your lover or is she simply your submissive?” Cole asked, his eyes narrowing.

Lucas understood the differentiation but he didn’t appreciate Cole delving into what Lucas considered very private territory. Even though he well understood why Cole did so.

“She’s both,” he said simply.

“You care for her.”

“I care for all the women in my keeping.”

The vague response irritated Cole. Lucas wasn’t sure why he led Cole to believe that Ren meant nothing more to him than any other woman he had. Maybe it was said more to himself than to the other man. But either way it was an untruth, and Lucas despised liars.

“Tell me, Madison, what makes you think Ren would want you back? Have you ever considered that she’s happy where she is in her life right now?”

Pain darkened Cole’s eyes and he looked away briefly. When his gaze returned to Lucas, it was cold and unyielding, giving nothing away.

“I can make her happy.”

It was on the tip of Lucas’s tongue to argue the point. To tell Cole that it didn’t matter what he thought because Ren was Lucas’s. But that wasn’t why he’d come. It wasn’t at all what he was going to say. There was little point in needling the other man.

“I’m agreeable to giving her to you for two weeks’ time,” Lucas said.

Cole went completely still, and his eyes suddenly blazed. It was clear that he was shocked by Lucas’s offer. Lucas experienced a moment’s satisfaction that he’d been able to catch this man off guard because he sensed it didn’t happen often.

Cole finally found his tongue and his response was explosive. “What?”

Lucas remained silent, allowing Cole to process the sudden declaration.

Cole’s eyes narrowed and he leaned forward. “What’s your angle, Holt?”

“No angle,” Lucas returned calmly. “Ren has been out of sorts since her meeting with you. It’s clear that you and she have unresolved feelings. I’d prefer for those feelings to be resolved so the past can be put to rest.”

“And if they aren’t?” Cole challenged.

“One way or another, they will be.”

Cole stood, then ran a hand through his hair and turned his back to Lucas to stare out the window. When he turned back around, Lucas could see how unsettled he was. Whatever the past, he obviously did still care deeply for Ren.

“I have conditions,” Lucas said before Cole could say anything further.

“Of course,” Cole said dryly.

“For the first meeting, I will be present. I won’t simply turn over a woman I care a great deal about to a man I’m not sure of. You’ll demonstrate your handling of her and I’ll be satisfied that she’ll be well cared for or we leave together.”

“You want to watch me fuck her?” Cole asked in disbelief.

Lucas shrugged. “If that’s what occurs, then yes, I’ll watch you fuck her. You won’t disrespect her. You will treat her with the utmost care. If I sense anything, and I mean, anything at all that would lead me to believe I’m making a mistake, I’ll pull the plug and Ren leaves with me.”

Cole shook his head. “What’s your game? Why would you do this? It doesn’t make any sense. You have to know that I’m going to do everything in my power to make damn sure she stays with me.”

“Yes, I know.”

Cole’s look of absolute what the fuck amused Lucas.

“If you’re able to take her from me then she never really belonged to me now did she?”

“You’re crazy,” Cole muttered.

“I want her to be happy even if it’s not with me. I wonder if you can say the same.”

“I don’t know,” Cole said honestly.

Lucas rose. “I realize I run the risk of having Ren not return to me. She could choose you. I would be lying if I said I had any confidence of knowing how she’ll choose either way. But know this: If she does indeed return to me when her time with you is over, I’ll never let her go again.”

“Yeah, I understand. In your position, I wouldn’t either.”

“I’m giving you something very precious to me,” Lucas said quietly. “If you do anything to hurt her, I’ll come after you.”

Cole nodded his understanding. “Just so you understand, though, I don’t take orders from you. If you’re truly giving Ren to me, that period of time will be on my terms.”

“I think Ren would be very disappointed if the man charged with taking care for her ever allowed another man to dictate his actions. Ren needs a very strong man. Don’t think to wrap her in cotton and pretend you aren’t a dominant man. She won’t thank you for it and it will immediately drive her away. Ren is a woman who is very comfortable with her needs and wants. She doesn’t like games and she won’t appreciate you pretending to be what you’re not in an effort to woo her.”

Cole’s breath huffed out in a sound that came between confusion and exasperation. “You’re a twisted son of a bitch, you know that? You’re giving me a primer to seducing the woman you care about away from you. You’re bitingly possessive one minute and lazily accepting the next.”