But if she left now, the ladies would know why and she really didn’t want anyone to have an insight into her sham of a marriage.
As much as this bombshell hurt, she wanted to hash it out in private with Lucas and at least give him a chance to defend himself. It would be so easy to rush into judgment and lay into him about how much it hurt that he hadn’t told her about his hatred for Sterling.
But she wanted to hear his side because she prayed he hadn’t married her as some warped way to get revenge on Sterling for doing his father wrong...and for her leaving him years ago.
Fifteen
After about an hour, Paisley couldn’t stand any more small talk. She checked her phone, seeing a message from Lucas, and feigned a need to get home.
The ladies assumed she was just in a hurry to get home to her husband, but her reasons for rushing home were far removed from what they were winking and hinting at.
Paisley took the elevator and rushed out the front door. She didn’t have to say a word to the driver. He had been standing next to the car and immediately opened the back door for her so she could slide in.
She settled back against the seat and glanced at Lucas’s text again. He’d simply said he was home and he’d wait up for her, but hoped she was having fun. There was no mention of his findings, nothing that hinted as to what he’d been doing.
Paisley tried to relax her breathing, to calm herself so she didn’t just go in and explode all over him. She truly did want to give him a chance to defend himself.
The idea that she was a pawn in his grand scheme to get to Sterling sickened her. After all they’d been through in the past, all they’d been through just in the past few weeks, she didn’t want to believe the worst.
The car pulled in front of Lucas’s condo building, and Paisley didn’t wait on the driver. The car had barely rolled to a stop before she jerked the door handle and bolted out. She headed into the building and typed in the code at the elevator with shaky hands. When the doors opened, she clutched her purse to still her nerves and watched the numbers light up as she ascended to the penthouse.
The moment the doors slid open, Paisley pulled in a deep breath and stepped into the suite, placing her clutch on the table next to the elevator. Lucas came from the hallway, his hair a mess from his hat, his shirt unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up on his forearms. There was a wariness to his heavy-lidded gaze, but he offered her a smile that never failed to curl all around her heart.
“Had I known you were going out looking so sexy, I would’ve made sure I was back in time.” He reached her and slid his hands up her bare arms. “Red is your color.”
When he started to pull her in, Paisley flattened her palms against his chest and took a step back. Suspicion quickly replaced the exhaustion.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“Where were you today?”
He stared at her for a moment, then shook his head and raked a hand over the back of his neck.
“I was working,” he murmured. “There’s something you need to know.”
Paisley’s heart quickened as nerves like she’d never known consumed her. She knew. She knew before she even opened her mouth, but she had to hear him say it.
“Does this have anything to do with your revenge against Sterling?”
Lucas didn’t flinch, he didn’t look surprised, he didn’t even attempt to deny the allegation. The truth settled heavily between them.
“My work today had to do with you,” he stated, as if that explained all the missing pieces he’d conveniently kept from her.
“Which I’m sure just pushes your agenda to bring justice to Sterling.”
Lucas nodded, a dark look clouding his eyes. “I hate the man. He ruined my father’s business and I won’t apologize for seeking justice or for trying to honor my father.”
Paisley let out a humorless laugh. “You must’ve really loved it when I stepped into your office and wanted you to research him. I just handed you a golden ticket to get the ultimate revenge if I was his daughter.”
He stared at her for another minute before blowing out a sigh and turning from her, muttering something beneath his breath.
Paisley watched as he paced in front of the wall of living room windows. The dark night behind him only added to the mystery of this man. The man she’d thought she’d known so well...but she’d been so blinded by love. Or was it foolishness? At this point, weren’t they the same emotion?