Free Johnson Family 1: Unforgettable by Delaney Diamond

to, I will use every last one of them to make your life a living hell.”

Chapter Nine
    Seconds ticked by as their gazes fused together.
    “And you think I’ve changed?” Lucas said with a raised brow. He looked somewhat amused at her threat, almost as if he relished her outburst.
    His reaction infuriated her. “We won’t have any problems as long as we both know where we stand.”
    A sardonic smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “Message received loud and clear.”
    “Good.” She ignored how even such a small movement of his lips made her pulse trip and finished her wine. “I’m ready to go.”
    They stood and the waiter rushed over. Lucas paid for the drinks and Ivy slipped ahead of him, but from the corner of her eye she caught his hand lifting, as if he was about to place it to her lower back again. Tensed, she swung around, but he’d stopped himself.
    “Old habits die hard,” he explained in his lazy drawl, “but don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten you don’t want me to touch you.” A muscle in his jaw flexed.
    Without a word Ivy turned back around and marched ahead of him, wishing she could outrun the torrent of emotions that gripped her. It was hard as hell to maintain a frosty outward appearance when her entire body burned with the heat of a furnace. She had to stop imagining him doing things to her, such as dragging his tongue up the length of her back, or gently biting her neck, or—heaven help her—sucking on her collarbone.
    They entered the elevator in silence, he in one corner, she in the other. Between them an older couple who’d come in behind them spoke quietly to each other. On the fifth floor the couple exited and left her and Lucas alone.
    “Makes me wonder, though,” Lucas said in a conversational tone.
    Ivy flicked her gaze to him. He looked mighty smug over there, with his hands stuffed into his pockets, watching her. “What are you talking about?”
    He walked over and stopped mere inches away. Her stomach clenched, her reaction to him impulsive and ingrained on a cellular level.
    Lucas rested his shoulder against the wall and looked down at her, one of the few men who could when she wore heels. “I can’t help but wonder why you don’t want me to touch you.” His gaze traced her shape, a bold perusal that made her skin prickle.
    “There’s no why, I simply don’t. Is it really so hard for you to believe?” She averted her eyes to the numbers lighting up as they ascended the hotel tower. She prayed for a faster climb so she could escape the confining cabin. “I’m sorry I’m not falling all over you like I did nine years ago. It must be terribly disappointing.”
    He dipped his head to her ear, and every muscle fiber tightened at his nearness. His scent filled the air around her, a woodsy fragrance with base notes of sandalwood. She clenched her purse as she fought the temptation to brush her cheek against his to test the texture of his beard. If she moved her head even a fraction to the right, they’d touch.
    “What’s disappointing,” he said softly, “is seeing you do such a poor acting job.”
    Ivy stared straight ahead. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to get any more arrogant than you were before, but you’ve exceeded my expectations.”
    He laughed, his breath a whisper against the shell of her ear, sending tiny tremors racing down her spine. “It’s not arrogance, Ivy. I happen to be able to read body language, and darlin’, based on yours, I’d say you’re as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.” He flashed his teeth at her, and she desperately wanted to slap the grin off his face.
    She was still debating whether or not to do it when the doors opened. “We’re here,” she said pointedly.
    He stepped back and allowed her to lead the way to her condo. Inside, on her own turf, her confidence bolstered, and when her daughter rushed to her from the table where she and Janelle had been working on a crossword