Staking His Claim

Standing to dust off the pencil skirt she’d worn for the interview, Lucy prayed it wouldn’t be too difficult to look him in the eye.

Right on time, she walked into the buzzing pub and immediately spotted her brother sitting at a table near the back. Not that he was difficult to spot since his size made him a foot taller than most people in the establishment. Since today happened to be his day off, he wore a pair of old faded jean and a Mets T-shirt. When he saw her, he broke into a smile.

“Look at you, dressed to kill.” He kissed her on the cheek, then gave her a look of alarm. “Hold up. You didn’t actually kill anyone, right?”

With a smirk, she hung her purse on the back of the chair. “Job interview. Idiot.”

Brent shrugged as he sat back down. “The day is young.”

“Keep it up and you’ll be my first victim.”

As Lucy got settled in her chair, Brent signaled the waitress. “Job interviews already, huh? You finished grad school all of four days ago.”

She accepted a menu from the waitress. “The sooner the better.”

Her brother watched her closely. “Yeah? Why is that?” He leaned back in his chair. “I thought you’d be itching to backpack around Europe or join the circus.”

I want to help you. I don’t want to be a burden anymore. I want to be a solution, not a problem. “The circus isn’t hiring at the moment.”

“All the bearded lady positions have been filled?”

Their banter felt so comfortable and familiar, she had to bury her smile behind her menu. “Something like that.” Deciding on the turkey club—she always got the turkey club—she tossed the menu onto the table. “Funny you should mention Europe, though, I had an offer—”

“Matty,” Brent shouted over her shoulder, making her jump. With a pit in the bottom of her stomach, Lucy turned and saw Matt standing just inside the door, wearing his ESU uniform. Every pulse point skittered at the sight of him. When their gazes met, every inch of skin covered by her clothes flamed. She thought she saw his eyes flare with want, just as she imagined her own doing, but he turned and gave the waitress his order before she could be certain. As he approached them, she tried to read his expression. This had to be awkward for him. But she couldn’t gauge anything from his expression.

“Figured I’d grab some lunch to go,” Matt said by way of greeting. “I’m on duty for another four hours.”

“Sit with us while you wait, bro.” Brent kicked out a chair beside her. “Lucy was just telling me about her job interview today.”

Matt glanced at her, mask perfectly in place. “Really. Where?”

She suddenly hated that mask. Wanted to shout at him until it went away. “The Met.”

“The Met?” Brent slapped the table. “Are you kidding me, Luce? Why didn’t you say something?”

“I kind of just did.” She shifted in her seat, trying to ignore the heat radiating from Matt’s thigh. “Anyway, it’s just an assistant position. I’d be working under one of the curators. Probably doing Starbucks runs until I get blisters.”

In reality, it was a coveted position for someone fresh out of grad school. She’d been persistent about getting the interview, even having a handful of her more connected professors write letters of recommendation. It would put her right where she needed to move higher up the ladder, giving her valuable experience in the process. If she ever decided to move on, her résumé would be rock solid, having worked at the world-famous museum. Should they decide she was right for the position after today’s interview, she would accept the job in a heartbeat. It meant living her dream and being close to her family.

The waitress dropped off drinks Brent had ordered, effectively distracting her brother with a cheap shot about the Mets. Lucy glanced up to find Matt considering her closely. There was something behind his eyes that hadn’t been there a moment ago, as if he were working on making a decision. His gray stare was serious as usual, but something else existed behind it. Hope?

When he reached under the table and took her hand, she had to work hard to keep her features schooled. He laid his other hand on the table, giving her the impression he was bracing himself. The hope she thought she’d seen morphed into determination, and she knew.

Oh my God, he’s going to tell my brother about us.

Equal parts warmth and anxiety expanded inside her, encompassing every inch. This man she’d become fascinated with, the man she desperately wanted the chance to know better, was holding her hand, mere inches from her brother. He had to feel the same way, if he was risking his friendship with Brent like this.

Matt took a deep breath and turned to her brother. “Brent, there’s something—”

“Hold up.” Her brother set his fresh beer down on the table with a thunk. “Before you came in, Lucy was about to say something. About another offer.”

Every breath she took felt like it was being sucked in through a straw, to the point it took her a moment to catch up. What had her brother asked her? Another job offer. Right.

With a concerted effort, Lucy gave her brother her attention. “Y-yes. I was offered a job at the Louvre. In Paris. As a research assistant to one of the acquisition directors.”

“Paris?” Brent looked simultaneously elated and crestfallen. “That’s…great.” He ran a hand through is dark blond hair. “Also, holy shit, that’s far.”

Matt’s hand went cold in hers. She wanted to gauge his expression, but couldn’t while Brent watched her so closely. “Yes, it’s far, but—”

“Does it pay more than the Met position?”

She thought back to the e-mails she’d exchanged with the director. “Yes,” she had to admit. “Quite a bit more, actually. And it includes housing, but I haven’t—”

“Wow.” He shook his head. “I can’t say I’m happy about you moving so far away, but I could never hold you back, Luce. It’s a great opportunity.”

Lucy scowled at him. Rationally, she knew her brother was only being supportive, but mostly she just heard him sending her packing across the Atlantic without asking what she wanted, or even attempting to keep her close. It hurt like hell.

Matt nodded once, his jaw flexing. “That’s great, Lucy. Looks like all that hard work paid off. You should take the offer.”

His words fell heavily on her ears. The determination in his face was gone. In fact, his eyes held no trace of emotion at all. Had she misjudged his intention to reveal their relationship to Brent?

Feeling as though someone were stepping on her lungs, she released his hand under the table. No sense in pretending to be anything more than a casual hookup. Even if she hadn’t misjudged, if he was willing to let their chance to be together fizzle and die without a fight, maybe it was a good thing he hadn’t come clean. She wanted a man who would fight for her, damn the consequences.

“Well, this blows.” Brent let out a breath and nodded at Matt. “What were you going to say, anyway?”

Briefly, Matt’s gaze flashed to Lucy. “Nothing. Except, your car has a ticket on it. You forgot to put your NYPD registration in the window again.”

“Dammit.”