Meet Lucian Hawthorne

Theirs to Tempt

I like plans and precision. Outcomes I can control.

If there’s a problem, I solve it. If there’s an obstacle, I remove it. If I want something badly enough, I don’t sit around hoping fate will be accommodating.

I take care of it myself.

You look a little skeptical.

Good.

I like a woman who questions me.

Someone who nods agreeably while I’m speaking is pleasant enough, I suppose. Someone who looks me directly in the eye and tells me I’m full of shit?

Far more interesting.

And before you ask, no, I’m not accustomed to losing arguments.

I make exceptionally persuasive ones.

You’ll discover that.

You may also discover I’m paying considerably more attention to you than you realize.

I’ll remember what you said when everyone else was talking over you. I’ll notice when you’re exhausted despite insisting you’re fine. I’ll know which problem has been keeping you awake, and there’s a very good chance I’ve already considered three ways to solve it.

That doesn’t mean you asked me to.

Ah. There it is. That’s the problem with men like me, isn’t it?

We’re very good at taking care of things.

Sometimes we’re considerably less talented at remembering that not everything—or everyone—needs to be managed.

I’ve spent my life believing that if I could see the right move, I had an obligation to make it.

It works beautifully in business.

With women?

Apparently there are complications.

Caleb finds this…amusing.

I do not.

Still, there are some things about me you should understand from the beginning.

If you’re mine, my loyalty is absolute.

I don’t disappear when life gets ugly. I don’t become difficult to reach when the problem is inconvenient. I don’t offer pretty words and leave you alone to deal with the consequences.

If you’re carrying too much, I’m going to notice.

If someone threatens you, I’m going to deal with it.

And if there’s something standing between you and the life you deserve, I will be compelled to remove it.

You may find that infuriating.

I’m prepared to live with that.

After all, if you tell me I’m wrong, I’ll listen.

If I still think I’m right—and, for the record, that’s extremely likely—I’ll tell you exactly why.

At length.

With evidence.

Possibly a PowerPoint.

I prefer to be thorough.

Especially when I know I’m right.

And now…you’ve been staring at me for several minutes, and I haven’t learned nearly enough about you.

Come closer.

You can tell me no.

But you should probably know something before you do.

I’m Lucian Hawthorne.

And I can be exceptionally persuasive…