Johnson Family 1: Unforgettable by Delaney Diamond Page B

carry-on bag from the floor. He walked up to the ticket counter.
    “I need to change my flight,” he said to the airline agent. “I need your first flight to Seattle.”
    ****
    Lucas paced the atrium of Johnson Enterprises. He made the same loop over and over, from one wall to the next. The guards at the desk eyed him the entire time, as if they’d be ready to tackle him if he made a questionable move.
    In the nick of time he’d been able to make the next flight out of LA. He’d had to run through the airport with energy he probably hadn’t expelled since he was a teenager, but he’d made it to the gate on time. And now he was here, waiting for Ivy.
    Since five o’clock, employees had been pouring out of the elevators into the atrium. Each time he searched the faces for her, and each time he was disappointed, but prepared to wait as long as it took for her to come down.
    The doors purred open again and released another group of employees. Ivy was among them, and the minute he saw her his pulse rate accelerated. It was a reaction he couldn’t quash, much to his chagrin.
    As usual she looked amazing in a form-fitting suit. Her hair was pulled back into a loose, side-swept chignon that allowed wisps of hair to brush her right cheek like dark strands of spun silk. She waved at the guards and stopped to speak to them. While they had her attention he made his way toward her. By the time she turned around, he was almost beside her.
    Her eyes widened in surprise. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d left.”
    “I did, but we need to talk.”
    “What else is there to talk about?”
    “Katherine.”
    She eyed him with trepidation. “What about her?”
    “Can we go somewhere to talk privately?” Lucas asked in a lowered voice.
    He didn’t want to have this conversation at the guard desk. The older guy especially was giving him the evil eye. If Ivy gave any indication that Lucas upset her, these guys looked like they’d gladly beat him down with their batons.
    She didn’t answer right away, but she did step away from the desk. “I don’t understand what’s going on. I thought you were on your way back to Atlanta.”
    “I had a short trip to California and then I was headed back, but I changed my mind.”
    “And you want to talk?” She sounded skeptical.
    “Yes. Preferably now,” he said with insistence.
    Her eyes clouded with uncertainty. “My driver’s outside. We could go to the lounge at the Four Seasons and have a drink. It’s usually quiet there this time of the day.”
    “Afraid to be alone with me in private?” he asked.
    “Forgive me if I don’t think that’s a good idea. You look like you want to choke the life out of me, and I’m not ready to die yet.” A vinegar smile crossed her lips, yet she still managed to look appealing.
    She always did have a sarcastic sense of humor. If he weren’t so unhappy about their circumstances he would crack a smile.
    They walked toward the door, and he placed his hand at the small of her back. The movement was automatic, one he didn’t think about until the exact moment his hand touched the base of her spine.
    She jerked away from him. The abrupt motion sent her smack dab into a man walking nearby. Lucas stopped in his tracks and heard her murmur an apology to the man who smiled off the collision.
    When she looked at him again, her eyes held a wildness that betrayed the cool expression on her face. “Could you try not to touch me, please,” she said.
    The verbal slap stung. “My mistake,” he bit out. He waved his hand with a flourish. “Carry on, princess.”
    “Stop calling me that,” she snapped.
    “Why? You used to like it.” He was purposely goading her, trying to get a reaction. Maybe because his insides were an emotional jumble and her impassive face, proof she had way more control than he did, struck a nerve.
    “Princesses get whatever they want. I do not.” She spun on her heel and marched toward the exit with more speed in her