His Brother's Regret: Chapter Two

The lock clicks, and the world stops.

For three years, I’ve played the role of the observer. I’ve watched from the sidelines while my brother took the girl, the glory, and the credit, all while I kept the Sterling name from dragging through the mud. But the silence of the library is a different kind of power. Standing ten feet away from Sienna, watching the way her pulse jumps in the hollow of her throat, I realize I’m done being the ghost in my own life.

She thinks she’s here to say goodbye to a memory. She has no idea she’s actually walking into a cage she’ll never want to leave. Tonight, the spreadsheets and the family expectations don't matter. Tonight, I’m not the CEO or the elder brother. I’m just a man taking back the only thing he ever truly wanted.

Chapter Two 

Lucian

The sound of the lock clicking into place is the most honest thing I’ve done in three years.

I lean my back against the heavy mahogany door for a heartbeat, letting the silence of the library wash over me. Outside, the party is a mindless drone of laughter and clinking crystal, a celebration of a lie. My brother is a fool who thinks he’s found a soulmate in a woman who fits a spreadsheet. And the woman I’ve been starving for is standing ten feet away, trembling like a leaf in a storm I created.

Sienna looks like a dream I’m not supposed to have. The silk of her dress is a deep, bruised plum that makes her skin look like cream, and the way her pulse is jumping in the hollow of her throat is driving me toward a ledge I’ve been balanced on for too long.

She makes him happy.

The words are a joke. Leo is happy because he’s a coward who chose the path of least resistance. He took the girl our mother liked and the life our father wanted. He didn't want the fire. He didn't want the kind of hunger that keeps you awake at 3:00 a.m. wondering if the girl in the room next door is staring at the ceiling and thinking about you, too.

I move toward her, and it feels like the first time I’ve actually breathed in months. Every step is a deliberate invasion. I want her to feel the weight of my presence, the sheer gravity of a man who is done pretending. When I reach her, the scent of her perfume—something floral but edged with a sharp, desperate note—hits me like a physical blow.

I catch her chin, forcing those wide, dark eyes to meet mine. I need her to see exactly who is taking her. I’m not the good brother. I’m not the one who makes promises he can't keep. I’m the Sterling who gets his hands dirty so the rest of the family can stay clean.

"You think it’s too late, don't you?" I ask, and my voice sounds like gravel under a boot. "You think because he’s wearing a ring, the Sterling name is closed to you."

She’s breathless, her lips parted as she looks at me. "It is. I’m the ex-girlfriend. I’m the mistake."

"No." I slide my hand to the back of her neck, my fingers tangling in the soft silk of her hair. I pull just enough to make her gasp, exposing the delicate line of her throat. "He was the mistake. I’m the one you should have been looking at."

The moment I kiss her, the world outside this library ceases to exist. There is only the taste of her—sweet, gin-soaked, and wanting—and the feel of her hands bunching the fabric of my jacket. She isn't fighting me. She’s reaching for me. It’s a revelation that nearly brings me to my knees.

I break the kiss just long enough to lift her, her legs wrapping around my waist with an instinct that makes my blood roar. I settle her onto the edge of the library table, sweeping a stack of meaningless ledgers to the floor. They hit the wood with a dull thud, the sound of the Sterling legacy being discarded for something far more valuable.

"Lucian," she moans, and the way she says my name—like a prayer and a sin all at once—is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.

I reach for the zipper at the back of her dress. My pulse is a frantic rhythm against my ribs, but my hands remain steady—a Sterling trait I’ve perfected over decades of high-stakes gambles. I don't tremble. I don't hesitate. But the reality of her skin against my fingers, the heat radiating off her body, is enough to test even my legendary composure.

"I’ve spent three years imagining this," I growl against her ear, my teeth grazing the lobe. "I’ve imagined the way you’d look. The way you’d smell. The way you’d taste when you finally stopped fighting the inevitable."

I slide the zipper down, the sound of the teeth parting a finality I’ve been craving. The dress falls, pooling around her hips, and she’s there—exposed, beautiful, and mine. I don't look away. I want her to see the hunger in my eyes. I want her to know that there is nowhere left for her to hide.

"I’m not interested in being your friend, Sienna," I whisper, my hands finding the soft curves of her waist. "And I’m certainly not interested in being your brother-in-law."

I lean in, burying my face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in until my lungs burn. "You are the only thing I’ve ever wanted that I didn't take. And tonight, I’m taking everything."

I’ve spent a thousand nights rehearsing this in the dark, but nothing prepared me for the reality of her. Sienna is a masterpiece of soft curves and defiant heat. The lace of her bra is a thin barrier, one I plan on shredding, but first, I want to feel the way she shudders when I touch her without the silk in the way.

My hands slide from her waist up to her ribs, my thumbs tracing the underside of her breasts. She’s so small in my grip, so delicate, yet she’s the only thing strong enough to bring the Sterling empire to its knees. I can feel her heart drumming against my palms, a frantic, wild rhythm that matches my own.

"Lucian," she breathes, her fingers digging into my shoulders. "We shouldn't... the party... Leo..."

"Forget him." I press my forehead against hers, my eyes locking onto hers. "Leo doesn't exist in this room. He doesn't get to have a single second of your thoughts tonight. You are here with me. You are looking at me. Say it."

"I’m here with you," she whispers, her voice hitching as I thumb a dark nipple through the lace.

"Good girl."

I capture her mouth again, more aggressive this time, making sure she understands that the time for being polite is over. I taste the desperation in her, the three years of what-ifs finally catching fire. I hoist her higher on the table, my body slotting between her thighs, and the friction of her heat against my dress slacks is nearly enough to make me lose the thread of my control.

I break the kiss and focus on the only thing left shielding her from me. The dress is already a discarded memory at her hips, but the thin scrap of lace covering her breasts is an insult I’m done enduring. I reach for the front clasp, unfastening it with a single, practiced tug. The lace gives way, and she’s fully exposed to me in the dim light of the library. She’s beautiful. Perfect. A goddess hidden in the stacks of a family that never deserved her.

"You’re mine," I growl, my voice vibrating deep in my chest. "From the second I saw you in that coffee shop with Leo, I knew you were mine. I let him have his turn because I thought I could be the better man. I thought I could stay in the shadows."

I lean down, my mouth finding the peak of her breast, and she lets out a sharp, strangled cry that echoes against the leather-bound books. I swirl my tongue around the aching tip before taking her fully into my mouth, sucking hard, losing myself in the taste of her. But I’m not done marking what is mine.

I move upward, my lips dragging over the skin of her chest until I reach the sensitive column of her throat. I suck hard right over her pulse point, deep enough to leave a dark, unmistakable brand. That is for the rest of them. I want every Sterling who looks at her tonight to see the evidence of my mouth and know she’s been claimed by the brother they’re all afraid of.

Sienna’s head falls back, her neck arching as she lets out a long, broken moan. Her hands leave my shoulders and find my hair, pulling me closer, urging me to take more.

"More," she whimpers. "Please, Lucian."

"I’m going to give you everything," I promise against her skin, my hands moving to the waistband of the lace panties that are the only thing left between us. "I’m going to make you forget his name. I’m going to make you wonder why you ever let a boy touch you when you were made for a man."

I hook my fingers into the waistband of her lace panties and the remaining bunched silk of her dress, sliding them down her legs in one fluid motion. My eyes never leave hers as the last of her clothes hit the floor with a soft rustle. I drink in the sight of her, completely exposed and ready for me on the very table where I’ve signed away millions in cold, calculated deals.

This is the only deal that matters.

I reach for my belt, the leather creaking in the silence. My hands are steady now. The hesitation is gone, replaced by a cold, hard certainty. I’ve waited long enough. I’ve been the brother who watched from the sidelines while the world gave the "good" Sterling everything.

Tonight, I’m taking the only thing that was ever worth having.

I step out of my trousers, my eyes pinned on her as I reveal exactly how much I want her. Sienna’s breath catches, her gaze traveling down the length of me before snapping back to my face. She looks terrified, but she doesn't pull away. Instead, she reaches out, her small, soft hand trembling as she touches the bare skin of my hip.

The contact sends a jolt through me that makes my vision blur.

"You’re so... big," she whispers, her voice a mix of awe and hunger.

"I’m yours," I counter, moving back into her space. I spread her legs wider, my thighs forcing hers apart until she’s completely open to me. "Every inch of me. Every dark thought I’ve ever had about you. It’s all yours, Sienna."

I find her center with my thumb, circling the sensitive bud until she’s slick and sobbing my name. She’s so wet, so ready, it’s a wonder I don't just lose it right then. I lean over her, my weight pressing her back against the wood of the table, and whisper into her ear.

"Tell me to stop, and I’ll walk out that door. I’ll go back to the party and let you keep pretending you’re okay with being the girl he left behind."

She doesn't hesitate. She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down for a kiss that tastes like a surrender.

"Don't you dare," she gasps against my lips. "Take me, Lucian. Take me now."

She doesn't hesitate. She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down for a kiss that tastes like a surrender.

I don't need to be told twice. I position myself at her entrance, the heat from her body radiating against me, and with one slow, agonizingly deep thrust, I claim her.

She screams my name into the empty library, and for the first time in my life, the Sterling legacy finally feels complete.

The sound she makes as I fill her is a jagged, broken thing—half-sob, half-triumph. It’s a sound that’s going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

I go still, my muscles screaming under the strain of holding myself back. I am buried so deep in her that I can feel her heart fluttering against my chest, the vibrations traveling through her skin and into mine. She’s tight, a perfect fit that feels like a trap I never want to escape. My vision is swimming with the scent of her and the sheer, overwhelming reality that after three years of starvation, I am finally at the table.

"Look at me," I growl, my voice sounding like it’s being dragged over broken glass.

Sienna’s eyes flutter open, dark and glassy with a mix of shock and pleasure. She looks wrecked, her hair fanned out over the dark wood of the table, her lips swollen from my kisses.

"You feel that?" I ask, my hands tightening on her hips, my fingers digging into the soft flesh. "That’s three years of me wanting to ruin you. Three years of watching you look at him while I was dying to show you what this felt like."

"Lucian," she gasps, her fingers clawing at my back, her nails drawing thin lines of fire across my skin. "Please... move."

I don't move. Not yet. I want her to feel every bit of the Sterling weight. I want her to understand that this isn't a quick tryst in a library; it’s an upheaval. I lean down, my mouth hovering just above hers. "From this second on, you don't belong to the family. You belong to me. Not the name, not the legacy. Me."

I pull out slowly, nearly all the way, until I see her eyes widen and her hips tilt up, searching for me. Then I drive back in, hard and fast, a rhythmic, punishing pace that erases the distant hum of the ballroom music.

The table creaks under us, the heavy mahogany protesting the violence of our connection. I don't care about the furniture. I don't care about the first editions or the ledgers on the floor. I only care about the way Sienna’s breath catches every time I drive into her, hitting deep enough to make her gasp my name, and the way her legs tighten around my waist, pulling me in further, as if she’s trying to merge our souls.

She’s a revelation. She isn't the quiet, supportive girl I saw with Leo. Under me, she’s a storm. She’s loud, demanding, and raw. She meets every thrust with a desperate tilt of her hips, her moans turning into low, guttural sounds that tell me she’s reaching her limit.

"I’ve got you," I whisper, the words more of a threat than a comfort. I reach between us, my thumb finding the spot that’s already slick and swollen. I circle it with a relentless pressure, watching as her face contorts, her head thrashing against the wood.

"Lucian, I—I can't—"

"You can," I command. "Give it to me, Sienna. Give me everything he could never give you."

That’s the breaking point. She lets out a long, high-pitched cry, her entire body clenching around me in waves of pure, unadulterated release. It’s so intense it nearly snaps the last thread of my own control. I watch her come, the sight of her undoing more beautiful than any corporate victory I’ve ever won.

The sight of her shattered under me is the final blow. I pick up the pace, my movements becoming primal, desperate. I’m no longer the calculated CEO of Sterling Industries. I’m just a man taking what he’s fought his whole life to earn.

I bury my face in the crook of her neck, my teeth sinking into her skin as I find my own release. It’s a violent, bone-deep finish that leaves me hollowed out and gasping for air. I pour everything into her—the resentment, the longing, the three years of silence—until there’s nothing left but the two of us and the cooling air of the library.

I stay buried in her for a long time, my head resting on her shoulder as our breathing slowly begins to sync. The silence of the room is heavy now, weighted with the gravity of what we’ve just done. There is no going back to the ballroom. There is no pretending this didn't happen.

I pull back eventually, my eyes searching hers. She looks dazed, her gaze soft and vulnerable. I reach up, my thumb tracing the line of her lower lip.

"Stay here," I say, the command leaving no room for argument.

I move back, my body feeling heavy and powerful. I don't look like the man who walked into this library twenty minutes ago. I look like a man who has finally claimed his throne. I don't reach for my clothes immediately; instead, I head toward the small, private ensuite tucked away behind the mahogany bookshelves.

I return a moment later with a warm, damp cloth. The silence of the library is heavy now, weighted with the gravity of what we’ve just done. There is no going back to the ballroom. There is no pretending this didn't happen.

Sienna is still sitting on the edge of the table, her legs dangling, looking beautifully wrecked in the dim light. Her breath hitches when she sees me approaching, her eyes tracking my every move. She looks vulnerable, exposed, and entirely mine.

I step between her knees, my presence pinning her in place. I don't say a word as I begin to clean her, my movements slow and deliberate. It’s an intimate, grounding act that feels more possessive than the sex itself. I’m erasing every trace of the girl who walked in here as an unwanted guest and replacing her with someone who belongs to me.

"Lucian?" her voice is small, a sliver of doubt breaking through the haze. "What happens now? We can’t just walk back out there. Your brother... the party..."

I stop, the cloth resting against her inner thigh. I look up, my gaze locking onto hers. "Leo can have his toast and his hollow life. He doesn't deserve another second of your worry."

I reach up, my thumb tracing the dark, fresh mark on her neck—the brand I left for the world to see. "We aren’t going back out there to play nice. I’m taking you to my house. Tonight."

"But—"

"No more 'buts,' Sienna." I lean in, my forehead resting against hers. "I’ve spent three years being the 'good' brother. I’m done. The only thing that matters is that you're in my car and away from this house before the first champagne bottle hits the floor."

I pull back, finally reaching for my shirt. The click of the lock as I eventually turn it won't be to let the world in. It’ll be to let us out.

Come back for another chapter

Author Notes

This chapter is where everything changes. I knew from the moment I started writing Lucian that he wasn’t going to play by the rules, and this scene in the library proved it. We’re officially moving away from the "supportive friend" dynamic and into something much more possessive and permanent. This is the turning point for the Sterling legacy, and I wanted to make sure you felt every bit of the friction between Lucian’s iron control and his absolute hunger for Sienna. Buckle up, because the "good" brother just left the building.

Copyright © by LS Phoenix

No portion of this story may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

Published by LS Phoenix

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First Edition: May 2026

Cover Design by LS Phoenix