Luc (Rossi Brothers) Read online

  Luc whispered a curse and spun on his heel, dragging his hands through his hair as he paced the pavement in front of her. “You’re driving me crazy, you know that? I’ve been standing on the other side of the park watching you kiss every guy in town. I couldn’t decide what I wanted more, to put a dent in that guy’s jaw or kiss the hell out of you.”

  Halfway down the alley, he pivoted and stalked back in her direction. He glared at her, as if somehow all this was her fault.

  “I was dying to let every single one of those guys know you’re mine.”

  Liz could only stare, stunned. So she was right. He was jealous. What was worse, the intensity in his gaze sent a fierce yearning rolling through her belly in hot little waves. Daniel had looked at her like that once. Right before he decked some guy for making a pass at her.

  Every limb shaking, she squared her shoulders, trying her damnedest to get her equilibrium back. It didn’t matter why he was behaving like a Neanderthal or how sexy he looked doing it. He had no right. “You do realize it’s going to be all over town by tomorrow?”

  Something flashed across the recesses of his eyes that she didn’t catch before his jaw tightened and his expression blanked. He stalked to the end of the alley, where the blacktop met the sidewalk, and stared out at the street beyond. “It was all I could think of. The way he looked at you, I knew exactly what he was thinking, and you were standing there, frozen in fear.”

  Liz folded her arms. It was a meager defense, but it was all she had left. “I wasn’t afraid of him. I could have handled him if I’d had to. My father was a police officer. He taught me how to take care of myself. So did my husband. I know self-defense, and I’m a damn good shot. I—”

  Luc pivoted around, eyes wide with surprise. “You know how to shoot a gun?”

  “Daniel insisted I learn. I have a nine millimeter, and I have a permit to carry concealed, though I’ve never had the guts to actually carry it on me.” She frowned, unsure who she was more irritated with: him for getting to her or herself for responding. “The point being, I could have dropped him if I’d needed to. But I didn’t.”

  Luc cocked a brow, clearly challenging her assertion. “Then why did you look so panicked? Who the hell was that guy?”

  She heaved a sigh. He had her there. Damn it. “An overzealous fan. He kept going on and on about my writing, and people were starting to stare.”

  But that was neither here or there. It was past time to end this insanity.

  “Look, I have no idea what to expect after a one-night stand. That’s essentially what we shared, isn’t it? So, I expected we’d said our goodbyes and we wouldn’t see each other again. When I didn’t hear from you, I figured we were going our separate ways. I get it. But I’m fairly certain that means you forfeit your right to be jealous. I appreciate the concern, but I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”

  Without waiting for a reply, she pivoted on her heel and stalked from the alleyway, heading for the safety of the booth as fast as her legs could carry her. Whatever the hell this was, she was backing out now, because alarms bells were sounding in her head.

  • • •

  Luc sank onto the park bench beside Nic with a weary sigh. Out in the grass beyond them, Alyssa and Ella held hands, twirling in circles while Alyssa sang “Ring Around the Rosie.”

  He couldn’t stop watching Liz across the park. Two hours had passed since she’d left him standing in the alley, pissed off and confused as hell. His thoughts kept circling back on each other. If only he could figure out when his feelings for her had changed. Because for sure they had.

  Seeing the pain in her eyes when she’d stormed away from him had hit him like a runaway freight train. He’d hurt her; that fact had been a blinking neon sign written all over her face. She was right. He hadn’t called her. He’d essentially treated her like she was little more than a hookup in a bar, and he hated himself for it. He didn’t have to ask to know Liz Anderson wasn’t a one-night stand kind of woman. She was the kind of woman you took your time with.

  She deserved better from him, and someway, somehow, he had to fix his screw-up.

  Nic nudged him with an elbow and shot him a playful smirk. “That was subtle, bro. Real subtle.”

  Luc rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands. He hadn’t the foggiest damn idea what to do now. He only knew he had to do something.

  “She makes me nuts. I find myself doing things I know I shouldn’t. I had no intention of going over there and making an ass out of myself, but I ended up there anyway. I took one look at the expression on that guy’s face and lost it.” Luc released a heavy breath and sat upright. “I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

  Nic let out a quiet laugh. “Toast.”

  Luc looked over at him. “You ever regret your relationship with Jen?”

  Nic’s expression sobered. He gave a slow shake of his head. “Sometimes. It hurt like hell watching her take everything I thought we had and toss it aside like it meant nothing. I really thought I’d spend forever with her. In the end, she had no qualms about leaving Ella and me for her damn modeling career. But without her, I wouldn’t have Ella, and Ella is my whole world and everything in it. I can’t be sorry for that.”

  Luc made a sound of agreement. “Alyssa makes me glad to get up in the morning. I hate Michelle for what she did, but I think she did Alyssa and me a favor. You ever think you’ll get married again?”

  Nic shrugged. “I don’t know. I have no desire to be somebody else’s pawn or risk Ella getting hurt, but it gets damn lonely sometimes. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go for it. Nonna and Nonno were happy for over forty years. There has to be something to that.” Nic nodded in the direction of the booth across the park. “Go over and apologize. I can watch Alyssa for the night if you need. You know Ella loves having her over.”

  Nic pushed off the bench and rose to his feet. He hunkered down like a lumbering giant and ran up behind the girls, sending them running and giggling in different directions. He caught Ella first, scooping her off the ground, much to the delight of Ella, who let out another round of giggles. He settled the toddler in one arm then held his hand out to Alyssa. “How about we go get some ice cream?”

  Alyssa darted an uncertain glance his way, and Luc rose to his feet, crossing to her. When she hugged his thigh, he reached down to stroke her hair. “You want to go get ice cream with Uncle Nic and Ella?”

  She nodded and stuck her other thumb in her mouth.

  Luc bent down and kissed the top of her head. “Go ahead. Uncle Nic can bring you back when you’re done, and you can help me serve some more ’sketti, okay?”

  Alyssa’s two favorite foods in the whole world were pancakes and spaghetti, no meatballs.

  She nodded again and took Nic’s hand. As he peered down at her upturned face, the idea rolled around in his brain. If he took this step, he’d be moving past admitting he wanted to see Liz again to inviting her into his life. Into Alyssa’s life.

  He’d set them both up for heartache if the relationship failed. He didn’t know if he was ready for their relationship to go any further than it had. All he knew was he needed to see her. At the very least, she needed to know she wasn’t a careless fling. He’d said it once before, but this time he meant it—he was done trying to stay away from her.

  Chapter Ten

  Luc punched the doorbell, folded his arms and leaned against the doorframe. At well past ten, the town had long since gone to bed, and the neighborhood around him was silent. No sound came from within Liz’s house. Not even Bruce’s usual barking.

  He probably shouldn’t even be here, but he prayed, somehow, Liz would still be awake.

  When the deadbolts chinked open from the other side of the door, Luc straightened and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. Heart in his throat, he went over the apology he’d rehearsed a thousand times.

  When the door finally opened, Bruce surged out first, a wiggling mass of golden fur dancing around his legs, sloppy tongue
occasionally making a swipe at his hand or arm. Luc rubbed the dog’s head before finally allowing himself to peek up at Liz.

  And promptly swallowed his tongue.

  On the other side of the threshold, Liz stood in a pair of pajama bottoms that hung low on her hips, and a light blue tank top. For a moment, he could only stare. Her breasts hung free and deliciously heavy, the tips puckered and straining against the fabric of her top.

  His mind filled with the last time he’d made love to her, the last time he’d held those delicious mouthfuls. Their soft weight. Her quiet gasp when he sucked on one of those taut tips.

  Liz folded her arms, snapping his heated perusal of her shut like the slamming of a door. “What’re you doing here, Luc?”

  Good going, dumbass. Prove to her you’re just another selfish prick …

  “I was hoping you might be awake.” He dropped his arms to his sides. Here went nothing. “I owe you an apology.”

  She arched a brow, but the cool indifference on her face didn’t budge. “For?”

  “Beating my chest and trying to drag you off to my cave.” He rolled his eyes and grinned, hoping, somehow, to ease the unbearable tension hanging between them. “It wasn’t one of my finer moments.”

  Her stiff posture softened a fraction, but the distrust didn’t disappear from her eyes. She turned her gaze to the floorboards beneath her feet and flexed her toes against the wood. “You came all the way over here at ten o’clock at night to tell me that?”

  “I couldn’t sleep. I haven’t been able to think of anything else since you walked away from me this afternoon.” He rubbed the back of his neck. She had him on his knees, but he’d never get any sleep tonight if he didn’t confess everything now. “I don’t think so well when you’re around. I tend to react and think about it later.”

  He dropped his gaze to Bruce, sitting at his feet with his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth, and stroked the dog’s head again. Bruce seemed content to sit beside him, and his presence calmed him. He was going to have to get honest with Liz. The gut-wrenching kind of honesty. The trouble was, it wouldn’t exactly be a hardship. Were he a dog, he’d roll over and bare his belly to her, and he hadn’t a damn clue why. Except that she pulled at the deepest parts of him.

  “When Maria died, I swore I was done. I wanted nothing to do with women. I’ll be honest. When Alyssa’s mother dropped her off on my porch, I thought the lot of you could go hang. I didn’t have the best opinion of relationships, and I sure as hell had no desire to get involved again. It’s why I was so pissed that Sam set us up without telling me.” He looked up, forcing himself to meet Liz’s gaze, and shrugged. It wasn’t the most flattering thing he’d ever told a woman, but it was honest. The question was, would she accept it? Or close the door in his face?

  Liz studied him, those eyes searching his face. Was she weighing his honesty, trying to decide if he was for real or feeding her a line? He couldn’t blame her. He’d made an ass out of himself today.

  Finally, like the first ray of sun after a long dark night, one corner of her mouth twitched, and she dropped her arms to her sides. “You’re a flatterer, aren’t you?”

  He grinned in spite of himself. He was rambling and no doubt insulting her in the process, but she was smiling at him. Tossing a tease right back at him. Suddenly he wasn’t sorry he’d followed the instinct to come over here with his heart on his sleeve.

  And that was exactly what he was doing: handing her his heart. He was admitting he wanted her in his life, that he wanted to follow wherever their relationship went. She had a piece of him, and he wanted to run with it.

  He took a careful step forward. When she didn’t back away, he reached out and thumbed her chin, relishing the softness of her skin. He needed her to know he was serious, that he wasn’t feeding her a line. “That afternoon we spent together? I wanted to stay. Long enough to make you dinner … and then breakfast in the morning.”

  A soft shiver ran through her, and her mouth fell open. Her eyes filled with a heat so potent it threatened to sink all his good intentions. He ached to taste her again, to hear the soft little sighs she made when she gave in to the desire between them, to feel her body surge up to meet his and tremble beneath him.

  He didn’t want to just take his pleasure in her body. No, he wanted to spend hours feasting on her. He wanted to get to know every inch of her velvety skin and her every reaction until he knew them by heart. He wanted to spend those hours from dusk til dawn listening to her quiet voice beside him and fall asleep wrapped in her arms.

  For the first time since he’d come home from Italy, he wanted to get lost in a woman. Simply because he could. And he wanted her.

  He dropped his hand. “I’m more of a relationship guy. Casual sex really isn’t my style.”

  She shrugged. “Why the big testosterone show in the center of town?”

  He took another step forward, close enough now that her soft, feminine scent swirled around his head like a lure. It made holding his position damned difficult, but if he pushed, she’d shove him back outside and close the door in his face, and he might not get another chance.

  “Because you were right. I was jealous, whether I wanted to admit it or not. I also didn’t like the way that guy looked at you. Just because you write erotic romance doesn’t give him permission to stare at you like you’re a porn star.”

  She flushed and shook her head. “I should be used to it. People tell me things they probably wouldn’t otherwise. I write sex for a living, and I write to evoke emotion from people. They expect me to be comfortable discussing these things.”

  “Doesn’t mean they have the right to take it the level he did.” Luc released a heavy breath, letting go of his irritation with it, and hooked her around the waist, pulling her against him. Her soft body hit his, warm and solid and lusciously feminine, and relief shuddered through him. “I want to see you again.”

  Her eyes widened, and with a shake of her head, Liz pushed out of his embrace. “I don’t know if this is something I can do, Luc. I don’t even know if I can fall in love again. I don’t know if I want to. You’re a lot younger than I am and you have a daughter. Seeing her is …” She shook her head again and took another step back, her hand reaching for the door.

  Shit. If he didn’t start talking, and fast, he likely had at most thirty seconds before she shut the door in his face.

  Refusing to allow her to retreat, he snatched her hand and pulled her back. “I’m not pushing. I’m just tossing it out there, because I need you to know. Look, I know I screwed up. The morning we spent together, I left because you scare the crap out of me. I didn’t call for the same reason. Truth is, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing when I’m with you.”

  She averted her gaze to something off to the left and, for the second time, pushed out of his embrace and backed away from him. She let out a heavy sigh and shook her head, her voice lowering to a vulnerable murmur. “I haven’t dated in twenty years. I don’t know how to do this.”

  “Me, either. It’s partly why I’m here. You’re not the only one who’s scared. Letting you into my life means you have to be willing to accept my daughter, too. Alyssa’s been let down enough. Truth is, I’m not sure I’m ready to fall in love again either.” He let his shoulders slump. “Maria’s betrayal took it out of me.”

  His stomach twisted. The muscles in his shoulders tensed until they ached. Since Maria’s death, he hadn’t allowed himself to be this vulnerable with any woman but her, and right now, he had to convince her to give him a chance.

  “Give me a week. Let me teach you to cook. I’ll come over in the mornings and teach you to make dinner for yourself. I promised you I would, and I owe you.”

  Her gaze softened. “You don’t owe me anything. We got carried away. I’m not holding that against you.”

  He shook his head. “I meant what I told you. In my family, cooking is as essential as family itself. I can’t imagine not knowing how. Besides, you asked me to teach yo
u, and I don’t make idle promises. If, at the end of the week, you don’t want to see me anymore, at least you’ll have learned a skill you said you’d like to have. A week is more than enough to teach you the basics.”

  She stood for a moment studying him, and he was sure he was about to stare at the wrong side of a heavy oak door, but to his surprise, she nodded. “Okay.”

  He wanted to whoop with joy, to pick her up and swing her around but settled for stroking her cheek instead.

  “Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He kissed her cheek, gave Bruce a scratch on the head, then forced himself to turn and leave. It wasn’t much, but it was something. If all he did was earn back her friendship, he could live with that.

  • • •

  When the doorbell sounded through the house the following morning, Liz’s heart jumped into her throat. Bruce perked up from where he laid curled on the couch in her office. He let out a low, menacing growl and leapt up, running from the room. She took a moment to save her novel in progress and close Word.

  After that night at Sam’s, the ideas had begun to flow. Characters slowly emerged. Stories expanded. She had no idea where the book was going, and it resembled too much her relationship with Luc—an older woman’s love affair with a younger man. Despite the hot scenes she’d previously written, the rest of the book was nothing she’d ever done before. It was slower and a lot more emotional, more a romance than the erotic stuff she’d penned up until this point. Like everything else in her life these days, it was completely not her style, but wherever it went, she was choosing to follow.

  Program closed, she shoved her chair back with her knees and stood, following Bruce. At the front door, she closed her eyes to steady her nerves. Like the heroine in her work in progress, she was this close to giving in and discovering where a relationship with Luc would take her. At some point she had to move forward and leave Daniel in the past.