Luc (Rossi Brothers) Page 5

  “You ready?” He glanced at Nic as he snatched his keys off the counter. “I need to be back at the restaurant before the lunch rush starts.”

  “Yup.” Nic set his cup on the counter behind him.

  Luc crossed to the girls, smiling as he squatted beside them. “You guys ready for the park?”

  Alyssa smiled and nodded, holding out her arms to be picked up. Ella burbled a happy reply. She was a talker, that one. He ruffled her hair, then scooped Alyssa off the floor. She immediately stuck her thumb in her mouth and laid her head on his shoulder.

  His heart clenched. He wasn’t good at juggling all the pieces of his life. He worried sometimes that she paid the price.

  “She’s fine.”

  Nonna’s voice sounded behind him, gentle but reassuring. As usual, she appeared to read his mind. She was the only person he couldn’t hide from.

  He tucked a lock of hair behind Alyssa’s ear. “As much as I’m trying to rearrange my schedule, I still don’t feel I have nearly enough time with her.”

  Nonna clucked her tongue, stroking her hand over Alyssa’s hair. “Nonno and I were always at the restaurant when you three were small. Did you feel neglected? Someday, when she’s older, you’ll take her to work the way we did with you three. Besides, it’s the time you do spend with her that counts.”

  Nonna had a point. He and his siblings hadn’t minded all the time they’d spent at the restaurant. In fact, those were memories he cherished. His first foray into cooking had been helping Nonno make the pizza dough and the sauce. By the time he was fifteen, he could make the entire menu from scratch.

  Nonna laid a comforting hand on his arm. “You know what she likes? When you come pick her up at the end of the night. She goes to sleep on the couch like a good girl, because she knows you’re coming to get her. She looks forward to it.”

  He turned to look at her. “She told you that?”

  “She doesn’t have to. Every night, she wakes up before you arrive, like clockwork, and she waits.”

  Warmth mixed with the worry inside of him. Nonna was right. Unless she was here with Nonna, Alyssa wouldn’t sleep without him nearby. They’d had to work up to even that. It had taken her a month to stop looking at him in fear, to stop asking when her mother was coming back.

  “Makes me wonder what she went through with Michelle.”

  Alyssa’s mother was a cocaine addict. He’d ended their relationship when he caught her doing a line one morning. Not once in the last six months had she attempted to contact him. Her lack of contact meant, according to his lawyer, that he could now file to have her listed as abandoning their daughter. The thought ought to make him happy, but he still hoped she’d come to her senses and return. He wanted his daughter to have what he didn’t—a mother who loved her. It made him more determined to make sure he raised her the way his grandparents had raised them.

  “Come on, ladies.” Nic appeared at his side, scooping Ella off the floor and swooping her into the air. Ella’s delighted giggled filled the kitchen. “We have a date with a swing set.”

  Alyssa lifted her head from Luc’s shoulder and pulled her thumb from her mouth, peering at him with big brown eyes that made him melt. She could ask for the world, and he’d probably give it to her. “Goggie?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know if there will be any doggies there today, sweetheart.”

  Alyssa, he’d discovered, loved dogs. He suspected Dino and Rocco were the culprits that had started that, because they adored her. They followed her everywhere. He had to keep a close eye on her when they went to the park. If she spotted a dog, she went running for the poor fluffy critter. This morning, her innocent question had his mind filling with thoughts of Liz and Bruce. He almost hoped she’d be there. Just for one more glance of that addicting heat in her eyes …

  • • •

  “Goggie!”

  Luc stifled a groan as Alyssa’s delighted squeal sounded behind him. She shot off the end of the slide, landed on her feet, and took off running across the field. Sunside Park sat at the east end of town, at the edge of Penn Cove, and boasted a six-mile long stretch of beach. The day was gorgeous, unusually bright and sunny, attracting the town’s residents. Adults littered the playground equipment, some alone watching their children play, some in small groups. Several boats hummed along the water. So far this morning, Alyssa had been torn between watching for dogs and playing with Ella.

  Beside him, Nic chuckled, giving the baby swing Ella sat in a gentle push. “What’s that make, the fourth dog she’s accosted since we got here? I think you need to suck it up and get her a puppy, man.”

  Luc let out a quiet laugh. “Yeah, that’s what I need. So it can eat my shoes when I go to work. No. No dogs. She’s got Dino and Rocco at Nonna’s. That’s enough.” He took off at a jog after Alyssa, calling out to her as he ran. “Sweetheart, stop. We have to ask first, remember?”

  Up ahead of him, Alyssa reached the dog and its owner, a slender woman with a long-haired Golden Retriever that looked remarkably like Bruce. A pink hoodie covered the woman’s head, however, blocking his view of her hair.

  The woman halted on the path that led around the outside of the park. Alyssa hurled herself at the dog, wrapping her little arms around his neck and burying her face in his thick fur. Luc’s heart resumed its beat when the dog turned its head in an attempt to lick her. At least the dog appeared friendly.

  The owner turned her head, no doubt searching for a wayward parent, and halfway across the field, Luc slowed to a walk. I’ll be damned. It was Liz. He couldn’t stop his stupid grin or the kick to his heartbeat.

  As her gaze collided with his, the corners of her mouth tipped. The power of that gaze pulled him to her. “Sorry. She loves dogs. She’s accosted four other walkers this morning.”

  Liz glanced at Alyssa, something somber moving behind her eyes he couldn’t quite reach. Bruce flopped onto the path and rolled over, baring his belly for a rub, and Alyssa dropped beside him to oblige.

  Liz let out a quiet laugh. “The feeling appears to be mutual.”

  For a long moment, awkward silence hung between them. He hadn’t a damn clue what to say to her, because he was once again caught. It was still there, that flare of desire. The magnetic pull wanted to draw him closer. Sitting at half-mast, those gorgeous eyes filled with subtle heat, with recognition of the attraction pulsing between them.

  “Play?” Alyssa’s question came quietly beside him, breaking the moment. She peered at him, her eyes filling with hope, and darted a glance at Liz.

  It was just a little ball with the dog. Some friendly chitchat. It didn’t have to be any more complicated than that. Did it?

  He shrugged. “It would make her day if she could play with him for a while.”

  • • •

  Liz’s heart hammered her ribcage. She wouldn’t deny, not even to herself, that she’d had fun at Sam’s the other night. Hell, she’d even pondered calling Luc and taking him up on his offer to teach her to cook, if only to spend time with someone who made her feel something beyond grief.

  She yearned to get lost in that feeling again. Newfound desire was damn addicting, and she missed it. Missed the giddiness that fizzled through her body like champagne bubbles, all effervescent and tingly. And suddenly there he was, standing in front of her, temptation itself.

  He was so young, though. Two or three years was nothing, but ten? She still had a plug-in phone, and whenever she had problems with her computer, she had to call the neighbor’s teenager to come fix it.

  He also had a daughter. A beautiful little girl with big brown eyes, and dark curls that fell, haphazardly, over her forehead. She’d sworn to herself once she was putting that awful day behind her, but Luc’s daughter looked to be about the age her own might have been had she lived. One look at those brown eyes and that hopeful smile, and every yearning she’d ever had for her own daughter rose again. Rocking her to sleep. Soothing a nightmare. Fixing her hair and shopping for pretty dre
sses. Even the simplicity of hearing her laugh.

  Alyssa smiled up at her, blinking innocently, eyes full of hope as she hung on to Bruce’s neck, waiting for an answer. “Pease? Goggie play?”

  Liz shook her head and tried to force words out past the lump in her throat. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

  She picked up Bruce’s leash, intending to follow the path again, but Luc’s hand closed around her wrist before she got more than two steps away.

  “Wait. Please.” His eyes were wide, seeming to plead with her for a moment, before he squatted in front of his daughter. “Alyssa, honey, she can’t play right now. Why don’t you go play with Uncle Nic and Ella, okay?” He pointed to where a man and a toddler slightly smaller than Alyssa played on the jungle gym.

  Alyssa stuck her thumb in her mouth, uncertainty rising in her eyes.

  Luc stroked her hair. “I’ll be there in a minute. I just want to say goodbye to my friend.”

  Alyssa nodded, and, thumb still in her mouth, started off across the grass. He stood watching her, his fingers firm around Liz’s wrist, refusing to let her escape.

  When his daughter climbed onto the end of the green plastic slide, Luc turned to her. “You okay?”

  She drew up straight, pulling her shoulders back, and forced herself to face him. They’d been honest with each other from the start. She owed it to him to be honest now. “Look. I like you. I really do. I think you’re a nice guy. You make me laugh, and I can’t deny I’m attracted to you, but you have a daughter …”

  Luc stiffened, and the rest of her statement died in her throat. Surprise and disappointment flared in his gaze two seconds before his expression went blank. “I wasn’t asking you on a date. I just hoped you wouldn’t mind letting her play with your dog for a while. But whatever. It was nice seeing you, Liz. I’m sorry she bothered you.”

  The same man who’d joked about basing their relationship on sex turned and stalked in the other direction like he couldn’t get away fast enough. For a moment, she watched him go. Some part of her insisted it was better this way, but the disappointment in his eyes wouldn’t release her.

  “It’s not what you think.” She took a step in his direction, calling out to his retreating back. Her heart hammered in nervous anticipation. She clasped her hands together in a vain attempt to stem their shaking and prayed her voice carried over the wind and giggling kids.

  He halted in the grass and stood for a moment before finally turning to face her.

  “Explain it to me, then.” He didn’t move, merely watched her with wary eyes, his jaw tight.

  She clasped her hands together and prayed that, somehow, she’d find the right words.

  “It’s not easy to talk about.” At the barest mention, the memory rose over her again, as vivid as if it happened yesterday. The wracking pain of contractions. Pushing to get the baby out. Holding her tiny daughter in her arms, watching her sweet face and hoping beyond hope she’d somehow take that breath, all the while knowing she never would. And in the end, having to hand the baby back. The funeral with a casket that should never be that small.

  Two years had passed since her daughter’s death, but she still had trouble letting it go.

  Luc took a couple of steps in her direction. His jaw loosened, softening his features. “Some hurts run too deep.”

  While some part of her said she shouldn’t be telling him this, the gentle understanding and lack of judgment in his tone gave her the courage to continue.

  “I lost a baby, right before my husband died. I know it’s not fair to you to hold it against for being a father, for having what I wanted so badly, but the truth is …” She let the words trail off into the wind and dropped her gaze to the ground. Here she was, telling him her life story, and she hadn’t a clue why. Except that something in his eyes always seemed to pull it out of her. He seemed to accept her, broken bits and all.

  Luc finally closed the distance between them, towering over her. “Truth is what?”

  Her skin prickled at his nearness, his scent, vanilla and warm cookies, floating over her. God, the man was potent. The first man since Daniel to make her want something beyond the scintillating stories she wrote. She wanted something real, someone solid, even if it ended up being short-lived.

  God. Maybe Sam was right. Maybe it really was that simple.

  She straightened her shoulders and held his gaze. “When you said we’d have to base this on sex, I know you were only kidding, breaking the ice, but you weren’t half off your mark. That’s about all I’m capable of right now.”

  A slow grin eased up one corner of his mouth, what she was coming to recognize as his trademark lopsided smile. “Are you propositioning me?”

  Her heart tripped over itself. Was she? The answer rose just as quickly, though, and she shook her head. “I’m just trying to explain where I’m at right now.”

  He studied her for a moment then closed the last of the space between them. “All right, if you’re being honest, I will be, too. Do you know why I offered to give you cooking lessons, Liz?”

  She let out a quiet laugh. “Because I can’t cook worth a damn?”

  If at all possible, Luc’s eyes darkened, glinting with a potent hunger. He reached out slowly, stroking the pad of his thumb across her shoulder. Such an innocent touch, but goose bumps shivered across the surface of her skin. “Well, that too, but mostly because I think you’re beautiful. That dress you wore that night about drove me crazy. I know the age difference bothers you, but—”

  “If you call me a cougar, I swear I’ll hit you.” She jabbed a finger at him, but couldn’t quite hold back her giggle.

  The left corner of his mouth lifted. He stroked his thumb across her bottom lip this time, the touch soft, tender … as if he were a longtime lover. “I was going to say it doesn’t bother me. It’s a turn-on, actually. You have a maturity about you I find intriguing as hell.”

  He followed the edge of her jaw and down the side of her neck, the touch so intimate she couldn’t stop the heady shiver that raked through her. While some part of insisted she shouldn’t allow the touch, that people were probably watching them, her eyes closed anyway. All sensation pooled in her quickly dampening panties. God help her. If she were Superman, then Luc would be her kryptonite.

  When his hand dropped away, Liz opened her eyes. He was watching her. Something that looked an awful lot like regret took shape in his searching eyes.

  She folded her arms. She shouldn’t be disappointed. Hadn’t she just told him this would never work for her? But the expectation of his rejection had dread sinking in her stomach all the same. “But?”

  He dropped his hand, tucking both in his pockets. “My first priority right now is my daughter. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not ready to introduce new people into her life. Letting her play with Bruce in the park is one thing, but bringing you into my life is another entirely. She needs stability. To know she’s safe and that no more people are going to leave her life. The last thing I need is for her to get attached to a girlfriend only to have it end badly. So we’re even.”

  Liz nodded. “Believe it or not, I understand that. She should come first.”

  “Exactly.” He playfully bumped her shoulder. “I hadn’t planned on actually liking you.”

  She laughed and held out her hand, praying he wouldn’t notice the way it trembled. The man flat out unnerved her. “Shall we call it friends, then?”

  Luc didn’t take her hand but leaned his mouth to her ear, instead. “As long as we’re being honest, I’m not sure I could ever consider you only a friend. Sam’s a friend, but I’ve spent the last three days thinking things about you I sure as hell don’t think about Sam.”

  The feel of his hot breath on her neck froze her in place. It stirred the hairs at the base of her neck, sending heady shivers down her spine. When he finally pulled back again, she could do little more than blink up at him. He didn’t give her time to think of a coherent response, much less form words, but winked,
turned and loped after his daughter.

  Not for the first time since she’d met him, Luc left her staring after him, stunned and speechless. This time, she was sure she was drooling. It wasn’t until he reached his brother that it really hit her. He’d done it again. He’d made her forget herself. Forget Daniel’s death and the months of grief and loneliness. Because she’d gotten caught up in his sexy-as-sin smile and the addicting attraction between them.

  Hell. Maybe Sam was right. Maybe Luc was exactly what she needed. The first step into moving beyond existing and starting to actually live again had been that night at Sam’s. Allowing herself to enjoy spending the evening with him. Maybe the next step was to take him up on his offer to teach her to cook. Allowing herself to feel the desire between them.

  She had to take this step eventually. Who better to do it with than a man who represented everything she feared? Who, even when she was feeling rotten, somehow still managed to make her laugh? Who made her feel alive for the first time in two years?

  Chapter Six

  “We have to stop meeting like this.”

  Luc’s deep rumble called to her from behind, and Liz halted on the trail. The morning was cool and bright, the park once again full of people. Kids squealed and giggled. Dogs barked. The quick thud, thud, thud of a runner’s footfalls sounded somewhere nearby. Yet all she could focus on was the man behind her.

  For an endless moment, she closed her eyes, trying to regain her equilibrium. She hadn’t stopped thinking about him since she left him here yesterday. The naughty vixen who penned her wildest fantasies taunted her, told her she should have been brave enough to acknowledge propositioning him and invited him over last night.

  Liz forced herself to turn. Luc moved across the grass with all the grace of a lanky cat, his strides long and loose. Her face alight, Alyssa ran slightly ahead, giggling the whole way, and warmth bloomed inside of Liz, gentle but profound all the same.

  Like yesterday, her wounded heart told her she needed to walk away. Before she fell in love with a little girl with the biggest brown eyes she’d ever seen. But Alyssa skidded to a halt in front of her and flashed a bright, beautiful smile, and Liz was a goner. Alyssa greeted Bruce with an ecstatic hug. Bruce, of course, turned his head to lick any part of the girl he could reach.