Luc (Rossi Brothers) Read online

  Liz blew out a relieved breath. She hadn’t expected otherwise, but she was grateful for the reassurance nonetheless. “Thank you.”

  “So.” Sam bounced on the couch again like an eager high school girl waiting for juicy bits of gossip. “How was it?”

  Liz let out a heavy sigh as she sank back against the couch cushions and stared at the ceiling. Delicious little shivers chased each other across the surface of her skin.

  “It was incredible. We never ended up cooking a damn thing. I don’t even think he knows where my kitchen is. We spent four hours on the living room floor.” She darted a glance at Sam. She shouldn’t share this. It ought to be private, something kept between her and Luc, but God, she had to tell somebody. “Five times.”

  Sam’s mouth dropped open again. “You made love five times in four hours?”

  Liz slapped a palm over her mouth, giggled, and nodded. “He came over at noon. We didn’t get dressed again until he left at four.”

  “I’ll be damned.” Sam chuckled. “I knew he had it in him. He’s so passionate at work.”

  Liz heaved a sigh as the rest of yesterday’s exploits came rushing out. “When he left, I sat down and cried.”

  Sam’s smiled dropped. She threw an arm around Liz, enveloping her in a tight hug. “Aw, sweetie. I know it’s hard.”

  Liz leaned her head on Sam’s shoulder. “We spent hours making love, and then he had to leave, to go home, ’cause he has a life and a daughter, you know. Suddenly I was back to that day all over again, watching Daniel walk out the door for the last time. I said a prayer when Daniel left. I said, ‘Please, God, bring him back to me.’”

  “And he never came home.” Sam leaned her head on top of Liz’s. For a moment, they sat in companionable, aching silence. “Do you think you’ll see Luc again?”

  Liz straightened and dashed a hand beneath her eyes. “No. I enjoyed the hell out of him like I said I would, but I can’t do that again. That’s what I learned from all of this, what hit me after he left. I want what I had. It’s who I am. I’d like to be that sexy cougar and have a fling with a hot, younger guy, but that’s just not me. I’m old-fashioned. I want to wake up beside him in the morning and have breakfast.”

  “You felt something.” Like always, Sam saw through her need to explain away the hard stuff, and cut to the heart of the matter.

  Liz sipped at her tea and shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  Sam gave her a sympathetic frown. “That’s a good thing, sweetie.”

  Liz shook her head. She refused to allow herself to think of this relationship beyond what it was. “It doesn’t matter, because I don’t plan on seeing him again. This was a fling to get us both past something difficult. Mission accomplished.”

  Sam studied her. Just when Liz was sure she’d be dragged into a heartfelt discussion she wasn’t ready for, Sam tucked one leg beneath her and picked up her discarded teacup. She took a careful sip. “The Memorial Day festival’s on Sunday. Are you going?”

  Grateful for the change in subject, Liz nodded. With both an air force and an army base nearby, the area was littered with military families. Every year, their little town celebrated the day with a festival supporting the men and women who’d given their lives for their country. The entire town got into it. They threw another one for Veteran’s Day, and every other national holiday. Since coming home after Daniel’s death, Liz had gotten involved with both. It gave her something to focus on, a way to honor his memory and those like him.

  “Mrs. Jones talked me into helping out in the kissing booth this year. They’re donating the proceeds, as always. Apparently, now that I’m single, she thinks I’ll make a good lure to draw men to the booth.” Liz looked down at her cup, the question seated on the tip of her tongue. She shouldn’t ask, shouldn’t care, but the question left her mouth anyway. “Is the restaurant catering again this year?”

  “If you’re really asking if Luc will be there, the answer is yes. This is his thing.” Sam squeezed Liz’s fingers again, her voice soft and understanding. “Don’t write him off yet, sweetie. Give him a chance. He’s a nice guy, and you need this. I said it that first night—”

  Liz laughed softly. “You mean the night you set me up.”

  “I’m not sorry for it. Look at you. You took a first step, when six months ago you wouldn’t even have thought about it.” She nudged Liz’s thigh. “My point being, it doesn’t have to be complicated. You’re allowed to simply enjoy being with the man. Stop thinking so much.”

  Oh, she couldn’t ignore that she wanted to see Luc again, but she couldn’t ignore the ache in her gut, either. He might be what she needed in the short term, but she’d still wake up tomorrow alone.

  Chapter Nine

  Luc stared across the grassy expanse in front of him. The park in the center of downtown Angel Bay wasn’t more than twenty feet in diameter but provided a slice of nature amid the urban stores: trees, a couple of benches, a pond they filled with koi in the spring and summer. Today the townsfolk crowded the area, strolling up and down Main Street. Every shop had a table out, advertising specials. When it got dark, the town would set off fireworks, a blast to end the night, and all the money earned would be donated to a charity that helped wounded veterans. This year, they’d chosen the Wounded Warrior Project.

  As it had since the ritual began some twenty odd years ago, the restaurant was catering to the masses. Five dollars for an endless plate, all going toward the charity. He was supposed to be concentrating on the food, the customers, doing his job here in this main tent.

  But he couldn’t focus worth a damn. Some ten feet or so beyond him, at the northern edge of the park, Liz stood in front of the kissing booth. He shouldn’t be surprised to see her here. After all, her husband had died in combat.

  The sight of her still caught him. In a pair of cutoffs and a lavender T-shirt that molded itself to her upper body, she looked … incredible.

  He’d gone to sleep for the past five nights with the taste of her mouth so potent in his memory he’d awakened twice expecting to find her beside him. He’d taken more than a few cold showers since he’d last seen her.

  And that’s exactly why he hadn’t called her. Waking beside her on her couch after an exhausting round of sex had scared the hell out of him. He’d liked the way she fit in his arms, the slight weight of her body beside him. He’d wanted to stay, to spend the whole damn day wrapped around her, and that meant he’d gotten far more involved than he’d intended.

  What he needed was to put some distance between them, for his sanity’s sake. But of all ways for her to participate in the festival, Liz had to be part of the kissing booth. She stood beside a blond woman about her own age, her friendly smile so bright it lit up her whole face. She currently aimed that thousand watter at a gentleman in a wheelchair. Luc could only see the back of the man’s head, but he obviously flirted, because Liz tipped her head back and laughed. Oh, how he yearned to be that man.

  “Isn’t that your girl?”

  Nic appeared beside him, Ella tucked in one arm and holding Alyssa’s hand with the other. They were taking turns watching the girls today.

  Across the way, a buff guy in military fatigues stepped up to the booth. When Liz leaned across the table and kissed him, something ugly knotted in Luc’s gut that he out and out refused to acknowledge. It felt an awful lot like jealousy.

  He folded his arms. “I wouldn’t exactly call her my girl, but yeah. That’s her.”

  “You just going to stand here and watch her kiss the entire town? That’s Liam Jenkins. He’s single, you know.”

  Luc bit back a sarcastic response and rolled his eyes. He didn’t have to look at him to know Nic goaded him. Nic loved pushing his buttons, like all little brothers, he supposed. “I don’t exactly have a choice.”

  Nic nudged him with an elbow. “Yes, you do. Go over there and make a donation to the cause. A big one. Then plant one on her she won’t forget.”

  God, how he ached to.
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  Another soldier in uniform stepped up to Liz’s booth. This guy didn’t kiss her cheek the way most of the others did. Rather, he went around behind the booth and dipped her before planting one on her. When he finally brought her back up, her cheeks glowed. Liz laughed like they were old friends and threw her arms around his neck, giving him a fierce hug.

  Irritation sucker-punched Luc. His hands fisted at his sides. It was damned hard to convince himself he didn’t want to see her again when what he really wanted to do right then was something completely Neanderthal. Like take his brother’s advice and march over there to stake his claim on her.

  The next guy carried a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses, presenting them to her like a trophy.

  Nic nudged him with another elbow. “You better get over there, man. Your competition just got fierce. That one came armed.”

  Luc narrowed his gaze on Nic but couldn’t quite hold back his grin. “You know I want to hit you, right?”

  Nic grinned back, cocky as ever. “Yeah, but you’re going over there, aren’t you?”

  “Maybe.” Luc shifted his gaze back to Liz, but something about her stance caught him. As she took the flowers from the man, she took a distinct step back. Where she’d wrapped her arms around the previous guy, she shrank from this one.

  The more Luc watched, the more something about her body language knotted his gut. Maybe it was the distance. Hell, maybe he read too much into it, but to him the exchange caught him as all kinds of wrong.

  “Does she look happy to see that guy to you?” Luc nodded in the direction of the kissing booth.

  All sense of teasing fled Nic’s expression, answering the question even before his words left his mouth. “Go over and stand behind her. Introduce yourself. It’s subtle, but he’ll get the point.”

  • • •

  Liz swallowed hard, trying her damnedest to offer the man across from her a polite smile.

  Her fanatic fan had found her. He’d been at her last book signing, at a small, independent bookstore in Bellevue. He’d had the same look on his face then, too, and he’d given her a similar bouquet of flowers. She’d assumed he was a random fan, but it was that particular signing when she realized she’d seen him before. The question was, how the hell had he found her here in Angel Bay?

  “Those photos on your website don’t do you justice. You’re definitely prettier in person. You probably don’t remember me. I’ve been to every one of your book signings. I just love you. Look at me, rambling on. These are for you, to celebrate your latest release.” Perspiration dotted his forehead, and his hands shook as he shoved the roses across the table at her, presenting them to her as if she were Miss America.

  She offered him a polite smile and set the roses on the table in front of her, trying not to allow the panic clawing its way through her chest to take root. “How could I forget you? You’re my biggest fan. The flowers are beautiful, thank you.”

  How he’d managed to find her real name or where she lived, she had no idea. There were online sites dedicated to finding people, but she’d never connected her pen name to her real name. Only a select few people knew who she was: Sam and Joe, her agent and editors, a few online critique buddies.

  Yet here Mr. Creepy stood. His e-mails came with praise about how great her sex scenes were. He dissected every line he loved, and why, in minute detail. The messages made her skin crawl, but she’d always dismissed them, hoping he’d eventually stop if she simply ignored him. That he’d managed to get a hold of her real name and find out where she lived made her more than a little nervous.

  “I think this was your hottest book yet. My wife wanted me to thank you. You’re saving our marriage. That scene in chapter five where he bends her over the kitchen table was her favorite part. Really got her all hot and bothered.” He actually had the audacity to wink at her.

  As the man continued to babble, Liz forced a smile and darted a glance around. People were starting to notice. The men in line peered around each other to see what the holdup was. She didn’t want to have to make a scene. This wouldn’t look good. Here she was, accepting flowers, red roses no less, from some stranger. Never mind that he announced to anyone within earshot that she was a writer. If he could put together who she was, darn sure the people of this town could. Then the rumor mill would really fly.

  “Everything okay over here?”

  The familiar rumble of Luc’s voice sent Liz’s heart straight into her throat. Drawing her courage around her, she turned to face him. He stood beside her on the other side of the small three-sided stall, his arms folded, feet set apart.

  His timing couldn’t have been more perfect. He would keep things from getting out of hand if Mr. Creepy pulled the wrong move. She couldn’t deny either that the sight of him kicked her heart rate up a notch. It was the irritation on his face that caught her, however. Luc stared daggers at the little man across the table.

  She blinked. Surely, he wasn’t jealous?

  The small man stuffed a hundred dollar bill into the jar on the table and beamed at her. “Everything’s great. She was about to give me my kiss.”

  The man actually braced his hands on the table and leaned forward, lips puckered. Liz’s stomach turned.

  Luc dropped his arms to his sides and took a menacing step forward. “I don’t think so.”

  The man across the table drew back and mirrored Luc’s stance. Brow furrowed in irritation, his face reddened. “Who the hell are you? I made a donation, and she owes me a kiss.”

  Just her luck, the other woman manning the booth with her today returned from her lunch break, stepping into the stall beside her. Wanda leaned toward her, her voice low. “Are you okay?”

  Liz shot her a sideways glance and gave a barely noticeable shake of her head.

  “She’s fine.” Luc flashed Wanda a tight smile, then looped an arm around Liz’s shoulders, tugging her against his side, and addressed the man across from them. “I’m her boyfriend. She doesn’t owe you anything. Why don’t you move along? You’re making the lady uncomfortable.”

  Liz closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. God, he had to go and make a public display of their relationship, in the middle of the busy festival no less. Was this really happening? A fight in the middle of downtown Angel Bay … over her?

  Liz opened her eyes. These two were ticking time bombs. She’d have to defuse one of them, or they’d make more of a scene than they already were. One of these days she wanted to come out of the closet with her writing, but this was not the way she wanted it to happen.

  She flashed the friendliest smile she could muster at the little man on the other side of the counter. “I’m so sorry. I’ve forgotten your name. I’m afraid I’m terrible with remembering names.”

  Mr. Creepy’s gaze shifted to her. His stance deflated, his expression relaxing. In its place, that eerie smile returned. “Arthur. My name’s Arthur.”

  “Arthur. That’s right.” She forced a laugh. “I swear one of these of these days I’ll remember. Thank you so much for the flowers, Arthur. They’re beautiful. And thank you for the generous donation as well. You’re helping our men and their families. My partner here will give you your kiss.” Without waiting for a reply, she ducked out of Luc’s arm and turned to glare up at him. “May I have a word with you please?”

  She shot a questioning glance at Wanda, who winked. “Go on sweetie. I’ll watch the booth. Give him hell.”

  Liz smiled her thanks and turned, striding across the street, heading for a nearby alleyway. She didn’t look back to see if Luc followed, but the muted thud of rubber soles hitting the pavement behind her told her he did. With every step, her irritation rose and she let it. It was safer by far.

  He hadn’t contacted her since the morning they’d spent together. Not so much as a text or a voicemail. Maybe she was old-fashioned, but even a “thanks for a great time” would have been nice. Over the last week, though, she’d come to the realization that maybe it was for the best. She was
n’t a fling kind of woman, anyway. What she really missed, what she yearned for in the dark silence of night, was something a lot more permanent.

  Nothing Luc could give her. Because they weren’t dating. Hell, they’d agreed that neither one of them was ready for that step yet. It was just sex.

  The knowledge of which did nothing but make her miss Daniel and brought her screeching back to square one—desperate to move on but not sure if she was ready. That Luc’s lack of contact stung so much confused the hell out of her. She wasn’t allowing herself to ponder why. It didn’t matter.

  Anger was easier to deal with all around. She liked anger. It kept her head in the right place.

  Once they were out of earshot, she rounded on him, intent on giving him a piece of her mind, only to come up short. Luc stood directly behind her, nostrils flaring, hands clenched at his sides.

  Giddy, unruly butterflies took flight in her stomach, and the insane desire to plaster her mouth on his swelled like tide. He looked ready to spit fire, and God help her, he looked damned sexy doing it.

  She swallowed hard, gathered her wits about her, and planted her hands on her hips, glaring at him. “I appreciate your helping me out, but did you have to announce to the whole town that we’re sleeping together?”

  Luc, apparently, wasn’t listening. He backed her against the brick building, cupped her face in the warmth of his palms, and closed his mouth over hers. His kiss was a hot brand, intense and searing, yet so tender she sagged back against the wall, helpless to fight him.

  It didn’t help that he was shaking every bit as much as she was, and every ounce of resistance she had deserted her. As if sensing her surrender, he shifted closer, leaning that long, firm body against hers. Luc was mightily aroused, and his thick erection pushed into her stomach, lighting up every nerve ending he touched.

  Summoning strength from God only knew where, she managed to drag her mind back to the task at hand. He hadn’t so much as reached out to her in the past week. He had no right to suddenly want to pick up where they left off. So she shoved against his chest and wrenched her mouth from his.