by Linda Joyce
Jack bounded into the bedroom of the suite. His stub tail wagged, shaking his entire back end. Lucas followed. Concern shadowed his halfhearted grin. Worry flickered in his eyes.
Lia opened her arms, intending to take Lucas into a hug, but Jack had other ideas. He jumped into her lap and squirmed. She petted him until he calmed down.
“Let’s order room service.” Lucas flopped onto the end of the bed. Jack rolled over and licked his face.
“I guess I’m persona non grata with Jack when you’re around,” Lia said.
Lucas stalked toward her like a tiger hunting prey. When they were nose-to-nose, he tilted her head and nipped at her earlobe. “I’m hungry, woman. I need food before I have you for dessert.”
“Fine. Let’s order.” She giggled.
They scoured the menu and ordered enough eggs, sausage, muffins, and potatoes to feed several people.
“Yes, I want one hamburger patty, nothing on it. No salt or pepper or anything. Cooked well, then chopped up,” Lucas said into the hotel phone. He winked at her. “Put that in a cereal bowl. And, I need a second bowl. Empty. Plus an extra bottle of water.” Clearly, the room service person on the other end of the phone considered the request strange.
Concern flittered through Lia’s mind. This might be the closest thing she’d ever get to a honeymoon with Lucas. Sadness plopped to the bottom of her stomach, making a splash. What did the future hold? With Lucas’s departure for work out west looming, what would happen when he left for long periods of time?
She shoved the sad thoughts away and allowed contentment to flow. Taking a deep breath, she anchored those feelings in her heart. Allowing them to wash over her, she tingled. Love could lead her through darkness.
“Hey”—Lucas sat on the bed next to her, stuffed a pillow behind his back, and cradled her next to him, his arm around her shoulder—“Where are you?” He tapped her nose. “I see all sorts of wheels turning.”
“There’s a lot to talk about.” She tilted her head, locking gazes with him. Would he see her love?
“And we will talk,” Lucas whispered, stroking her cheek. “Let’s just put that talk on pause until a little later. “I want to use sign language to communicate.”
Lia signed, I love you.
Lucas chuckled. “I had something different in mind.”
His hand left her cheek. His finger traced a line down her neck to the opening in the robe. He pushed it open and massaged her breast. When his mouth captured a tightening bud, he sucked, sending hot sensations straight to her core. Her body tightened. She slid flat on the bed. Her hand clenched the sheets. Her head lolled back as Lucas continued his tender ministrations to her wanton body.
She rolled on her side to face him and draped a leg over his. Reaching for the buttons on his shirt, she began to undo each one. Her breath grew shallow as she rocked her pelvis.
When all buttons were undone and she could finally smooth her fingers over his hard muscled chest, Lucas tugged on her robe’s sleeve, freeing her from it. She sat up and finished removing the garment. Lucas followed her lead and, in a second, his clothes were tossed aside. Once again facing each other on the bed, Lia had full access to the body she had only recently been fully introduced to. She moved her hand tenderly over his arm, to his hip and down his thigh. To her delight, Lucas’s manhood hardened. She stroked him and focused on his expressive face. A slight flutter of his eyes. A smile. A puckering of lips as his reached to claim hers. His kiss burned with intensity.
“Two can play that way,” Lucas said, tweaking her breasts and running his hand down her abdomen to her legs. His fingers found her moist private opening. Her body tensed as her insides turned liquid.
“Now, Lucas. Now.”
Sliding his finger into her wetness, he moved faster, but her words had given him the wrong direction. She pushed him flat, hurriedly straddled him, and quickly lowered herself onto him. He lifted his pelvis. She rocked against him. His hands covered her breasts and teased, shooting hot sensations to her core. He bucked. She rode, hanging on for the full ride. When a moan escaped her lips, Lucas quickened his pace. Her insides melted.
Hot.
Wet.
Wetter.
He sent her to heaven. Stars streaked. The world glowed.
Warmth bathed her body.
Lucas’s body turned rigid. He moaned waves of deep and guttural pleasure. Together they melded. Heartbeat for heartbeat. Pant for pant. Thrust for thrust. Until they peaked, sliding off the edge of the earth.
Several moments later, limp and panting, she collapsed on top of him.
It was several minutes before she spoke.
“I’ve known you almost all my life. I didn’t know you liked dessert before a meal.” She traced a path from his jaw down his neck.
“If you’re the dessert, honey,” Lucas said, huskily, “I want it anytime I can get it.”
Lia’s forehead wrinkled. “I think we’ve wasted a lot of time. We could’ve been sharing dessert for years.”
A knock sounded on the door. “Room service.”
Lia hopped up and ran for the bathroom as Lucas grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist. She closed the bathroom door as he opened the door to the suite.
“Good morning, sir. Should I set this up by the couch?”
Lia couldn’t hear the conversation after turning on the shower. When the water turned warm, she stepped in.
“Amelia, food will get cold.”
“I’ll be just a minute. Will you bring me the robe from the bed?”
“You don’t need it. We might have dessert again.” His tone was completely matter-of-fact.
Her cheeks flushed. Her knees nearly buckled. Leaning against the tile kept her from falling. The man made her feel utterly desirable. When she pulled open the shower curtain, Lucas offered a towel, and then held the robe like a valet offering a queen her mink-trimmed coat. Toweling off quickly, she slid her arms into soft terrycloth.
“Thank you.” Another flush rose from her chest to her checks. Lucas stood before her completely naked.
“I won’t ever deny you anything I can provide.” He kissed the top of her head. “Now, food, woman. I’m starving.”
She followed him to the sitting room and stood by the large picture window taking in the warmth radiating from the sun. Within her view, the Liberty Memorial surged upward into blue sky. Leaves on trees in Penn Valley Park shimmered in the breeze. The city skyline showed no hint of rising flames or traces of huffing black smoke. It was as though it had never happened. But it had. She needed to call Karen and console her friend.
Lucas pulled the coffee table out of the way and set the room service cart in its place. “Feast, Madame,” Lucas said, raising the silver domed lids from the plates. Jack raced to his feet. Lucas placed a bowl of ground beef on the floor and filled a second bowl with water. “Jack, your feast.” The dog wasted no time gobbling down his food.
Slipping into a chair, Lia reached for a slice of toast. She picked up silverware wrapped in a cloth napkin and unrolled it. “Which would you like first? Eggs or meat?”
Lucas cocked his head as though surprised by her question. “Eggs.” She scooped some on a fork and held it out for him to eat.
“I could get used to this.” He took the food.
“What exactly do you like about this?” She was fishing, but that was okay. A girl deserved some praise every now and then. Coming from the man she loved made it extra special.
“You, all to myself. Naked, or barely clothed.” He reached and ran his finger from the hollow of her throat to the spot between her breasts. She shivered at his playfulness. “It gives me pleasure to see you smile. Watch the blush rise into your cheeks. Knowing it’s because of me.”
“If you don’t stop that, we won’t get through breakfast.” She tapped his hand away when he attempted to untie the robe. “I am hungry. I need food.”
Grabbing two strips of bacon, Lucas devoured them. He ate a few mouthfuls of eggs, p
icked at the potato hash, and buttered a slice of toast. His muscles rippled with each movement. Mesmerized, Lia ogled the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
“Eat, woman. You need protein. Energy. I’m going to take you to bed again.”
“Promise?”
“Guaranteed.”
From somewhere in the bedroom, Lia’s cell phone rang. “I need to get that, in case it might be Karen. I should’ve called her last night.” She found her purse on the nightstand. When she pulled out her phone, caller ID read, Craig Britton. “Lucas, it’s Craig,” she called out. She plopped at the foot of the bed to keep Lucas in her sights. The man was hot, and he made her hotter.
“Good morning, brother of mine.”
“You sound awful chipper.” Craig snapped.
“You’re not having a good morning?”
“Are you okay? I’m really worried about you. About your future. We need to find you another studio space. Or maybe a large apartment so you can have an actual bedroom.”
“So I can continue to sublet it to Karen?” she teased. It would push his buttons. She would not allow him or anyone else take the joy out of her morning.
“Amelia, be serious. I can’t find Lucas. He hasn’t answered his phone. I thought he was going home after he got you settled last night.”
Her eyebrows shot up. Lucas hadn’t mentioned any calls from her brother. Were they still scheming together trying to control her life? “Plotting again, are you big brother? Well, just so you know, I’m sequestered in a fabulous hotel suite enjoying room service. But it’s Lucas you really want to talk with, right?” She rose and crossed the room.
Lucas’s pensive expression gave her a bit of satisfaction. If there was any hope of a future with this man, he had to stop taking orders from her brother. “For the record, I’m a grown woman, Craig. I had dessert before I had breakfast.” He wouldn’t understand the significance of that remark, but Lucas would. She smiled devilishly. “Here’s Lucas.”
She handed over her phone. Lucas rose and took the call out in the hall. What the two men had to say that couldn’t be said in front of her caused her some concern. She cinched the belt on the robe a bit tighter. A better plan came to mind. This one included Lucas, her farm, and painting…and not her brother. She would need Lucas’s help. Could she find an enticing way to encourage him to agree?
Chapter 14
Lia dressed and gathered her purse. She folded Lucas’s shirt and placed it on the arm of the couch. On the floor, his boots waited for his return. Picking up the bowls Jack had used, she placed them on the food cart. Plopping into a chair, she mused, only minutes ago she and Lucas had shared breakfast. Her to-do list was long, and she needed to get a start on the day. However, without her phone, she didn’t know the time. If Lucas didn’t return soon, she’d go in search of him.
“That’s all I’ve got to say.” Lucas’s stern tone meant business. He entered the suite as he ended the call. “Karen called while I was talking to Craig.” He handed her the phone. “I think she left a message.”
“I’ll call her in a few. Are there problems?”
“No. Not on my part.”
“What did you tell Craig?”
“Amelia, you knew exactly what you were doing when you said what you did. I’m not about to go into detail with your brother, or anyone else for that matter, about how we spent our time alone. However, Craig guessed. I neither confirmed nor denied.”
Her shoulders slumped. Creating more problems hadn’t been her intention. Her brother wasn’t the enemy. He did have her best interest in mind. But the days of him trying to rule her were over. She should’ve delivered the message in a more sensitive and mature way.
Lucas put on his shirt and buttoned it while Jack rested beside his feet. He sat on the couch and put on his socks and boots. How a man could appear so sexy doing the most mundane things? Lia shook her head to break the spell Lucas wove around her whenever he was near. Never had she had a single-track mind, but with Lucas it wasn’t hard.
He walked toward her, crouched down, and lifted her chin. “That’s a cute little grin. What are you contemplating?”
“How do you know I’m thinking about something?”
“I know when the wheels turn in your head.”
“Would you be happy to know I’m thinking of you?”
“Well, that deserves a kiss.” Lucas brought his lips to hers, his lips seducing hers. She gave into his insistence. Surrendering not only her lips, but her willpower. Heat lingered when he pulled back. She blinked and lifted her face begging for more. Lucas kissed her nose. Picking up Jack’s leash, Lucas hooked up the dog. With Jack in tow, he held out his hand to her. “We’ve got to start the day now. Lots of things to do. Like swinging by to pick up my vehicle. Maybe we can get a look at the building’s damage. The whole thing didn’t burn.”
“You’re right.” She took a final glance at the room. She would cherish the memories they’d created all night, last night.
“Want me to drive?” Lucas asked when they entered the parking garage.
“Thanks, I can manage.”
Jack hopped in when she opened the back door. Lucas climbed in the passenger side. She put the truck in gear. Having Lucas beside her was the most natural thing in the world.
Blocks away from the hotel, she turned the corner and the building she’d stared at most of night on the TV appeared.
She gasped. “It looks like it’s been bombed, like pictures I’ve seen from World War II.” Crumpled brick. A skeletal iron structure visible through shattered windows, now appearing as ugly eyes of a dying monster. Sourness filled her mouth. She fought to keep her breakfast down. Her eyes watered. She wouldn’t accept defeat. Couldn’t allow this to break her.
Lucas shook his head. “It doesn’t look any better in daylight.” He squeezed her arm gently. “It will be okay. No one got hurt. What’s left is stuff.”
She stopped her truck in the street at the barricades. A police officer walked up to her window.
“Lady, were you a tenant?”
“Yes. I want to see if there’s anything left of my studio. It’s not in the burned-out section.”
“Sorry. Fire marshal is still inspecting along with a team of experts. The building isn’t safe. I’m not sure if you’ll ever get inside. This place may be bulldozed as it stands.”
Lia shook her head. The magnitude of her loss hit like a smack of a two-by-four. The blanket her mother had knitted, the antique floor mirror her father had given her, and her grandmother’s armoire would be bulldozed? No. That couldn’t be true. “Please. I can take the stairs over there.” She pointed to the entrance at the opposite end from the damage.
“I can’t let you in. We have a list of tenants from the landlord. If it’s determined to be safe and if anything is salvageable, you’ll get a call. But don’t get your hopes up.”
“But I have family treasures there. I must talk with someone about this. I can’t leave without getting my things.”
“Can’t let you in. Sorry. Again, if there’s a safe way for items to be removed, the fire marshal will be in contact.”
“Amelia Britton,” Lucas interrupted the conversation. “Officer, her name is Amelia Britton. Please take down her name and give it to the fire marshal. There are some valuable items in the studio.”
“I can remember Amelia, like Amelia Earhart.”
“Yes, I’m named after her,” Lia said. She managed a grin hoping to make a good impression. Maybe if he remembered her, he might be more helpful.
“This is what I’ll do. Here’s my card. Call me if you don’t hear anything in a week or so. But I’m not making any promises.”
“Thank you.”
“I need my truck. It’s over there.” Lucas pointed across the street to the barricaded area.
“Sure. I’ll make it so you can get out.”
“I’ll follow you home in my truck,” Lia told Lucas. “Don’t drive like a crazy man.”
; “That would be your brother in his fancy BMW.”
Allowing Lucas to lead gave her a sense of comfort. She rode in silence through the city, then remembered Karen’s message. After listening to it, she relaxed a bit. No further need for panic. Karen figured Lucas had everything under control, but she did need to talk about what insurance might cover for the loss of their things. As a result of Karen’s calmness, Lia resolved to not allow thoughts to overwhelm her brain.
After exiting the interstate and picking up the county road west to Harvest, Lia turned on the radio to the community station, KKFI, to sooth her racing nerves. Thoughts ran laps in her mind, round and round. Exactly what and how should she bring up the subject with Lucas? Before she launched into any one topic, she had to get him to open up and let her know if he saw a future for them. She didn’t want to take things slowly. She’d been on pause with that man for nearly ten years.
With the radio cranked loudly, Lia lost herself in the bluesy guitar of Tab Beniot. Her phone rang during a pause between a line and the chorus. If not for the break in the music, she might not have heard it.
“Amelia, I’ve got to veer off. Megan’s been in some sort of accident. I’m heading to Manhattan to check on her.”
“What kind of accident? At school, in a car, or what?”
“Car. She was rear-ended. I think she’s okay, but she’s shaken up.”
“Call me later and let me know. If she needs me, I’ll drive up, too.”
“I’ll keep you posted. And Amelia…”
She waited for him to finish what he intended to say.
“Accidents can happen at any time. The fire last night, now this with Megan…”
“Lucas, what are you trying to say?”
“I love you. That’s what I’m saying. To you and everyone else. I love you, Amelia Britton.”
Her heart melted, oozing like warmed honey. Her foot let up off the gas for a moment as her body relaxed. She gripped the steering wheel because she couldn’t grab hold of the man and kiss him silly. Hitting the gas, she raced on the long, lonely stretch of highway.
“Amelia?”
“Lucas Dwyer, I love you, too! Now get over to see your sister, and then come home to me. We’ve got a lot of talking to do. I most definitely want dessert again.”