She stood back and was about to close the door when some other people came in behind her with boxes and a large rolling rack. Lucy raised a brow at Stella. “I brought some things for you to try on Lucy.”
Boy, she hadn’t wasted any time, had she? “Really Stella, I thought I would just be eating in my room.”
“Nonsense Lucy, you are a guest here, you’ll have dinner with Stan and Dean. Dean isn’t here tonight so you and Stan can have dinner in his room. I just wanted to make sure you had some suitable things to wear while you are here. We brought shoes for you too.” They started opening boxes and taking dresses and other outfits off the rack to show her. Stella handed her a few bathing suits, including one bikini and a few silky nightgowns. Hold on. What did it matter what she wore to bed.
Lucy blushed when she pulled one long nightgown out. “Ah, what would I have to wear this for?”
“Lucy, that is especially for you along with the robe, if you don’t want to wear it that’s fine. As for the rest, you’ll need to dress a certain way. You are the only lady in the house right now. You aren’t an employee, you are a guest.” Stella smiled knowingly at Lucy when she rubbed the silk against her cheek. “It’s not like you’ll be wearing the nightgowns outside these rooms, they are just for you. I hope that you like the things we picked out for you.”
“Oh, Stella…I wasn’t complaining, it’s just that I thought things would be a little different is all. I just wasn’t prepared, I hate not being prepared.”
Stella gave her a sundress to try on for dinner, she sent Lucy into the bathroom and shooed the people out that had helped carry all the packages. Lucy pulled the dress over her head and gasped when she saw the tag on it, this was a freaking designer. She’d never worn clothes like this before. When she came out Stella handed her a pair of strappy sandals. She looked at her for a second and then gave her approval. Stan and Jeff were waiting for her in his room. Lucy followed her down the hall to his sitting room and then Stella left as Jeff pushed Stan’s chair up to a table.
Lucy really enjoyed dinner; they talked and laughed a lot. Stan really was a charmer and Jeff kept up a constant stream of wise cracks. It was a little after eight when Stan said he was ready for bed. He told Lucy to go to bed; he knew she was tired too. If he needed anything he would let her know. She smiled as she leaned down and kissed his forehead before she left.
It was a little after midnight when she heard a knock on her door. She looked around a little disoriented at first and then remembered where she was. She opened her door and found a young girl there, she said Mr. Moore was having trouble breathing and Jeff had asked for her. Lucy went back to grab her robe and tied the belt as she hurried to his room.
She looked at Stan as she came in, trying to gauge how bad he was. She glanced at Jeff and asked for his stethoscope, she leaned down and listened to Stan’s lungs.
“I can hear a lot of fluid in both bases. When did he have his Lasix last?”
“Not since this morning, I’ll give him some now. He’s due for a little Morphine too.”
Lucy sat next to Stan on the bed and held his hand. “How long has he been like this?”
“Not long, I heard him wheezing and it woke me up so I sent for you.”
“I’ll give him a treatment, it won’t take care of the fluid, but it may make him feel better.” She put the medicine in a cup attached to a mask and turned it on. She went and got a cold washcloth, and then put it on his forehead. She rubbed his shoulders and talked to him, nothing important, just to let him know that he wasn’t alone.
“Thanks for coming so fast Lucy, you know I suck at lung sounds.” Jeff smiled ruefully.
Lucy gave him a small smile back. “Hey we make a good team; at least you can give him the meds he really needs.”
“Lucy, will you read for me? I felt so much better…that night at the hospital, you made me feel better.” Stan finally got out. He pointed to a shelf with a red book on it.
Jeff handed the book to Lucy with a slight frown, “what’s this language?”
“French”, Lucy said as she took the book from him. She opened the book and found a page that was dog eared. She noticed again how the cover was old and faded. The pages had a softness to them that told her this book had been read many times. She smoothed a page down and began to read. Occasionally she would look over at Stan to see how he was doing. His breathing was getting a little easier and she looked over at the bag from his catheter. Jeff gave her a thumbs up; at least he was getting a little fluid off. She read for a little while longer and then listened to his lungs again. The fluid was gone, her and Jeff talked for a few minutes and decided to increase his Lasix to twice a day for a few days, just to see how he felt. They both knew his main problem was his heart. They had to make sure to weigh him daily to make sure he wasn’t retaining fluid. He seemed to be resting more comfortably, they got him situated in bed again and then Lucy wandered back to her room.
She padded quietly down the hallway, stopping every so often to admire an antique or a painting. When she came to her door she saw a very tall man waiting for her. He had dark hair that was well-trimmed. He was wearing a navy blue suit with the tie undone along with a few buttons of his still crisp shirt. She’d never seen a more handsome man before. She looked up into his eyes as she got closer. He had green eyes, just like his father.
“You must be Lucy.” He said as he came towards her, he had black hair, and dark facial hair, like he had forgotten to shave.
“Yes, you must be Dean.” She smiled up at him and looked into his eyes. “You have your father’s eyes.”
Dean stared at her for a second, she was a lot prettier than he thought she would be, and he liked her smile. He noticed how her long hair curled down over her breasts. “How is my father tonight?”
“He’s resting right now, he just had an episode, but we got him through it. I’m sure he’s still awake if you’d like to see him.”
“No.”
Lucy watched as his face closed and became expressionless, she felt a shiver run through her when she saw the cold look on his face. He took her arm in a firm grip and led her to her door.
“You should go to bed; the hallways get drafty at night.” He frowned as he looked down and saw her pink toe nails peeking out from under the hem of her robe. “Why are you barefoot?”
Lucy slowly closed her mouth, boy he was bossy. She could feel the strength in his touch, as she looked up at him she noticed her head didn’t even reach his shoulders. He let her go and continued to look down at her, and she felt her mind go blank. Did he just ask her something? He stood so close and she became hyper-aware of him. He reached out and touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers. She gasped and stepped back against the door with wide eyes. She slowly reached up to touch the spot he had touched and met his eyes. She felt her breathing quicken as she got caught in his gaze. Minutes went by and neither spoke. She finally remembered where she was and who she was talking to, she felt a blush rush into her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, but can we talk more tomorrow? I’m really tired.” Lucy looked down at her hands as she talked to him, desperately trying to look anywhere besides his intense eyes. What the hell was wrong with her? Her skin still tingled from where he had touched her.
Dean watched her as she stood before him. He could see the flush on her chest above the opening of her robe as it slowly moved into her cheeks. He could just make out the silk and lace of her gown underneath. She looked spooked. He had felt how soft her skin was, his fingers still tingled from when he had touched her. He smiled at her and was glad she couldn’t see it; he hadn’t felt anything towards a woman for a long time. Here was one, in his house, and judging by her reaction to him she wasn’t immune to him. Interesting, he reached past her to open her door and heard her gasp again. He had gotten deliberately close to her this time; it was a purely feminine sound she made, one he’d like to hear again. He noticed how delicious she smelled and he watched as her pink tongue nervously darte
d out to lick her lips. He couldn’t wait to taste her.
He stood back smoothly and nodded his head at her. “Good night Miss Lintz.”
Lucy looked up at him as he moved back; he had a very stern look on his face. She took a deep breath and quickly averted her gaze. Where was her courage? “Goodnight Mr. Moore.” She backed into her room and closed the door behind her.
Dean smiled and let out a soft chuckle when he heard the door lock. He made his way down the hall to his father’s room. Jeff talked to him for a few minutes. He picked up one of the books on the table and raised a brow. Erotica? What the hell? Jeff mentioned in his report that Lucy had read to his dad for a little while. He noticed that he was already asleep; he’d have to ask him later. Dean watched his father sleep, at least he was comfortable. He and his father hadn’t spoken in years, they only communicated through Alcide now. This was the first time he’d seen him in a very long time.
He was going to have to make it a point to talk with Lucy tomorrow; he didn’t want her reading erotica to his father. If she wanted to talk about sex, he would be more than happy to oblige her. He smiled as he left his father’s room, he had been dreading having his father home again. Now, though, since he had brought a pretty red head with him, it seemed more promising. She was only a few years younger than him; it was hard to believe that she had a son in college. She must have married very young. He had told Alcide to leave her alone. He knew how he could be; the stuff Alcide liked to do was disgusting. He could stay busy with his hoards of women; he could leave Lucy to him. He knew how to handle her.
Lucy lay in bed for quite a while before she fell asleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw his eyes. Her dreams were filled with him that first night. If she had met him before she agreed to come here, she honestly didn’t know if she would have. She had never felt more nervous around a man in her life, and when he had touched her, it was like electricity had run through her body. Her belly clenched at the memory, oh boy, what had she gotten herself into now?
Lucy woke up a little late after tossing and turning all night. It had been well after two before she had left Stan, and after meeting Dean, she had lain awake for hours. Stella knocked at her door and came in. Okay, she could have sworn she locked it last night. Maybe she hadn’t.
“Good morning Lucy, are you ready for breakfast?”
“I was just going to get dressed, I didn’t sleep very well.”
“Jeff told me you two were up with Stan till late. Go ahead and get dressed and I will take you out to the patio. It’s a pretty day today, so breakfast will be outside.” Stella walked into the closet and found another dress for her to wear. “It’s warm out already so I think you can wear another sun dress today.” She came out with a light blue dress, it was sleeveless and had a scooped neckline, it was a little lower than Lucy was used to wearing, but she didn’t say anything.
Stella had her sit down and she brushed her hair for her, it had been a long time since anyone had done her hair for her. Lucy smiled at her in the mirror. “Is it part of your job to spoil me Stella?”
“Of course, I think you will be easy to spoil Lucy. When was the last time that you did something special for yourself?”
Lucy glanced up at her and felt her cheeks warm a little. “There really isn’t anything that I need; I’ve had no reason to spoil myself.”
“Who needs a reason?” Stella said seriously.
Lucy laughed and smiled up at Stella as she watched her pin her hair up, letting the curls in the back hang down around her neck. “I like you Stella, I have thought of myself as just a mom for a long time. I definitely need some girl time.” Stella flashed a smile and then she set the brush down. Lucy looked at her reflection in the mirror. “Thank you Stella, I really like my hair like this.”
“You’re welcome Lucy. Well it’s time for breakfast. After you’ve been here a while, you won’t need me to get around the house, but for now I’ll take you where you need to go.” Lucy followed her down the hall to the staircase. She looked around her as Stella talked to her about the house, it really was beautiful.
They went through a maze of rooms before she came to a set of patio doors that led outside to a garden. Lucy stopped for a second to admire some flowers that bloomed in a border, she heard Stella call her name and she hurried to catch up with her. She came around a trellis with roses blooming all around it and came face to face with Dean. She stopped suddenly to keep from running into him. She glanced up at him and quickly looked away. He was wearing dark sunglasses this morning, but she was sure that he was smirking at her. So now she was some source of amusement for him, great, just what she needed. She looked around and noticed no else was at the table.
“Where’s your father?”
“He is eating in his room this morning.”
“Oh, I could have eaten with him. Really you don’t have to go to all this trouble.”
“No, sit and eat, I wanted to talk to you anyway. There are certain things I will expect of you while you are here. We might as well talk now, so you’ll know.” He pulled a chair out and motioned for her to sit down. He didn’t move back right away as she lowered herself into the chair, so he was able to catch the scent of her shampoo, and maybe something else? He looked down and noticed her creamy shoulders. He observed that she didn’t have any freckles, you’d think for a red head they would be everywhere. She should have at least one mark on her; he looked forward to finding out. He noticed her shiver as she took a deep breath. From his vantage point he appreciated it. Her dress was low cut and he could see the top swells of her breasts when she inhaled so deeply. John had informed him of Stella’s purchases, he knew he wouldn’t be disappointed. He sat down and watched her for a moment. She reminded him of a cornered animal. He had better be careful or she was bound to bolt.
“So Lucy, what would you like for breakfast?” His tone was gracious as he gave her a polite smile.
Lucy blinked a few times as she looked at him, he appeared polite and sincere. With the way he had been looking at her since she arrived she expected him to say something completely different. He was behaving like the perfect gentlemen right now. She wasn’t fooled though; she knew a wolf when she saw one. He wasn’t as obvious as Alcide, but he was a wolf, just the same.
She licked her suddenly dry lips. “I would like some fruit and coffee please.” She smiled at the young lady standing by the table, the girl nodded and then left. Lucy noticed Stella was nowhere to be seen. “Has this estate always been in your family?” Maybe some small talk would help?
“Yes, from my mother’s side of the family, it was in pretty bad shape when she inherited it, but her and my father restored it.”
Silence followed his answer. Lucy took the hint and didn’t ask any more questions. She sighed as she looked around the garden area trying to identify some of the plants. She was very aware of the way he watched her, whenever she looked at him she was the first to look away. She could feel her body flushing again. What the hell was wrong with her? She wished he would say what he wanted so she could leave. She felt like she was under a microscope, like he knew where every hair was on her body. Lucy looked up and met his eyes this time. He had taken off the dark lenses and she quickly became ensnared in his green gaze. She suddenly felt like she had last night, she couldn’t think, she was only aware of her heart thundering beneath her breast. Someone set a plate of fruit in front of her and broke the spell; she leaned back in her chair. She had unconsciously leaned towards him in her seat. She shook her head slightly and took another deep breath. Man she really needed to get a hold of herself; another minute and she’d have been in his lap. Her coffee was set in front of her next, just the way she liked it. How could they have known that? She looked up at him as she took a sip. He just sat and watched her, like he was waiting for something.
Lucy closed her eyes and let out a small moan when the rich brew touched her tongue. This had to be the best coffee she’d ever had. She felt like she was in heaven, good coffee al
ways made her feel better.
Dean knew he was flustering her, but he couldn’t help it. If he knew her a little better, he would openly tease her, but he could wait for that. He had liked the look on her face just now. She had been straining in her seat towards him, her soft mouth open slightly, like she was waiting for his kiss. He felt his body stir when she closed her eyes and moaned. When was the last time he had been attracted to a woman? He felt it with her though, he moved in his seat slightly to ease his arousal. He couldn’t wait to have her under him, especially if she looked like she did when she drank his coffee.
She opened her eyes and looked at him again. She was just about to ask what coffee they used, but he probably wouldn’t know anyway. She noticed he had put his sunglasses back on. She wished he hadn’t, at least she had an idea what he was thinking when she could see his eyes.
Dean gazed at her through the dark lenses; she would have seen his desire for her if he hadn’t put them back on. He had been lost for a moment watching her. He had envisioned her naked, writhing beneath him against dark silken sheets, just like last night when he had touched her. He needed a little control back; this meeting wasn’t going quite the way he had planned.
“When I am home I expect you to have dinner with me, sometimes my father will be there, but not always. You will be my companion as much as his. I will have you tell me how he is each day. Specifically I want to know how his mind is. I want to know if he can still make sound decisions.”
“Uh…I don’t remember that part in the contract.” She said with a slight frown.
Someone Perfect for Mr. Moore Page 2