LITMIR.BIZ

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to meet him on her doorstep. Not in her present condition. And definitely not in the dark.

      Bree didn’t have too many options right now, and stalling seemed like a good one. If Lucas wanted to play the knight in skimpy towel then she’d be a fool not to oblige.

      “Well, then, thank you.” Tipping her gaze to stare into his face, she found herself almost startled again by his sheer maleness. He’d been handsome from across a banquet hall, but up close…“I appreciate the help.”

      He only inclined his head in that regal way of the wealthy, as if it was both his privilege and duty to help those in need. Ever the gentleman, he didn’t mention the golden trail of spangles she left in her wake to mark a trail for the squirrels.

      He didn’t release her hand while leading her across the yard. She almost smiled at how he managed to look large and in charge while walking through damp grass half-naked and barefoot.

      It was in the DNA. Had to be.

      He held the door as she slipped inside, then motioned her to a breakfast nook separating the dining room from the kitchen.

      “Have a seat while I hunt down Josie’s first-aid kit.”

      “Yes, Lucas.” Bree did as he asked, appreciating a chance to admire the back half of him as he strode from the room.

      Very nice indeed.

      Everything about this man was attractive, she decided, exhaling a sigh that had nothing to do with her bumps and bruises. She wasn’t hurt, not really, just achy and sore from the fall and jittery from too much adrenaline.

      Slipping off her coat, Bree hiked up her dress to rig broken threads of sequins so she wouldn’t trash the town house. She’d been inside once before, and even with the huge windows shuttered against the night, Josie’s place managed to be as warm and welcoming as Josie herself.

      The spacious rooms were filled with stylish wicker and sunny colors and woodwork painted bright white. Bree thought the look contrasted nicely with the weathered exteriors and ornate ironwork that made up all the centuries-old town houses in historic Court du Chaud.

      As she and her sister had only moved into the court last year, Bree didn’t know Josie all that well. They both worked a lot. Bree divided her time between Toujacques and her moonlighting for a local fashion designer, so get-togethers generally happened at homeowners’ association and Krewe du Chaud meetings or brush-bys for coffee in Café Eros, the bistro where her sister worked.

      But Bree liked Josie and wished her well in married life. Many of the court’s residents seemed to be getting on with their futures lately. Even Tally had gotten engaged to Christien and bought the nightclub she’d been longing for. Claire and Randy had hooked up. Perry and Jack, too. And after learning about her shot at the head hostess job tonight, Bree had thought she’d been moving on with her life, too.

      Until her past had followed her home.

      “Found it,” Lucas said when he returned from upstairs.

      He’d thrown on sweatpants, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d have been so affected by this man if she hadn’t met him when he’d been half-naked.

      Probably. The man was gorgeous, all touchable and male. Not at all like Jude, who was almost too pretty to be real. Up close Lucas had the same sable-colored hair as his sister and eyes as bright green. The combination tempered his chiseled features. Otherwise that strong face and drop-dead gorgeous body combined made him almost too male. If such a thing was possible.

      Setting the first-aid kit on the table, Lucas sank to his knees in front of her. He hesitated with his hands poised over her ankle and asked, “Do you mind?”

      “Have at it.” Lifting aside her destroyed dress, she gave him a bird’s-eye view of the carnage.

      Both knees were a mess. Scratches streaked her skin, and blood had congealed on the torn edges of her hose. One particularly nasty branch had carved a crevasse up her thigh.

      Lucas frowned and stood again, giving her a tour of that magnificent chest as he grabbed the kit again and said, “Come with me.”

      “Where are we going?”

      “To the sink.”

      Okay, there was no arguing she needed soap and water. She’d come out on the bad end of the dirt and mulch in Josie’s flower bed, so she followed him into the kitchen without comment.

      Lucas flipped on a light, deposited the kit on the counter and ran the water. “Take off your stockings.”

      “We only met ten minutes ago.”

      He laughed. “We need to clean those cuts well or you’ll wind up wishing you did. Trust me.”

      “Another lesson learned in law-enforcement training?”

      “From my mother.”

      “Why doesn’t that surprise me? I’m sure she tended lots of boo-boos while you were growing up.”

      His expression morphed into a full-fledged smile that softened his features and brightened his eyes and coaxed a reaction low in her belly. A crazy sort of swooping feeling that distracted her from her aches and pains.

      “I’d be lying if I said no. Now lose the stockings.”

      “I’ll bet you say that to all the girls.” She made a little humph sound and couldn’t resist giving him a show while slithering her hose out from underneath her dress.

      She could feel his gaze on her when she bent over to unfasten her sandals and wondered if he noticed the way her neckline drooped, if he watched her cleavage plump forward. Did he think she was taunting him? Or flirting?

      She wasn’t entirely sure which it was herself.

      There was something about this man that made Bree want a reaction. Probably nothing more than a need to flex her control muscles after the shock of seeing Jude again.

      And she got one.

      Lucas grabbed her, strong hands circling her waist. He lifted her up to a seat on the counter and without preamble he brushed aside her torn dress and got to business.

      She braced back on her arms, feeling a bit breathless as he cleansed her skin with soapy gauze.

      “That feel okay?” he asked.

      “I’ll live.”

      “So why’d you drop by tonight?”

      Questions were inevitable, but she had to give Lucas credit for not starting the interrogation the minute he found her.

      “I noticed someone following me while I was walking home from work. It was late, and I’m not exactly dressed to defend myself. I decided to beat a hasty retreat.”

      He peered at her from beneath the silky fringe of thick lashes. “So you scaled a wall in a formal gown and high heels? I’m impressed. What kind of work do you do?”

      This was another question she’d expected, and Bree wondered what type of work he thought she did.

      Evening formal wear. Three in the morning. Dark street. Hmm.

      “I work at Toujacques. I’m a VIP hostess.”

      “Do you always walk home from work?”

      “Not when it’s so late. I normally drive.”

      “But not tonight.”

      “Not tonight.” She knew he was waiting for some further explanation, but she wasn’t volunteering any. He didn’t need to know that her brother had flown home for the weekend from college and had borrowed her Jeep.

      But to her surprise, Lucas didn’t push. He just tossed the filthy gauze in the trash and lathered a new batch with soap under running water. He started working on her other knee and went back to his original line of questioning.

      “Did this

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