He hit some kind of trigger point. She moaned. Yup. She did. Right there in bed with William. The yearning from the night before pulsed through her again like warm honey.
“Luce, I have to go take care of some stuff. You’re on your own today. Can you swing by the lodge, ask some questions? I’ll follow up when I get back tonight.”
What? They were kind of married, and he was rubbing her foot. He couldn’t just take off.
“What time is it?” She flicked her hair from her face.
“A little after six. Got something that needs attention.” He covered her foot with the blanket.
What could possibly need attention when he was on his honeymoon?
Cue a Lucy reality check. This wasn’t real. Well, the massage had been real, but the rest, definitely not real. All smoke and mirrors and…foot rubs.And next, please.
“’Kay.” She propped herself on an elbow. He had obviously been up awhile. Wet hair curled around the collar of his button-down shirt. What would it be like to unfasten each of those little buttons and run her hands along his chest? Her gaze moved back to his wide-awake face.
Functioning on no sleep was clearly one of his superpowers.
“I’ll get some video and chat with the other guests. See if they’ve had anything stolen.”
“Visit the spa. That’ll give you lots of time away.” He shrugged and then moved his hand in another slow caress of her ankle. Over the comforter, but she’d take it. A little tug between her thighs reminded her that she was a woman, he was a man, and they were on a bed together.
Sweet baby Jesus. She really did make the worst choices right after waking up.
She pulled a pillow over her face.
“Start by de-grumping before you hit the wilderness with morning attitude. I’ll be back in time to two-step.” He tucked the quilt around her waist before sliding away to shove his wallet in his back pocket and tag his keys off the counter. “Don’t forget to turn on the cameras when you head out.”
He snagged his cell phone and gave a little two-finger wave as he left.
Through the grog of morning brain, she heard him talking. He didn’t sound happy. “What’d he do this time?”
Lucy lay still, trying to convince herself the things happening between them weren’t a big deal. Except, somewhere around two a.m., when he had cuddled her close and whispered her name, it had become a big deal. Her breath stayed trapped in her chest at the memory. This time she wasn’t an overweight teenager with nothing to offer. No, she was the new and improved Lucille, and somewhere within, a tiny piece of her had hoped William was ready for “more” with the new Lucy. But, no, that didn’t work. A fling with her future boss was a bad idea all around.
She blew out a long sigh, took a long shower, and dressed in her favorite worn jeans. The sun slanted through the windows as she tugged on a sweatshirt with her father’s law firm logo, checked the hidden cameras one last time, and set off on a slow walk to the lodge for breakfast. It was all very forest-y here. Pine needles littering the ground, the scent of…well…pinein the air. Little woodland creatures skittered around the trees, making noise as they rustled the leaves. Squirrels maybe? Perhaps chipmunks? Who really knew?
Her plan for the day was to eat, give the staff plenty of time to steal something, and spend the rest of the day getting raw footage of the lodge for William’s story. Absolutely no thinking about what happened the night before.
She arrived at the sleepy lodge and made a beeline for the restaurant.
A party of one at a table for two, she ordered eggs and toast with a full pot of coffee.
She flipped through a magazine and sipped from her mug as the waitress set her breakfast down in a flutter to get to the other tables.
Lucy barely finished buttering her toast—
“I’m Sarah.”
Lucy glanced up, mid-bite. The honeymooner who got the suite stood at the edge of the table. She wore a button-down pastel-blue blouse, slacks, and entirely too sensible Mary Jane flats. She also appeared exceptionally well rested. Not a dark circle to be found under her eyes. Not really unexpected, given the quality of the sheets she got to sleep on. Lucy wasn’t jealous since she got to sleep on Will—
“I wanted to thank you for moving out of the honeymoon suite for us.” Sarah fidgeted with her purse.
“Lucy.” She spoke through a mouth full of food. “My name, I mean. I’m Lucy.”
“Everything worked out okay for you?” Sarah asked, concern written across her face.
“Yep. Everything’s great. They found us a cabin. How’s the, uh, suite?” Lucy asked, knowing damn well the suite was breathtaking.
Sarah’s face lit up. “Great. They sent me spa coupons since they screwed up our reservation. What a mess. It felt so weird when the front desk lady asked Max for incentive to move us in there.”
