looking as deeply into her soul as he could. “And I know you might think it’s too soon, but I’ll let you in on a secret. Even if your mind is still deciding, the rest of you already shows you love me. The way you look at me, the way you respond and turn into me when we’re together, those things already give you away. I’ve been trying to show you how much I care in my ways. When you’re ready for the words, I’ve got them, Lucy. I’m trying to respect your human nature and not overwhelm you.”
He thought he was fast, but Lucy surprised him, launching into his arms with no warning. She didn’t kiss him, just held him tight, but it was enough. If she’d been pissed at the announcement, she would have walked away. Instead, she was trying to burrow herself under his skin and if it were within his power, he’d have had a special pocket made for her. She was little—he could spend the rest of his life carrying her without complaint.
“I’m not ready to be a mate or whatever, but I guess I don’t mind that I smell like you.”
He bit back a chuckle. The admission would be absurd to anyone else. To him it was wonderful. “That works for me.”
Chapter 12
She had to stay busy. Her apartment was impossibly clean and now she was tackling Scott’s place while he and the kids were out. Lucy set aside her scrub brush and sat on her butt on the already swept and mopped floor. Cleaning wasn’t something she usually enjoyed. In fact, she hired someone else to do it for her every chance she got, but with the shop a complete mess and nothing she could do about it, the urge to clean other things had bombarded her.
Scott had told her not to go overboard—unfortunately ‘overboard’ had long passed. She figured when she’d scrubbed and disinfected the ceiling fans she’d lost it. The floor was another testimony of her impulse. The scrub brush was within reach but she had to stop before she wore holes in Scott’s linoleum.
Inactivity was killing her. She rested her head against her arms. Her apartment had been shockingly short of yarn and knitting projects, most of her best tools and supplies lost in the shop, so she’d gone the day before to a craft store to restock a few of her personal things. The trip had been a nightmare and a half. The yarns hadn’t been right, the tools compared to hers had been all wrong and she’d ended up running out like a crazy woman after only a few minutes. That’s when the cleaning spree had started.
The locks on the main door turned, followed by the sounds of the door opening. A long, low whistled emerged. “Lucy, where are you? You didn’t do all of this, did you?”
Busted. She sighed, lifted her hand high and waved it, exhaustion settling in. Scott rounded the kitchen’s short island and stood above her, shaking his head. He’d been at work since before dawn. She liked helping out with the kids, so she’d driven them all to their activities so he could start early and finish early as well.
Maybe if she’d gone and picked up the kids and taken them to the park or something, she could have looked less crazy. As it was, there were three empty bottles of cleansers on the counter and, well, she’d taken down all the curtains to wash so there was no denying the changes.
“It looks good in here,” he said slowly, like he was trying to find a nice way to address her bizarre behavior. “I certainly didn’t expect this kind of cleaning, sweetie. The kids and I would have been happy to help with this big of a project.”
She looked up and couldn’t stop her lips from kicking up in a tiny smile. He looked so darn handsome in the dark slacks and dress shirt he wore for work. There was a certain amount of mob-thug aura about him, but she thought that was probably his strength and confidence showing through the fussy clothes. He filled them out well and she hoped he didn’t mind extra starch in his shirts, because she’d spent an hour ironing earlier in the
He thought he was fast, but Lucy surprised him, launching into his arms with no warning. She didn’t kiss him, just held him tight, but it was enough. If she’d been pissed at the announcement, she would have walked away. Instead, she was trying to burrow herself under his skin and if it were within his power, he’d have had a special pocket made for her. She was little—he could spend the rest of his life carrying her without complaint.
“I’m not ready to be a mate or whatever, but I guess I don’t mind that I smell like you.”
He bit back a chuckle. The admission would be absurd to anyone else. To him it was wonderful. “That works for me.”
Chapter 12
She had to stay busy. Her apartment was impossibly clean and now she was tackling Scott’s place while he and the kids were out. Lucy set aside her scrub brush and sat on her butt on the already swept and mopped floor. Cleaning wasn’t something she usually enjoyed. In fact, she hired someone else to do it for her every chance she got, but with the shop a complete mess and nothing she could do about it, the urge to clean other things had bombarded her.
Scott had told her not to go overboard—unfortunately ‘overboard’ had long passed. She figured when she’d scrubbed and disinfected the ceiling fans she’d lost it. The floor was another testimony of her impulse. The scrub brush was within reach but she had to stop before she wore holes in Scott’s linoleum.
Inactivity was killing her. She rested her head against her arms. Her apartment had been shockingly short of yarn and knitting projects, most of her best tools and supplies lost in the shop, so she’d gone the day before to a craft store to restock a few of her personal things. The trip had been a nightmare and a half. The yarns hadn’t been right, the tools compared to hers had been all wrong and she’d ended up running out like a crazy woman after only a few minutes. That’s when the cleaning spree had started.
The locks on the main door turned, followed by the sounds of the door opening. A long, low whistled emerged. “Lucy, where are you? You didn’t do all of this, did you?”
Busted. She sighed, lifted her hand high and waved it, exhaustion settling in. Scott rounded the kitchen’s short island and stood above her, shaking his head. He’d been at work since before dawn. She liked helping out with the kids, so she’d driven them all to their activities so he could start early and finish early as well.
Maybe if she’d gone and picked up the kids and taken them to the park or something, she could have looked less crazy. As it was, there were three empty bottles of cleansers on the counter and, well, she’d taken down all the curtains to wash so there was no denying the changes.
“It looks good in here,” he said slowly, like he was trying to find a nice way to address her bizarre behavior. “I certainly didn’t expect this kind of cleaning, sweetie. The kids and I would have been happy to help with this big of a project.”
She looked up and couldn’t stop her lips from kicking up in a tiny smile. He looked so darn handsome in the dark slacks and dress shirt he wore for work. There was a certain amount of mob-thug aura about him, but she thought that was probably his strength and confidence showing through the fussy clothes. He filled them out well and she hoped he didn’t mind extra starch in his shirts, because she’d spent an hour ironing earlier in the
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