Page 82 of Always Be Mine

“You are acting…off.” Annie shrugged.

Lucy didn’t know her well enough to make that determination, but her new friend didn’t seem herself.

“I’m fine. Just disappointed in…well, it doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s best if we don’t have a ladies’ night after all. I’m probably not good company.” She left her empty beer bottle on the table. “I’m going to take off, girls. I’ll catch up with you all later.”

“What do you think’s going on with her?” Charli mused as soon as she was out of earshot.

“It’s a guy,” Annie, who had been close friends with Kat for years, said casually. “It’s gotta be. She only acts crazy like that when it’s a man.”

Charli’s eyes widened, but she nodded in agreement. “Makes sense.”

It did. At least to Lucy, who was currently feeling a certain level of crazy over a man herself.

ChapterTwenty

It tooka herculean effort for Craig not to rush out of the big house and race straight back to the house, where he knew Lucy was home. Alone. For the first time since…well, in what felt like forever.

After Annie and Chase told him they’d asked Meri to stay for a sleepover with Grady and a movie night in the theater room, Lucy offered to pack up the presents and take them home.

The poor woman looked exhausted. She’d worked so hard to make Meri’s party perfect. His brothers were right—she definitely deserved a bonus of some kind—and Craig planned to show her exactly how much he appreciated her as soon as he got home.

As soon as it was reasonable, Craig gave the birthday girl a big hug and kiss, and told her good night. “I’ll pick you up in the morning, okay, kiddo?”

“Can you wait until after lunch? I want to go swimming with Grady again.”

“Only if it’s okay with Uncle Chase and Annie.”

“It’s more than fine with us,” Annie said. “I know Lucy can use the break. So make sure she sleeps in and takes tomorrow off.”

Craig examined Annie closely, looking for any indication that she knew more about the situation than she’d let on. He was fairly sure that Lucy wouldn’t have said anything, but Annie was perceptive. Maybe she’d figured it out.

“Sunday is Lucy’s day off.”

“So was Saturday,” Annie said pointedly. “I know she loves Meri, but if she doesn’t take a real day off, I’m going to kidnap her and take her camping or something.”

Craig laughed. Lucy was a proper city girl. He couldn’t imagine that her idea of relaxing would be sleeping in a tent or cooking over a fire. Although, he personally did like the idea of having her all to himself in the great outdoors.

He forced the thought from his head and focused on the moment. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t work in any way.”

Annie appeared satisfied with his response and didn’t give any further indication that she thought something more was going on.

Twenty minutes later, he was home. The house was quiet, but Lucy’s car was parked out front and the pile of presents had been deposited on the coffee table in the living room.

“Lucy?”

For a moment, he thought she might be asleep, but then he heard the sound of the shower and his body lit up with increased anticipation of a wet, naked Lucy. He stripped his clothes off and knocked on the bathroom door as he twisted the handle.

He stepped into the steam-filled room and fisted his already hard cock. “You have room for one more in there?”

He hesitated when nothing but silence greeted him. ItwasLucy in the shower, wasn’t it? Andy hadn’t decided to come to town after all, had he?

Shit.

He didn’t have time to overthink it any further because the shower curtain slid over, and Lucy poked her head out. “It took you long enough.” Her eyes traveled the length of him, widening as they lowered to the evidence of his arousal. “Get in here.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

She took a step backward as he entered the stall, crowding them in the small space. Craig hardly registered the hot water as he moved. “I’ve been waiting all day for this.” His mouth crashed onto hers and as soon as his lips were on hers, nothing else mattered.

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