by Day Leclaire
Without giving herself time to reconsider, she stripped off her suit and slipped on the dress. It hugged her curves perfectly. Long-sleeved with a fitted bodice and V neckline, the belled skirt floated to her knees. A string of pearls and earrings her parents had given her for her twenty-first birthday lent a final elegant touch.
Crossing to the adjoining bathroom, she opened her cosmetic bag and applied a touch of makeup. She couldn’t suppress the delight she experienced from slipping into clothes in an appropriate size, and wearing colors that flattered rather than detracted from her appearance. She stepped back from the mirror and eyed the results with approval. Suddenly, she felt like herself again.
Next, she brushed out her hair. She assumed Soren still had her pins, so she’d have to leave it down. She tilted her head to one side. Her hair swept back from a deep widow’s peak and framed her face, falling in soft curls to her shoulders. A good portion of the rinse had washed out, leaving interesting streaks of gold mixed in with the brown, as though her hair had been partially bleached by the sun. It actually looked quite attractive.
Slipping on a pair of heels, she left the bedroom and followed the sound of masculine voices to the dining room. Dinner had just been put on the table, the assorted bowls and platters steaming, a variety of delicious odors wafting in her direction.
Luc noticed her first. To her dismay, he didn’t seem the least surprised by her altered appearance. With an annoying calm, he settled Toni more comfortably on his lap. But then a slow smile of satisfaction slid across his face and his eyes took on a gleam of hot intensity that shook her to the core. Had he known she’d look like this? But how? Was it possible he’d seen through her disguise from the beginning? It was a frightening thought, one that filled her with anxiety.
Matteo noticed her next, stumbling to a halt in mid-sentence. His mouth opened and closed, but he couldn’t seem to get any words out. At that, all conversation stopped. If the varied reactions to Toni had been amusing, the reactions to Grace’s transformation were even more so. Luc’s brothers rose in unison, approaching her like a large, intimidating, masculine wave. The wave broke, four large, gorgeous men surrounding her.
It felt wonderful. In fact, it felt better than wonderful.
“Grace!”
“What the hell have you done to yourself?”
“Never mind that. What the hell were you doing running around looking like you did when you could have looked like . . . Damn!”
With a teasing grin, Matteo threw himself at her feet. “Marry me, Grace.”
Soren turned to confront Luc. “You kept her all covered up on purpose. I can’t decide whether to applaud your cleverness, or beat you senseless for doing that to her.”
Luc shrugged. “I told you. It wasn’t my idea. Blame Will-William.”
A frown marred Dante’s handsome face and his hands balled into fists, giving him an even more striking tough-guy appearance. “Your fiancé makes you dress like that? Like . . . Like . . .”
“Like a bag lady,” Luc supplied helpfully.
“He makes you dress like a bag lady?” Dante’s frown grew darker. “What the hell for?”
“Yeah,” Matteo echoed, an identical frown lining his brow. “What the hell for?”
For the first time, Grace managed to get a word in edgewise. “To protect me from my boss,” she deadpanned, trying to relieve the mounting tension. It hadn’t occurred to her that they’d see her disguise in such an ominous light.
“To protect you?” Soren assumed a defensive stance in front of her and turned a suspicious glare in his brother’s direction. “From Luc?”
“It worked, didn’t it?” she said with an impish grin.
Her jest broke the mood, the four brothers grinning broadly. She crossed to the table and caught a brief glimpse of Luc’s narrowed, thoughtful gaze. It was as though a light bulb had just gone on in his head. She suspected she’d given a little too much away with that last crack, and Luc had found a large piece to the overall puzzle he’d been attempting to solve. She didn’t dare glance his way again, in case her expression confirmed his suspicions. Anxious to change the subject, she scooped Toni out of Luc’s arms.
“So, what do you think of your niece?” she asked the room at large.
Her question brought a slew of responses, each proud uncle attempting to out-flatter the others. It was clear they adored the newest member of the family. Within minutes, the baby had been snatched away from Grace. All through the meal, one uncle after another took genuine pleasure in holding their tiny niece. Toni kicked her little legs and waved her hands, delighted to be on the receiving end of so much attention, and blinked adoringly into each handsome face.
“Flirt,” Angel announced in proud disgust. “It’s a good thing you have so many uncles. When you’re a little older, you’ll need us to beat off the boys.”
“So, when does Brand return and face the music?” Soren asked, as pragmatic as ever.
“Soon, I hope,” Luc responded. “Until he does, Grace has agreed to help me with Toni.”
“You’re staying here?” Matteo questioned with an impudent grin.
Throwing a troubled glance Luc’s way, she nodded. So much for keeping this episode from Dom. She could only hope he’d be reasonable. If she could continue to hold Luc at a distance, she didn’t think there would be a problem. The only question being, could she do it? She hadn’t realized how much she’d come to depend on her disguise for protection. With that blown, she’d just have to cling even tighter to the imaginary William.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m using Luc’s guest room until Brand or Carina returns. That reminds me.” She slipped from her chair and addressed Luc. “I need to call my fiancé and give him an update. Do you mind if I use the phone in your study? My cell’s out of power and I forgot to grab my recharger when we were at my apartment.”
“Feel free.” She couldn’t read his expression, but somehow suspected it held amusement. “Oh, and Grace?”
She glanced back over her shoulder. “Yes?”
This time she couldn’t mistake his amusement. “Be sure and give him my regards.”
The buzz of questions began the moment she stepped from the room. She didn’t doubt for a minute they were about her and William. And from their tone, she also didn’t doubt they were critical of her supposed fiancé. Not that it mattered. A few more weeks and she could dispense with her engagement ring and be finished forever with lies and pretend engagements and futile disguises.
Sitting in Luc’s study, she punched her home phone number into the portable and spoke sheer drivel to her answering machine for the next ten minutes. Luc appeared in the doorway just as she returned the handset to the base.
“How’s Will-William?” he asked.
“Anxious for Carina and Brand to return so our lives can get back to normal,” she lied with composure.
He continued to stand in the doorway, blocking her only avenue of escape. “He’s not concerned about your staying here?”
She regarded him with hard-won calm. “Should he be?”
“I would, if I were your fiancé.” He left the doorway and approached, standing directly in front of her chair. “In fact, I wouldn’t allow you to spend five minutes in another man’s apartment, let alone the entire night.”
Anger sparked in her eyes. “But then, you’re not my fiancé, are you? And for the record, no man allows me to do anything. I do what I choose.”
He smiled with a complacency that made her very, very apprehensive. “And you’ve chosen to stay with me.”
“With Toni,” she amended.
He let her correction slide without comment. Folding his arms across his chest, he tilted his head to one side. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”
“Thank you.” More than anything she wanted to end this conversation and put some extra bodies between them. Nice, tall, protective bodies in the form of four Salvatore brothers. “Shall we join the others?” she suggested, standing.<
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To her distress, he didn’t move. He stood so close they were almost touching. Perhaps leaving the safety of the chair had been a mistake.
He lowered his head, asking softly, “Nervous, cara?”
She froze. “Not at all.” She glanced across the room, considering the logistics involved in edging around Luc and escaping through the door, all without coming into direct contact with him. “But as you’ve just pointed out, I am engaged, and this conversation isn’t appropriate.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “No? What’s inappropriate about it? The fact that I called you beautiful? Or the fact that we’re here. Alone. Together.” A smile edged across his mouth. “We’ll also be alone and together tonight, and yet you just said that wasn’t a problem.”
Her calm didn’t feel quite so calm anymore. “It’s not.”
“Then perhaps it’s that we’re standing so close.”
“Luc—”
“But that can’t be it. When we’re at work, we stand this close to each other all the time.” His gaze dropped to the rapid rise and fall of her breasts. “Though I don’t remember it having quite such an intense effect on you.” He captured her chin in his hand, his golden eyes once again on her face, watchful and dangerous. “Did it?”
“No!” she denied instantly. “It didn’t. It still doesn’t.”
He tilted his head to one side. “You’re lying,” he told her bluntly. “You know how I can tell? Your eyes. Those clear, bright green eyes cloud over like a stormy sky when you aren’t being honest. Is that why you wore glasses? How many other lies have you told while hiding behind a pair of tinted lenses, I wonder?”
“Luc, please,” she whispered.
“I want to please you.” His voice grew husky, deepening with an emotion she didn’t dare identify. “You don’t know how much I want to please you.”
She bit her lip. “Our lives are complicated enough. Don’t make it any worse.”
“Worse? I’ll make it better. Much, much better. Give it a chance, Grace. Give me a chance.”
She was so very, very tempted. She shut her eyes and instantly a picture leapt to life. A picture of her mother sewing bits of lace and ribbon to the clever little stuffed animals she so lovingly created. “Baby dreams,” she’d called them. And from that the idea for Baby Dream Toys had been born, a business they’d plotted and planned to someday open together. She shook her head. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t sacrifice something so precious for a fleeting instant of pleasure.
“No.” She spoke more forcefully this time and opened her eyes. “I can’t. Let go of me, Luc. Please.”
For a long moment he stood without speaking, his thoughtful gaze narrowed on her, as if trying to analyze something that defied analysis. His attention dropped briefly to her engagement ring and a small smile touched his mouth before he released her. “By all means. Join my brothers. They’re about to leave, anyway.” He moved toward the phone. “I want to make a quick call. I’ll join you in a minute.”
“All right.” She hesitated, something in his face setting off warning bells. But she couldn’t figure out why.
He picked up the phone and raised an eyebrow in question. “Anything else?” he asked.
She shook her head, and without another word went in search of Luc’s brothers. She found them grouped in the living room, slipping on coats and giving Toni goodbye hugs and kisses. Grace smiled. That little girl was going to grow up very spoiled and very much loved.
“Time to move out,” Angel announced, throwing open the front door and handing Grace the baby.
“Look!” Dante exclaimed. “She smiled at me.”
“So what?” his twin scoffed. “She’s been doing that to me all evening.”
“Only because she got the two of us mixed up.”
Luc suddenly appeared, bringing up the rear. “Quiet down,” he ordered. “And don’t forget. No one is to know Toni’s here. One run-in with the police was enough. We can’t risk another.”
“You got it.”
“Mum’s the word.”
“Not a problem,” Matteo assured. “Oh, hello, Mrs. Bumgartle. Were we being too noisy again?”
A long, sharp nose poked around the doorway opposite. “This time I’m calling the manager. He’ll take care of you hooligans. See if he doesn’t!”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Bumgartle,” Luc said, crossing the hall to speak to her. “My brothers were just leaving. You won’t hear another sound out of them.” He threw a stern glance over his shoulder. “Right?”
She peered at Luc, then at his brothers, her eyes narrow with dislike. “Hooligans, the lot of you!” And with that she slammed the door.
“Whoo-hoo,” Matteo said with a chuckle. “I do love seeing Mrs. Bumgartle. It reminds me there’s one woman on this planet you can’t charm.”
“Two women,” Dante corrected. “You’re forgetting about Cynthia. Remember? The tall, gorgeous brunette? Totally immune. She could freeze Luc dead in his tracks with one look.”
Soren slapped Luc on the back. “Don’t worry, big brother. Two out of millions. We won’t hold it against you.”
Luc grinned. “Get out of here, before I knock some heads together. I’ll let you know when I hear from Brand.”
The four trooped toward the elevator and Grace lifted the baby to her shoulder. “I think that’s enough excitement for one day. Time for bed, young lady,” she announced and slipped back into Luc’s apartment.
Across the hall, the door opened again. “Good night, Mrs. Bumgartle,” Luc called cheerfully. The door crashed shut and with a shrug he followed Grace into the apartment.
“Did you speak to her about yesterday?” she asked, moving over to the picture windows in the living room. “I don’t want her to put the wrong connotation on anything she might have overheard.”
He shook his head. “I never got the chance. It doesn’t matter. She makes empty threats all the time.”
Grace frowned. “Still . . .”
“Forget about Mrs. Bumgartle.” He came to stand next to her, dropping an arm around her shoulders, wrapping her and the baby in a protective embrace.
She gazed at the window, fascinated by the image reflected there. They might have been a real family. Luc towered above her, elegant and broad-shouldered in black trousers and a pullover sweater. Her soft green skirt seemed to cling to his legs with a life of its own. And Toni gurgled, her arms pumping the air as though trying to catch hold of him.
“Tell me, Grace.” His hand slipped along the nape of her neck and he caught a fistful of streaked curls in his hand. “Is it my imagination, or is your hair lighter?”
She stiffened against him, hastily ducking to press a kiss to the top of Toni’s head. “Does it seem lighter?” she asked in a muffled voice, tufts of soft black hair tickling her lips. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Don’t play games with me, Grace.” His voice acquired a rough, impatient edge. “You’ve been tinting it. Why?”
She shrugged. “It’s a woman’s prerogative, isn’t it?”
“To go from gold to mud brown?” he asked derisively. “Of course. It makes perfect sense.”
She attempted to step free of his arms, but he still held her hair and for a moment she didn’t think he’d let go. “I’d like to put Toni down,” she said quietly.
He instantly opened his hand, releasing her. “I’ll help.”
She knew better than to argue when he used that tone. She inclined her head in agreement and led the way to the guest room, fast being converted into a dream nursery. A changing table now stood near the gleaming white crib, both special deliveries from a nearby furniture store. Next to the changing table hung a Toys-a-Trillion pet net, a triangular hammock that attached to the wall and held every conceivable stuffed animal.
Laying Toni on the changing table, Grace wound a music box to keep the baby entertained while she took care of the lengthy process of putting on dry diapers and slipping a wiggly baby into pajamas. She opened the top drawer and pul
led out diapers, vacillating between a pretty pink nightie and one in a yummy lime green. The green, she decided, setting her choice beside the baby.
“Why don’t you sleep in my bed tonight,” Luc suggested
Grace started, jamming her finger in the drawer she’d been in the process of closing. “Ouch!” She glared at Luc, holding up her wounded finger. “Look what you made me do.”
A lazy grin drifted across his mouth. “You want me to kiss it better?”
“Not a chance.” She gave her full attention to getting Toni ready for bed. “And just to clarify, when I said not a chance? It was in response to both of your requests. You know I won’t sleep with you. I’m engaged.”
“So you keep reminding me. But, I don’t recall asking you to sleep with me, though if you’re offering—”
“I’m not,” she snapped, carrying Toni from the changing table to the crib. “Then what were you asking?”
“Offering, not asking. I’m offering my bed. It’s my turn to get up with Toni for the middle-of-the-night feeding and diaper change. So either we push the crib into my room or I sleep in here.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, dismissing his concerns. “I’ll take care of Toni. You stay right where you are.”
He shook his head, a crooked smile drifting across his mouth. “Sorry. I can’t do that.” He switched off the lamp on the nightstand. A sweet unicorn nightlight glowed near the crib, holding the darkness at bay. He moved toward her, his shadow leaping across the wall to join with hers. “It wouldn’t be fair.”
“I don’t mind,” she insisted.
“I do.” He caught her hand and tugged her out of the room. “Come on. We’ll go back to the living room and argue about it there.”
“No, Luc.”
“You don’t want to argue about who takes care of Toni tonight?”
