A muscle flexed along Stefan’s right eye, just like it had on their father whenever he was getting irritated. Then he shrugged . . . and then he really pissed Lucian off.
“I don’t know why you’re going to all this trouble with your sister.” He paused as he eyed his drink. “That girl was damaged way before she—”
“You finish that statement, I think we’re going to be planning two funerals instead of one.” Lucian paused, letting his words sink in. “And you know that’s not an idle threat.”
Stefano’s lips thinned. “Seriously?” He looked over at Dev in disbelief. “You’re going to allow him to threaten me twice in one day?”
Dev picked up his glass. “Last I checked I had absolutely no control over him.”
Lucian smirked as Stefan’s pale gaze settled on him. He raised his glass to his uncle. “We never asked your opinion on Madeline,” he reminded him, and come to think of it, when they told Stefano about Madeline’s return, he hadn’t been snide about it then. Not like their father had been. In all honesty, his uncle hadn’t appeared to care at all about it, but now? Different story. “Our father didn’t ask your opinion either.”
“As if you have any idea what Lawrence discussed with me,” he replied, jaw working.
“Well, I know that he thought you were about as useful as a fork in a sugar bowl.”
One side of Dev’s lips twitched.
The senator sat back. A moment passed and then he downed what was left in his glass.
“This will be a lovely dinner,” Dev commented dryly.
Not if Julia didn’t show. Growing restless, he shifted in his chair. Where was she? And where in the world was Gabe? He was usually down here by now.
Only a handful of seconds later, Gabe strolled in through the archway. He caught sight of the senator and sent a weird look at Dev, who simply shook his head. Gabe dropped into a seat, and as the dinner got going, it became apparent that Julia wasn’t showing.
Lucian’s appetite vanished. A wry grin twisted his lips. Why had he actually expected her to come down? But did she even have dinner? He doubted that she would bat an eyelash at his concern.
Lucian knew what she was doing.
His nurse was hiding from him and that just wouldn’t work for him.
The sun had set an hour or so ago and Madeline was in her bed, clothed for sleeping and fed by the time Julia found her way back to her room. She’d hurried through the hallways, not liking them and their flickering lights. They really gave that whole, friendly redrum vibe.
Once she was back in her room, she fired a set of quick texts to her mother, letting her know that everything was fine, and ate what was left of the sandwich Livie had brought her that afternoon. She was too tired to worry about how the de Vincents felt about her skipping the dinner. Besides, her thoughts were all over the place, jumping from Madeline’s condition—something she should be thinking about—to why Lucian had stopped before things got really interesting the night prior—something she really didn’t need to think about.
Like at all.
It shouldn’t matter, especially now, considering she was working for his family, and she was still extremely pissed and feeling like she’d been tricked, but this small part of her wondered why he hadn’t been interested in her returning the favor or having sex. Had he changed his mind? Sobered up? Hell, she didn’t think he’d been drinking that much, but was it all just some kind of plan to see how far she’d go?
Ugh.
The food in her stomach soured as she told herself once more she was never going to let her horny little heart soar ever again.
Feeling like she had a film of airplane grossness on her body, she was finally going to make use of the beautiful shower. She peeled off her pants and shirt, tossing them in a small hamper inside the bathroom. In her bra and panties, she remembered that the towels were stashed on narrow shelves just inside the closet door.
She crept back out into the bedroom and dashed to the closet. She flipped on the overhead light. Larger towels were in the bottom cubby. Bending down, she reached for the one as cold air slipped over her arm.
Julia frowned as she grabbed the towel and straightened. Loose tendrils of hair along the nape of her neck stirred. A faint trail of shivers circled down her spine.
Whirling around, she stared at the back of the closet, half expecting to find a large crack in the wall or a vent directly above her. Scanning the wall and the ceiling, she saw nothing but smooth white plaster.
Rubbing the back of her neck, she looked around again as a wave of tiny goose bumps spread over her bare skin. She felt . . . God, this sounded insane, she felt watched.
Obviously she wasn’t being watched unless it was by a ghost. There were no windows and no one else was in here.
She clutched the towel to her chest as she backed out of the closet, feeling a little ridiculous. Even though the house had been renovated, it was still old and most old homes were drafty.
Once she was back in the steamy bathroom, she undressed the rest of the way, let her hair down, and then hopped in. A moan of pleasure escaped her as the jets hit all the tight muscles. Spying little bottles, she tried out the luxurious body wash with the fancy name she couldn’t pronounce.
This bathroom reminded her of the ones in very expensive hotels. The kind where maids would organize your makeup every evening and morning for you. Places she’d only read about but never experienced.
Julia took her time, turning all the knobs and grinning when different jets kicked on, proving she was too easily amused. Turning to the side as she rubbed her hands over her eyes, she let her head fall back under the rain showerhead once more and—
Thump.
Julia stiffened as the water coursed down her skin. The noise sounded awfully close and it also sounded like a door hitting something—something like a wall. Her heart turned over heavily as a wave of tiny bumps rushed across her flesh. The feeling from earlier, when she was in the closet, slammed into her again.
She didn’t feel alone.
Slowly, she dragged her hands down her face and lowered her chin. Opening her eyes, she looked to the left. Someone stood on the other side of the tempered showered glass. Their details blurred but the shape was that of someone tall and broad. A startled gasp turned into a hoarse scream that sounded like a siren in her ears as she jerked back against the tile.
It happened so fast.
Her feet slipped over the pebbled rock of the shower floor. She tried to grab on to something, but only met air and slippery tile. Her legs went out from underneath her and then a blinding burst of pain lit up the side of her head and then there was nothing.
Chapter 10
“Ms. Hughes? Julia?”
The voice sounded like it was coming through a tunnel. Confusion swamped her as she felt the steady fall of water disappearing. Cool air rushed in as warm fingers touched her shoulder and then gently slipped under the cheek that felt like it was plastered to . . . rock.
“I hope you open your eyes,” the deep male voice came again. “Because you’re really starting to worry me.”
Worry him?
Something dry was laid over her body, and it was then when she realized she was lying on her side. A steady throbbing sensation cleared away some of the cobwebs crowding her head. Blinking rapidly, her surroundings began to piece together through strands of hair matted to her face.
There was a man crouched in front of her.
She’d never seen this man before, but he was handsome. Really handsome. Dark shoulder-length hair tucked back behind the ears. A faint stubble covered a carved jawline. Her gaze tracked up over broad cheeks and straight nose, settling on blue-green eyes. This man looked like a younger . . . warmer version of Devlin.
“There you are.” He smiled, and it was a familiar half grin, that she wasn’t quite sure at the moment why it was familiar. A moment later, he brushed the strands of hair back from her face. “Looks like you took a pretty nasty hit to the head. Do you think
you should sit up? Or should you stay where you are? You’d probably know this better than me.”
As she stared at this handsome stranger in rising confusion, the rest of her scattered thoughts pieced themselves back together.
Julia had been in the shower, playing with the damn jets when she slipped and fell, because—
Holy shit, she was naked.
Sucking in air like it was going out of style, she sat up—sat up too fast. The shower stall spun and the man’s face swam. Pain shot down her neck, making her nauseous enough that she moaned.
“Whoa.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, steadying her. “I don’t think you should’ve moved as fast as an Olympic sprinter.”
Grabbing for cover, she realized that he’d placed a towel over her, but it had fallen aside when she sat up, surely giving him an eyeful of her goodies. Like everything. “I’m naked,” she said dumbly, her voice thick and hoarse as she snatched at the towel, pressing it to her chest.
That one-sided grin appeared. “I’ve noticed.”
Great.
“Well, I’m trying not to notice,” he added, and then he winked.
Julia moaned partly out of embarrassment and because her head felt like it was seconds from imploding.
The humor vanished from his face. “Okay. I’m not a doc, but I really think you might’ve hurt yourself.”
Glancing down, she saw faint pink trailing along the sand-colored stones. Holding on to her towel, she gingerly touched the side of her head. Julia bit back a groan as that sent a sharp pulse of pain across her skull. She drew her hand back, her stomach dipping when she saw blood on her fingertips.
“Shit,” she muttered.
The man chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
Her mind raced in spite of the pain. She could be okay or she could have a concussion, the latter not being something to mess around with. Opening her eyes, she found the man watching her intently, staring at her in the way Lucian did.
“I’m sorry. We haven’t met yet.” He slid his hands down her arms, stopping just above her elbows. “I’m—”
“Gabriel?” she finished for him. When he nodded, all she could think was great, now two out of the three brothers had seen her breasts. Awesome.
“Most people call me Gabe, though.” He smiled again. “Thank God I was just outside on the porch when I heard you scream.”
Her mind was still moving slowly. “Do you know how long I was out?”
“Maybe a minute? A little longer.”
Okay. That was good news. Sort of.
“Do you think you should stand up?” he asked.
It really depended, but Julia didn’t want to spend any more time sitting on the shower floor with a towel barely covering her. “I think so.”
“Okay.” His gaze flicked to hers. “I promise I won’t look. My eyes are fixed to yours.”
Feeling her cheeks heat, she murmured something along the lines of thanks, and then she held on to the towel as he helped her get on her feet. Her legs were a little wobbly as she stepped out of the stall, and the brighter lights over the sink caused her headache to increase.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, still holding on to her arms.
“I don’t know.”
His gaze left hers for a fraction of the second and then the very tips of his cheeks flushed. “Here, let me help you with this.”
Before she could say no, he had the towel in his hands and had it wrapped around her. Folding the top ends together. There was still a gap from under her breast all the way down, but at least her ass wasn’t hanging out any longer.
“Let’s get you into the bedroom and sitting down. How’s that sound?”
“Good,” she murmured.
Gabe nodded and then slipped one arm around her shoulders. “Per—”
“What in the hell is going on here?”
Wincing at the booming demand, she peered over Gabe’s shoulder and saw Lucian standing in the doorway of the bedroom. Her stomach dropped all the way to her curled toes.
Could this get any worse?
Yes, she quickly realized. Devlin could also join the awkward threesome.
“Julia fell in the shower,” Gabe answered calmly. “She hit her head.”
“What?” Lucian stormed forward, brushing aside his brother with ease. “Are you okay?”
Julia thought she said yes, but Lucian’s sudden close proximity and his touch overrode her already scattered senses. His hands replaced Gabe’s, and even with the throbbing in her head, there was no way she could ignore the way her body reacted to him. Every part of her was acutely aware of the arm circling her back and the one sliding across her jaw, tilting her head back and to the side.
“Jesus,” he muttered.
Julia didn’t have to be a nurse to know that didn’t sound good. “I think I’ll be fine. I just need to—” Her gasp cut her off as she was suddenly off her feet and in Lucian’s arms, cradled against his chest.
Julia was stunned into silence.
She was not a small woman, and he picked her up like she weighed nothing more than a bag of potatoes. He walked out of the bathroom.
“Well, I was just going to aid her to the bed,” Gabe said from behind me, his tone teasing. “But you always have to outdo me.”
Hearing Gabe speak, she snapped out of her stupor. Julia clutched at the top and bottom of her towel, trying not to play peekaboo. “I can walk.”
“Glad to hear that,” Lucian replied.
“That means you can put me down.” Dragging in a deep breath, she thought she smelled food—chicken or something.
“Not necessary.” Lucian stopped and eased her down. “Already here.”
She held on to her towel for near life.
Looking over his shoulder to where Gabe was lingering, he barked out, “Have you called anyone?”
Oh no. “I don’t think you need to do that.”
“I haven’t had the chance.” Gabe dug into his pocket, pulling out the phone. “But I will call Flores.”
Julia stiffened. “But—”
“Can you also grab a clean towel and some ice?” Lucian asked, those sea-green eyes fixing on her. “How did this happen?”
She exhaled roughly. “I saw someone in the bathroom while I was showering—”
“What?” demanded Lucian.
With the phone to his ear, Gabe turned and stared at them as he picked up a towel from the closet. He was talking too low into the phone for her to hear, but she hoped the doctor was telling him he couldn’t make it.
She squirmed as Gabe opened the freezer door on the fridge. “There was someone in the bathroom. I saw them through the shower door and it startled me. I . . . I screamed and I slipped. I must’ve hit my head on one of the jets.”
“I heard her scream,” Gabe said, walking toward them with a towel in one hand, slipping his phone into the pocket with the other. “I was outside on the porch. By the way, Flores is coming. He said make sure she doesn’t go to sleep or move around too much.”
“I know that,” she replied.
Gabe raised a brow as he handed the packed towel over to Lucian. “Then you should also know that any head injury should be treated seriously. Correct? That you should let a doctor look at you.”
Julia opened her mouth, but he was right and she was being stupid. She knew she needed another set of trained eyes to look her over.
“I didn’t hear anything.” Lucian cupped her cheek in a way too intimate manner and placed the towel against what surely had to be a knot. Julia winced. “Sorry,” he murmured. “Are you sure you saw someone?”
“Yes.” Was she, though? Her gaze darted between the two men. “I mean, I saw something. I know I did.”
“There wasn’t anyone in here when I came in,” Gabe said, voice gentle despite the fact that he was basically saying it was impossible that she saw someone. “And I came as soon as I heard you scream. Only a handful of seconds could’ve passed.”
“But .
. .” But if it wasn’t a person, what could she have seen? “I saw something.”
“We’re not saying you didn’t.” Lucian shifted the ice-covered towel. “Those shower doors can play tricks on your eyes, especially when the lights are flickering on and off. Create shadows that are not really there.”
Julia thought back to the hallway lights. “Do you guys always have such an electricity problem?”
“At times,” replied Gabe. “If you didn’t hear anything, then why were you over here?”
That was a very good question.
Lucian’s gaze flickered over her face. “I was just coming over to annoy you.”
“At least you’re honest about that,” she said dryly as Gabe roamed back into the closet.
That one-sided grin appeared. “And I brought you food since you decided we weren’t good enough for your company.”
“What? That’s not why—” She cut herself off. Lucian knew that couldn’t be the reason and that wasn’t important. Could the lights have flickered out briefly, creating a shadow? Truth was, she did have her eyes closed and only saw the shape briefly.
Julia didn’t know, but what she did know was she was still virtually naked. “I would like to put some clothes on.”
“Think Flores wants you to stay seated,” Lucian reminded her.
“I don’t care. I’m not sitting here in a towel any longer.”
“Not like I haven’t seen it before,” he said in a low voice she wasn’t sure Gabe could hear.
She held the towel tighter as she snapped, “Not like you’re going to see them again.”
“Is that a challenge?” he asked, eyes glittering. “I do love challenges.”
“Well, that’s a challenge you’re going to lose.”
Gabe approached them, watching with interest. “Is this your robe?” he asked.
“Yes.” Relieved, she reached for it. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “Unlike some people, no names mentioned, I’d rather have you comfortable.”
Lucian snatched the robe out of his brother’s hands before she could take it. He handed the pack of ice over to Gabe. “No one asked for your opinion.” Turning, he draped it over her shoulders and then began to feed one of her arms through the sleeves like she didn’t know how to dress herself.
Moonlight Sins Page 12
