“You have such little faith in me.”
“More like just low expectations based on your own words and Gabe’s.”
“What did he say?”
“Pretty much the same thing you’ve already said,” she explained, placing the linen over the used plates.
He checked in on Daniel and Maddie. They were at the easel, where they left them. His gaze swung back to her. “When did you talk to my brother?”
She bent down, picking up a napkin that had slipped off the tray. “Obviously when you weren’t around.”
“Really? I am feeling a little . . . jealous.”
Straightening, she pinned him with a droll look. “He stopped by when I was out on the porch. He told me he was leaving to visit some ex-girlfriend’s family.”
“He brought that up?”
Julia nodded, tossing the napkin on the tray. “Yeah. What?”
“Nothing. It’s just that . . . that was a rough relationship. He really had feelings for her.”
“What happened then?” Curiosity filled her voice.
“She got into a situation and we took care of it.”
Her brows lifted as she stared at him. “What does that even mean?”
“Exactly what I said,” he replied.
She stared at him a moment and then shook her head. “We better get back in there.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
He looked over at her as she started back into Maddie’s room. “Are you proud of me?”
She paused at the door. “Maybe a little.”
“I’ll take that.” Walking past her, he reached out, brushed his hand over her lower back and right over the curve of her ass. She sidestepped quickly and spun toward him. “Oops. Sorry. I’m so clumsy.”
“You had to go and ruin it,” she muttered behind him.
Grinning, he crossed the room. The smile quickly faded, though, when Daniel turned to him.
“I have an idea,” he said.
Lucian folded his arms. “Can’t wait to hear this.”
“What is your idea?” Julia joined him.
Daniel glanced back at Maddie. She wasn’t painting anymore. The canvas was filled. “This is her old room, but . . . none of her stuff is here.”
“Her stuff had been packed up. What could be donated was. Everything else was thrown away.”
Julia looked at him sharply, disbelief etched into her face. “What?”
“It wasn’t me who did it.” A little annoyed that she would even think that, he met her stare. “It was our father.”
She paled. “Did . . . did you know he did it?”
Part of him didn’t want to answer, but he did. “No. Not until it was too late.”
Sympathy flickered across her face as she reached over, folding her hand along his bicep. She squeezed gently.
“What about your mother’s stuff?” Daniel suggested. “You know how close she and my aunt were. Do you have any of her stuff still left or did Lawrence get rid of that too?”
Lucian tensed. “No. Her belongings are still in her room.”
“All of her stuff?” Disbelief colored his tone.
Working a kink out of his neck, he then nodded. “Her room has been like it was since the night she died.”
“Really?” Excitement filled Daniel’s gaze. “Maybe we can get some of your mother’s stuff for her. Something for her to look at, maybe touch? Does that sound dumb?” He spun on the stool, looking up at Julia. “You’re the nurse. What do you think?”
“I don’t think it’s dumb.” She folded one arm over her waist. “Exposing patients to their own personal items or those of a loved one is often used, especially if there are memory issues. And we don’t know if she is having memory issues.”
“So, it couldn’t hurt?” Daniel asked.
She shook her head. “Not if they had a good relationship.” Her hand slipped off Lucian’s arm. “Did they?”
“Yeah.” His voice was hoarse. “They had their issues. I guess like any mother and daughter, but they were close.”
“Is there anything in particular that you think Madeline would be drawn to?” she asked him.
God, the options were limitless. When Maddie was little, she played for hours in all of Mom’s jewelry, especially the long pearl necklaces. Then there were the photo albums and the journals her mom kept. Maddie was always messing with them. “There are some things I can think of.”
“So, what do you guys think?” Daniel looked between them.
Lucian wasn’t sure if he wanted to do this. Entering his mom’s room wasn’t something any of them did often. Hell, it was Livie who kept the room clean.
“You think it could help?” he asked Julia.
Her gaze searched him. “I don’t think it would hurt.”
Which meant it could do nothing . . . or it could help his sister. And to help his sister, he would do it.
“Okay.” Lucian scrubbed a hand over his jaw, glancing over at Julia. She nodded in agreement. “I can . . . I can do that.”
“Awesome.” Daniel spun back to Maddie, and Lucian thought he saw a ghost of a smile on his sister’s face.
Julia had just returned to her room when her phone vibrated in her back pocket. Sliding the phone out, her stomach dropped when she saw the familiar Pennsylvania area code.
Adam.
Instinct told her it was Adam, and that knowledge twisted up her insides as she stared down at the phone. He hadn’t called her since he’d texted, but she wasn’t a fool. She’d known that he’d call again . . . and again, but the brief respite had caused her to let her guard down.
Julia started to do what she always did. Her thumb hovered over the reject button, but she stopped. Avoiding him wasn’t working. Changing her number only derailed him until he ferreted out her new number. The old Julia would ignore this phone call.
But she wasn’t that Julia anymore, was she?
No.
She wasn’t.
The phone continued to ring, the sound as jarring as nails dragging down a chalkboard.
Something inside of Julia broke. Or maybe something inside of her changed. Either way, she reacted. Julia answered the call and her stomach pitched once more as she said, “Hello.”
“Julia.”
The voice was familiar in the way bad nightmares were, and the only response to the sound of Adam’s voice was a wince and a red-hot flaring of annoyance. Gone were the days where his voice would elicit disappointment and regret of all that could’ve been.
“You answered.” He sounded surprised. “Thank God. I’ve been worried—”
“Stop,” she cut in as she walked toward the doors. “You need to stop right there. You don’t have any right to be worried. That day has long since passed.”
“Julia—”
“No.” Her hand tightened on the phone as she lowered her voice. “You need to stop calling me, Adam. Our marriage is over—has been over for years. You need to stop.”
“Just because we’re not married, doesn’t mean I don’t have a right to know what the hell is going on with you.” And there it was. The surprise was gone from his tone. “You up and left the damn state and no one will tell me where you went.”
“You don’t have any right to know what I’m doing, Adam. How do you not understand that?” she shot back. “Wait. Don’t understand that. You obviously don’t. This is the last time I want to hear from you.”
“You don’t mean that.” He softened his tone. “Come on, Julia. I still care about you and I still worry.”
Turning from the doors, she drew in a deep, calming breath so she didn’t start cursing at the top of her lungs. “I wish you the best, Adam, always have, but I don’t worry about you and I don’t think about you. Our lives are completely separate now. I do not want to hear from you again and I mean that.”
Adam fell silent.
Her heart started pounding in her chest. “If you keep calling me, that’s . . . that’s harassment and I will
file charges.”
His inhale was audible. “You’d do that to me? Knowing what that could mean for my job?”
“Yes, because you’d be the one doing that to yourself.” Her shoulders squared. “Call me one more time and not only will I file charges, I’ll call your wife. I will. We are done with this.”
Julia hung up the phone then, cutting off whatever he was saying, because the words weren’t important. Her heart was still slamming against her ribs as she waited for the phone to ring again.
But it didn’t.
The phone remained silent.
Much, much later, Julia lay in bed, the sheet and blanket twisted around her legs as she stared at the churning ceiling fan.
She couldn’t sleep.
Her brain wouldn’t shut down. The thing was she wasn’t even thinking about what she should be. Madeline and the lunch with Daniel as well as the phone call with Adam were the furthest things from her mind. She managed to not think about the dinner last night, what Lucian had said to her most of the day, but now?
Her priorities were totally messed up, because as she shifted onto her side and then rolled onto her back a few moments later, she was thinking about him.
When his hand had brushed over her ass this afternoon, she should’ve been offended. Hell, she should be in a constant state of offended around Lucian. Except she hadn’t been. Her body had immediately responded, flushing hotly. She was in a constant state of heated arousal.
And she was still so freaking hot.
Julia was burning up, like she had a fever that couldn’t be treated with aspirin and rest. Restlessness consumed her and she sat up, throwing her legs off the bed.
Truth was, Julia wasn’t just thinking about him. She was . . . she was trying to work up the nerve to do it.
To make that choice.
“Oh God,” she whispered, smoothing a hand over her face. Her hand was actually shaking as her heart thundered in her chest. This shouldn’t be such a huge thing. Either she went to him or she didn’t. And if she did, she knew what it would be. Sex. Nothing else but mind-blowing sex. She could deal with that.
At least she thought she could.
You will come to me.
She swallowed hard as she stared at her bedroom door. Her heart rate kicked up as she stood. Her legs trembled as she folded her arms over her chest. She could feel her nipples pressing through the thin camisole. She bit down on her lip and just for a moment she let herself imagine walking out the door, going the handful of steps that led to Lucian. She let herself imagine what would happen if she knocked on the door and he answered.
She thought about what he’d do to her.
And she knew what she would allow.
Never in her life had she been this nervous. Ever. Was that a good or bad thing? She didn’t know, but she was going to drive herself insane stressing over this. Was she going to spend every night wide awake and wishing she had the courage—
Julia exhaled roughly. Wishing she had the courage. Earlier today, she felt like she wasn’t that old Julia anymore. She stood up to Adam. Took charge. The old Julia would stay right where she was, spending a fitful night wishing.
How about she stop wishing? Stop fantasizing? And instead, starting living?
Chapter 24
The soft rapping on Lucian’s door drew him away from the canvas. Tossing the charcoal aside, he grabbed a nearby rag and rose, wiping his hands cleans.
For some damn reason, his heart was pounding in his chest as he walked past the couch. Instinct told him who it was or maybe it was wishful thinking.
God, he wanted it to be her.
After that lunch with Daniel, knowing he was going to have to go through his mother’s shit, he wanted it to be her on the other side of the door. Because if it was her, he just knew he wouldn’t be thinking about his sister or what he would have to do. Everything about him would be focused on her. Everything else would be quiet.
He needed that quiet.
Lucian shoved the rag into the back pocket of his jeans and opened the door, resting his hand on the frame.
Julia had come to him.
Hell.
He almost dropped to his knees right there and thanked her. He stopped himself, because yeah, that would be weird as shit.
She was wearing a pretty little frilly top that played peekaboo from behind a long open-front sweater. Those legs were covered in tight, black pants. Pants he wanted nothing more than to peel off her.
It took everything in him not to grab her and immediately take her to the floor. He had to pull it back, because one look at her told him that she was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Her face was flushed and she was twisting her fingers together as her gaze dropped from his face to the charcoal-smudged white shirt he was wearing.
“Why are you so dirty-looking?” she blurted out.
He fought a grin. “Well, good evening to you, too, Ms. Hughes.”
The flush in her cheeks deepened to a rosy red, the kind of color that would be hard to replicate. “I’m sorry. It’s just you have smudges all over your shirt.” She pointed in the general vicinity of his chest.
“I was sketching with charcoal. It’s messy.”
“Oh.” Her gaze flickered from his face to his chest and back. “So you sketch too?”
“Among many things.” He slid his off the frame of the door. “Do you want to come in, Ms. Hughes?”
Her lips moved, but there was no sound for several moments. “I’m sorry. I know it’s late. I couldn’t sleep.”
“So you came to me?”
Julia closed her eyes and nodded. “If you’re busy—”
“I’m never too busy for you. I was about to make myself a drink,” he offered, stepping back. “I can make you one, if you like.”
Lucian didn’t think she was going answer or come in. She hesitated for several seconds and then stepped through the door. He closed his eyes, throwing up a prayer of thanks to whatever God was listening. Shutting the door, he found her standing next to the couch.
“Have a seat.”
Julia sat.
Thinking that was the first time she ever immediately did anything he asked, he almost laughed. He watched her as he walked over to the bar. God, she really was anxious, and he didn’t like that. He wanted—no, needed—her to be comfortable.
Her gaze flew around the room. “Wow. I didn’t know you had so much space—private space.”
“You’ve never been in here before, have you?”
She shook her head as he grabbed the bottle of whiskey and two glasses. “It’s like an apartment.”
“Pretty much. It’s a good place to chill without worrying about my brothers.” Pouring himself straight whiskey, he went soft on her drink, adding only a shot of liquor to her Coke. He wanted her relaxed, not drunk. “I have this room, one I use for a studio, and a bedroom with a bathroom.”
Her hands rubbed over her bent knees. “Do you always work in your studio here?”
“Mostly.” Placing their glasses on the coffee table, he stepped around it and knelt down directly in front of her so they were eye level.
Julia drew back, her eyes flaring wide.
He rested his hands on her knees as he met her gaze. “I know why you came to me.”
Her breath caught.
“And I’m going to spend hours, maybe even the rest of the night, making damn sure you don’t regret this,” he said, meaning every single word. “But nothing, absolutely nothing will happen that you do not want. Do you understand?”
Swallowing, she nodded.
“You can walk out that door at any moment and we . . . we can try again later.” He really hoped that wouldn’t happen, but he wouldn’t stop. “Or you can choose to stay and let the night take us wherever it does. Okay?”
She wet her lips, the small act sending a bolt of lust through him. “Okay.”
“Good.” He smiled and then rose, reaching behind him. He picked up her glass and then handled it ov
er to her. “So, why couldn’t you sleep?”
She took a sip as he sat beside her. “I’ve always had trouble sleeping. It’s not serious like it is for some people, but it’s annoying.”
“I know the feeling.” His gaze coasted over her profile. He wanted to touch her. “If you can’t sleep, don’t forget I have options for you. I’m here to help, at your disposal.”
A brief smile appeared on her face as she lowered the glass. “That tea was amazing.”
“It is.” He watched her over the rim of his glass. “But the other option is so much better.”
That sweet pink returned to her face. “So, I . . . I, um, I was exploring a little this morning, before Daniel came over. I went up on the roof.”
He leaned into the cushions, throwing his arm along the back of the couch. “You shouldn’t be up there. It’s not the safest place.”
“Because there are no guardrails?”
Lucian didn’t respond.
She peeked over at him through thick lashes. “It looked like the roof was used often.”
“My mother did. She liked it up there, night or day. Probably because no one else liked to go up there.”
She ran her fingers along the rim of the glass. “Well, someone goes up there. I saw the flowers. They looked fresh. Is that you?”
He shook his head. “Believe it or not, that’s Dev.”
“Oh.” She blinked. “That’s a surprise.”
“Right,” he agreed. “But seriously, please don’t go up there. The last thing I’d want is for an accident to happen.”
She let out a shaky breath. “Do accidents happen up there often?”
“Accidents happen often everywhere in this house. Remember the bathroom?”
“Oh God. You had to remind me of that.” She pressed her palm to her face, squeezing her eyes shut. “I was trying to scrub that from my memory.”
“You and me both.”
She lowered her hand and looked at him strangely.
“What? Finding you naked in my brother’s arms wasn’t exactly something I wanted to see.”
“Something you didn’t want to see? Try being in my place.” She laughed, and Lucian’s lips twitched at the soft sound. “I can’t believe the first time I met Gabe was like that.”
Moonlight Sins Page 27
