Wringing her hands, Megan left the kitchen and Drew was out of sight. Nervously, she entered the bedroom and heard the shower. She took slow, controlled steps to the bathroom door and grazed her fingertips across the cold wood as she held her breath. Just feet away, on the other side of the door, Drew, man of her dreams, was in there… wet and naked. All she had to do was remove the wall and have him for her viewing pleasure, but it wouldn’t be right. Right?
“Just do it!” Lillie yelled from somewhere in the house.
“You’re not supposed to do that,” Megan said in a normal tone since Lillie was listening.
“You’re blaring again!”
Biting her bottom lip, Megan slowly sank onto the right side of the bed, put a pillow in her lap, and faced the bathroom. Maybe just one little peek? She took a deep breath and the next second, Drew was visible. His head was tilted under the flow of the water, both hands pressed against the tiled wall, causing the water to run down his back. Her mouth went dry. He was magnificent. Taking slow, calming breaths, she enjoyed looked him over. Her original quest for a small peek was out of the question.
All the money in the world couldn’t pull her eyes away from what was before her.
Drew turned. It appeared he was looking directly at her but she knew he wasn’t. Picking up the sweet pea scented body wash, he sniffed it. Searching for alternatives, he realized it was all she had so he lathered with slow, methodical circles over his hard body. Megan gathered enough gumption and let her gaze drop lower, to the… male of him. She was wowed. It was… well… large. Not like radioactive, deformity large, but enough to make her mouth open in shock and awe. She had only seen one once before and she didn’t remember it looking like that. No, this wasn’t a teenage boy like the last she had seen; this was a full grown man all over.
She swallowed hard.
“Megan!” he yelled, causing her to jump and scream.
Chapter Seven
“What?” Megan yelled back, hoping he hadn’t heard the startled squeal she released moments earlier. Standing, she stared at the door again with a hand covering her stomach. What she had just done was wrong and she couldn’t let herself do anything that disrespectful ever again. She was ashamed of herself, not to mention embarrassed.
“I need a towel.”
Megan had been so busy watching his… assets, she hadn’t noticed he had turned off the water. She hoped he couldn’t hear her panting like a dog in heat. “They’re in the closet.”
“Want to get one for me? I don’t want to get water all over the floor.” She didn’t have to see him to know he was smiling. It wasn’t lost on her that he was purposely taunting her because he knew how uncomfortable it made her. Little did he know, she was so hot and bothered, if she walked in there, she would be walking out a very satisfied woman.
“You have hands and legs.”
Megan walked to the kitchen and distanced herself from temptation. Gulping down a glass of water, she told herself to get control. Drew was playing a sick game with her, thinking it was entertaining to watch her squirm. How would he like it if she did the same thing to him? Passing sexual innuendoes out like they were free samplers at the grocery store. She would bet her meager life savings he wouldn’t care for it much. He was a flirt. Simple as that. Megan wasn’t. She could, however, damn sure make a man want her if she wanted him to.
Pissed off and sexually frustrated—she guessed that was the gnawing feeling consuming her—she stalked back into the bedroom and picked out the sexiest little silk nightgown she owned. It was royal blue with spaghetti straps, a scooped neckline, and barely covered her ass.
She would show him how this game was played.
“You go, girl!” she heard from upstairs.
Megan smiled, but fear made the corners of her mouth wobble. If she was going to be around Lillie, she really needed to learn how to keep her from intruding on her thoughts. If that was even possible. At least she wasn’t yelling, “You’re stupid. Don’t do it!”
Drew opened the door wearing jersey shorts and a smile. Water beaded down his chest as he shook the towel through his hair. Megan swallowed hard again. I can do this, she told herself over and over again. She walked past him to the bathroom and shut the door. Undressing in front of him would be taking it a step further than she was mentally prepared for. She took a quick shower since he had used most of the hot water, and then dried her hair, spritzed perfume on her wrist, and put lotion all over her body to give it a nice bronzed glow.
It’s now or never, Megan thought, pulling the nightgown over her head. She opened the door to find Drew lying on the bed, pillows behind his head, and papers resting in his lap. He glanced in her direction, then his head snapped up, giving a classic double-take. Clearing his throat, he pushed himself against the headboard.
Megan tried to act nonchalant and strolled about the room like she did this all the time. Inside, though, her heart raced. Her legs shook so badly she worried it was about to sound like a clapping seal.
“Are you sleeping in that?” he asked, eying her full, perky breasts.
“I figured it was going to get hot in here tonight.” The nervousness helped her voice go low and sultry. She sounded like a damned seductress.
Drew rubbed a palm over his bare chest like an invisible arrow just shot him. “Yeah, it may.”
“You ready for another night without sleep?” she inquired, lifting an eyebrow.
“Without sleep?” he asked, drawing out both words, his eyes bouncing to different parts of her body.
“Yes. You do get up all through the night, don’t you?” Megan couldn’t believe her own mouth. Where the hell was all this coming from? Maybe she had watched too many R rated movies. It seemed to be working, though; she could see it in the strain of his clenched jaw and smoldering eyes. Drew was struggling to keep his composure and she was loving every minute of it. The tables had been turned. “Never know when they’re going to come back.”
“Huh?” he asked dazedly, his eyes giving up the pretense of looking at her face.
She wanted to laugh but managed to keep her lips still. “Then men who broke in. You do get up and check on things at night, don’t you?”
“Uh, yeah, of course I do.” He cleared his throat and stood, holding the papers protectively in front of his waist. Man, this is too good. “I’m going to do one last check around the house before we…”
Drew didn’t bother to finish his sentence. He took off as if the proverbial hounds of Hell were nipping at his heels. Megan heard the front door open, then shut. She doubted he took the time to put on a shirt, much less a pair of shoes.
Worked like a charm.
Megan knew what he’d been up to and hopefully she had put an end to it.
The real question was, did she really want it to end?
With her time being limited, Megan rushed to the bed and pulled the covers over her. She had been brave for a time, but that time was now over. Hearing Drew come in and start clanking things around in the kitchen, she rolled to her side and decided it would probably be best if she pretended to be asleep when he came back.
His reaction pleased her. She never really thought too much about seeking a man’s attention, but she could see where it would be enjoyable. Not that she planned to make a habit of it, but she couldn’t lie and say she wasn’t turned on by the way his eyes went from cool and collected to dark and stormy in seconds. Or by the way he watched her move like he was hypnotized by the blue satin against her skin.
Lillie’s footsteps upstairs redirected her thoughts. Her houseguest was still a mystery. Regardless of the oddity of Lillie, Megan felt connected to her, like she was a person she had known all of her life. It was odd since she had spent her entire life avoiding real attachments with anyone. It wasn’t hard to do when she never spent more than a year, maybe a rare two, with a single family.
Thankfully, Megan had been blessed with good families, but never felt like she was a part of any of them. Most fosters had their ow
n children and she had felt like she was an intruder. Before she learned to control the whole “seeing through walls” thing, she was tossed between foster parents like a hot potato. Not many people could handle trying to understand how she knew everyone’s Christmas presents before they were opened or how she knew who was coming and going out of the house without being in the room. She would even freak out the teachers she had when she would ask things like why they smoked behind the building. Although, even way back then, she knew to keep the truth to herself.
Closing her eyes to the past, Megan fell asleep to the sound of the television playing in the living room. For the first time in her life, she fell asleep feeling like she was part of something.
****
Way too early the next morning Lillie woke her, asking if she would like to join her for sunrise yoga. With Drew snoring in bed next to her—some guard—she gladly went out with Lillie. She was impressed when Megan came out wearing yoga pants and carrying two mats.
“There’s hope for you yet,” she said as they laid out the mats on the wet grass.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I looked through your cabinets,” Lillie said with a curled lip.
“I take vitamins,” Megan provided as they moved from pose to pose, Megan taking Lillie’s lead. “So, what are you going to do if they can’t find your van?”
They moved from warrior pose to a wide legged forward fold before Lillie answered. “I don’t know. My massage table was in there, all my clothes, and essential oils. Everything I own.”
“Do you have insurance?”
“Not full coverage,” she said on a sigh. “Are there any massage places in town where I could maybe get some work?”
“Not that I know of.” Megan pursed her lips as she moved to the next pose. “I have an idea. Why don’t you come work for me part-time until they find your van or you make other arrangements?”
Lillie whipped around, wide-eyed, opened-mouth at her. “Seriously?”
Shrugging, Megan moved to downward dog. “Christmas is just around the corner and it’s just me and Brandy working. I could really use the help and you’re more than welcome to stay here for a while.”
What she wanted to say was, Please stay, I don’t want to be alone with Drew. Megan really did need the help. Business was booming and she had already decided to hire more employees, but with Laura being kidnapped, she hadn’t had time to even think about it. And if she were to have more help at the shop, she could find Laura quicker and Drew could go home.
“If you want, you can come to the shop with me today and check it out. See if you like it?” Megan offered.
“Okay, I’ll go with you and see if it’s my thing.”
Megan wanted to laugh. If she were in a strange town, her van/home was stolen, no money and no job, she wouldn’t have cared in the least if it was her thing. Obviously, Lillie was more worried about messing her karma or chi or whatever, than about her living situation. “We’d better go get ready. Try not to wake up Drew.”
Quietly, they both got ready and left the house while Megan tried not to think about leaving a half-naked Drew lying in her bed. Lillie wore the same clothes as the day before and Megan wore a pair of black, slim-fit pants, a pair of knee-high, black wedged boots, and a tight black and green striped shirt under a black blazer. She left her hair down in natural waves while Lillie wore her long, blonde locks in a ponytail.
On the way to the shop, Megan explained that Mondays and Tuesdays were Brandy’s days off. She told Lillie Brandy was a terrific girl and had a great eye for fashion, but she could be a handful. The girl lived on drama. At twenty-two, Megan guessed drama was a requirement.
Before they walked into the shop, Megan scanned it. She didn’t really think the abductors would be stupid enough to show up there, but she didn’t want to be caught off guard, either. Once she was certain all was clear, she opened the door and her heart swelled. It did that every time she walked into her shop. She loved it. She loved the feeling of owning something. It was hers.
Lillie followed her to the office. They tossed their purses on the desk and Megan flipped the breaker box, lighting the building. Lillie began walking through the shop while Megan took the money from the safe and put it in the register before going over the numbers for the weekend. Thankfully, sales had doubled since last Saturday and she hoped it would continue that way through the season.
She put away the books and walked to the front door, flipping the sign to ‘open.’ “Lillie, pick out a few outfits. You need clothes and well, I have plenty.”
“This place is really great,” Lillie said, fingering the racks. Her eyes darted around the room, looking at all the different selections.
“Thanks,” Megan replied. “This is my home away from home.”
“You sure you don’t mind me working here for a while?” Lillie asked, pulling clothes from the racks.
“No, really, you would be helping me.” Lillie watched her for a moment, no doubt reading her thoughts, then nodded. Megan picked out a flowy, brown dress with a thin layer of lace covering it that would look great with Lillie’s curvy shape. “Try this, too.”
“Right on.”
After thirty minutes, Lillie had three bags of clothes she swore she would pay off when she started getting paid. They were both at the register, arguing about the health risks of saturated fats when Lillie stood straighter.
“Drew’s coming in,” she said without turning around. Megan looked through the walls to the street and sure enough, he was stomping his way up the sidewalk.
“How did you know?”
She chuckled. “His thoughts are cussing you pretty bad right now.”
Megan rolled her eyes and let out a breath. “Could you keep an eye on things for a minute?” Lillie nodded and Megan hurried to the sidewalk to stop him before he could make it in the shop. It wouldn’t look good for Drew to berate her in front of customers.
“Good morning,” she said cheerfully.
“Are you trying to piss me off?” he asked, his body close enough to hers that she could see the stubble of his unshaven chin. It was dead sexy. He reminded her of the doctor from the television show Lost and it made her wonder what that stubble would feel like against her neck.
“Why would I be trying to piss you off?” Megan asked, crossing her arms over her chest, ready to find out what she did wrong this time.
“How am I supposed to protect you if you’re always doing something you’re not supposed to?” His hands were on his hips, his voice wasn’t exactly hushed. She glanced around to see if anyone could hear them and gave a weak smile to an older couple going into the antique shop next door.
“Drew, this is getting absolutely ridiculous. What are you going to do, sit with me up here all day?” He just stared at her with those piercing brown eyes. “How about during the days, I stay up here and you go do whatever detectives do?” She waved her hands in the air, but he didn’t seem to budge. “Lillie’s going to start working for me, too, so she’ll be here and if you want I’ll even bring my lunch or wait to go to lunch with you?”
He still stared so she continued. “I have panic buttons all over the shop.” When he dug his hands into his pockets and looked at the cracks in the sidewalk, she knew she had him. “I promise, I won’t do anything stupid.”
“You don’t leave this place unless I’m with you. They could have been waiting outside the house or around the corner when you got here to get you. Is that a deal?”
“Deal,” she agreed, happy to get him off her back. Even though the thought of his warm body pushed against her back wasn’t exactly a bad thing.
“I mean it, Megan. I’ll come back around twelve for lunch.” Drew turned and started walking away.
“I have something delivered on Mondays and Tuesdays,” Megan called after him.
“I’m bringing lunch today,” he said over his shoulder. Drew ran a hand through his hair, making her want to play with the curl sticking out at the side.<
br />
“Okay, good luck today.”
He turned and looked her straight in the eyes. She knew he wanted to say more, but he turned to leave instead. “You have my number if you need me.” And he walked away looking like he carried the weight of the world on his broad shoulders.
Taking a deep breath, Megan went back inside the shop. Two young women were close to the counter looking through clothes Lillie had picked out for them. The girls were excited about the new outfits and how they would have never put the items together on their own. Having an employee, even temporarily, who could read the minds and wants of the customer was going to be a big plus.
Walking to Megan, Lillie grinned at her. “Do you mind if I run down to the police station and see if they found my van?”
“No, I don’t mind at all. Do you want to take my car?”
“If it’s not going to put you out.”
“No, it won’t. Why don’t you go to the house afterward and put away your clothes and you can work tomorrow? I can get a ride home with Drew,” Megan assured her. She went to the office, grabbed the keys, and handed them to Lillie.
“Okay, see you when you get home.” She waved without turning around and hopped into Megan’s car and sped away.
Over the next few hours, Megan kept her mind on the tasks at hand and away from Drew. She was bent over a shoe display, arranging the newer stock, when she felt a tap on her shoulder, causing her to jump. She whipped around and came face to face with Drew.
“My gosh, you scared me.”
“You should pay more attention to your surroundings.” He looked around. “Where’s Lillie?”
“She had to take care of a few things. Do you mind giving me a ride home?” She ignored his snide remark.
“Sure.” He held up two bags and two cups. “I brought potato and cheddar soup and you a mocha.”
Megan thanked Drew for his kindness and they sat on barstools behind the counter, digging into their lunch. She had skipped breakfast and hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she smelled the soup. “Any new news?”
Super Chick Page 7
