But Luke was a considerate human male who wanted to coddle her. She was touched by his impulse to do that. But it wasn’t love notes and flowers, she reminded herself. He’d promised to stay away from that kind of gesture, and she was glad they’d established those ground rules.
After he’d wheeled her suitcase into the bedroom, he walked into the bathroom. Soon she heard water thundering into the large Jacuzzi tub. His caring gestures settled over her like a warm blanket, and she admitted that there were many ways to show affection besides love notes and flowers. Ordering up Epsom salts and running a warm bath were two of them.
With a sigh, she climbed out of bed. They were falling for each other, but maybe if they never acknowledged it, they could pretend it wasn’t happening. The final separation would still hurt like hell, but at least they would have saved face.
Walking over to her suitcase, she unzipped it and rummaged around until she came up with a bag of elastic hair bands. She drew her tangled hair into a high ponytail and fastened it with a bright green one. About that time, she heard the front door open. Mr. Thatcher must be here with her Epsom salts.
She put on the short terry-cloth robe she’d packed and belted it securely around her waist. When she walked into the bathroom, Luke glanced at her with tenderness. “In that ponytail, you look about fifteen.”
“Good thing I’m not, huh?”
“A very good thing. What’s with the robe? Turning shy on me?”
“No. Mr. Thatcher just came in the front door.”
“He did?” Luke grabbed a towel and knotted it around his hips. “I didn’t hear him.”
“The running water probably drowned it out.”
“And anyway, you have that extra-keen hearing.” He said it as if he’d accepted the fact in the same way he accepted that she had red hair and green eyes.
That was good, she decided. Now she could admit to hearing things that might prove useful to them without causing him to be suspicious. He didn’t have to know how much better her hearing was than his.
He glanced over at the tub. “It takes a while to fill, but it’s worth the wait. Don’t get in yet. I’ll go get the Epsom salts. We might as well give him our order for breakfast before he heads back down. What would you like?”
“Anything is fine.”
“Aw, come on, Giselle. Test the system. Eggs Benedict? French toast stuffed with cream cheese and blueberries? You name it, and the chef will fix it.”
No love notes or flowers, but anything she wanted for breakfast, no matter how exotic. Yep, he was falling for her. And when he gazed at her with that expectant expression on his handsome face, she couldn’t stop herself from falling for him, either.
She thought of her favorite breakfast in the world. “A strawberry waffle with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, please.”
“You’ve got it. Anything else?”
“Coffee and orange juice.”
“I’ll order that. And I’ll be right back with your Epsom salts.” He started out of the bathroom.
“Luke?”
He turned back. “What?”
“Do you think Mr. Thatcher will know why you wanted Epsom salts?”
“Maybe.” He smiled. “But I’ll tell him you turned your ankle getting out of the gondola at the Venetian.”
“Thanks.” She figured Mr. Thatcher would figure out pretty soon that the relationship was no longer platonic, but she’d rather not advertise that they’d had enough sex for her to need a warm soak in Epsom salts. With luck, a maid would change the sheets and Mr. Thatcher wouldn’t be privy to the chocolate smear-fest that had taken place.
She remembered the conversation about Were-human pairing and wondered if Mr. Thatcher would start worrying about Luke now. She’d thought of him as a Were ally, but he was also devoted to Luke and Cynthia. He wouldn’t like knowing that she was going to make someone he loved suffer.
Luke came back in with the bag of Epsom salts. “He says to rest your ankle today. He asked if you needed an ace bandage, and I said you didn’t. I think he was prepared to disagree with me.”
“Maybe I should have sprained my wrist instead.”
“We’ll figure it out. Look at that; he even opened the seal on the bag for me. Now, that’s service.” Luke sprinkled a generous amount of the granules into the water.
“He’s very thorough.”
“He’s an amazing guy.” Luke set the bag on the bathroom counter and turned off the water. “I don’t know what I’d do without Mr. Thatcher. He’s been like a spare parent. Now that my dad’s gone and my mom’s in France, I depend on him even more.”
“I’m glad he’s here for you.”
“Me too. He’s as loyal as the day is long. Completely trustworthy. Well, the bath is ready. Want a hand in?”
She took off her robe. “I think I can manage.”
“That’s probably a good thing.” He backed away from her. “Because watching you move around while you’re naked is getting me hot. You realize there are jets in the tub, right?”
“There usually are in a tub like this.”
“Want them turned on?”
She smiled. “No, thanks. I want a nice, peaceful soak. No jets involved.”
He let out a shaky breath. “I’m glad. Because if you wanted the jets on, then I’d wonder what you were doing in there with those jets, and I’d have a really tough time keeping myself from climbing in with you.”
“Maybe you need to be in here with me. You said you were sensitive after our two-person orgy.”
“I couldn’t handle it. You, me, and a big Jacuzzi would have a predictable outcome. Before long, I’d forget that the whole point was giving you a rest from me and my insatiable demands.”
She laughed as she stepped into the warm, soothing water. “Don’t beat yourself up about that, Luke. Like I said, I was a willing partner in all of it.”
“I know, but…Listen, would you mind sitting down in the tub? And sliding under the water so I can’t see anything but your head?”
Glancing back at him, she noticed the towel he’d wrapped around his hips now jutted out at right angles to his body. “I see the problem.” She lowered herself into the tub and scooted down until her chin touched the water. “How’s that?”
“Better. But you know what? I’m going to check the messages on my phone. That should shut down my libido. I probably have about ten riddles piled up from my little sister.” With that, he walked out of the bathroom and took his impressive erection with him.
She hadn’t thought much about Cynthia and Bryce in the past few hours, but she needed to concentrate on that problem. She’d tried a direct approach to Bryce last night, but that had gone nowhere. Although he hadn’t said so yesterday, he might be irritated that she’d come to town without telling him, even if he thought she was a good influence on Luke.
Well, he’d left San Francisco without telling her either. She’d deserved some kind of explanation for his behavior. He had to know it’d impacted her.
Now that she’d had this experience with Luke, though, she’d be less hard on Bryce if he’d gone over to the side of those who believed Weres and humans should be allowed to mate without censure. His comment yesterday, that he wished he had been attracted to Cynthia, might mean he was, in fact, open to such relationships and wouldn’t judge her too harshly.
Perhaps now he agreed with Duncan MacDowell, a werewolf who championed integration of Weres and humans. Duncan had founded WOOF, Werewolves Optimizing Our Future, and his popular blog argued in favor of blending the two species. Many in the Were community strongly opposed that idea, but every time a human and Were mated, the hole in the dike widened. Bryce would have heard about Jake Hunter’s recent decision to take a human mate. Although Bryce wasn’t romantically interested in Cynthia, he might welcome some other human female into his life. Giselle hoped not. Such a move wouldn’t go over well in the Landry household.
More than that, she had a feeling that Bryce and Miranda should be together. Whether M
iranda would ever forgive him for cutting out on her was a whole other matter, but Giselle hoped that she might. They seemed right for each other, despite this current glitch in their relationship.
But if her brother had decided that a human female like Cynthia Dalton would suit him better, Giselle and her pack had big problems. A Were-human mating caused ripples throughout the Were community, and that was for starters. Either Bryce would abandon his pack, which left Giselle holding the bag, or he’d ask his human mate to become part of the Were world, which would create a set of problems for whoever that woman might be.
At least that woman wouldn’t be Cynthia. Giselle’s thoughts drifted to Luke’s sister. Had Luke ever considered bringing Cynthia into the business? Maybe not. He was in so many ways the throwback she had imagined him to be when they first met.
Cynthia might not want to be an officer in the corporation, but if Luke had never asked her, that wasn’t good. Giselle had much to talk to the man about, but she had to choose her words carefully. These were touchy subjects.
Phone in hand, the subject of her thoughts walked back into the bathroom. He’d replaced the towel with a pair of gray sweats and a black T-shirt with Silver Crescent in metallic letters highlighting his impressive pecs. The T-shirt fit tight across his shoulders and hugged his biceps. She could stare at him all day and not get bored.
“Owen reports that Bryce and Cynthia picked up the Corvette, drove into the mountains, and rented a cabin up there. He has the cabin staked out and says they’re still in there.”
Giselle scrambled to her knees. “Let’s go! We can grab a piece of fruit for breakfast and head on up the mountain.”
His gaze swept over her half-submerged body and lingered on her breasts. “You need to slide back into the water. Now you look like a mermaid, and you know how tempting they are to us humans.”
Even though he was talking about mermaids, having him refer to himself as a human while suggesting that she was not sent a chill down her spine. “But if they’re staying put, maybe they’re ready to talk. A mountain cabin would make more sense as neutral territory than some noisy restaurant or casino.”
“I’m not convinced they’re ready to talk to us face-to-face. I also have a rhyming message from Cynthia. I wouldn’t call it a riddle, though. Back in the water, please.” He lowered his hand as if pushing her there. “Down, down. That’s good. Stay right there.”
“I don’t see the point in this. The water’s clear as a bell.”
“Yes, but from over here, I can’t see much more than your head sticking up over the rim of the tub.”
“Come on, Luke. Surely the sight of my naked body doesn’t—”
“It does. And don’t make fun. I’m seriously in lust with you, sweet peach, and after last night’s boinkathon, I’m having trouble concentrating. All the research says that a man’s sexual trigger is visual stimulation, so I’d appreciate your cooperation in the matter.”
“Okay.” She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. No lover had ever said that kind of thing to her before, probably because Weres were stimulated by scent more than sight. A werewolf would be less interested in her sexually right now because the water and the Epsom salts muted her aroma. “So what’s the message?”
“Forest cabin, empty soon. Message waiting, happy tune.”
“So they’re leaving something for us in the cabin.”
“Right. And sure as the world, something in there will be designed to get me wet.” He glanced at her. “Maybe you can figure out in advance what that might be, given your knowledge of your brother’s pranking skills.”
“I’ll try. Let me think about it.”
Luke’s phone chimed. “She sent a PS. Don’t send Owen in instead. I know he’s watching the cabin.” Luke glanced up. “She’s really enjoying this.”
“Of course she is. She’s got your attention.” Now, if he’d only listen, really listen and understand, they might get somewhere.
“I’ll bet she’s also got the DVD of all her recitals. That was in the vault.”
“She has a right to them, after all. She’s your sister, a part of the family.” Giselle hesitated. Might as well give it a try. “Have you ever considered making her an officer in the corporation?”
His stunned expression was all the answer she needed, but he confirmed it verbally. “No. She’s only twenty-two.”
“What does that have to do with it? She must be really smart if she was on track to graduate magna cum laude from Yale.”
“Yeah, but…” His gaze reflected his struggle with a concept that obviously had never occurred to him.
“Luke, what did you expect her to do with her degree?”
He shrugged. “My dad was the one who encouraged her to go. I don’t know whether he had something in mind.”
“Sounds as if the whole idea of college for her was based on some vague concept. If she is goal-oriented, there’s nothing vague about becoming a showgirl. It’s tangible and she has a role model—her mother.”
“I know. I’ve thought of that.”
“Her other two role models, her father and you, are in the business world, but apparently you’ve never invited her to be part of that world and neither did your dad. You were expected to take over because you’re the son. She’s the daughter who’s expected to do something brilliant…somewhere else. What’s the appeal?”
“She wouldn’t want to be part of the Dalton Corporation.” He gazed at her. “Would she?”
“You’ll never know if you don’t ask her.”
Luke massaged the back of his neck. “I have to think about this.”
“I’m sure you do.” She heard the penthouse front door open. “Our breakfast is here.”
He blinked. “Your hearing is scary good.” He paused to listen. “Okay, now I hear him moving around in there, clinking dishes and stuff. But you heard him come in the door, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. It’s genetic. Both my parents have the same excellent hearing.”
“And Bryce?”
She nodded. “Bryce, too.”
“That seems like an unusual genetic trait. I’ll bet medical science would be interested in it.”
“I suppose.” Not to mention her canine DNA. But she’d never set foot in a traditional doctor’s office. Her pack supported a clinic staffed by Were physicians trained at a top secret Were medical school.
“But you probably wouldn’t want to go through a bunch of tests and stuff,” he added.
“You’re right. I wouldn’t.”
“Don’t blame you. Nothing worse than being treated like some lab rat. Well, let me go see how breakfast is coming along and make sure that your waffle is fixed the way you ordered it. Once I’m gone, feel free to climb out of the tub.”
“I will.” She smiled at him.
“And put on something really ugly, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Bet it won’t help. You’re just too damned beautiful for your own good.” With a chuckle, he left the bathroom.
She was really starting to like this guy…a lot. And that made keeping such a big secret from him even tougher. She pictured the scene if she told him.
At first he wouldn’t believe her. She’d have to shift to prove it. And he might be absolutely horrified. She shuddered. Good thing that was never going to happen.
Chapter Seventeen
Luke found Mr. Thatcher putting the final touches to the breakfast table. He placed a small bouquet of roses in the center and stood back to admire the effect.
“Very nice, Mr. Thatcher. Giselle will love those.”
“I daresay she will. She seems to appreciate small kindnesses.”
“She…ah…didn’t stay in the guest room last night. I don’t want you to be surprised when she comes out of my bedroom.”
Only a slight flicker in Mr. Thatcher’s eyes registered his response to that. His demeanor remained calm. “That’s between you and the lady, sir.”
“True.�
��
The butler cleared his throat. “But I would like to say one thing, if I may be permitted to do so.”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
“I would caution you not to get attached. I doubt that she’ll be around very long.”
Luke remembered that the butler and Giselle had talked the night before while Luke had been embroiled in the scheduling conflict down in the kitchen. “Did she say anything specific about that to you?”
“Not exactly. Call it intuition, but I don’t see her as a long-term solution to your loneliness.”
Luke caught his breath. Mr. Thatcher was always so proper and formal. He rarely made such a personal comment. “Who said I was lonely?”
“Pardon me, sir.” His naturally ruddy cheeks turned a shade darker. “I forgot myself for a moment.”
“No offense taken, but I am curious. Why would you assume that I’m lonely?” The word resonated within him, and it sounded far more valid than he’d like to admit.
“Well, I’ve…been thinking about loneliness recently. I may have erroneously thought I recognized behaviors in you that are similar to mine. My mistake. I do apologize.”
“You’re lonely?” Luke had never considered that possibility.
“I believe so, sir. Things have changed, as they always do, of course. I’m not caring for a young family any longer. And no reflection on you, but I did enjoy the elegant parties your parents used to have in this penthouse. They kept me busy.”
Luke nodded. “Makes sense. It’s been a lot quieter around here since my dad died and my mom left.”
“Of course. And you haven’t been in a celebratory mood, which is perfectly understandable.”
“Listen, Mr. Thatcher, if you want to take time off and visit your family in Hertfordshire, I can manage without you for a couple of weeks. I know you usually go in July, and you can still do that, but maybe you need a visit now.” And in the meantime, Luke could figure out ways to liven up the place. Weekly poker nights in the penthouse, maybe.
What the butler really needed was for Luke to find a wife and produce some kids. If Luke had a wife, she might want to invite friends over for dinner. Mr. Thatcher would have a busy life again. But Luke couldn’t just snap his fingers and make that happen.
Werewolf in Las Vegas: Wild About You Page 16
