Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
At eight o’clock on Saturday morning, Holly tightened the belt on her borrowed robe, finished twisting her long hair into a bun, and listened to the bustling sounds in the kitchen below.
She and Luke had arrived at Eve and Kane’s house at one a.m. and found a note telling them which rooms they were staying in, as well as a listing of food that Eve had prepared and put in the fridge.
Once they’d found their lovely guest rooms, she’d had another surprise—her purse and suitcase had not only been delivered, but Eve had done a few loads of laundry, making sure that all of Holly’s clothes that had gotten wet and dirty in the rain were now clean and folded.
Eve had also left fresh towels and a bottle of water on top of the dresser.
The room, which was decorated with a white cast iron bed and lots of yellow and white linens, even had its own bathroom.
When she’d finally fallen into bed, she’d been so grateful for a soft pillow, warm blanket, and clean jammies. Holly hadn’t even met Eve yet, but she already liked Luke’s sister-in-law.
She finished her hair and heard a soft knock on her bedroom door. She opened it cautiously. Luke stood in the doorway, two coffee mugs in his hands.
“Morning,” he said, offering one to her. “I figured you might need caffeine before you try speaking to other humans.”
“Thank you.” She took the mug with both hands. “Have you heard from the hospital about Damian and the other men?”
“I spoke to Uncle Gage. Damian is out of surgery with that orthopedic specialist. He’s now in the ICU. He’s critical, but the doctors are hopeful.”
She touched his arm. “I’m sure he’s getting the best care.”
Luke moved toward the window overlooking the gardens, and the river beyond the pergola covered with pink climbing roses. “I hope so.”
She recognized his need not to talk about Damian and all of the emotional difficulties that came with having a half-brother he’d only recently learned about. So she changed the subject. “I’m not sure I’m ready to face your family. How many brothers and sisters-in-law do you have again?”
He laughed, probably because he knew she was being facetious and shifting topics. But there were a lot of people to meet as well as a new town to explore, and she was beyond overwhelmed.
He turned toward her, with one shoulder leaning against the window.
He wore clean jeans and a dark blue T-shirt that outlined his perfect muscular, male form.
With his messy short brown hair and laughing brown eyes, he looked far too composed for someone who’d only had six hours of sleep.
“My family isn’t that scary. Except maybe for Kane who pretends to be broody. It’s mostly for show.”
“I’m still not convinced,” she muttered into the rim of her mug. “Last night I arrived in the middle of nowhere, slept in a stranger’s beautiful house, and now I’m about to help prepare for a wedding where I know exactly zero people.”
“You know me and Ben. And last night you met Jacob, Uncle Gage, and Hawk.”
She nodded. After she’d left the hospital, she’d found Luke and the other men in a small picnic area near the parking lot.
They’d all been polite, especially when she’d admitted that she had little new information on Damian due to her not-yet-employed status.
She’d withheld the information about Damian’s leg.
There was no point in adding to their worries.
“Who am I meeting today?”
“First up is Eve and Kane.” He grinned like he had a secret he was dying to tell. “Kane and I have to go into Milltown to finish the tux fittings. Apparently, not everyone was able to make it yesterday. But I’ll return as soon as I can.”
She almost dropped her mug. “You’re abandoning me?”
“I’m encouraging your social growth.” He winked. “Also, Eve asked for your assistance. That means she already likes you. Having Eve’s approval means everything in this family.”
Because that wasn’t intimidating. “Eve has never met me.”
“Jacob and Ben told her all about you.”
“When did this happen?”
“Some time last night. Or maybe this morning.”
She kicked her dirty jeans from yesterday across the floor and they landed on her trauma kit that she still needed to clean and repack.
She wasn’t good under social pressure. Give her a complicated birth with a set of triplets, and she was golden.
But throw her into a social setting and she melted like a chocolate bar left in a hot car.
She became messy, and sticky, and unappetizing. “What if Eve hates me?”
“She won’t. It’s impossible to hate you.” His voice trailed off because he was now staring at her dirty jeans on the floor… and the thing that had fallen out of the back pocket. “What’s this?”
He picked up the black thing she’d found on the road yesterday.
“I’m not sure what it is. It fell out of Damian’s pocket when you were carrying him. I picked it up so he wouldn’t lose it.”
“Interesting.” Luke raised it to the sunlight. The black thing was actually multiple black flash drives held together with black duct tape.
“In all of yesterday’s chaos, I forgot about it. When I return to the hospital, I’ll bring it back to him.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll have Uncle Gage do it.” Luke came over and paused an inch away, so close his breath bathed her forehead. Slowly, as if unsure of her reaction, he lowered his head until his lips caressed hers.
The kiss started out slow and soft, a seeking of acceptance, maybe. When the pressure increased, and her heart pressed so hard against her ribs she thought they’d break, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
Where yesterday’s kiss was more tentative, more a get-to-know-you kiss, this one was more passionate. More possessive. He tilted her head, holding it steady with one hand while his other hand pressed against her back, bringing her in so close she could feel his very physical reaction.
The kiss continued for another minute, or hour, until he finally raised his head. Then he kissed her nose, her temple, and her cheek. They were quick kisses that left her warm and tingly.
He stepped away, his eyes cloudy, as if uncertain of where he was or what was going on.
While she missed his closeness, part of her was glad he’d ended the kiss. At the rate they’d been going, that kiss was only going to end in one place… and she wasn’t ready to go to bed with him.
She touched her lips and watched him pace the room, flexing and unflexing his hands.
Seriously. They’d met less than twenty-four hours ago.
And falling into bed with random men was something she just didn’t do.
Although she’d never dated anyone as handsome and masculine as Luke.
With his arm muscles she couldn’t span with both hands, a rock-hard chest and abs, and powerful legs that ate up the carpet as he paced the bedroom, he was every male erotic image she’d ever conjured.
No, breaking the kiss was a good thing. Even if she was sad about it.
Luke broke the silence first. “Kane is walking around the garden in a funk for no apparent reason. But Eve is in the kitchen. She promised coffee and carbs and swore that the other guests staying here in the house have already left for the day. You’re safe.”
Before she could respond, he disappeared down the stairs.
She closed the door, exhaling until her lungs ached. Her emotions were spinning in different directions and, since she was better with facts than with things she couldn’t control, she focused on her present. Here. In this room. With the smell of coffee and pastries floating around.
It’d been so dark last night that she’d seen little of the house.
But this morning, when she’d opened the blinds, she’d found an incredible backyard that consisted of a kitchen garden, a wildflower garden, two fountains, and the rose-covered pergola.
Considering how large this house was, it had to hold more than a few guests.
Which meant more people to meet and interact with. Exactly what she needed this morning.
“Let’s just get this over with.” Although alone, she spoke to herself, hoping it would build her confidence.
She reached for her blue linen dress that Eve had left hanging on the closet door and slipped it on.
Then she swiped on some lipstick, a touch of blush, and stared at herself in the mirror, unsure as to why she was worried about fitting in with Luke’s family.
Since she couldn’t put the day off forever, she squared her shoulders, grabbed her purse, and left her room. It was time to meet Luke’s sister-in-law, Eve Mosby.
* * *
Holly wound through the enormous house until she found the kitchen. Eve stood at the stove barefoot, dressed in leggings and a flowy top that barely concealed her large baby bump. The smell of espresso and butter made Holly’s mouth water.
“Good morning,” Eve said, without turning around.
“I’m making lattes, if you’d like one. Croissants are from Lily’s café yesterday, but I warmed them.
In case you don’t know, Lily is a famous pastry chef who learned her craft in Paris until she returned home and married Gage. And yes, I know you’re nervous.”
“Is it that obvious?” Holly dropped her handbag on a sideboard and sat at the table, near a plate piled high with croissants, jars of blackberry jam, and a bowl filled with soft butter.
The large kitchen extended from the front of the house to the back, with windows on both ends.
The room was filled with high-end appliances and a large, worn farmhouse table.
There was even a wood burning fireplace that looked like a leftover from the colonial era near a back door.
It was an incredible kitchen that could entice even her to learn how to cook.
Eve glanced at her, and Holly sucked in a breath.
Eve, with her long blonde hair twisted into a messy bun and her bright green eyes, was a beautiful woman. “It’s in the way you’re holding your shoulders. Like someone is holding a knife to your throat.”