If Paige thought about it too long, she’d chicken out.
She’d been standing on the sidewalk in front of the Copper Lantern Inn for at least five minutes, debating how best to broach the subject with Lucas. Sophie had made it seem so easy that Paige had left the bookstore in total confidence. But the closer she got to the inn, the more her courage waned, until she found herself standing in front of the picket gate overthinking her next move.
This never happened at work. She had no problem charging into a meeting with her hand extended and her head held high. But this was different. It wasn’t a project or a new client on the line. It was her heart.
Suck it up, Parker, she thought. It certainly wasn’t going to make things any better if he saw her outside pacing like a loon.
Lucas was still in the kitchen, sitting at the island, right where Paige had left him. There was a fresh carafe of coffee on the counter, so at least he’d moved at some point. But that was the only evidence that he’d taken his eyes off the computer at all.
“How was your run?” he asked when she walked into the room. He didn’t look up. Not a good sign.
Paige drew a blank. “My run? Oh yeah, my run. Good.”
He finally looked at her. His eyes were glassy, probably from staring at the screen for no telling how long, and his hair looked as though he’d run his hands through it a few dozen times. “I made coffee while you were out.”
“Thanks.” Paige didn’t really even want coffee—her morning outing had provided enough of a jolt to her system—but pouring a cup was a good excuse to avoid the conversation. At least for a few more minutes.
She stalled, stirring the cup of coffee far longer than necessary considering she hadn’t even added anything to it. Time to put on her big-girl panties.
“Hey,” she said, finally turning around to face him. “I know this is all new to you. If you’re upset about last night, if it’s too much too soon, we can take a step back. I didn’t come here looking for… And well, you’ve got a lot on your plate.”
“Oh God no,” Lucas said. “Is that what you thought?”
“I wasn’t really sure what to think. I mean, I thought everything was great last night.” She shot him a knowing look. “Really great.” Really great three times over, thank you very much. Actually, thank him very much. “But then this morning, I woke up and you weren’t there, and you’d seemed totally fine last night, but then I came down, and you were sitting here all tense and you looked so upset.” Paige paused to take a breath. Even she knew she was rambling. “I just assumed it was because—”
He closed the gap between them in two easy strides, swallowing her protests with a kiss. Instinctively her arms snaked around his neck, and then he shifted, pressing against her in a way that had her moaning into his mouth. Her reaction was met by one of his own. A low groan rumbled in his chest as Lucas’s hands gripped her waist, lifting her so that she sat perched atop the butcher-block counter. She spread her legs, inviting him in, and Lucas took full advantage, seating himself against her warmth and rocking against her in a rhythm that left them both breathless when he finally reared back to look at her.
“Does that answer your question?”
“Technically, I hadn’t asked a question.” Gah! She really had to do something about her need to always be right.
Lucas merely smiled and shook his head. “You’re a little crazy, do you know that?”
She winced. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he said, “I happen to like your kind of crazy.”
“You do?” No one liked her crazy. Not even her.
Lucas didn’t answer. Not with words anyway. Instead he kissed her again, and for once in her life, Paige Parker lost the urge to win a debate.
But that did nothing to erase her concern for the man currently wedged between her thighs. “So, if it’s not us,” she began when they finally came up for air. “Look, I don’t want to pry, so feel free to tell me it’s none of my business, but…are you sure everything’s okay? The look on your face when I walked in the room this morning…”
Lucas reached for his laptop and spun it around so it was facing them. “I got an email from Maddie’s grandfather,” he said.
Paige already knew that Lucas and Sophie’s parents had been killed by a drunk driver, which meant he had to be talking about Jenny’s dad.
“Go ahead.” Lucas nodded toward the screen. “Read it.”
Paige slid off the counter, sat down on one of the stools, and read the email, twice. Lucas stood behind her, his entire frame vibrating with tension. She could feel it rolling off him in waves. What Paige couldn’t figure out was why. The email seemed pretty straightforward. John and Jane Randolph would be arriving Sunday to visit their granddaughter. With the exception of the fact that Mr. Randolph mentioned how worried his wife had been about “Madeline’s safety” during the recent storm, the whole thing read more like business correspondence than a message between family members. Although technically, was Lucas even related to them anymore? The email certainly didn’t give that vibe. Even the closing was just his professional signature block: John James Randolph, CEO Randolph Industries.
She turned on her stool and looked up at him. “They’re coming to visit?” Was that really such terrible news? Then again, Paige had no idea what sort of relationship Lucas had had with his former in-laws. Even if they’d been on the best of terms when Jenny was alive, their new dynamic might be complicated water to navigate. Still, was a simple visit from Maddie’s grandparents, no matter how the three of them got along, really what had put Lucas in such a state?
Lucas gave a tight nod. “Jane’s freaked out from the storm.”
That wasn’t exactly what it had said. “He said she was worried. I’m sure it’s just normal grandma stuff.”
“You don’t know John Randolph. A quick pop over on the weekend would be one thing. But a spur-of-the-moment trip that requires him to be out of the office during the week?” He shook his head. “Jane had to have been near hysterical to prompt that.”
“Okay, well, Maddie is fine. So are you, for that matter, and once they see that the house is still standing,” she said in an attempt to bring a little levity to the conversation, “I’m sure everything will be okay.” Paige had meant the words to bring Lucas a modicum of reassurance, but she had the distinct impression she’d only made things worse.
Lucas walked over to the window. His stance was rigid as he stared through the glass. “Jenny’s death hit her parents really hard. She was their only child. When she died…” He turned to face Paige. His eyes were red and glassy, but Paige knew in her heart that the unshed tears in Lucas’s eyes weren’t for his late wife. He’d spoken about her before, and it had never looked like this. The pain he felt now was about something else, something even worse than losing his wife. “They wanted to take Maddie.”
All the air sucked out of Paige’s lungs, leaving her unable to reply. Even if she could speak, what would she say to a man who had lost his wife only to find out her family wanted to take his daughter? On instinct, she went to him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
Lucas welcomed her embrace but for long moments didn’t speak. When he did, his voice was hoarse. “They’ve wanted custody ever since Jenny died. They didn’t think I was capable of raising her on my own.”
“What?” Paige reared back to look at him. “I know I haven’t spent that much time around the two of you, but enough to know you’re doing a great job with her.”
“Thank you, but I may have biased the jury a bit.” He gave a half-hearted smile. “Let’s just say that the Randolphs still think of me as the guy who wasn’t good enough for their daughter.”
“That’s ridiculous. Maddie is a pretty amazing kid. Do they think that just happened by accident?”
“They also don’t think the island is a good place to raise her.”
“But wasn’t that what their daughter wanted? It’s not like you moved here on your own.”
“Believe me, they didn’t like the idea back then either. There just wasn’t much they could do about it.” The tension in his shoulder eased, but to Paige it felt more like resignation than relief. “And that was when this place was in good shape. I’m afraid once they see what it looks like now, they’re going to insist she come to live with them in Nashville.”
She glanced around the kitchen. It wasn’t really that bad. There might be stacks of paper everywhere, a bunch of mismatched plastic containers piled on the counter by the refrigerator, and more reusable grocery bags than a person could use in a lifetime scattered about, but… She narrowed her eyes. Was that an empty milk carton on the floor in the corner? Okay, maybe it was that bad. But it wasn’t a lost cause. Underneath the mess was a pretty spectacular kitchen. In fact, the entire house was only a week away from being picture-perfect. At least that’s what she would have told Lucas if he were one of her clients.
If he were one of her clients…
Paige looked Lucas in the eyes. “Then fix it up so they have nothing to complain about.”
His head fell back on a laugh. “Yeah, right, I’ll just wave my magic wand. Or wait, maybe those elves from the book Maddie loves will show up while we are sleeping.”
“I’m being serious, Lucas.”
He grew quiet. “I know you are,” he said. His hand cupped her face, and then his gaze softened. “And it’s unbelievably sweet, but this place will take a hell of a lot more than a quick cleanup.”
“You’re right about that.” She was vibrating with so much energy, she practically bounced on her toes. “It will take a professional to whip this place into shape. Lucky for you that you happen to know one.”
A frown momentarily creased Lucas’s brow until realization dawned. “You?”
She stepped back, straightened, and gave him a dramatic salute. “Head elf reporting for duty.”
He shook his head. “No way.”
“Why not? You need the help of a professional organizer, and you just so happen to be sleeping with one.” Paige regretted the last part as soon as the words left her mouth. She’d started the morning with a whole lot of uncertainty about whether Lucas regretted sleeping with her. And while he’d done a damn good job of reassuring her that wasn’t the case, they’d never finished the conversation, which meant Paige still wasn’t sure if their sex life was past or present tense.
“I already crossed one line by sleeping with a guest, Paige. I’m certainly not going to take advantage of you professionally too.”
“You’re not taking advantage,” she said. “You didn’t even ask. I offered.”
“Still no.”
“Lucas, this is what I do for a living, yes, but I also get a great deal of satisfaction from helping people bring order to their lives.” In Paige’s opinion, a cluttered house meant a cluttered mind, or at least a mind under duress. One of the perks of her job was seeing the improvement not only to her client’s surroundings, but to their state of mind as well. “Nothing would make me happier than to help you and Maddie stay together.” She didn’t say it out loud, but she also hoped to bring Lucas a bit of peace. Many of Paige’s clients ended up in need of her services by letting things get out of hand following a tragedy or loss. She found they often turned a corner after getting things back on track. “Besides,” she cringed as she admitted, “Technically, I’ve already started.”
One corner of his mouth quirked up. “Yeah, been meaning to talk to you about that.” So he had noticed. “Who puts spices in alphabetical order?”
“It just makes good sense.” Realizing he was teasing, she blushed. “Sorry, occupational hazard.”
His lack of further protest told her he was considering her offer, which meant she needed to keep talking.
“And I wouldn’t be doing it alone. We’d need all hands on deck—you, Sophie, even Maddie—if we stand a chance of getting it done in”—she glanced over his shoulder to the clock on the stove—“forty-eight hours.” Holy hell, she was good, but even she wasn’t sure she could pull off that miracle. Of course that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try.
“This is crazy.” Lucas might have thought she’d lost her mind, but he was smiling as he said it.
Paige’s brain was already racing through the next steps. “We’ll need Ziploc bags, colored markers, and as many of those plastic storage boxes as you can find. Is there a hardware store on the island? Cleaning supplies, of course—nothing says perfection quite like the smell of pine-scented cleaner—and a dumpster, if time allows; otherwise, lots of garbage bags.”
She hadn’t even realized that she’d begun to pace the length of the kitchen until Lucas reached out, hooking his arm around her waist as she passed by.
“Come here,” he said, pulling her flush against him. “It’s incredibly sweet that you want to help me, but to be honest, I’m barely keeping this place going right now. And even that’s only because of my sister’s con job. No way I would let you contribute anything else without paying you, and as much as I hate to admit it, I seriously doubt I can afford you.”
“Hmm,” she hummed. “Plus, at this time of year, I usually charge double the going rate.” She winked. “Lucky for you, I have a special friends discount.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Do you mean a special discount for friends, or a discount for special friends?”
She laughed. “Now who’s talking crazy?”
“Must be contagious.”
Her smile twisted as she pretended to consider her answer. “I’d say you’d qualify for a very-special-friends-with-benefits discount.”
“I like the sound of that.” He bent his head for a kiss, but Paige pulled back.
“I wasn’t finished.”
“Oh, sorry.” He straightened. “Continue.” But he wasn’t sorry, and he didn’t let her continue. At least not without distraction. She no sooner began to speak than his lips found their way to her neck.
“One last thing. You can’t get mad at me when I play tough.”
She felt his grin. “Did you say you’d like it a little rough?”
Paige ignored his blatant attempts to distract her. “I’m serious. I usually like to play nice and let my clients do the first wave of sorting before I lower the boom. Seeing as we’ve got less than forty-eight…”
He sucked on that sensitive spot just below her ear, and her mind went blank. Damn, the man was good with his mouth.
“You were saying,” he murmured against her skin.
Must. Focus. Paige pushed against his chest. “We’ll never get everything done if you keep this up.”
“Sorry, sorry,” he said, trying his best to sound contrite.
Paige crossed her arms over her chest.
“What?” he asked. She didn’t need to answer. “Fine. I’ll be good. But only until ten.”
“What happens at ten?”
“We’re getting naked.”
Oh.
“What can I say?” he said. “You’re sexy as hell when you go all cleaning commando.”
Words uttered by no man ever.
“Do we have a deal?” he asked.
She could barely manage a nod.
“Good, now I’ll make omelets while you make the list.”
“What list?”
He looked at her and smiled. “My guess is that everything in Paige Parker’s world starts with a list. Come on,” he said, taking her hand, “I’ve got a whole box of notebooks in the garage.”
Three orgasms, a hot breakfast, and a box of notebooks? Pigsty or not, Lucas Croft might actually be the perfect man.