Seducing Cinderella (12 page)

“Good. Glad to hear it.” A heavy sigh came through from the other end of the line. “Look, son, you know I don’t want to begrudge you any happiness. But this is it. You’re getting up in age. If you lose this fight, it doesn’t mean the end of your career. But it could mean the beginning of the end. You’ll be given fights with the low men on the totem pole. And those kids are going to be younger and hungrier than you. Then once you’ve got a few losses under your belt, they’ll stop giving you fights altogether.”

“I know.” Reid collapsed back onto the couch and let his head drop back. What concerned him was that the idea of his career coming to an end no longer terrified him as it once had.

“Then stay this next week if you want. But then you come back to camp and we’ll make sure you’re ready.”

Reid still hated the idea of cutting his time short with Lucie, but the more he thought about it the more he realized it was better this way. She’d accomplished her goal, and with her help he was very close to realizing his. She’d worked miracles with his shoulder; it was almost at a hundred percent. And if he was this attached to her after only two weeks, it was bound to get much worse after another five or six. Yeah. This was definitely the way to go.

“I’ll see you in a week.”

…

“Honestly, I shouldn’t have even tipped the guy,” Stephen grumbled. “He was so busy falling all over himself for you that he barely did anything right the entire dinner.”

Lucie stepped through the door he held for her, glad to feel the warm night air wrap around her and rid her of the chill from the air-conditioning. No matter how many times she froze in restaurants, she never remembered to bring a sweater.

“I think you’re being too hard on him. I’m pretty sure he was a new waiter and still awkward at his job. It certainly didn’t have anything to do with me.”

“Well, no matter. Though the dinner itself left much to be desired, my company was easily five stars,” he said as he lifted her hand to place a kiss on her knuckles.

It was a cheesy line with a cheesy old-fashioned gesture and the whole thing made her burst into laughter.

And snort.

Stephen’s eyes widened and paused in his release of her hand like he wasn’t sure if he’d heard correctly. She felt the color rise into her cheeks until she was sure her face was now an exact match to her dress.

“Sorry, I, uh,”
Think, Lucie, think!
“I’ve been having some sinus issues recently.”

Finally he moved, letting go of her hand and gesturing for her to start their short walk back to her apartment. As she fell into step, he said, “You should get that looked at. You don’t want it to turn into sinusitis.”

She wasn’t sure how she should respond, so she opted for a subject change. “After years of working together in a professional capacity, it was so nice to finally spend some time with you on a more personal level, Stephen.”

“I couldn’t agree more. Although we didn’t do a very good job at ‘personal’ over dinner, did we? We talked shop the whole time.”

Lucie grinned, pleased she’d succeeded in directing the conversation the way she wanted. “Yes, I suppose we did.”

“So, tell me about Lucie. What are your short-term and long-term goals, Ms. Miller?” Stephen sidestepped an empty slushie cup the size of a newborn lying next to a trash receptacle and continued walking.

Pausing long enough to pick it up and throw it away, she had to quick-step a few strides to catch back up to him since he hadn’t noticed she’d fallen behind.

“Um, well, I guess my short term goals would be things like getting some new equipment for the therapy room, taking some more classes on new techniques, and making an effort to get out more often.”

He looked over at her. “Out more often?”

“Yeah, you know,
out
.” When all he did was raise a questioning eyebrow she looked down at the sidewalk and tried to hide her smile of embarrassment. “As in dating.”

Clasping his hands behind his back he said, “Ah, I see. Well, I hope you’ll give me the chance to check that particular goal off your list.”

Lucie spared a quick glance at him from under her lashes before refocusing on ensuring she didn’t trip on anything. “I’d like that.”

“Good. Okay, so what about the long-term goals? Where do you see yourself, say, in five years?”

She was starting to feel like she was on an interview, although she supposed that’s what first dates were essentially. Considering she hadn’t really been on any—with her only serious relationship they’d skipped over stereotypical dating by hanging out with his friends all the time—she couldn’t really judge what was normal versus odd.

“Professionally I don’t see myself doing anything different. I’m happy where where I am.”

“Really, you don’t have any desire to move up? What about becoming the clinic director instead of just a therapist?”

“You mean take over for Annie?” She laughed as she pictured the scenario. “That woman runs a tighter ship than most naval captains. You’ve seen my office. If I took the helm, we’d go down faster than the Titanic.”

He chuckled along with her for a few seconds, but then said, “Seriously though, why wouldn’t you want to advance from where you’re at now? I can’t imagine being satisfied until I’ve gone as far as I can go in my field. I mean, why do you think I spend so many nights working on cases? It’s not for the warm and fuzzy feeling I get from helping the patient.”

Lucie snapped her head to the side. “You’re not telling me you couldn’t care less about your patients, are you?”

“Of course not,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets. “I care about them. But I could care about them during my shift hours without working overtime. I do that part because I want to get ahead, get promoted. And if I have a truly special case one of these times, I can even write about it and get published in one of the medical journals.

“I do care about the people I operate on. I genuinely want to help them or I wouldn’t be a surgeon. But I don’t see why it’s a crime to care about me and my future, too.”

Lucie frowned as she turned her attention to the cracks in the cement before her. She’d always known Stephen didn’t work late on cases with her as an excuse to be in her company, but she’d thought for sure it was due to an immense dedication to their patients.

Then again, like he said, it wasn’t that he
didn’t
care about them. He was just conscientious about his career. He had goals, which last time she checked, was something to be admired. Giving him a reassuring smile, she said, “I understand. And I think it’s great you have high aspirations.”

As they stopped in front of her apartment building Stephen turned to her and put a foot up on the bottom stair. “We did it again.”

She was suddenly so nervous about what might happen in the last few minutes of their date she couldn’t follow his train of thought. “What did we do?”

He smiled wide. “We managed to bring the conversation back around to work.”

“Oh, that’s okay, I don’t mind. It’s something we have in common, so it’s natural our conversation leans in that direction. I think compatibility is important.”

Stephen took a step toward her and her stomach dropped. He wasn’t as tall as Reid so she didn’t need to look up quite as far, and his leaner build didn’t make her feel like she was being consumed by his mere presence, but the fact that his eyes had settled on her lips was enough to make her want to bolt for the door.

That wasn’t right, was it? She should want him to kiss her. For years she’d dreamed of this moment. The moment he’d wrap his arms around her and the rest of the world would cease to exist as his lips finally met hers.

I’m just nervous.
She’d built this moment up in her mind for so long she could scarcely comprehend it was here.

“Well, if this wasn’t perfect timing.”

Lucie whipped around to see Reid walking toward them like a living ad for Nike’s
Just Do It
campaign, wearing nothing but a pair of their black athletic pants and neon blue running shoes, hands on hips and breathing hard from a run. When he stopped a mere two feet away the street lamp above him highlighted the rivulets of sweat that trickled over the ridges of his torso before disappearing into the elastic riding low on his hips.

He extended his arm to her right to shake hands with her date. “Nice to see you again, Mann.”

Though Lucie didn’t move a muscle she heard Stephen grasp Reid’s palm and saw their arms pump up and down a few time in her peripheral vision. “Likewise, Andrews. I’m sorry we didn’t get much of a chance to talk at the party the other night, but I’m always stretched thin at work functions.”

“Understandable.” They released each other, but Reid immediately pointed at Stephen’s feet. “Careful, looks like you stepped in something there.” In the two seconds it took for Stephen to be momentarily distracted, Reid leaned in and whispered in her ear, “You’re looking to catch flies again, Lu.”

She closed her mouth so hard she swore at least three of her molars cracked.

“I don’t see anything,” Stephen said as he straightened from his inspection.

“My bad. Must’ve been a shadow or something.” Reid gave her a devil’s grin and crossed his muscular arms over his chest. “So, you kids have fun?”

“We had a great time together, as always,” Stephen answered from behind her. “Right, Lucie?”

“Oh, uh, absolutely,” she said, nodding like a bobble head on the dash of an off-road vehicle. “Great time.”

Dear God, he’d had to
prompt
her! Why had her brain decided to take a leave of absence
now
of all times? Stephen must think her an imbecile. Or worse, unconvincing. This was too much, she had to get out of there and into her nice, safe apartment. She turned her body a quarter turn so she could keep an eye on each of the threats facing her. “Oh, crap! I forgot I was supposed to feed Remy, Mrs. Egan’s ferret, because she’s…uh…visiting her sister.”

“Ferret?” Stephen had obvious disappointment etched on his face. Reid simply arched a brow as if waiting for the rest of the story.

“Yes, ferret,” she said. “You know, they’re small, weasely creatures. I’m not that fond of them myself, but Mrs. Egan just adores the little rascal.”

“I know what a ferret is, Lucie, and I’m sure it’ll be fine for a while longer.”

Before she could spit out another lie, Reid swept in as smooth as if they’d rehearsed the act. “Actually, no. Remy’s diabetic so he needs to eat and receive insulin at strict times. I’d do it for her, but I’m severely allergic.”

“Yes!” she said with too much enthusiasm. “Um, I mean, Reid’s right, I really do have to go. But I had a really nice time, Stephen. Thank you so much.”

The smile he gave her was strained around his eyes, but he was gracious enough to relent on the condition that he get to take her out again so they could discuss things of a more personal nature next time. After agreeing and receiving an awkward hug from him as Reid looked on, Lucie finally retreated to her safe haven to shower and lay in bed as she mulled a thousand things over in her mind.

Reid hadn’t followed her in earlier, but she heard him come in several hours later. Knowing he was home and the listening to the sound of him taking a shower just down the hall was what finally allowed her mind to rest, and she fell into a wonderful dreamless sleep.

Chapter Fourteen

Thunder rumbled in the distance, seemingly louder for the empty streets upon which it echoed. “Reid, those storm clouds are ready to open up on us. Where are we going?”

Lucie had asked the same question no less than ten times in the last half hour and she wasn’t getting any closer to an answer. He was remarkably tight-lipped about their destination and purpose for going there despite his obvious excitement. Dragging her behind him down a sidewalk in the artsy area of town, he kept glancing at her with a secretive smile that gave him a boyish charm and made her giggle like an equally young girl.

It had been a couple of days since her date with Stephen, and Reid had been extremely scarce other than during his training. Then suddenly he announced he was taking her to a late dinner and then to see something. She’d thought maybe it was a show of some sort, considering the part of town they’d driven to, but by the time they’d left the restaurant it’d been after eleven, so she was clueless.

“A summer storm never hurt anybody. Almost there, come on,” he said as he tugged her into an alley.

She dug her heels in, causing him to pull up short. “What could you possibly need to show me in some dark alley?”

He stepped into her body and cupped the side of her face with his free hand. His thumb traced short strokes at the edge of her cheek. “Don’t you trust me, Lu?”

Staring into hazel eyes that melted her insides with the heat swirling in their centers, she whispered, “Of course I trust you.”

Full lips spread into a smile. “Then close your eyes.”

She almost argued the need for such a thing, but something about the way he looked at her had her lashes lowering without hesitation.

A light kiss touched each of her lids as reward.

Reid led her down the alley another twenty feet or so and then stopped. She heard what sounded like keys entering a lock and a heavy door creaking open. Once again he led her forward. She desperately wanted to open her eyes, but didn’t want to ruin his surprise. Chewing on her lower lip, she waited while he closed the door and moved around the room doing things she couldn’t discern by sound alone while telling her to keep her eyes closed.

Finally, he approached her from behind, wrapped one arm around her waist and held his other hand over her still closed eyes. “Shit, I’m starting to have second thoughts about this.”

She could hear the anxiety in his voice. “Why would you have second thoughts?”

“Because I don’t know what you’re going to think. I’m worried you’ll hate it.”

Lucie canted her head to the side and repeated his earlier question. “Don’t you trust me?”

…

The room was black as pitch with the exception of the overhead floodlight he’d turned on to shine directly over an easel, and on that easel sat a large cork board holding a charcoal pencil drawing of Lucie…nude.

Don’t you trust me?

Did he? Art was extremely personal and something as intimate as this—the way she looked to him when they made love—was even more so. She had every right to be offended, even if they were the only people who would ever see it. It was still a liberty he’d taken without her permission.

He’d like to think he didn’t know what had possessed him to do something as crazy as sketch a nude of Lucie, but he’d be lying to himself. Something about her—about the way he felt when he was with her—had resurrected his creative side from its years of slumber. Enough to where he’d called different art studios until he’d found a guy who’d been willing to let him use some space and supplies for a couple of days in exchange for some tickets to his upcoming fight.

And
this
was what he’d been inspired to create.

So whether he trusted her to receive it as the gift it was meant to be or not didn’t really matter, because keeping it hidden from her like a dirty little secret was out of the question. There was no backing down now.
No guts, no glory.

He took a deep breath, his chest expanding against her shoulders, then let it out slowly. “Okay,” he said, lowering his hand. “Open your eyes.”

Lucie gasped softly before covering her mouth with her fingers and whispering, “Oh, my God.”

Whether it was a good “Oh, my God” or a bad one, he couldn’t yet tell. He hoped like hell it was the former.

Though he knew every stroke by heart, he studied the drawing and tried to view it through her eyes. Charcoal lines and curves depicted her on a chaise in the throes of passion, her back arched, her head turned to the side with hair spilling over the edge of the cushion. Her right leg hung off the couch, the ball of her foot planted on the floor for leverage. The other bent sharply at the knee, her toes pointed and raised several inches. Stretching down her body, her right hand disappeared between tight thighs, while her left hand reached across and caged her right breast, the turgid nipple peeking out between spread fingers.

His favorite part was her face.

Thick bangs partially covered her brow and the way it always furrowed when she experienced a burst of pleasure. With eyes closed, her eyelashes laid elegantly above slightly flushed cheeks in their wispy spikes. Her mouth was full, her kiss-swollen lips barely parted as though a gasp had just broken their seal. And the heart-shaped freckle sat at the corner of her eye. A tiny detail most people might not notice if it was missing, but to him it was the difference between it being any other woman and being
Lucie
.

He came back to himself when she took slow steps toward the canvas as though mesmerized. As she continued to take in the picture like she would at an art museum, he stood at the light’s edge with his hands in the pockets of his jeans and did the same with her.

Tonight she’d donned a pretty, bright pink sundress with spaghetti straps. The bodice fit her like a glove, nipping in at her small waist and draping over the small flare of her hips with the flowy hem dancing at midthigh with every move she made.

“Reid, I…” She trailed off, and he feared the worst.

“What do you think? It’s okay; you can tell me the truth.”

She looked over her shoulder with tears in her eyes.

“It’s magnificent. You’re remarkably talented,” she said, turning her attention back to the drawing. “You made me…” She took a deep breath and released it on a shaky exhale. “…beautiful.”

His steps echoed in the sparse room as he crossed the few feet to turn her and hold her in his arms. One hand framed her face and wiped away a single tear that trickled over her cheek. “That’s where you’re dead wrong, sweetheart. It took me several tries before I came even close to capturing your beauty.”

She smiled wanly. “You’re sweet to say so, but in a million years I could never look like that.”

Lightning flashed through the room with a clap of thunder, and rain began striking a discordant song on the window behind him. The storm seemed to be escalating along with his frustration.

Reid wanted to choke every person who’d ever made this woman feel less than the incredible creature she was. Not only was she every bit as gorgeous as she was in his drawing, but everything about her—humor, awkwardness, klutziness, compassion, dedication—all of it, made her far superior to any woman he’d known.

He was about to tell her exactly that when she added, “I mean, come on. If I looked like
that
, I’d have Stephen wrapped around my little finger.”

…

Temporary insanity. That was the only thing she could think of as to why she would say something so incredibly insensitive to Reid.

It didn’t matter that half of their situation was her mission to end up with another man, and that he had no emotional stakes in their anomalous relationship. Reid had given her a special part of himself by creating this amazing work of art for her—
of
her—and she’d just slapped him in the face by bringing Stephen into their night by mentioning his name.

She saw the tempest of his anger roll across his eyes, the muscles in his jaw flexing several times as though trying to prevent himself from unleashing his thoughts that were no doubt things that would make her cringe, and yet nothing she wouldn’t deserve.

“Reid, I’m so sorry, I—”

He didn’t wait for the rest, but spun on his heel and slammed through the door into the storm outside. She chased after him, stopping just outside the studio to see him eating up the pavement toward the street, his suit shirt already half-soaked.

“Reid, wait, come back!”

He came to an abrupt halt, but didn’t turn around. With hands fisted at his sides and his wide shoulders heaving, he looked feral and dangerous, and God help her, sexy. Shivers ran down her spine and goose bumps raised over the flesh of her arms, but it wasn’t from the cool rain pelting her skin and drenching her hair. Even seething angry the man affected her on the basest of levels, and it both thrilled and frustrated her.

When he turned and stalked toward her with a menacing gleam in his eye, Lucie wondered if she shouldn’t have let him walk it off and apologize later as he backed her up to the brick wall. She knew she should apologize again, should say something,
anything
, but words failed her as she stared up at a side of Reid she’d never seen. His demeanor was positively animalistic, and it sure as hell wasn’t of the cute and cuddly kind.

“What is it about that asshole that has you so twisted up?” he shouted. “I’m serious, please tell me, because lately I’ve been trying to figure it out and I fucking can’t!”

Twisted up? If she was twisted up over anyone it was Reid. This was supposed to be a casual arrangement, nothing more than lessons on how to be the kind of woman who attracted a certain orthopedic surgeon so they could live happily ever after in her companionable relationship based on mutual interests and professional respect.

As it was now, she wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore. Actually that was a lie. Her brain told her she wanted Stephen. But her body—and Lucie feared even her heart—was screaming for Reid.

She shook her head, sections of her hair slapping against her cheeks. Hot tears spilled over her cheeks and she prayed they blended in with the raindrops so she didn’t look as pathetic as she felt. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

The peak of his faux-hawk arrowed slightly over his forehead, heavy with the water streaming from its tip. His shirt, a pale gray with silver pin stripes he’d left open at the collar and cuffs rolled up over his muscled forearms, was now soaked through and plastered to his body.

He braced his hands on the wall by her head and leaned into her personal space a little more. He imprisoned her gaze with a stare so intense she was helpless to look away, and when he spoke, his words were razor-sharp. “Are you thinking of him when I’m inside you, Luce? Do you wish it was
his
cock buried inside of you instead of
mine
?”

She’d hurt him. More specifically, the softer side of him. The side that made him a thoughtful friend and considerate lover. The side that touched her body as though his fingers worshipped every curve, then transferred that reverence to canvas.

So now his fighter half was taking over, fortifying his defenses with harsh and crass questions in an effort to disguise his wounds. But though it might be the fighter’s words pouring from his mouth, it was the artist’s feelings behind them. For the first time, she truly understood the duality of his nature.

Lucie shoved all thoughts of what she needed aside and focused on what it was
he
needed. Confidence settled over her as she framed his face with her hands, the short stubble of his beard tickling her palms.

“Never.” Surprise flickered in his eyes before his mask slipped back into place. “The moment you touch me, I lose myself to you, Reid.” Stretching up on her toes she placed a kiss on lips. “Every. Single. Time.”

Thunder boomed overhead as a strobe of lightning cast his animalistic features in a pattern of shadows and highlights revealing his intent. She only had a moment to prepare and then his mouth descended quicker than a viper strike and just as deadly.

She moaned and opened to him, reveling in the hot swirls of his tongue as his hands palmed her ass and pulled her in hard against his rigid cock straining behind his zipper. Arching into him she tried to obliterate every air molecule that separated them, needing as much contact with him as possible for fear she’d die without it.

He slipped a hand between them, moved her panties aside, and thrust two fingers deep inside. She broke their kiss, unable to stop herself from crying out to the storm above as the sudden intrusion rocked her to her core.

“Goddamn it, Luce,” he said gruffly. “I love that you’re always so wet for me. I’ve never felt anything so tight and hot. I want to live inside of you and never leave.”

Speech was impossible, so she made do with a pleading whimper and a roll of her hips to try and get him to move. It worked, but not how she’d meant it to. Instead of fingering her like she thought he’d planned, he pulled completely out and left her empty.

“Reid, please…”

“Don’t worry, baby, it’s only for a second.” She watched as he ripped the fly of his jeans open and pushed them down enough to release his erection. Long and thick, ridged with veins and capped with the smooth, round head, she had a sudden desire to drop to her knees and take him in her mouth, but he didn’t give her the chance.