Page 67 of Lucas
The room began to clear, but before I escaped, Simone called out. “And Ginger, don’t forget your report.”
She always had to have the last word.
Once I escapedDevon’s office with my homework assignment, I walked up the stairs with Lyra, and we stopped on the second-floor landing.
“Anytime you need to talk, just text me, and I’m there.” Not that I could do much for her, but these times called for a shoulder, not a lecture or empty words. “And I don’t mean just about Hamilton. Although I don’t mind reminding you how much that man loves you. He just needs to reconcile his second chance at life. But this has to be incredibly tough on you. I don’t have much experience in this area, but I can make a mean margarita.”
She laughed and pulled me in for a hug. “You always know the right thing to say. How about lunch tomorrow? Lucas will be reading the book, so you’ll have time before the translation starts.”
“Perfect. Just let me know when and where.”
“I wish we could go to a tea house.”
“Or a club.”
“I’ll think of something. Will we see you at dinner?”
“I don’t know. I thought I got enough sleep on the plane, but I’m pretty beat. Dinner in my room sounds pretty good right now.”
“I understand. I’ll let Cook know.”
“Thanks.” I wandered down to my room as Lyra climbed to the third floor. I stripped off my clothes, turned on the tub, and added bath salts. I bounced on my toes as I waited for the tub to get half-filled then stepped in, wincing at the heat of the water until my skin sensitized to it.
I’d barely relaxed against the tub when Lucas strolled in, whistling a tune I didn’t recognize.
“Why are you in such a good mood?”
“That was a perfect meeting, and you’re amazing.”
“Well, I’ll agree with one of those statements.” I ran a hand over my knee, slick from the salted water that filled the room with a lavender and rosemary scent. His gaze followed the motion, and I smiled. Maybe we’d get that night together after all.
“So, what detail did you get assigned this evening?” I picked up a large sponge and soaked it in the water before running it over an arm.
“Um. Detail? Oh. No detail. Simone wants the healer to look me over, so I’m off duty until tomorrow.” He took off his jacket and hung it from a hook. His shirt was next as he dropped it on the floor. He always looked so hot in a tank, showing off his lean, muscled physique.
I rested a foot on the edge of the tub while I squeezed water out of the sponge before running it over my leg in a slow back-and-forth motion. “I’m too tired to go to dinner with the Family. Lyra is having Cook send something up.”
He’d unbuckled his belt and was sliding his pants down. “We must have had the same idea because I stopped by the kitchen on my way here.” He knelt next to the tub in nothing but his tank and jockeys and took the sponge from me.
“Oh.”
He sponged my back in slow, sensuous strokes that made me shiver in the steaming water. “Cook heard we were arriving home today, so he made lasagna.”
“Did you tell him what a wonderful vampire he is?” Cook’s homemade lasagna included freshly made pasta. The thought of it made my stomach grumble.
“Of course. Can you hold this for a moment?” He handed me the sponge and stripped off his tank, his stomach muscles rippling with the movement. His jockeys went next, and I scooted back for him to sink into the tub facing me. He ran his hand over mine as he took the sponge back.
“The others won’t be happy with the heavy pasta dish.” Cook made lasagna on rare occasions since Cressa, Anna, and I were the only ones who consumed large servings. The vamps considered it too heavy and ate little of it.
“He’s also cooking a fresh halibut dish. I think the lasagna was meant for you.” He took my hand and ran the sponge over my arm and then under it before moving to the next.
“I feel like we’re in this weird space. It was like what Sergi said. All that time wondering if the book really existed. Now that we have a copy of it, all we have are more questions.”
The sponge moved across my breasts, and I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, reveling in each warm stroke.
“We have to take each step as it comes.” He straightened his legs and pulled me up to sit on his lap. His cock was hard and rubbed me in all the right places as I straddled him. “First the translations, then we wait for Colantha.”
I took the sponge from him and ran it across his chest. “Maybe you can send her a short paragraph or two, just to see if she recognizes it. Who knows, maybe she’s aware of a dreamwalker alphabet.”
