The Wells Brothers: Luke (13 page)

“Lukey-boy, I work in a shop. 
Those girls all come to shop there.  They know that I know you.  Word gets
around.”

“All about my prowess in the sack,
eh?”

She gave a fake shiver.  “Thrills
me to my bones.”

“Care to share?”

“You mean recount the actual
rocking-the-mattress action?”

“Whatever you want.”

He said it so seriously that she
was a little unnerved.  Really?  He wanted her to tell him exactly what had
been said?  Man, she’d only been teasing.  No way was she going to tell him
some of the things that had been said, not do that and look him in the eye. 
That’d be a little hard to do without giggling or, heaven help her, going red
as a beetroot.  “I don’t repeat gossip.”  Certainly not to him about his sexual
prowess.

“Is that right?”

“Yup.”  Time to leave.  She
stepped to the side and started for the steps.  “Anyway, pleasant as this
little chat has been-”

“Pleasant?”

She couldn’t help it.  “And
enlightening-”

That was as far as she got before
her arm was grabbed, she was spun around, and before she knew it she was
pressed back against the wall with Luke leaning over her, his hands braced on
the wall each side of her head.

Her mouth fell open, her eyes
widened, her heart stuttered, and she couldn’t help but give a delicious little
shiver at the glint in his eyes.

Man, Luke’s eyes could glint like
no-one else’s, and the fact that he was so focussed on her right now made her
want to push all his buttons at once.  Kind of like an elevator where she could
run her palm down the row of buttons and see where she ended up.

Excitementville, maybe? 
Lustville?  The options were heady.

“You know, Red,” he drawled
softly, “you have this habit of throwing out these little gems of knowledge
then running when challenged.”

“No idea what you’re talking
about,” she denied a little breathlessly.

Cripes, his nearness was doing
things to her.  Didn’t matter that this was Luke, the man who was both charming
and irritating, funny and sexy, the man she verbally sparred with regularly,
she wanted something else now.  Felt something else.

Now that he was watching her with
a dangerously wicked glint in his eyes, she couldn’t help but swallow.  Holy heck,
was that attraction?  Yeah, it was. She was attracted to him. 
Come on,
Mikki, this is why you gave him that little teasing shove.  You wanted this.

Geez, she really was sick.  Sick
because the closer he came to her the more her heart fluttered, her legs
trembled, and her stomach dipped.  Deep inside something quivered.  Or maybe
that was just her thighs.  She actually had to lock her knees to keep from
sliding down the wall as his fresh, clean, male sun-tinted scent invaded her
senses.  His face filled her vision.

“You’re looking a little scared
there, Red.”  His deep tone smoothed across her skin.

“Of you?”  She shook her head. 
“Not at all.”

“Then maybe you should be.”

“Do I need to be?”  Oops, was her
voice really going all husky?

His gaze drifted down to her lips
as he eased down on one forearm, placing him so close to her that his breath
puffed on her lips.  “I don’t bite.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Much.”  His smile was slow,
wicked.

She swallowed.

Luke’s gaze drifted back up,
almost lazy, belied by the hot brightness of his eyes. 

Oh boy
.

“You know, Red, I’ve got an idea.” 
His voice oozed sinful temptation.

“Y-you do?”

“You’re going by gossip.  You’ve
formed your own opinion without personally experiencing anything remotely
carnal with me.”

That had her thighs clenching as
an unexpected pulse rolled through her womanly secrets.  All she could do was
stare into his eyes, read the sinful intent within the knowing depths.

Oh yeah, he knew what he was doing
to her.  She should have shoved him away but sweet mother mercy, she was
revelling in it right now - that focussed attention, the heat of his body, the
power arched over her, his wicked intent.

She could lie to anyone else, but
to herself she was completely truthful.  She wanted this.  Wanted him, his
kiss, his attention.  God knew why, but right then -

Before Luke could do or say
anything further, she grabbed hold of his shirt, rose up on tiptoe and pressed
her lips to his.

Heaven above, his lips were soft
for a man, yet firm.  Generous, almost, and after a split second of stillness
he opened to her.  Opened to her but took over the kiss, moulding his lips to
hers, stroking into her mouth with an experienced mastery that had her arching
into him, both hands now fisted into his t-shirt as she tugged him closer so
that her breasts were pressed to his chest.

Strong arms wrapped around her,
held her hard against him as he controlled the kiss, taking her essence,
filling her with his taste, his strength surrounding her.

Heat spiralled through Mikki, her
nipples pebbling against his hard body as her hands slid to grip in the crook
of his elbows, glorying in the power flexing beneath her palms.

The man could kiss.  That rumour
was certainly true, no doubt the other rumours of his prowess were, too.

One big hand slid down to cup her
bottom, pulling her hips against his while his other hand slammed against the
wall and he leaned forward to press her shoulders back against it, pinning her
securely.

There was no doubting the bulge
growing in his jeans, the sensation of it pressing against her a bold testament
to his rising arousal.  His tongue swept inside her mouth, ravaging her,
leaving her gasping for air and kissing back as fiercely, wanting so much more,
her hand slipping beneath his t-shirt to scratch lightly against his ribbed
stomach, her touch producing a growl of satisfaction from him.

Lifting his head, he looked down
at her, his lips moist from her kisses, his eyes hot.  “Let’s take this inside-”

A horn tooted, cutting across his
words.

Cursing, he looked over his
shoulder.

The sound was like a bucket of
cold water, bringing Mikki to her senses.  Oh crap!  She’d been all over Luke,
basically begging for more!

Horrified, not knowing where to
look - certainly not at the truck that was coming around the circular drive
with ‘Yorick Antique Dealer’ emblazoned in gold against the black of the paint
- she shoved at Luke.  “Let me go!”

His gaze swung back to her, taking
in, no doubt, her red face and horrified expression.  His eyes narrowed.

“Now!”

He shocked her by kissing her fast
and hard.  Then, with a growled, “Later, Red,” he released her, stepping back.

With more haste than grace, she
slid away from him to bound up the steps, almost running through the door into
the mansion.

Her cheeks burned with
mortification, her loins with carnal anticipation.

Oh God, she’d kissed Luke Wells! 
In fact, she’d egged him on and then practically dragged him to her!  How the
heck was she going to face him after that?

And what, exactly, did he mean by
Later,
Red
?  Did he… Her cheeks went red.  Did he think she was an easy lay?  Did
he think she asked for it?  Well yeah, she had, but honestly, her brain had had
a spazz attack, because kissing Luke Wells had never popped up on her sin radar
before now.

Before he’d dragged her onto his
lap.

Maybe she could blame him.

Shame she wasn’t that kind of a
girl.  Her actions, her responsibility.

Gah, being honest sucked lemons
sometimes.

Chapter 5

With a groan, she disappeared into
the house in search of a fortifying can of Diet Coke while trying to get a grip
on her scattered emotions.  Why she had these sudden feelings for Luke, she had
no idea.

Man, she’d always been aware of
him, couldn’t help it.  One, he was often hanging out with Jason and as her
best friend, Izzy, was married to Jason, it made sense that she’d see Luke more
often.  Two, she’d had a run-in with him the first time she’d met him when he’d
given her grandmother a quote for landscaping, and she’d told her Grandmother -
in front of Luke - that he was a thieving hound and her boyfriend’s brother-in-law
could do the job for half the price.

Two big mistakes right there - the
brother-in-law was a total disaster at landscaping, and her then-boyfriend was
a total dick.  She’d given the boyfriend the flick and been made to beg Luke
Wells to fix the mess made of the garden.

Luke had loved that, his eyes
gleaming, that smirk on his fine lips.  She could still remember how astounded
she’d been, but for her grandmother’s sake she’d grovelled.  Plus, face it,
she’d been wrong, so very wrong.  And yeah, it had been rude to call Luke a
thieving hound to his face, her mother had hauled her over the coals when she’d
found out.  She really did owe him that apology, but sheesh, the begging?  He’d
so enjoyed it, the jerk.

They’d met plenty of times since
then as he’d frequented the supermarket she and Izzy worked in, and she greeted
him and exchanged barbs, couldn’t seem to help it.  There was something about
him that plain sent her brain into meltdown.  The glint in his eyes, the grin
or frown, the snappy-comebacks, she’d enjoyed it all.

Never in a million years had she
thought she’d enjoy his kiss.

Enjoy?  That was putting it
mildly.  The mild pleasantness she’d experienced in kissing her ex-boyfriend
was nothing like the toe-curling, gut-clenching, thigh-trembling, pooling heat
she’d experienced when kissing Luke.

The ex-boyfriend had elicited a
smile.

Luke’s kisses elicited a fire.

Big freakin’ difference.

But what really perplexed her was
- why now?

Because you’ve never been this
long or close in his presence
her commonsense pointed out,
and you’ve
certainly never sat on his lap, had his hand at your back, or been kissed by
him.  How’s that for a fact?

Geez, what would she be like after
a week with him so close?  She’d be liable to tear his clothes off, throw him to
the floor and ride him like the fine stallion he was.

Okay, that made her grin as she
walked through the servants’ hall towards the kitchen.  Wouldn’t that scare the
crap out of him?  Although now she thought about it, he was a little dominating
himself.  Maybe he’d throw her to the floor instead and ride her like the
stallion he was?

A flush of heat went through her. 
Oh boy.  Maybe it was time she stopped trying to figure things out and just concentrate
on getting through the week.  Besides, even worse, she had to face him sometime
today, see those knowing eyes, and…maybe he’d ask her out?

No sooner had that thought crossed
her mind than she grunted.  Who was she kidding?  She wasn’t the kind of girl
Luke dated.  She’d seen his kind - slim, beautiful, a lot more experienced, and
hung on his every word.  In contrast she was generously curved, passably okay
in looks, moderately experienced in the sack, and loved stirring him up.  A
world of difference.

That had her sighing.

Walking through the kitchen door,
her gaze fell on the big cage sitting on the floor.  Inside the cage was a
little basket with a fluffy cushion, a litter tray, bowls of water, kitten milk
and food, and a handful of kitten toys.

The kitten, now bearing the proud
name of Duchess, was sitting near the wire staring at Dog lying prostrate
before the cage with his gaze fixed on her.  As soon as Duchess saw Mikki, she
started meowing.

“You’ve got food and drink.” 
Taking a can of Diet Coke from the old-fashioned ‘fridge, Mikki popped the tab
and moved across to stand beside Dog.  “Basket, cushion, toys, tray.  What more
could you possibly want?”

Moving up to the wire, Duchess
stood on her hind legs and reached through, trying to touch Mikki.

Smiling, Mikki dropped to her
knees and stroked the tiny paw.  “Aw, you’re a cutie.”  Feeling a nudge against
her side, she laughed as she looked around to see Dog sitting upright with a
beseeching expression on his face.  “You’re a cutie, too.”  Putting the can
down, she patted him with one hand while playing with the kitten with the
other.

Duchess really was a cutie.  Tiny,
a little too thin which Mikki and Elspeth were determined to remedy with good
food, playful, she sported a fluffy coat of black with ginger striking through
it, not one speck of white - a true tortoiseshell.

“You calmed down at the vet’s,
huh?”  Placing her finger under Duchess’s paw, Mikki moved it up and down,
rewarded by Duchess sticking her other paw through and making a grab for her. 
“Poor baby, what happened to you?  If I ever catch the mongrel that treated you
so badly, I’ll boot him in the nuts for you.  Yes I will,” she cooed, going
down on her elbows to get closer.

Duchess regarded her through big blue
eyes not yet changed to gold, her tiny head going to one side as she batted at
Mikki’s finger.

Pushing down to lie on her stomach
with her upper body balanced on her elbows, Dog lying right beside her with his
head not far off, they both watched the kitten with delight.

Tail thumping happily on the
floor, Dog cautiously pushed his nose to the wire, pulling back quickly when
Duchess backed off before jumping forward and smacking him quickly on the
nose.  He cocked his head to one side in astonishment and looked inquiringly at
Mikki.

Mikki grinned.  “I think she likes
you.”

Dog looked back at Duchess now
balanced on her back legs, front paws up as she readied herself to lean forward
and smack him again with her paw, one of which was raised a little higher than
the other.

“It’s kind of like kids at
school,” Mikki explained to Dog.  “The little boy likes the little girl, so he
pulls her pigtail.”  She paused.  “Don’t ask me why, it just is.”

Slowly, Dog leaned forward until
his nose touched the wire, jerking back as Duchess, in delight, smacked him
again before proceeding to arch her back, put her head near the floor and try
to walk menacingly forward, only to trip and fall over.

Ears up, Dog whined, tail thumping
faster.

“Sorry, fella.”  Mikki took a sip
of Diet Coke, bending her knees so she could lazily wave her legs in the air. 
“Can’t let her out until tonight when everyone is inside and the doors shut,
then we can let her run in the kitchen for awhile.”

Mikki spent a peaceful half hour
playing with the kitten through the wire, Dog by her side getting his nose
smacked periodically as he kept sticking it against the wire.  The animals
calmed her troubled thoughts, making her laugh.  It also made her consider
Duchess thoughtfully.  Maybe she should think about getting a cat when she went
back home.  The neighbour’s cat used to come around now and again, and she’d
let him inside and feed him, happily caring for him when his owners weren’t
home, but they’d left and the new neighbour didn’t have any pets.  Having the
cat in residence had been really nice to come home to after work, such good company.

Yeah, she reflected, rubbing the
kitten’s little head through the wire, maybe she’d go to the animal shelter and
get a cat.

~*~

For the rest of the afternoon she
managed to avoid Luke.  Cowardly, sure, but it saved her having to look him in
the eyes.  How did he feel now he’d had some time to think?  She wasn’t sure
she wanted to know.  If she saw derision, well…shit, she’d rather he laugh and
tease her than be awkward and scornful.

Maybe he saw her as desperate. 
That certainly had her cringing inwardly.

Dusk found her and Aunt Elspeth
going out the kitchen door with torches in hand.  They’d just gotten to the
overgrown pathway when the sound of someone following had them turning to see
Luke approaching with Dog at his heels.

“What are you two up to?” he queried.

“We’re looking for ghosts, of
course,” Elspeth replied brightly.

“Of course,” he repeated.

“They can appear at dusk, the time
between the day dying and the night living.”  She managed to put the right
amount of menace into the words.

He looked at Mikki.

Avoiding eye-contact, she shone
the torch around the bushes.  “Yep.”

There was silence for several
seconds before he drawled, “Riiiight.”

“Come with us,” Elspeth invited. 
“Broaden your horizons.”

“They’ve been broadened a lot
today already.”

“Oh?”

Luke just grunted.

Having an inkling to what he
referred, Mikki snuck a peek at him to find that, yep, his gaze was trained
right on her.  Geez.

Clearing her throat, she turned
and started walking.  “Let’s get a move on, people, graveyards to investigate,
ghosts to see.”  Putting out a hand, she started pushing the branches aside.

Before she knew it, Luke was
gently but firmly pushing her back to take her place, moving ahead and holding
the branches back, snapping many of them to clear the path permanently.

“Such a gentlemen,” Elspeth
whispered in Mikki’s ear.

No arguing that, just as there was
no arguing his eyes tracking her every move whenever he waited for them to pass
before moving on ahead again.  He was attentive to both of them, but she
expected nothing less.  The Wells men were known for their courtesy towards
women and the elderly, their friendliness and willingness to help, but that
didn’t mean they were fools.  If anyone crossed them or set out to use them and
take advantage of their kindness, those same people were quickly dropped and
put in their place.  The Wells men didn’t want gratitude or undying devotion,
but common courtesy was all they asked for in return.

With Luke leading the way and
making it easier for them, they came upon the chapel and graveyards quickly.

Elspeth immediately peeled off for
the chapel.  “Mikki, you watch the family graveyard.  Luke, you take the
servants’ graveyard.”

“What-” he began, surprised.

“Ghost watch, dear, get with the
program.  Position yourself at the graveyard, turn off your torch and just
watch.”

Mikki grinned at his stunned
expression.  “The servants’ graveyard is over there.”  She flashed the torch
beam over to the small cemetery.

Luke glanced around.  “Where’re
the family graves?”

“Over here.”  She gestured with
the torch beam, lighting up the statues and more impressive headstones.

“I don’t like this splitting up.”

“It’s not a big place, Luke. 
We’ll be in sight of each other the whole time.”

“Elspeth’s in the chapel.”

“It’s just an old building.”

He frowned.  “I should check it
out-”

“Will you two hurry up?” Elspeth
called from the sheltered porch of the chapel.  “Time’s passing, people!”

Luke stared towards her.  “Cripes,
she can be a bit bossy.”

“You’re not the first one to be
fooled,” Mikki said.  ‘Don’t feel bad.”

Squaring his shoulders, he strode
off towards the chapel.  “Don’t start yelling, Elspeth, I’m just going to
quickly check inside the chapel before you go in.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“No arguments.  I promise to be
quick.”

Leaving them squabbling, Mikki
picked her way carefully to the family plot, shining her torch around the grave
stones and statues.  In the darkening gloom they appeared lonely, yet sinister,
as though at any moment a grave would yawn open, the soil dropping away to reveal
something buried for years suddenly clawing its way out of the dirt to seek the
living.

A shiver of dreaded delight went
through her.  Man, these things creeped her out, scared her spitless sometimes,
definitely made her skin crawl at other times, but she loved the thrill, the
unexplained, the plain out crazy fun of this kind of thing.  It was one of the
reasons she and Elspeth got on so well - their love of the supernatural.

 Turning off the light, she
watched the graveyard, her gaze slowly shifting over the headstones as she
relaxed, yet keeping alert.

Elspeth and Luke’s voices sounded
from inside the chapel before he finally left to make his way through the gloom
to the servants’ graveyard.  The torchlight bobbed around, his tall, broad-shouldered
body clearly visible as he finally stood still.

Mikki couldn’t help but feel
comfort steal through her when she noted where he stood - right where he could
keep both her and the chapel in his vision.

His torch flicked off and
darkening dusk enveloped the clearing.  Slowly, as darkness crept in and night descended,
the day wildlife went to sleep and the night creatures took over the land. 
Grass whispered as something unseen moved through the undergrowth, night birds
called out, and from far away a dingo howled - at least, she liked to think it
was a dingo, but who knew?  Could be a dog from a nearby farm or rural house. 
Dog barked once and was immediately shushed by Luke.

Time ticked past, Mikki keeping
her gaze moving continuously over the gravestones, constantly drifting, on the
lookout for any movement or shadow, any sound that would indicate an otherworldly
presence.

Unfortunately, the only thing she
saw was Elspeth’s torchlight suddenly bobbing along the chapel porch, signalling
that the vigil was over.

No sooner had her torch started
approaching them than Luke walked over, his light cutting through the
darkness.  He veered to Elspeth, seemed to take her into his presence simply by
looming behind her as they both met Mikki at the family graveyard.  Then he was
behind them both, his warmth invading Mikki’s slightly chilled body.