The Wells Brothers: Luke (14 page)

“Is that it?” he asked.

“No ghosts.”  Elspeth was disappointed.

“Nothing,” Mikki agreed.

“Not a vapour,” Luke said.  “Are
we done?”

“For now.”  Elspeth started
walking away.

Luke immediately ushered Mikki
right along behind her by simply using his body to crowd her forward.  “Don’t
tell me you two are coming back out here?”

“Midnight run,” Elspeth informed
him.

Mikki could feel Luke’s gaze
cutting into her, but when his hand unexpectedly settled on her back she was
reminded of the fact that that same hand had been clapped on her bum when she’d
dragged him down to kiss.  Her cheeks flared but thank God the night hid it.

“Are you serious?” he asked
incredulously.

“Yep,” Mikki mumbled.  “Midnight. 
Ideal time to look for ghosts.”

“I don’t think they have
wristwatches,” he said ironically while his hand slipped lower to nestle into
the small of her back.

Right at that moment Dog bounded
between them, almost knocking Mikki arse over tit.  He barked and skipped away.

Luke’s arm wrapped around her
waist in a steadying grip, pulling her back against him.  God, she felt every
bit of him pressed against her back - those strong thighs, lean hips, ribbed
abdomen and muscled chest.  Delicious.  Tantalizing.

Definitely disturbing.

“Um…thanks.”  Blushing bright red
- God, her face was going to go on fire in a minute! - Mikki quickly tugged out
of his hold and sped up.

He didn’t stop her or object - no
reason for him to, right? - but as the first of the heavy undergrowth appeared,
he strode past the women to again clear the way.

By the time they arrived back in
the mansion’s kitchen, Mikki was relieved to be able to slip out of the room
with the excuse of putting the torches away.

In the room she shared with
Elspeth, she placed the torches on the old, sagging, wooden dresser and
sighed.  Cripes, this night was dragging.  Was she ever going to be able to
look Luke in the eye again?  She really needed to get over that kiss.  Anyway,
it probably meant more to her than him.

Her mobile started beeping and she
picked it up, noting the name on the screen.  “Hey, Karen.”

“How’s life in the creepy old
house?” her older sister greeted her.

“Uneventful so far.” 
Apart
from me kissing Luke like I wanted to suck his life force out.

“I hear you’re there with that
dishy Wells boy.”

“Aunt hired him.”

“Escort?”

“What?  No!  Landscaper!”

“Oohh, that’s a touchy reply.  Why
so reactive?”

“Sorry.”  Mikki sucked in a
breath.

“Annoying the crap out of you,
huh?  Man, I don’t know how you two will be in each other’s presence for a week
without killing each other.”

Relieved that her sister hadn’t a
clue as to Mikki’s real emotions, Mikki managed a snort.  “Hasn’t happened so
far.”

“Early days yet.  Me, I’d be all
over him like a rash.”

“And just as irritating.”

“He can scratch my itch any day.”

“You’re married, Karen.”

“So?  My mind is free.”

“Does Leo know that you’re saying
all this?”

“He’s right here beside me
watching TV and nursing the kid.”

“Hi, Mikki,” Leo’s voice came
through the phone.  “I’m watching the Logies, and you know those beautiful
actresses?  Man, I’d scratch their itches any day.”

“See?” Karen said cheerfully.  “He
has a dirty mind, too.”

“You two are sick.”

“It’s why we get along so well.”

“Each to their own.”

“How’d Aunt Elspeth go with the
antique dealer?”

Mikki sat down on the edge of the
stretcher.  “He came out today to check out the furniture and paintings. 
Tomorrow he’s coming back to pack the paintings himself to take back to the
store and ship off somewhere to have them cleaned and repaired.  The furniture
he’s having removed and repaired as well.”

“Hope she’s getting a full listing
of everything.”

“Photos of everything, plus a
detailed listing and whatever else she requires.”  Mikki picked at the Doona. 
“Luke was right there making sure she got everything sorted.”

“Aunt let him oversee it?” Karen
was surprised.  “I never thought I’d see the day she’d let that happen.”

“He tried to do it subtly, lurking
in the background listening.  Hovering in doorways.  Thinks no one noticed but
the man isn’t very good at being sneaky.”  She’d certainly noticed because
she’d spent the afternoon trying to avoid him.

“Aw, that’s so sweet of him.”  Leo
said something in the background and Karen said hurriedly, “Oh, my favourite TV
series are being listed for the awards!  Gotta Go!  Be safe!  Have fun!  Bye!” 
She hung up.

Tossing the mobile onto the
stretcher, Mikki rubbed her face and let out a long, slow breath.  Okay, she had
to get a grip.  Elspeth would be serving the evening meal soon which meant
facing Luke.  Still, they had the antics of Dog and Duchess to entertain and divert
them, so she was sure she’d get though it.

Why he was having such an effect
on her, she had no idea.  Maybe it was the old house screwing with her emotions. 
Or maybe she just needed a good sleep to put it all into perspective.

Retrieving the book from where
she’d stashed it under the pillow, she sat and read, waiting to be called to
the kitchen for the meal.  Good time to catch up on reading.

Coward.

Yeah, so what?

An hour later Elspeth called out
and Mikki went to the kitchen to find the door closed, which could only mean
that Duchess was loose.  Cautiously opening the door, she peeked in to find
Luke sitting at the table with a steaming plate of food before him, an equally
full plate in front of the chair across from him, and Elspeth sitting at the
head of the table already eating.  Duchess was exploring the kitchen, little
tail straight up in the air, while Dog laid on his stomach and inched forward
bit by bit in a commando crawl behind her.

Slipping into the seat opposite
Luke, Mikki picked up the knife and fork.  “Looks yummy.”

“Where have you been?” Elspeth
asked curiously.

“Karen called.”  Mikki cut into
the chop.

“For an hour?  I know that girl
can talk but an hour is a bit excessive.”

Mikki carefully speared some
mashed potato over the bite of chop.  “I got caught up in that book I was
reading.”

“Luke’s come up with some plans
for the gardens.”

“That’s great.”

“He can show them to you after tea.”

That’d mean being close to him. 
Oh geez.  “Wouldn’t it be better to see them after you and he have decided on
what you want?”  Feeling his gaze on her, she managed to raise her eyes enough
to look at his jaw.  “You know, that way I can see what the finished product looks
like.”

“Nonsense. I’d like your opinion
as well.”

Crap.  “I don’t know that I’m that
much of an expert.  Like I said, I kill plastic plants.”

“But you know what looks nice, sweetie.”

Luke’s jaw was moving methodically
as he ate, not one word passing his lips, but hells bells, she could feel his
steady regard.  “Okay.  Maybe…um…tomorrow or something.”  Or next year.  Next
year sounded good.

“Are you feeling okay?”  Elspeth
asked, concerned.

Mikki shot her a look to find
Elspeth frowning.  “I’m fine.  Just a little tired.”

“We can put the midnight graveyard
visit off until tomorrow night, then.”

Horrified that she was changing Elspeth’s
plans, Mikki protested, “Not
that
tired.”

Luke just kept chewing.  A quick
glance up at him revealed a knowing glint in his eyes.  Damn it, the man knew
she was avoiding him.

“Midnight ghost hunt,” Mikki said
determinedly. “Tonight.  I’m all for it.”

“Hmmm.”  Elspeth didn’t look
appeased.  “Well, if you’re sure.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Let me know when you’re ready to
go,” Luke said.

Oh boy, he was planning on going
with them, not that she should be surprised.

Before Mikki could object, Elspeth
shook her head.  “Really, there’s no need.  We’ve done this kind of thing
before and been perfectly fine.”

“No offence, Elspeth, but I’m not
letting two women go out there alone.”

Mikki snuck a peek at Elspeth. 
Rather than look annoyed, she was pleased.  “That’s really nice of you, Luke,
if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t,” he replied.

Mikki speared some broccoli. 
“You’re here to do the landscaping, we don’t expect you to baby-sit us.”

“Not babysitting,” he answered
easily.  “Just keeping you both company.”

“You don’t even believe in
ghosts.”

“But you two do, and since you’re
hunting them in the dark I’ll come.”

Discomfort or not, Mikki couldn’t
resist looking him in the eye while arching an eyebrow.  “What are you going to
do if a ghost appears, throw yourself in front of us?”

Little laughter lines fanned out
from the corners of his eyes.  “I’ll let Elspeth take the lead on that.”

“You mean you’d actually
let
a woman tell you what to do?”

“I mean I’d
let
a woman
with more knowledge of ghosts than I tell me what to do.”

Yeah, right.  Mikki had no doubt
that if Luke thought things were dangerous, he’d drag her and Elspeth back to
the mansion so fast their heads would be whirling.  Her eyes narrowed.

Luke scooped up a mouthful of
potato and chop and regarded her with amusement.

Elspeth beamed.  “Well, aren’t you
sweet.  Isn’t he sweet, Mikki?”

“He’s something all right.”

Swallowing, Luke drawled, “You’d
know.”

“Huh?”

“We’re all unexpectedly a little
sweet, aren’t we, Red?”

Her cheeks flared.  There was no mistaking
the gleam in his eyes now, that knowing smirk.

“Everyone has unexpected
qualities.”  Elspeth leaned over to check the kitten.

“Oh yeah,” he agreed.  “It’s
amazing what the country air will bring out in a person.  Right, Red?”

  He was referring to their kiss. 
Her cheeks went hotter but she kept her chin up.  “Shame some unexpected
actions don’t meet expectation.”  Biggest lie
ever
but she wasn’t about
to give the smug drongo more fuel for his ego.

Elspeth moved across to where
Duchess was trying to get behind the stove.  “Now, sweet pea, come out from
there.”

While her back was turned, Luke
pointed the fork at Mikki, a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he said low enough
for only her to hear, “Those are fighting words, Red.”

Afraid Elspeth would hear, Mikki
shrugged disdainfully.

He glanced to where Elspeth was on
her hands and knees playing with the kitten before looking back at Mikki.  “You
need some sorting.”

Ignoring the little thrill that
raced down her spine, she tossed her head, whispering back, “Show me a man good
enough to do that.”

“Oh, Red.”  His grin was
definitely turning wicked, his eyes a bright blue against his tanned face.  “That’d
be me.”

Oh God, that had her stomach
dipping. 
Keep calm.  Keep calm!
  “You just keep believing that.”

Leaning back in the chair, Luke
ran one hand through his hair, pushing back the thick, black strands as his
gaze ran over her from the top of her head, over her face to linger on her
lips, down to her throat and lower, lingering quite brazenly on her breasts
before sliding back up again to meet her eyes.  “Honey,” he purred, his tone
sin itself, “I know it.”

Crap on a stick, she had a bad
feeling he was right.  No man had ever made her insides a quivering mess
before, but no way on God’s green Earth was she going to admit it to him. 
“Whatever makes you sleep at night, Lukey-boy.”

Okay, maybe she did prod him a
bit.  Okay, maybe she
did
want to see how far he’d go.  Okay, maybe she
did dare him just a
little
with her raised chin.

Elspeth started to get up.

“Later, Red,” Luke said softly,
his voice so dangerously low, so deep and almost…

She swallowed.  Okay, she was
definitely an idiot.  Prodding someone like Luke too much just wasn’t going to
end well.  Or maybe end really well.  Or maybe end… Mikki sucked in a breath.

He winked knowingly.

“Isn’t she just the sweetest
little thing?” Sitting down, Elspeth picked up her fork.  “And look at Dog, I
swear he’s falling in love with her.”

Duchess chose that moment to
approach Dog.  Back arched, head down, she moved sideways across the floor,
trying to appear big and menacing but simply looking adorable.

Relieved to turn her attention on
something else other than the sexy, wickedly handsome man watching her from
across the table, Mikki burst out laughing.

Dog froze, watching Duchess with a
combination of eagerness, curiosity and happiness.

Duchess stopped not far from him,
falling once as she stumbled before righting herself to give him menacing, yet
playful looks.  Inching closer, she suddenly straightened and leaned forward,
sniffing.

The two touched noses cautiously. 
Duchess raised a paw and Mikki wondered if she was going to hit Dog, only to go
all gooey inside when the kitten instead just touched his muzzle.

Dog gave her a big, slurping lick,
knocking the kitten over.  Duchess was back up, arching her back and
approaching him in delighted hunt.

As they all watched the friendship
forming between the animals, Dog gently laying his paw across her at one stage
to pin her to the floor while he gave her head a good snuffle and she twisted beneath
his paw to bat out at him.

“Aw,” said Elspeth.  “They’re
buddies.”  She glanced at Luke.  “Be a shame to separate them.”

“It’s always the ones you least
expect,” he replied.

Was that a dig at her?  Sitting
sideways in the chair to watch the kitten and dog, Mikki peeked at Luke over
her shoulder.  He was smiling at Elspeth while shaking his head, but then his
eyes cut to her and narrowed slightly, that glint reappearing.