She tapped one of her ears. “Cat hearing.” She sniffed. “Much superior to dog hearing.”
She giggled when he growled and nipped at her breast playfully. “Dog hearing?” He started to tickle her but stopped as soon as she grunted. “You’re in pain, aren’t you?”
She nodded, biting her lip to keep from screaming. Her hip hurt like a son of a bitch, no offense to the man next to her.
Rick practically ran for the bathroom. She could hear him slamming open cabinet doors and running water. He came back and helped her take the pain pills, frowning until she’d finished the glass of water.
Mumbling to himself, he left the room, returning with two graham crackers. “Eat.”
She looked up at him suspiciously. “The doctor told you about my stomach, didn’t he?”
Two imperiously raised eyebrows demanded she eat.
“Fine.” She nibbled the crackers as his expression relaxed. He was right, anyway. The amount of Ibuprofen she’d been taking had done some damage to her stomach, but they’d caught it before it became a full-blown ulcer. “Thank you.” She batted her lashes up at him. “You’re my heeero.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I’m sure I am.” He sat on the edge of the bed, gently brushing her hair back from her cheek. “I want to be.”
She gulped. The yearning in that normally hard face had her reaching up. His beard, soft as silk, grazed her palm as she stroked his cheek. His eyes closed in pure bliss, his head leaning down until she was scratching at the top of his head. “Typical canine.”
“Hmm?” He was barely lucid, turning into her hand. If he’d been a cat he would have been purring.
“You have a happy spot.”
He grinned, his eyes never opening as she continued to scratch. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll pet your
‘happy spot’ until you purr.”
He leaned down to kiss her. Just as their lips met, the doorbell rang.
Belle looked over at the clock. It was seven in the morning. “Expecting someone?”
“Yes.” He grinned wickedly. “Get dressed. I have a surprise for you.”
Belle stood, wincing as she put weight on her abused hip.
“Here.”
She took the underwear he handed her, pausing to watch him pull on his jeans. She nearly groaned as she realized he’d be walking around commando all day.
She looked down at the panties in her hand, then looked back at him. With a smirk she tossed them onto the bed, then pulled on her own jeans.
His groan was music to her ears.
She pulled on the lacy bra and reached into her bag for her favorite shirt. It was a men’s style button up in a pale blue pinstripe with wide collars and cuffs. She covered it with a low scoop sweater in sapphire blue.
By the time she was pushing her feet into her low heeled boots Rick had the door open.
“Chela. What’s wrong?” The worry in his voice was barely audible, but it let her know something wasn’t quite right.
“Sorry, Rick. Rumor has it Gina’s planning on starting trouble at the restaurant today. If you want me to introduce the Luna as the new manager, we’d better make it quick.”
Belle stumbled, pulling up short against the doorjamb.
Manager?
Rick looked over his shoulder and started towards her. “Where’s your cane?”
“Um…” Belle looked behind her into the bedroom, still dazed.
He shook his head, gently lifting her aside. He went in, got her cane, and handed it to her on his way out.
“I want you to meet Graciela Mendoza, Chela to the Pack.” He followed Belle’s slow progress into the living room, his gaze riveted to her white-knuckled grip on the cane’s handle. “Chela, Belle.”
The woman bowed and bared her throat to Belle, something that would take some getting used to.
“Luna.”
Belle nodded back, uncomfortable in a way she hadn’t been yesterday. Rick was watching her, his gaze sharp. “Chela.” She put out her hand, expecting Chela to take it.
Chela looked at it, slowly standing to look her in the face. The bruises marring her skin were numerous.
The dark-haired woman blinked before reaching out slowly to take Belle’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Luna.”
The uncertainty in her voice tugged at Belle. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too.”
Chela nodded, the gesture abrupt and tinged with fear. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you down to the restaurant.”
“Wait, Chela.” Rick strode into a different room, off to the right of the bedroom. He emerged pushing an electronic scooter, complete with basket, in candy apple red. “Here.”
Belle looked at the scooter, then looked up at Rick. “I can walk.”
“I know. But you’re in a lot of pain today, and you’ll have a lot of walking to do. When your hip gets tired, use the scooter to get around.”
Belle was stunned. She knew how much the damn things cost. She’d looked into it once, but her COBRA insurance had denied her claim and she hadn’t been able to afford it on her own. They didn’t seem to understand that you couldn’t push yourself in a wheelchair with a broken arm. She’d had to rely on Sarah, Sheri and Adrian to get around. Now that her arm was healed, she could use a standard wheelchair, but he’d spent a couple grand to make her life easier, knowing she’d only need it for a few more months. What kind of man did that?
He smiled like a kid when she settled into the seat. “The controls are simple.” He leaned over her and pointed at the handle bars. “Forward, reverse, and horn. The headlamp comes on automatically when you move.” He turned it on and watched as she learned to maneuver around the apartment. She could feel his gaze burning into her, the pride on his face visible to any who looked.
She stopped next to him and climbed off the scooter. “Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around him, cuddling in close, trying without words to let him know just how much both of his gifts meant to her. Not only had he done everything in his power to see to her comfort, he’d handed her dream to her on a silver platter. She had no clue how he’d found out she’d always wanted to run a restaurant, but she wasn’t about to turn the gift down. No one had ever done anything like that for her before. It made her feel…cherished. She was going to have to make sure she did something for him, something that would show how much he meant to her. She’d just have to figure out what that something was.
He hugged her back, his face buried in the crook of her neck. She felt him smile just before he placed a small kiss there. “You’re welcome.” He let go and winked at her. “Have a good day at work, my Luna.”
She watched as he strode out of the apartment, that incredible hair of his swishing above that equally amazing ass.
When the door shut behind him she turned to Chela. “Where can a girl get breakfast around here?”
“So, that’s the general layout, all of the financial paperwork, and the employee records. What do you think?”
What do I think? I think I want to kill Gina Maldonado, that’s what I think. Gina had been acting manager of Lowell’s Steakhouse for the past year, and she’d pretty much run it into the ground. Key staff had quit, preferring to work the front desk rather than be under Gina’s thumb. The financial records looked like they’d been done by a toddler.
But what really, really pissed her off was the fact that she’d signed certain documents as Gina Lowell.
Belle had learned a few things in the last four months. First, she’d learned who her true friends were.
Second, she’d learned that, distance notwithstanding, Rick Lowell was hers , damn it.