Free Reforming the Bear by Vanessa Devereaux Page B

to need a dress. I guess a couple of dresses. Is the wedding
super formal?”
    “Nope,
Bear and Hannah are keeping it simple and it’s going to be outside, so don’t go
overboard and pay too much for something really fancy.”
    “I’ll
keep that in mind.”
    “Which
reminds me, I have the bachelor party to attend tonight. You going to be okay
here, by yourself? I might not be back until the early hours of the morning.”
    “No
problem. I can catch up on my reading.” She stood. “I’ll just go shower and
wash my hair and I’ll be ready.”
    ****
    It
wasn’t until Lucy was in the shower that she realized she hadn’t picked up her
shampoo. She looked on the shelf by the taps and saw that Liam had some and hoped
he didn’t mind her using it. She popped open the cap and immediately loved the
smell. She put it to her nose. It smelled like him. In fact, as she took in its
scent an image of him sprung into her mind.
    She
rubbed her palms together and then worked it into her hair. She closed her
eyes. No wonder he always smelled so good. Breakfast had been a treat. Not only
the food, which was cooked to perfection, but sitting opposite him looking into
those bluish-green eyes of his. Getting dreamy over the stubble where he hadn’t
shaved yet.
    And
she actually was looking forward to decorating the apartment and acting like a
real interior designer.   Maybe she’d like
it so much that when she went home she’d switch careers.   Yeah, sure would beat being an insurance
adjuster. Maybe she’d redo homes of Philly’s rich and famous. She burst out
laughing, hoping the sound of the water masked it or Liam might think she was
one crazy lady.
    While
she was in town maybe she’d chance calling Mike. Public call box wasn’t so
traceable. She wouldn’t tell him about what happened. Not about nearly being
raped and then injuring her leg. He had enough to worry about and guilt wasn’t
something she wanted to lay upon him.
    Lucy
turned off the water, grabbed a towel and stepped out of the bath and began
drying herself. She’d always been nosy even as a child. She walked over to the
medicine cabinet and slowly opened back its door. Aspirin, mouthwash,
aftershave, saving cream, antiseptic cream … no condoms.
    Lucy
didn’t know any guy who didn’t keep at least a few of those, even if it wasn’t
a whole box, in their medicine cabinet. Maybe Liam kept his near the bed. Made
sense. Maybe he didn’t have any because he hadn’t had sex in a while. She
remembered what he’d said about not being easy to be around but she didn’t
believe that for a minute. She enjoyed his company more than any other guy
she’d been with.
    Gay.
Maybe he was gay. However, wouldn’t he still use condoms?
    The
whole thought that maybe he preferred men to women suddenly made her heart
sink.
    She
knew this was naughty, she knew it was a bad thing, but she was going to test
him to see if her inkling was correct.
    She
wrapped the towel around her and secured it at the front. She took the crutches
and went out in the hallway and hobbled along and then purposely let a crutch
slip. It made the noise she’d hoped and as soon as she saw Liam heading into
the hallway she stood there, her leg jutting out so the towel divided right by
her thighs.
    “The
crutch slipped,” she said, realizing this was a stupid idea.
    He’d
definitely checked out her thigh before he’d leaned over to pick it up. What
happened next was something Lucy hadn’t planned on happening. The towel slipped,
leaving her standing naked just a foot from Liam.
    Shit! He’s going
to think I did that on purpose .
    They
stood looking at one another. Was she turning as red as he was right now? And
oh yeah, he had the mother of bulges in the front of his jeans.
    Lucy,
as quickly as her injury would allow, bent over and picked up the towel,
securing it in the front. “I’m sorry about that,” she said.
    “No
need to apologize, but if you could excuse me.”
    He
made a quick dash