New Arrivals: His Inherited Family: Billionaire Baby Dilemma / His Ring, Her Baby / Cowgirl Makes Three

Lexi had offered to lend Lucas a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt left at her house by her oldest son. So, he stood in Devin’s tiny shower rinsing off the lake water and sand, the plastic curtain brushing up against his skin every time he moved, while he struggled to keep his shins from hitting the steep sides of the narrow antique tub. The water temperature was erratic, the pressure pathetic, the taps whistled and a wire soap dish stuck out at a dangerous angle from the worn, tiled wall.

How did Devin put up with this every day of her life?

Rinsed clean, he cranked off the creaky taps and drew back the plastic curtain, scraping it noisily against the curved metal rod as he stepped from the deep tub onto a turquoise mat. The towels were small, with a pink floral pattern and a fringe at either end. He caught a glimpse of himself drying his hair in the steamy mirror, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of roses topping his head.

He supposed a shave was out of the question. It was probably just as well. Given the lilac-scented soap he’d just used to wash, he needed the macho factor provided by a five-o’clock shadow. Fortunately, the sweatpants were black and the T-shirt was steel-gray.

It proved tricky getting dressed in the compact room. He knocked over a bottle of hand lotion with his elbow and banged his head on a low-lying lamp while he struggled into the slightly tight T-shirt. Then, having learned his lesson about waking up Amelia last time he was here, he carefully opened the aging bathroom door and padded silently out into the hall.

The house was quiet, but Devin’s footfalls could be heard outside on the deck. As he rounded the corner into the living room, his nose picked up the scents of charcoal and grilling burgers through the screen of the patio door.

The sun had set while he showered. The lake was black now, except for the light from the few houses along the shoreline. A three-quarter moon hung low in the sky, while plastic patio lanterns glowed red, blue and green where they were strung on a wire around the perimeter of the deck.

Lucas started to smile at the classic backyard scene, but then he spotted Devin and instantly sobered. She stood at the barbecue, spatula in hand, watching the flames sear the burgers in front of her. Her feet were bare, legs long and tanned, and she wore a pair of lemon-yellow shorts paired with a white tank top that showed off her smooth golden shoulders.

She was in profile. Her hair was wispy short, waving softly over her ears and along the nape of her neck. She was delicately beautiful in any setting, and his mind jumped swiftly back to those moments when he’d held her tight in his arms and kissed her luscious lips.

He didn’t know why he’d let it happen. It was reckless and self-indulgent. But from that moment he’d brushed her shoulder in the dining room, kissing her had been all he could think about. Kissing her was still all he could think about.

She turned and spotted him standing there.

“All dry?” she called.

He moved to the screen door before answering, keeping his voice low, assuming Amelia must be asleep. “All dry,” he confirmed.

She looked him up and down. “Who needs a six-thousand-dollar suit, anyway?”

He jokingly spread his arms. “Is it me?”

“It’s you.” She paused. “Surprisingly.”

“Hey, I can hobnob with the common folk.” Not that he could remember having done it recently. In fact, his last hamburger was probably at summer camp when he was in grade school. He was more a rib-eye kind of guy.

“Sure.” She nodded sarcastically. “I bet you hobnob all the time.”

He didn’t answer, and instead slid open the screen door to join her.

“Would you like some wine?” she asked. “Sounds great.”

She pointed with the spatula. “On the counter next to the fridge. Bring me a glass, would you?”

“You got it,” he answered easily, liking this laid-back side of Devin.

In the kitchen, after a few minutes of hunting for a bottle, Lucas realized she’d been referring to the cardboard box with the plastic spigot, sitting there on the kitchen counter. Wine in a box. Now that was a first.

He located a couple of stemmed glasses, then figured out how the spigot worked and filled them up.

He sniffed the bouquet, swirled it to check the legs and finally took an experimental sip of the deep burgundy liquid identified on the box as “Red Wine.” It was a bit sharp, but not horribly objectionable. Probably not a lot of time for the tannins to mellow prior to the boxing process.

He gave a shrug as he lifted both glasses and headed back to the deck. When in Rome.

He set the wineglasses down on Devin’s round table. It had a glass top and was surrounded by four thickly padded chairs.

“Can you grab the condiments?” she asked without turning from the grill.

“Sure.”

“I’m toasting the buns,” she called from behind him. “They were frozen. I hope you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind,” he assured her. “Anything else you need from the kitchen? “

“Not that I can think of.”

Lucas returned to the small kitchen and located mustard, ketchup and relish in the refrigerator.

He balanced them in his hands and ambled back to the deck once more, finding Devin setting toasted buns and burger patties on plastic plates on the round table.

“We’ll need a knife,” she told him.

He shot her a look of impatience. Had he not just asked if there was anything else?

“What?” she challenged.

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“How did you expect to spread it on your bun? Oh, and grab the mayo, will you? “

He gave his head a shake.

“What’s the matter, Lucas. You miss the serving staff?”

He kind of did. But he wasn’t about to answer that. So instead, he retrieved a couple of knives and a jar of mayonnaise.

When he got back, Devin was folding her body into one of the padded chairs.

The wind had died down, leaving the air crystal clear above the water, accenting the view across the darkened lake.

“Thanks,” she told him briskly, snagging one of the knives and starting to prepare her bun.

Lucas checked out the array of condiments and decided… what the heck? He loaded up his bun, adding a slice of cheese to boot.

The burger patty itself looked a little crisp on the outside, blackened in spots and shriveled rather small in comparison to the bun.

Devin took a big bite. “Mmm,” she murmured in appreciation. “I’m starving.”

“Busy day?” he asked. He’d followed Steve’s LoJack beacon out here the minute he’d realized where the man was going. He had no intention of giving him time alone with Devin to indoctrinate her into the Steve Foster view of Pacific Robotics.

“Long time since lunch,” she responded.