“Warned you about us? Said we were bad or dangerous?” he finished for her since it looked like she’d rather not continue.

Julia snapped her mouth shut. “Actually, yeah, something like that.”

He chuckled humorlessly. “Like I said, I really didn’t get along with Daniel. Neither did my brothers. He’s family and I know he cares about Maddie, but he’s about as useful as a convertible in a tornado. He’s not the brightest guy out there and over the last couple of years, he blew through his inheritance that his father left him.”

She straightened. “His father is gone too?”

“Died about seven years ago. Multiple organ failure,” he explained. “Our father has loaned him money over the years, because again, he’s family, but when that stopped about six months ago, let’s just say Daniel went on a smear campaign to end all campaigns.”

“Wow,” she murmured. “Your family is . . . complicated.”

“That’s putting it nicely.” He smiled when he saw the grin appear on her lips. “I’ll think about letting Daniel come over. Dev will hate it, but he’ll have to deal with it.”

“I think it would help.” She glanced into the room. Maddie was still painting. He had no idea what she was working on. It was just reds and browns to him with what appeared to be a random set of eyes. “I . . . know you’re not a fan of your father, but I’m sorry the memorial service was interrupted.”

He started to tell her it was actually a blessing, but when he opened his mouth, he was without words for once in his life. He could joke all he wanted, but fuck, none of that changed what had happened today or what would come tomorrow.

What Troy had told them at the service lingered in the back of his thoughts. The worry for his sister and what was to come was like battery acid eating through his veins.

Lucian had a feeling they weren’t going to be able to keep Maddie’s reappearance a secret much longer, and when it got out, people would start looking at time lines. They’d start thinking the same thing he knew Dev and their uncle thought.

“Lucian?” she called quietly.

Dragging himself out of his thoughts, he smiled at her. “Hmm?”

Her gaze searched his. “You okay?”

A nearly overwhelming need to tell her what was on his mind slammed into him with the force of a speeding bullet. That was bizarre as hell. “Yeah. Just a long day.”

Julia studied him for a moment and then scooted to the edge of her seat. “Understandable. Well, I better get back in there.” She rose and took a step forward. “I’m sure—”

Lucian had no idea what happened.

One second she was standing and the next she was falling. He shot forward, easily catching her by the arms before she smacked her head on something else. “Whoa,” he said with a quiet laugh, looking down at the top of the neat little knot of hair. “You okay?”

“Oh my Lord,” she said, lifting her head. “I legit just tripped over my own feet.” Pink splashed across her cheeks. “That really just happened.”

A grin tugged at his lips as he straightened her. At least, that’s how it started. He was setting her on his feet, but the next thing he knew, he’d pulled her to him, against him. He held her close by the arms—close enough that her breasts were pressed against him and he could feel her sharp inhale.

Damn.

Lucian swallowed a groan as his body responded to all the softness pressed against him. He hardened in a second, almost painfully aroused with a near irrational need to have her, to claim her, and damn if he’d never felt that before. It was insane. He could have anyone. Walk out of this house or make a quick phone call, and any number of women would be ready for him. But he was obsessed with the one who resisted him. Selfish. He was irrevocably selfish, but he couldn’t help himself.

Julia stiffened against him, her eyes flaring wide, and he tracked that pink on her face, watching it deepen. He waited for her to pull away and shoot him the look that would shrivel the balls of most men. Or punch him. Because there had already been many times where she looked like she was seconds from socking him in the stomach or somewhere worse. If he remembered correctly, she’d even mentioned punching him in the throat at some point.

But she . . . Julia relaxed.

Hell.

Her body melted into his like warm butter on his tongue, and the damn world around him ceased to exist. Every cell in his body zeroed in on her. Damn it, he wanted her right now. Strip off those thin blue pants and get her against the wall. Or take her like he had in the apartment. Have her grip the railing as he lost himself in every wonderful inch of her body.

Lucian wouldn’t even care who could see them.

But first he wanted to taste her mouth. He didn’t know what her mouth felt like against his, how her—

Yanking free from his grip, Julia smoothed her hands down her thighs as she stumbled back a step. He reached for her, fearing she may topple right over, but she skirted his reach. “I have to go,” she said, and then all but darted back into Madeline’s room, closing the door behind her.

Instinct demanded that he go after her, but he fought it down as he closed his eyes, focusing on deep and even breaths. It was a long, long time before he could move from where he stood. Before he could trust himself not to go to her—not to show her just how not okay he really was.

Chapter 16

Julia had no idea what Madeline had painted on the second sheet of paper. It was a lot like the first one, a mixture of browns and crimsons mingled in with what reminded her of a flesh tone. There was another set of eyes. Just like with the first one.

Julia was no artist and she often didn’t get the artistic value of most artwork, but the floating eyeballs were a little creepy.

Smothering a yawn, she rose from the stool. “Be right back.”

Madeline didn’t respond as Julia picked up the pan and cleaning supplies she’d used earlier. Carrying the items into the bathroom, she set about washing the pan out. Once clean, she placed it down in the tub to dry out. The towels went into a small hamper by the door. Another yawn crept up her throat as she wiped down the bathroom counter.

She’d gotten maybe three hours of sleep last night. She hadn’t heard any mysterious footsteps, thank the Lord. Her brain just wouldn’t shut down after everything that had happened yesterday—hell, the last couple of days.

Her hand stilled, causing the damp cloth to bunch under her palm as she glanced out into the bedroom. What could’ve been the source of the footsteps the night before last? It had to be one of the other brothers or maybe her imagination, but it couldn’t be what Lucian suggested. Ghosts? That was just . . . insane. As ridiculous as Lucian himself.

Though, he did make a great cup of tea.

She’d probably needed that last night.

When she wasn’t thinking about the weird footsteps, she was turning over everything the cousin Daniel had said and how Madeline reacted to him. She really hoped that Lucian would consider allowing him to visit despite their issues.

It couldn’t hurt.

Daniel wasn’t the only thing she’d lain awake thinking about. That damn infuriating grin of Lucian’s was firmly implanted in her head until she finally fell asleep.

He was . . . sweet Jesus, he was a handful and a half. She could easily understand how many women would toss common sense right out the window, along with their panties, when it came to him.

She almost had last night on the porch, outside of Madeline’s room. Her body had practically gone haywire on her. She had been seconds away from closing her eyes and tilting her head back just far enough to allow him to kiss her.

Absolutely ridiculous.

She knew better than to even allow herself to be wooed into that position where she had been seriously considering being all kinds of reckless. He just had that . . . that way about him.

But there was something else she saw in him yesterday. In the short period of time that she’d known Lucian, he gave off this laid-back persona, a rich playboy without a care in the world except for his sister. He was charming and downright devious in his teasing. He was a silver-tongued devil when it came to words, but she saw the crack in the façade. She’d seen the shadows lingering behind the smooth words and easy grin.