She smiled at the hint of possessiveness in his tone. “Lucas Abbott. I hired Abbott & Sons to do the construction work I needed done to open A Divine Retreat.”
Beck grunted as he sat back in the chair and crossed his ankle over his knee, framing that sexy body of his in a way that stirred the warm hunger growing inside her. “Seems cocky.”
Lucy bit her lip to hide her smile. So Mr. “Stonewall” O’Malley wasn’t impervious to a little jealousy. “He’s a nice guy. They’ve done good work at a fair price but they weren’t my first choice.”
“Oh yeah?” His tone caught her attention and she spied him staring at her ass as she reached into a low cabinet for a soft cloth cover for the face cradle on the massage table. His sensual smile as he gazed at her made her pussy tingle. Then he caught her watching him and glanced away as he shifted in his seat and tugged at the leg of his jeans.
“Yes. I would’ve liked to have given you the business, but there was no way with you being so sick and I needed the work done fast.”
He smiled at her and said, “I wish I could’ve done the job for you.” He rubbed his beard thoughtfully. “Actually, I know his brother, Josh. I’ve heard that Abbott & Sons does good work and they have an excellent reputation in the community. You chose well.”
She pulled back the lightweight cover and sheet on the table closest to the fireplace and said, “Thanks for buying me breakfast this morning.”
“You’re welcome. Saw you pull in behind me and wanted to do something nice for you. A little late for breakfast, don’t you think?” The slightly imperious tone of his question should’ve gotten her back up but she noticed the concern in his eyes.
“I had my hands full this morning with Toby, and helping Jayne, and didn’t take time to eat.”
“How is Seth?”
Lucy shuddered, remembering the scene when she’d run into the ER waiting room the night before. “Seth was still waiting to be seen, with his hand wrapped in a bloody dish towel when I got to the ER. He was his usual cool self but Toby was freaked out, which meant Jayne was a little freaked out. Toby wouldn’t stop crying unless Seth held him, which was really hard one-handed. You know how low-key and calm Jayne usually is, right?”
With a grin, Beck nodded. “Yeah.”
“They’d been waiting for over an hour by the time I arrived and she finally got fed up. She handed Toby to me, who was squalling so loudly I couldn’t hear anything. She walked up to the reception desk and wouldn’t stop asking until they finally took Seth back to be seen. I’d have been raising holy hell but Jayne was a lady the whole time. Never raised her voice. Just wouldn’t back down. After they moved Seth I took poor Toby home. He conked out in my SUV. You know what that means?”
Lucy smiled wryly as she heard Beck curse in a low tone while she moved around the room. “He revved up for another round when you got home.”
“Yep. He was not a happy camper. He was like that until after midnight when they finally got home.”
“Sorry, Lucy. So you’re pretty tired, aren’t you?”
Shrugging, she replied, “It’s what you do when family needs you. I’ll catch up on my sleep tonight.”
“You sure you want to do this? If I’d known…”
Turning to him, Lucy went over and sat in the chair on the other side of the small table from him, staring into his eyes. “I like being needed, Beck. Don’t tell me that you’d leave right now. Let me help you feel better.”
He shifted again as though he was uncomfortable and she smiled.
“Okay. What do you want me to do?”
“I’ll leave the room and give you a few minutes to strip.” Normally she wouldn’t use that word but her inner devil made her do it. She’d normally ask her clients to disrobe to whatever their comfort level was and then work around underclothing if she had to. The urge to giggle was strong when she heard him gulp.
“Strip?”
Ah, a massage virgin. She bit her lip to suppress her smile. It’d just piss him off.
“You said on the phone that you have all-over body aches so I’m giving you a full body massage today.” At his discomfited look, she cut him off. “Usually I don’t tell a customer what they’re getting. I’d let them decide. But looking at you, I think you really need it. You don’t have to strip to bare skin if you don’t want to. I’m perfectly fine with you leaving your underwear on but everything else comes off.” Her fingers itched to unbutton that that sexy-as-hell flannel shirt for him. “Once you’re undressed, get into position facedown on that massage table.” She pointed to the one she’d prepared. She noted that he seemed relieved by her words. “I’ll give you a few minutes and I’ll knock before I come in.”