Shifter Chronicles - Theo and Lucinda (5 page)

“That sounds like personal knowledge,” Theo said. He turned on the couch and faced her. She looked so innocent sitting there—with her head on the back of the couch and her arms wrapped around her upper body, resting on her belly.

“Maybe.”

“Lucy,” he said softly as he reached out and placed a hand on her folded ones, “please talk to me.”

She sighed. It had been so long since she had had anyone to talk to. “I’m the only child of an only child. My mother had me when she was sixteen. My dad was older and had a family of his own. My mom didn’t want me but she couldn’t give me away. Her family told her she had made this mistake and it was her job to take care of it.” Lucy scoffed. “I was a mistake. Can you believe they said that to her?”

She licked her lips. “By the time I was five we had moved into the housing projects. My grandparents had passed away in a car accident and my mother was drinking her life away. When she drank, I was the bastard child of a bastard who wanted nothing to do with me. My dad would come around once in awhile, sleep with my mom, ignore me, and disappear. According to my mother it was my fault he wouldn’t stay because she had had me.” Lucy wiped at a tear that had fallen. “I tried to find refuge in my schooling. I was really good at culinary arts but then the program got cut and my mom decided that, at seventeen, I needed to be out on my own—so she put me out. Told the housing authority she needed to move to a one bedroom or studio.”

“You were a child.”

“One, she figured she had raised something, which was not true. Any money that came into the house went to her drinking. I would eat at school and hoard food from other people's discarded lunches so I would have something to eat later that evening or over the weekend when school was over. Over the summers I would spend morning, noon, and night at the local rec center because I knew I would be fed there.”

“Oh baby,” he reached out a hand and wiped at her tears. He had never heard anything so heartbreaking. He had always known where his next meal was coming from. His mother had made sure all of her children were fed and clean. She had even fed some of
the fosters
back when he was child. “What happened when—”

“I moved into a squatter community until I was eighteen. Then I was able to find a job at a local diner. It paid good and gave me enough money to get a pay-weekly motel room. I lived there until I finished high school. I attempted to get into culinary school but I couldn’t afford it, nor could I get any student loans. Because of my age I needed my mother's signature on things and she was nowhere to be found. She’d moved and didn’t tell me where. So I worked until…” Lucy stilled. She was not ready to tell Theo this part of her story. She straightened, then stood. “I’m going to head to bed.” She turned to leave, then stopped. She faced Theo, “sorry, I have no clue where I’m sleeping?”

'With me, of course,' he thought, but instead he replied, “in the same room you woke in.”

Lucy shook her head. “That can’t be right. That room—”

“—is yours,” he replied as he stood. Theo took a step towards her. “You and the little princess need your sleep, so head off to bed and I’ll see you in the morning,” he replied as he bent and kissed her temple. While she slept he would bring the crib and a few other things he had bought and taken to the car while she had been in the baby and women’s section of the store. “Now off to bed with you,” he replied as he patted her on the behind.

Lucy chuckled, “good night then.”

Theo nodded as he watched her walk away. He had a lot to do and all night to do it, because as long as Lucy was in his bed, sleep was not forthcoming.

                                                                                   
Chapter Three

No!!! Lucy bolted upright in the bed. She blinked as she looked around her—she was safe. She was in Theo's home and she was safe. She released a breath as she laid back down in the bed. She pulled the covers closer to her nose and inhaled. Theo's scent was surrounding her, comforting her. Letting her know there was nothing and no one who could hurt her. Just like the man. All through the store he hadn’t really left her side except once when he had gone to grab a few things. But he had only been gone what seemed like five minutes before he was back by her side, or following behind her with a cart of his own. She smiled whenever another man would come near her. He would walk up behind her and shield her from the other male, making her relax and savor the scent of the man guarding her.

“Damn!”

Lucy sat up slowly as she heard the expletive again. She threw back the covers on her bed, stood, and headed towards the light she saw in the hallway. Was Theo still up? She stopped at the second door on her right. She wanted to cry—the room was filled with baby furniture. There was a crib in a soft white sitting in front of the picture window. To the left of the crib was a changing table filled with diapers, lotions, baby shampoos, and anything you could think of for a baby's needs. Also in the room, not far from the window, was a glider. It was done in the same tone as the changing table and the crib but it was cloth. There was a beautiful crotched blanket on the glider—just waiting for a baby to be wrapped in it.

Lucy turned her attention to the man standing on the step stool, putting up a ceiling fan. How could he have done this without her knowing? Why would he have done this? She had planned on leaving here just as soon as she found a job and could save enough money to get her car in some working condition.

“You're supposed to be sleeping,” Theo said as he climbed down from the step stool. He had burned himself while putting up the fan—causing a very loud cuss to come from his mouth. He had hoped it didn’t wake Lucy but he had been wrong.

“How…” she had been quiet coming into the room. Only stopping in the doorway to see what was going on.

He gave her a crooked smile. He could smell her from a mile away. She had the most intoxicating scent and it had nothing to do with the fact that her soap had a beautiful aroma to it. “I heard you,” he lied. He needed to tell her the truth. If his mother found out he was keeping who and what he was from his mate, she would have a fit. She had almost taken Trevor's head off at the hospital when Aviva was born because he hadn’t told Amanda who and what he was. Mary Hart believed in honesty and she had taught her sons that honesty was the best policy no matter what. He folded the step stool and walked over to her. “Come on, I'll put you back to bed.”

“I’m not a child. I don’t need to be put back to bed like one.”

Theo chuckled, “no darlin’, you are not a child but you need your rest, and standing here talking to me at three in the morning is not resting.”

“No I guess it’s not,”  Lucy said with a sigh. She was tired but her dream had her rattled a bit and the last thing she wanted was to sleep right now.

“Luce are you ok?” Theo questioned as he placed a hand on her cheek. Her coloring was a little off and her eyes were telling him the last thing she wanted was to go back to the bedroom and sleep. “Baby talk to me.”

She licked her lips.

Theo groaned—when she did that, all he wanted to do was bite that little pink tongue of hers as he plundered her mouth.

“I had a bad dream.”

“Ok,” he replied as he moved his thumb slowly up and down her cheek. “Want to tell me about it?”

She shrugged. “Not much to tell. I was in the woods running from someone and when they caught me they hurt me,” she finished. That wasn’t totally the truth. She had been running from Duncan trying to get back to the house where Anastasia was screaming for her. She had been about to run into the house when Duncan had appeared in the doorway with Anastasia in his arms. He had smothered their daughter with his hand while he raised his gun and before he could shoot, she had woken up. The whole thing had been surreal and scared the crap out of her.

“That’s a horrible dream,” Theo said. He could sense she wasn’t telling him everything but he would let it go for now.

“It was. So I’m a little rattled.”

“Want me to come and lie in the bed with you?” Please say yes. He removed his hand from her cheek and continued, “above the covers while you’re under them. I promise to behave myself,” he said quickly. When he took Lucy, he wanted her to be comfortable.

Lucy reached up. She spread her hands on his chest and swallowed. The man was sculpted to pure perfection. She licked her lips as she lifted her eyes to his. She slightly shuddered. She hadn’t been touched by a man in an intimate way for a very long time. She wondered what it would feel like to have this man's chest on hers. His hands on her body, making her feel like… no she couldn’t think like that. Theo was a stranger—a kind stranger—but still a stranger and…

“If you keep looking at me like that I’ll take you back to my bedroom and have you on all fours, driving my cock in you, before you can say boo,” he told her. He was trying to be a gentleman here but the way she was looking at him had him willing to forgo being a gentleman and go straight to being a cave man. He dropped the step stool and wrapped both arms around her. He bent his head and took her lips with his. Theo placed his hand on her lower back and brought her closer to him. God he wanted her, needed her. This woman was his other half and there was nothing he wouldn’t do to have her always.

Lucy was the first to pull away. She swallowed a breath. This man definitely knew how to kiss a woman. “That—” she took in another breath. She was three weeks away from giving birth. The last thing she needed was a fling with this handsome stranger. “Theo—”

“Come on, I'll put you back to bed,” he didn’t want to hear her say the kiss shouldn’t have happened because it should have a long time ago. If he had met her sooner, the baby in her belly would have his blood coursing through her veins instead of some man who’d beat her mother. “I’ll lie on top of the covers until you fall asleep. Then I’ll leave.”

“You..you don’t have to,” she said. She wanted Theo in bed with her. Yes, she was fantasizing about him touching her, but she knew if she said no, he would allow her some space.

“Are you sure? I—”

She took his hand. “Positive,” Lucy replied before she led them from the nursery.

                                                                                   
EA

Well well. Amanda smiled at the young woman who was talking to Janette, one of the other servers in the diner. She couldn’t hear what they were saying but Amanda had a sinking suspicion it had something to do with a position here at the diner. She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Theo. Why was his mate looking for a job at the diner?

“Hey sis—what can I do for you?”

“Mind telling me why your mate is in the diner looking for a job?”

“Who told you I found my mate?”

“Really?”

“You know that daughter of yours is turning into a gifted shifter.”

Amanda chuckled. “I know.” Not only had her daughter told her about Lucy but so had her husband, son and her father in law seemed to be screaming it from the rooftops. “But she was not the only one who told me. Dad has been talking about the woman since you found her.”

“Has he told Mom and Auntie?”

“No, they are still out of town.”

“Good.”

“Now, back to my earlier question. Why is she looking for a job?”

“How do you know she’s looking?”

“She’s been chatting up Jeanette for the last ten minutes—and from the way the conversation looks, she is wondering how the tips and people are.”

Theo groaned. When he had left the house this morning for his shift Lucy had been sleeping—exhausted from the long walk she had taken the day before. He had no clue she was faking sleep or that she was heading to the diner this morning looking for a job. “I’ll be there in five—”

“You won’t. I’ll handle this, and please tell me she knows about us?” Amanda questioned. Once Trevor had told her the truth, it had taken a while to grasp it. But then she had realized shifters where just like humans when it came to relationships. They wanted someone to love and care for just like humans did. They also had an Alpha streak a mile long. She and Trevor had come to many an argument about his need to dominate and her need to have some freedom. The only place he was allowed to dominate her was in the bedroom. Amanda shook slightly. That was a conversation for another day and time—right now her brother was striking out with his mate.

“I haven’t—”

“Your mother is not going to be happy and neither am I, Theodore Hart. I will talk with her. Give her a job here or at the Atlanta restaurant. I assume she’s driving the SUV.”

“Yes. I will not have her and the little princess in something that’s not safe.” Her car was already being totaled and the money Jose had given him for it he’d placed in a saving account for her. His mate would want for nothing, just like Amanda wanted for nothing. Yes, she had a job, but it was doing the books for the restaurant and bar. The small salary she earned from her position she placed in a savings account for the children's education. Anything else she needed, Trevor provided.

“Good. Viv needs a playmate.”

“I thought she was getting one?”

Amanda stilled because of her run-in with Keenan and her subsequent flu. Add in her furious mate, and she had assumed her lack of period was stress-related until Monroe had called and told her she was about a month along. Trevor hadn’t picked up on the heartbeat or beats of the twins she carried because he had been busy catching up on work at the restaurant and pack business. “Monroe talks too much.”

“Don’t blame Monroe. When Lucy went to see him yesterday to check the baby and her hand, he let it slip. I haven’t said anything to Trevor but you need to tell him. You know how he was while you were at the end with Viv and afterwards. Think how he is going to be now that you are carrying another Hart.”

Amanda sighed. Trevor had allowed her to tell off Viv's biological father but he had been at her back the whole time. Pressing against it letting her know if anything happened—if Neal made one wrong move—he would kill the man. Before that he had taken her into his office at Wolf's Hart restaurant and wouldn’t let anyone through the door. He had closed her and the baby in, making sure they were safe and secure. She had thought it was over-kill, but cute. Now she knew he was protecting his mate and the boy he claimed was his child. “I am so not in the mood for his Alpha male crap.”

Theo chuckled his brother was quite deadly when it came to his mate and children. “Get ready sis because its coming.”

“Keep laughing, because you are in the same boat as he is. A head-strong mate. Speaking of—she's coming this way. Stay away from the diner. I’ll talk with her and have her talk with you. But if you come here, you will not see the little princess grow up. Understand?”

“Yeah.” Theo loved his sister-in-law but she was a force to be reckoned with and he was not trying to enter the tropical hurricane called Amanda Hart.

“Ms. Amanda?”

Amanda hung up the phone. She smiled at the woman before her. “Yes?”

“My name is Lucy McArthur. I was told if I wanted a position here at the diner I needed to speak with you.”

Amanda nodded. She gestured towards the seat in front of her. “Have you ever waitressed before?”

“Yes. I’ve been doing it since I was eighteen,” Lucy said as she sat down at the table. Her feet were killing her. She had been walking around town for an hour debating if she wanted to apply for a job here or take the SUV Theo had given her the keys to and seek employment in Atlanta. If she did that then she could live in a motel there and give Theo back his life. That had been the problem plaguing her yesterday when she’d taken her walk in the woods behind Theo's home. The man had been so nice to her. Setting up the nursery. Giving her his car to drive while he rode his motorcycle. Rubbing her feet when she came back from her walk. Rubbing her back when she complained it was hurting. He was being kind, considerate, and she was confused as to what he wanted from her for these actions. Duncan…Lucy shook her head. She was not going to think about Duncan.

“Hmm. And how old are you?” Amanda questioned. She could see Lucy was having some kind of internal debate with herself. Did this debate have anything to do with Theo? She really wished he would have told Lucy about the family. Then the woman would not have been debating her life with Theo Hart. She would be dealing with the fact that mythical beings such as shifters really existed in this world.

Lucy blinked. She had been so deep in thought she’d forgotten about the woman before her and the job she was attempting to get. “Twenty three. I'll be twenty four in a month.”

              Amanda nodded, Theo was five years older than this woman. Good age gap. “Then we will have to throw you a party.”

Lucy shook her head. “That won’t be necessary.” She had never had a party a day in her life. Whenever her birthday would come around she would buy herself a cupcake and eat it all alone—tears streaming down her cheek because she had no one to remember her, or what was supposed to be her special day.