Taming Her Past - Protecting Her Future: BBW Erotic Romance (Hearts of Heroes Book 2) (14 page)

“Among other reasons as well,” he mumbles.

I choose not to think deeper into his softly spoken words right now. Filing them for later, I grab up his hand into mine and weave our fingers together. We walk out of the curtained room like we own the place and we have every reason to be back there. The snickers from a younger couple watching us didn’t even slow us down a bit. I think Luc might have even winked at the guy.

This was fun.

“Would you like some lunch? I don’t know about you but I need to refuel,” he jokes.

“Good idea. I’m starving,” I answer and we navigate through the maze to get back up to the front. My purse starts to vibrate as we push open the exit door. Retrieving my phone from the depths, I swipe the screen to connect.

“Hello?”

“Harmony?”

“Yes, what’s the matter, Heather?” I ask, recognizing my co-worker’s voice, if not the number.

“I am sorry to bother you, but I need an emergency foster home until Monday when the next one is available.”

I look over to Luc who is looking straight ahead, trying to give me phone privacy. He can be so sweet sometimes.

I wonder how he is going to take this news.

Harmony…

“I’m sorry to have cut our day short,” I apologize with a frown. I really am sorry. We were having fun. It’s been a while since I had fun.

After getting off the phone I quickly explained to Luc about the little girl and that I am needed at work. Of course he took it graciously. I have come to understand that that is just Luc. Hard and intimidating on the outside, soft and sweet…kind, understanding, and well-mannered on the inside.

“It’s okay, Harmony, I understand getting called in to work. What I am confused about is why are you needed? You aren’t her worker right, she has Heather?” he asks me while clicking the blinker on.

I nod my head before answering, “Yes she is the little girl’s worker but she needs an emergency home for the weekend. I am a licensed emergency foster parent so she called me. Heather is one as well, but you cannot watch a child under your care.”

“Huh, I didn’t know there were emergency homes. I thought it was an orphanage.”

“There are orphanages but none around here. And a stay that quick is not worth the mountain of paperwork. Heather already has enough with her going from one house to the next,” I explain.

“Gotcha. You know anything about this little one?”

“No, not really. When we get there I will be briefed on everything.”

“Well, we’re here so go get that info.”

“Thanks, Luc. Um…so I’ll call you later?” I ask, wanting him to stay but not willing for him to know I don’t want him to leave.

He unbuckles his seatbelt and turns to face me. Raising a sardonic brow, he watches me for a few seconds, just sitting there silent.

“I am not dropping you off. That would be leaving you without a way home, not doing it. I’m coming in there with you, then I will take you home if you want.” Saying his piece, he exits the car and shuts the door before I can say a word against him staying.

I mask the smile playing on my face with opening my own door and exiting. He is going to stay with me. Yeah, secretly excited. All those years with us fighting and hating each other, well me hating him for some stupid reason, were so very wasted. I wonder if I wouldn’t have been a bitch would we have started something a long time ago. I was a blind fool, but not anymore.

I catch up to him holding the door open for me. As I walk in I snatch up his free hand and pull him in behind me. Stopping in the lobby I pull down my professional mentality. Releasing his hand, I smooth it down my blood red shirt and pick off fuzzies from my jeans. I don’t look too professional, but it’s the best I can do on this short notice. Straightening my back and shoulders, I put my chin up and walk through the second set of doors leading to the offices like I owned them all.

Luc steps ahead and opens these as well for me. I look up into his smiling face and crack a little one myself. His hand finds my lower back as we walk through and he gives me a wink.

“Nice transformation, princess,” he smirks.

“Problem?” I ask simply. I’m in the persona now. Even snarky comments slip through my lips with little knowledge of me doing it. I have needed to play this game longer than I wished in order to survive. This is the first time I am tired of it. I just want to drop all of it and be myself.

“Nope, no problem now. I now know the best solution to curing the snarky attitude.”

My blush covers my face at his sexual reference and now
that
is all I can think of.

“Harmony, thank you for making it in so quickly.”

I paste a smile on and return the handshake to Heather the Interrupter.

“Not a problem. Where is the child?” I ask her.

She points to a glass room with a TV, toys, books, and little furniture. A kid waiting room.

“She is a very quiet little thing. Shy. I thought it best for her in there. I was hoping it might relax her a bit. I will go over her file with you,” Heather explains in a quiet voice.

Heather turns and heads into her office and I sneak a peek at Luc. His eyes are on the dirty blond little girl in the glass room and not on the very attractive backside of Heather. I know she would never try anything like that, she is as close to a friend as I let people be, but she is what society would deem perfect. A warm feeling settles into my stomach to see him hold no interest in her.

“I will be right back. I can’t really have you in there for this, sorry. There are some chairs over there,” I say, pointing to the opposite wall.

“Go get your info, baby. Don’t worry about me,” Luc says with a smile.

I smile back and head into Heather’s office, shutting the door behind me.

I sit down in one of the set up chairs in front of Heather at her desk with a surprisingly large file on it.

“Well, he is attractive, isn’t he?”

“I’m sorry?” What did she say? I need to focus.

“The man you were snuggling. He’s dreamy. Lucky thing you,” she says giggling.

“Yes. He is at that,” I giggle back.

Heather seems surprised at my antics and I am too. Giggles aren’t really my thing, and yet I have done this a lot lately. Clearing my throat I try to get into business. Lord knows what his overactive brain has him doing out there alone.

“What’s the story with little goldilocks out there?” I ask.

Heather sighs and flips open the file. She pushes it across the desk for me. I read all the details while she sidebars me with info as well.

“Her name is Shiloh. Four years old. She was found as a newborn on the church’s doorstep right before a service one Sunday and was immediately brought here. No family, so no chance of rehabilitation. Adoption or age out is her only ways to leave the system. What we are in this pickle over is her past foster home refuses to keep her a day more.”

“She a troublemaker?” I ask surprised.

“No, not that I have seen or heard, but a lot of people don’t understand her age. I think they didn’t want one so young and they just didn’t know how to deal with her. A new home will be open on Monday afternoon, but—”

“She needs a place until then,” I finish for her.

“Yes. Four days. I hate to ask you now that I know you are occupied.”

“No, no it’s alright,” I say with a smile, thinking about that little girl out there. “This is why I became certified. If a need arose I am able-bodied.”

Laughing together, she hands me the new foster house information and I promise to meet her there at one thirty in the afternoon on Monday.

We walk out of her office and freeze at the sight before us.

In the kid room is hardass Homicide Detective Luccas Ariea with his head held high, butt pushed out, prancing around the room with arms flinging around in weird but hilarious, what I think is dance moves.

“What is he—” I start asking, but stop because she wouldn’t know the answer to that question either.

“Whatever it is, Shiloh seems to like it.”

I look over to the girl and sure enough, she is laughing and dancing along with him. I have to admit ice chipped off my heart a little at seeing his antics to make her happy.

Not wanting to stop the fun, we walk slowly to the door and crack it open as to not alert them.

Everything just got weirder. He is singing. It’s not his voice that shocks me, he has a lovely baritone singing voice, it is the words. No hetero male should be doing this. I would have been beyond worried if I didn’t know where he spent his night last night.

“I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie wooorrlld! Made of plastic…its fantastic!” Luc’s voice falls and rises to fit the song and I barely hold in my laughter.

“More, more!! Dance!” The sweet soft voice of Shiloh laughing and having fun has my smile widen.

Her words seem to spur Luc on to a strange hip swivel circling washing machine move. I blew our cover with a snorting laughter. Luc freezes in the middle of his dance steps. His ‘oh shit’ look at being caught being a goof is priceless. I laugh again, which brings his smile out.

“Having fun?” I ask.

“Yes we are,” he answers me, turning to Shiloh at the same time. “I came in to chill with Shiloh, isn’t that right?” he asks the all-of-a-sudden-scared-looking little girl.

Wide, deep blue eyes take up most of her face as she looks over to us. Poor thing huddles as far into herself as she can get. When her face turns to Luc, she lights up in a beautiful smile full of teeth.

“Will you introduce me to your new friend please, Luccas?” I ask him. He has already made a friend in her so it would be better if someone she likes brings me into her circle. The weekend will go much smoother for it.

He intertwines our fingers together and pulls me over to the still huddling Shiloh.

“Hey, sweet baby, this is my girlfriend, Harmony. We’re going to have lots of fun this weekend.” His voice, low and soothing, calms everyone and elicits another smile from Shiloh.

“Nice to me you, Shiloh,” I say, holding my hand out in a proper handshake gesture. Her slight hand touches mine for a heartbeat before whipping back to her, wrapping around her small frame.

I know that pose. She’s holding herself because she’s scared to let anyone else do it. Scared to get close again. To ultimately be rejected again and again. One of the worst feelings I have ever felt. One a child her age should never experience.

My eyes burn at the loss of her childhood innocence, then I clear my throat, pushing back the tears, and give her a reassuring smile.

“Are you hungry?” I ask her.

Her eyes travel between Luc and I a couple times before she answers with a soft, “Yes.”

“Good, because I am starving and I need an eating buddy. You think you’re up to it?” I ask with a smile and a wink.

“Sgetti,” she says, smiling back.

“Yum. Sounds good. Let’s get your things for this weekend and we will go.”

She nods and starts putting her slip-on shoes back on. I glance over to Luc to see him doing the same thing with his tennis shoes. He snickers at my raised eyebrow.

“We needed them off for better spinning power. You just can’t get a good dance spin with shoes on. Scientific fact.”

“Oh yes, scientific,” I retort, trying to contain my laughter.

“I’ll go grab her bags and meet you at the car.” His mouth brushes a soft kiss to my cheeks before picking up Shiloh’s garbage bagged possessions and heads out of the door.

Turning to said little girl, I stretch my hand down to her. “Walk with me?” I ask.

I fall in love with this sweet thing when she clasps tightly at my fingers with no hesitation. I passed the test and I am trusted.

The smile falls from my face. Please don’t let me break that trust.

While we walk to the car, Luc has already stowed her bag and attached her booster seat in the back. He lifts her up and fastens her in as I say good-bye to Heather.

With us all in and buckled up, Luc turns around so he is able to look at us both. “Lunch then? The diner okay?”

“Yes, they have spaghetti I believe.”

“They sure do. But you know who makes the best spaghetti ever?” he asks Shiloh.

“Who?”

“Me,” he answers and I laugh at his playfulness.

“Well, next time you will just have to be the cook. But you better do an amazing chocolate cake. You can’t have spaghetti without chocolate cake for dessert.”

“Cake! I want cake too!” Shiloh yells from the back in excitement.

“Of course! Let us eat cake!” Luc laughs out as he pulls out of the parking lot and into the lunch traffic. Heavy traffic in Liberty is like a big city at nine p.m. We make it back over to Millie’s in no time, but it seems long enough for Shiloh’s head and eyes to start drooping. I see an early bedtime tonight.

Lunch was a fun and messy encounter that I can say I loved every second of. Even the four times she needed to go potty and the spaghetti sauce stains on all of our clothing. Never knew how dangerous one very well placed handprint of sauce could be.