Here And Now (American Valor 2) by Cheryl Etchison Page A

slightest bit guilty.
    Lucky folded his arms across his chest and leaned one shoulder into the door casing. He narrowed his eyes at her and attempted a whole pissed and threatening look. Instead, his expression was more faux-mad, like beneath it all he was fighting hard not to laugh.
    “I take it you saw Brittany today?” And of course she couldn’t help but raise her voice a few octaves and accentuate the syllables when saying the girl’s name.
    His mask cracked, finally giving into a laugh. “Sure did. As a matter of fact, she made a point to track me down after our exam.”
    Holding the front door open with one hand, Lucky took her duffel bag with the other, gesturing with it for her to lead the way inside. “You’ll be in here,” he said just before disappearing through a doorway immediately off the living room. When he returned he had her follow him as he gave a quick tour of the place. The front room, as he called it, was cozy but not cramped, with a sofa, recliner, and coffee table. They passed through the small dining room to the kitchen and past it, at the very back of the house, was the only bathroom.
    “My room is there,” he said, nodding at the closed door off the kitchen as he pulled open the refrigerator. “Can I get you something to drink? Tea? Bottled water? Jack Daniel’s?”
    He smiled at the last one and for a split second she was halfway tempted to take him up on it. Not because she was a whiskey drinker, but mostly just to see his reaction. “I’m fine, thank you.”
    “Okay, then, here’s the deal,” he said, shutting the fridge. “Glasses are in the cabinet by the sink, drinks are in the fridge. Help yourself to whatever you’d like. The lasagna will be ready in forty minutes. In the meantime, I’m going to hop in the shower.”
    “ You made lasagna?”
    Lucky shook his head. “Can’t take the credit for that. Every once in a while I come home and find that my dad’s girlfriend has stuffed all kinds of food in my freezer. Not that I’m complaining.” He smiled then. “Anyway, make yourself at home.”
    As he headed for the bathroom, she wandered back through the small dining room, stopping briefly to look at the collection of school photos hanging on the wall. On the round oak table that seated four sat a laptop along with a stack of books. Organic Chemistry. Microbiology. Modern Humanities. Psychology.
    Rachel picked up the one on top and flipped through the pages until it sent a shudder down her spine. She couldn’t imagine going back to school at her age. No way. The year before she’d looked into an online master’s program that would certify her as a nurse practitioner but decided against it. For one, the small salary increase wasn’t enough to justify the expense. Secondly, Curtis thought any kind of higher education was stupid. Which said a lot about him.
    And even more about her for dating him as long as she did.
    In the living room, her cell phone chirped in her purse. Text message. If she had to guess, she’d say it was Curtis texting because he just received her note about picking up an extra shift. Which meant she wouldn’t be there to wait on him hand and foot and he would have to figure out dinner on his own. Again.
    A door opened and she turned just in time to see Lucky go from the bathroom to his bedroom. His hair was wet and water droplets still clung to his chest. With one hand, he held the ends of the towel together at his hip. His eyes met hers and the corner of his mouth lifted in a polite smile before he disappeared into his bedroom.
    It was no big deal that he strode through his own home in a state of undress. They were both medical professionals.
    Theoretically, Lucky James didn’t have anything she hadn’t seen before. And even if she hadn’t, she’d seen quite a bit of him just the week before. But she must not have gotten a good look the first time because holy good God he was beautiful. A word she couldn’t ever remember using to describe