The sound of footsteps alerted her to the men’s arrival as she opened her eyes and smiled. Her best friend Lilly Walters helped her through so much in her life. It was only right to watch over Lilly’s sons now that Lilly was gone. They needed a little push, and Mary was ready to help them.
* * * *
“I guess this won’t be so bad. Not with Mrs. Higgins laying out a spread like that for breakfast,” Salvatore told his brother as they began tearing down the walls and starting the project in the upper room. Lucifer wanted to be sure the pipes and plumbing were secure before they worked on the floor below. Salvatore was pulling the planks of wood off the floor and creating a makeshift row of wood to stand on instead of balancing on the lower beams in the floor.
“She was a good friend to mom. She’s always been so caring,” Lucifer replied as they continued throwing all the scrap into a pile. The window was open, making the room a little cold, but they could easily throw all the garbage into the Dumpster they had placed there to catch the debris. The entire room looked like it needed to be gutted.
“Wow, you got a lot accomplished in an hour.”
Salvatore heard the feminine voice and the knock on the door. He turned to see the young woman there. The one from the woods, Lucia.
“Well, eleven weeks isn’t exactly enough time as is, we have to remain on schedule,” Lucifer said as he joined Lucia by the door, rubbing his gloved hands together as dust fell from them.
She didn’t look like the teenager Salvatore thought she looked like in the woods. Instead she looked like a very beautiful woman. He absorbed her beauty as his brother made small talk. Her long brown hair was flowing over her shoulders, and the black sweater she wore accentuated her rather large breasts. Her waist dipped in, making her appear slender, and the pants she wore looked looser than he would expect a young woman to wear. Most women wore tight clothing and things that showed off their assets. Lucia definitely did not.
“Lucia, this is my brother Salvatore. Meet Lucia.” Lucifer introduced them, and as Lucia stepped forward, the lace of her sneaker got caught on one of the split pieces of wood and both Lucifer and Salvatore reached for her.
She gasped as they collided against her and gripped her body. Salvatore’s hands were on her shoulders as he faced her, and Lucifer’s were on her waist.
“Whoa, are you okay?” Lucifer asked as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded her head.
Salvatore stared at her a moment, their gazes locked, and he felt something. It was something he thought was dead inside.
“Sorry. I’m fine.” She pulled away, and both he and Lucifer released her. Salvatore took the moment to really look at her. She was probably about five foot three. He towered over her, could probably crush her if he held her in his arms. That thought instantly brought on a surge of feelings he didn’t want to analyze. He felt possessive, protective as he remembered her walking alone in the woods, and he felt an attraction.
“Well, I’ll let you finish the demo, and when it’s done we can go over the ideas I drew up last night. Is that okay with the two of you?” she asked, stepping from where they stood close by, appearing a bit freaked out. She headed toward the doorway now, and they both watched her. He checked out her ass. The difference in their sizes was so drastic, his one palm splayed out could probably cover her ass completely. His dick reacted, and he quickly bent down to pick up some wood that they were tossing.
“Sounds good. Most of this stuff will be carted out of
here today. Do you know if Mrs. Higgins has a budget for this job and for the room downstairs? I don’t want to go overboard, and since you are new at this designing thing, it could get costly,” Lucifer told her.
“Who said I was new at this?” she replied, appearing insulted, and Salvatore could tell that she was upset and now Lucifer probably felt guilty as he stepped toward her.
“I didn’t mean to put your capabilities down. It’s just that designing a new construction takes experience and a knowledge of what materials and things cost.”
“Don’t worry, Lucifer. I’ll try not to make this hard for you.” She turned around and walked away.
Salvatore could hear the attitude in her voice.
“I guess I said the wrong thing.” Lucifer turned to him in support.
“I guess so. She’ll get over it. You have eleven weeks to get through. I’m sure this won’t be the last time you insult her.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Lucifer snapped.
“I don’t know. Maybe you lost your touch,” Salvatore said very seriously.
Lucifer exhaled then went back to work. They remained silent the entire time, and that was just fine with Salvatore. He had enough on his mind. Like how the hell a woman as young, petite, and shy as Lucia had such an instant effect on him.
* * * *
Lucia felt embarrassed. Number one, she nearly fell when she walked into the room as she tried to act knowledgeable and appear impressed with Lucifer and his brother Salvatore’s progress. She hadn’t expected Salvatore’s size, nor the appealing, large muscles of both men the moment she went into the room. Where Lucifer’s dark-brown eyes had a softer look to them, Salvatore’s appeared almost black and filled with darkness and anger.
It instantly made her shake. Her fear of men in general was difficult enough to handle, but throw in these men’s sizes and demeanors, and she was scared out of her mind. Then she tripped, and both men came to her aid. The feel of strong male hands on her and the deep, dark expression on Salvatore’s face had her retreating to safety immediately. Lucia was intimidated by their size, and she felt like such a shrimp. It made her put the walls up and become defensive. She wouldn’t head back up there until after lunch.
As she went over some things with Mrs. Higgins about the other part of her job, she realized that the woman was quite energetic and resourceful. She was impressed with her negotiating skills as she spoke with her designers and about adding a new handmade jewelry line to the catalogue.
“So, this jewelry is made by some of the women who live in the shelter?” Lucia asked her.