print job.”
“Probably, unless you can get the little men in the printer to do it.”
“Brownies.”
“What?”
She laughed. “Not the baked goods, the little mischievous mystical creatures.”
“They live in my printer?”
“Maybe.” She started away, but stopped and turned to him. “Thanks.”
“Have dinner with me tonight.”
She eyed him through her lashes before she said, “You’re on.” And then she turned and disappeared into her office.
He took her to a greasy spoon where they ate pancakes and meat loaf. It was the most ridiculous dinner she had ever had and the most enjoyable.
When they were on the curb outside the diner, Darcy turned to Lucien and asked, “Do you do that often—have breakfast and dinner together?”
“Sometimes I can’t decide what I want, so I have both.”
Remembering how food was so limited in the orphanage, she couldn’t really blame him. He must have noticed the change in her, because his voice softened. “Would you take a walk with me?”
Emotion moved up her throat to choke her as she remembered just how many times they’d escaped by going for long walks.
He pushed his hands into the front pockets of his trousers, but held his elbow out to her. She slipped her arm through it before they started along. The night was hot, but the humidity had dropped. It could have been a thousand degrees and she would have absolutely loved it.
“Times Square.” His head turned in her direction and the impact of those eyes made her heart flip over in her chest. “What’s it like living there? It must be madness on New Year’s Eve.”
“The first few, I loved it; now I make sure I’m elsewhere in the city.”
She could tell he wanted to ask something, but seemed to be debating with himself if he should.
“What do you want to know?” she asked.
“How long have you lived there?”
“I moved in right after college.”
She knew what he was thinking, as clearly as if he were speaking the words out loud: What had happened in her life during the years that had separated them? How had she managed college? He didn’t ask, though, and his silence in response hurt. She moved on. “Where do you live?”
“The Upper East Side.”
“I bet it’s beautiful.”
“Maybe you’ll come and see it sometime.”
And in that moment he wasn’t the successful and confident man he had become, but the seventeen-year-old boy wishing to share a piece of his present with a part of his past. She needed him to know she understood that this was a form of affirmation, so she said, “I’ll bring the pudding.”
She couldn’t read what he was thinking, but she knew that he was working very hard to maintain his control. His voice sounded almost strained.
“It’s late; I’ll get you a cab.” But before he did so, he kissed her and she responded out of instinct. His lips moved over hers, molding to her own, and then he licked the seam of her lips before his tongue swept her mouth. He sucked her tongue into his mouth as his arms moved around her to hold her close. Before she wanted him to, he drew away from her, but his fingers lifted to trace the line of her jaw.
A cab appeared as if conjured and Lucien opened the back door for her.
“See you in the morning, Caterpillar.” He closed the door before she could reply. She turned to look back at him standing on the curb watching her, his hands in the front pockets of his trousers and his expression so serious. They were older now, but he was still her Lucien and she was still his Caterpillar. She smiled all the way home.
The following morning Lucien paced in his office. He was fairly certain that he had lost his mind; it was the only explanation for why he’d kissed her when they were still working on being friends. But he liked her—hell, he was able to admit to himself that he loved her. He always had. Being around her again brought it all back, and not just the bad stuff. Even as kids they’d had a connection that so few ever experienced and despite everything it was just as strong.
He wanted to take her out, wanted her on his arm, wanted to claim her. It sounded barbaric, but the need to make her his own was as strong now as it had been in that orphanage.
He heard her arrive and gave her a few minutes to get settled. Once he reached her office he could tell just by looking at