“Miss Ribeiro?”
“Hmm,” she mumbled, wincing as if she really felt the prod of that stick.
“Caia?”
“Huh?” She blinked, and realized her English teacher was asking her a question. She straightened knocking her book to the floor. The class snickered and she tried to hide her blush.
“Thank you for joining us, Miss Ribeiro,” the teacher said sarcastically.
“Sorry,” she mumbled and glanced at Alexa. The girl was gloating at her like she knew what she’d been day-dreaming about. OK, the girl was gorgeous, but could Lucien really be attracted to her? Caia sighed. She needed to stop thinking about her Pack Leader. She didn’t even recognize this whiny person she’d become. She should avoid Lucien at all costs.
Lucien was happily surprised when he heard the chime on the front door of the store sound, and then the familiar, sweet scent of Caia drifted into his workroom. He smiled and wandered out into the store front to see her running her hand along one of the rocking chairs he’d designed.
“Like it?”
She spun around in surprise. “I don’t know how you manage to do that?”
“This.” He tapped his nose. “You need to focus on using it more. You don’t get taken by surprise as much. Although this is a surprise.” He gestured indicating her presence.
He thought he sensed shyness in her smile as she walked around the room, keeping her gaze on his furniture. He watched her furtively, enjoying the way her long hair slid across her shoulders like silk. When his thoughts wandered to wondering what that hair would look like spread across his pillow he gave himself a mental slap.
“You here for a reason?” Lucien prodded, hoping his thoughts weren’t clearly written on his face. Instead he concentrated on trying to keep amusement at her presence out of his voice. It seemed to annoy her when she thought he was laughing at her.
Finally Caia looked up, stopping and sitting in one of the dining room chairs. She halted abruptly and flushed. “Do you mind?” she asked.
“No.” He smiled. “It’s what it’s there for.”
She relaxed and eased back into the chair. “I’m actually here about the car.”
Lucien groaned. She was keeping the damn car. He was about to tell her so when she lifted her hand up to stop him from saying anything.
“I’m keeping the car.”
It was his turn to relax. “OK. Good.”
“But on one condition.”
His eyes narrowed. He was used to giving the orders around here and setting the conditions. Usually, that would be his reply to such a statement, but it caught in the back of his throat. He cleared it. “What condition?”
“That you let me get a job.”
That wasn’t what he expected.
No. He had the luxury of being able to take care of his kinswomen. His mother didn’t have to work, and he hadn’t demanded Irini get a job when she’d come home because she’d been working her ass off all the time she’d been gone. Now, he wasn’t some old-fashioned chauvinist, but the women of his family only worked if they wanted to, but if they didn’t need to, then he didn’t want to make them. Besides, Caia was too young for a job. She should be concentrating on school.
“I don’t think so.”
She smiled that crazy sweet smile that seemed to work its charm on all the men in the pack. Magnus and Ryder crumbled under it.
“I thought you would say that. So, I was thinking that I could work for you here, at the weekends or something.”
“For me?” he asked incredulously.
He watched as her expression turned unsure. “Well... I just thought you know... you don’t have anyone manning the store front, and you can get busy at the weekends...”
Lucien grinned. He was sold. “I think it’s a great idea.”
Caia grinned back at him. “You do?”