Page 143 of Divine Temptations

“Jesus,” I gasped.

Sean barely looked up, still on the phone. “You good?”

“Yeah,” I managed.

Lucien’s hand lingered for a breath longer than it needed to. His thumb brushed my chest, just once, then dropped away.

“You missed the light,” he murmured, voice low enough to vibrate against my ribs.

I swallowed and pressed the clutch, easing the truck back into gear. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” he said, smiling. “Just didn’t want you to stall out again. You’re a little too… tense on the stick.”

My brain short-circuited. There was no way that wasn’t on purpose.

“Excuse me?”

He grinned wider, eyes glinting like dark honey. “You’ve got to be gentle with it. Ease it where it needs to go. Forcing it never works.”

My pulse pounded in my ears. “I—uh—right.”

He chuckled, the sound smooth and sinful. “Relax, Jimmy. I’m just talking about your truck.”

I wanted to crawl under the dashboard and disappear. Heat climbed up my neck, spreading across my face. My jeans felt too tight, the seam pressing hard against me.

Oh God.

I was hard.

Not just a little. I was aching, every nerve alive and desperate. I shifted in my seat, praying Lucien wouldn’t notice, praying Sean would keep talking, praying for the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

Lucien turned his head slightly, and for one terrifying moment I thought he’d looked down. Instead, his gaze met mine—steady, knowing.

He didn’t say a word.

That made it worse. The light turned green, and I couldn’t move.

“Jimmy,” Lucien murmured, his voice rattling through me. “You’d better go before it turns red again.”

I jolted into motion, nearly grinding the gearshift before catching it. The truck leapt forward. Sean’s voice cut through the thick silence, sharp and practical, saving me from myself.

“Yeah, okay,” he said into the phone. “We’ll handle it.” He ended the call and turned toward Lucien. “That was Jill. Mrs. Lewis had a stroke this morning—she’s at Richmond Memorial, just around the corner from the kitchen.”

Lucien’s expression softened. “Is she going to be alright?”

“Don’t know yet. Jill’s heading to the hospital now.” Sean sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “She said she can’t make it in, obviously, so you’re on your own for lunch duty.”

Lucien groaned under his breath. “That’s forty mouths to feed, minimum.”

“I can help,” I blurted.

Both of them turned toward me.

I cleared my throat, forcing the words out. “I mean, I’m not much of a cook, but I can follow directions. If you need an extra pair of hands.”

Lucien smiled—slow, grateful, and something else that made my stomach twist. “You sure about that?”

“Yeah,” I said, staring straight ahead at the road. “Positive.”