God help him, the soft mewl of pleasure that curled up from her throat hardened his cock to painful degrees.
He skimmed his palm down her torso, to the matching scrap of glossy fabric that covered her sex. His hands were too large, too careless with the flimsy satin, but he somehow managed to peel the panties off and slide them down Gabrielle's long legs.
Blood surged through him like molten lava at the sight of her, nude before him once more.
Maybe he should feel guilty for finding her so incredibly desirable even in her current vulnerable state, but he wasn't much better at bowing to shame than he was at playing the nurturer. And he'd already proven to himself that trying to muster any kind of control around this particular female was a battle he might never win.
Next to the tub sat a bottle of liquid bubble bath. Lucan poured a generous dollop under the stream of running water. As the lather built, he carefully eased Gabrielle down into the warm bath. She moaned with clear appreciation as she sank into the foaming water, her limbs going visibly slack, her shoulders drooping against the towel Lucan quickly supplied as a cushion to keep her back from resting against cold tile and porcelain.
The small bathroom was filled with steam and Gabrielle's own faintly jasmine scent.
"Comfortable?" he asked her, as he shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it over the pedestal sink.
"Mmm," she moaned.
He couldn't resist putting his hands on her. With a gentle caress of her shoulder, he said, "Slide farther down and wet your hair. I'll wash it for you."
She obeyed, letting him guide her head under the water, then back up, her long ginger tresses darkened to a sleek auburn. She was silent for a long moment, then she slowly lifted her eyelids, smiling at him as if she had just come back to consciousness and was surprised to find him there. "Hi."
"Hi."
"What time is it?" she asked around a stretch and a stifled yawn.
Lucan shrugged. "Around eight, I guess."
Gabrielle sank back against the tub, closing her eyes with a moan.
"Bad day?"
"Not one of my best."
"So I gathered. Your hands and knees are a little worse for wear." Lucan reached over and turned off the water. He grabbed a tube of shampoo from nearby and squeezed some into his hands. "Wanna tell me what happened?"
"I'd rather not." A crease formed between her slim brows. "I did something stupid this afternoon. You'll hear all about it soon enough, I'm sure."
"How so?" Lucan asked, working up the lather in his palms.
As he massaged the thick foam into her scalp, Gabrielle opened one eye and slid him a sideways glance. "The kid from the station didn't say anything to anyone?"
"What kid?"
"The one who clerks down at the precinct house. Tall, lanky, kind of average-looking? I don't know his name, but I'm pretty certain he was there the night I gave my statement about the murder. Today I saw him in the Common. I thought he was watching me, actually, and I..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "I ran after him like a crazy person, accusing him of spying on me."
Lucan's hands stilled in her hair, his warrior's instincts coming to full attention. "You what?"
"I know," she said, obviously misinterpreting his reaction. She dispersed a mound of bubbles with a sweep of her hand. "I told you it was stupid. Anyway, I chased the poor kid all the way into Chinatown."
Although he didn't say as much, Lucan knew that Gabrielle's initial instincts had been spot-on about the stranger watching her in the park. Since the incident had occurred in broad daylight, it couldn't have been the Rogues - a small blessing - but the humans who served them could be equally dangerous. The Rogues employed Minions in all corners of the world, humans enslaved by a draining bite of a powerful vampire that rid them of their conscience and free will, leaving only unquestioning obedience in its wake.
Lucan had no doubt whatsoever that the man who had been observing Gabrielle was doing so in service to a Rogue who commanded him.
"Did this person hurt you? Is that how you got those injuries?"
"No, no. That was my own doing. I got myself all freaked out over nothing. After losing track of the kid in Chinatown, I just lost it. I thought a car was coming after me, but it wasn't."
"How can you be sure?"
She gave him a sheepish look. "Because it was the mayor, Lucan. I thought his chauffeured car was coming after me and I started running. To top off a perfectly awful day, I fell flat on my face in the middle of a crowded sidewalk and then had to limp home with bloodied hands and knees."