Read Online He Loves Lucy by Susan Donovan - Free Book Online

her underwear had begun to fall around her knees, so in a moment of recklessness in the Filene’s lingerie department, she’d decided to oomph up the style while she bought three sizes down.
    Now Theo knew she wore zebra-striped panties.
    Lucy comforted herself by stealing a peak at Theo while he bent over her bag, noting the perfect man butt in those navy blue shorts, those golden legs etched into bands of long, strong muscle. She decided to use small talk to smooth things over with him.
    “I suppose getting up at four puts a real damper on your busy social schedule.” She pedaled along at a comfortable pace, knowing Gia had to be wrong when she claimed Theo didn’t date much. Look at him! He was -Prom King material! “In my case, it doesn’t matter if I go to bed before your average fifth grader.”
    Theo stood up with her food journal in his hand and an annoyed expression in his eyes. “Uh-huh.” Then he leaned toward her and with lightning speed adjusted the programming on the cycle. Lucy immediately felt her leg muscles burn with the effort.
    “Hey!”
    “Those things you’re feeling now are called hills, Cunningham. They go up, and then they go down. The hard parts won’t last long, so just do it and look happy.”
    Lucy tried not to laugh. Theo’s foul temper made her want to giggle. “You’re in an ugly mood.”
    “You didn’t write down a goal for today. Where’s your damn goal?”
    She continued to huff and pedal. “Right now, Master and Commander, my goal is to get through this appointment without running you over with this bike.”
    “Stationary bike, empty threat.” Theo snapped the journal shut and put his hands on his hips. “Look, I’m sorry if I’m grumpy, but you just have no idea how hard it is to get Buddy out the door in the morning.”
    Lucy had never heard him mention his dog before. “What kind is he?”
    “Who?”
    “Buddy.”
    Theo seemed even more annoyed, if that were possible. Her attempt at chitchat was obviously a flop. She tried again. “Your dog, Theo. What kind of dog is Buddy? That’s all I’m asking.”
    She watched Theo go from annoyance to full-out laughter in a flash. “Buddy is my brother. It’s a nickname for Brian. And there is no dog. We have a goddamn feckless, evil cat.”
    “You have a
cat
?” That just wasn’t right. Men like Theo didn’t have cats. Unless they were gay. Could it be? The no dating? The earring? The perfect hair?
    “He’s my brother’s cat. He’s possessed by Satan and his name is Norton.”
    “You really have a
brother
?” Mercifully, Lucy had reached the top of a hill and was headed down. Her legs tingled with relief and her lungs stopped seizing.
    “Sure do.”
    “I’m sorry, but I just have to ask. Are you gay? You’re single and attractive and you wear an earring and have a cat. This is Miami Beach, right?”
    Theo closed his eyes and slowly shook his head, a look of near pain on his face. Eventually, he opened his eyes. “I like women, Cunningham. Always have. Always will.”
    “I knew that. The cat thing threw me, I guess.”
    “By any chance, are you done interrogating me? If so, I’m going to check my mail. I’ll be back in a few and we’ll stretch out.”
    “Fine.”
    He turned to go, then looked over his shoulder, offering her a mischievous grin. “So is there a zebra-striped bra to match?”
    Lucy’s mouth fell open. She watched Theo jog across the nearly empty cardio studio toward the offices, where he opened what Lucy knew was the door to the trainer lounge and disappeared.
    It had taken more than two months, but she’d just discovered Theo had a temper. Theo had a cat! He used words like
goddamn
. He had a
brother
. And he liked zebra-striped underwear.
    Then she wondered if his brother was as good-looking as Theo was and why in the world he had to worry about getting him ready in the morning. Was he ten years old or something? If so, where were the kid’s parents?
    Suddenly the bike switched