A Is for Apple by Kate Johnson Page B

what ?”
    “He saw your picture and—”
    “You have a picture of me?”
    I tried to gauge his voice. He didn’t seem too mad. In fact, he seemed very amused.
    “A small one,” I said huffily.
    “In your wallet?”
    “No, in a locket next to my heart.”
    I looked up, and Luke was grinning.
    “That is kind of adorable,” he said, and I scowled again.
    “Harvey has a twin brother and he’s gay ,” Luke said after a while, his voice rich with amusement. “That is excellent. Did you know about this?”
    “Not before last night.”
    “What happened last night?”
    “I met Xander and figured out he was gay.”
    A bit more silence. It was nice lying there in Luke’s arms, my head on his shoulder, almost like we’d never fought. Like the storm had passed.
    “Do you think I really broke his nose?” Luke asked, and was it my imagination, or did I detect a hint of concern in there?
    “If you did, Harvey will probably shoot you,” I said mildly.
    “Where did he go last night?”
    “I don’t know. Probably to hang himself off the Brooklyn Bridge.”
    “Ha ha.”
    “Yeah, you’ll be laughing when you’re named in court.”
    Luke flipped me over onto my back. “So,” he said speculatively, and I’m afraid I couldn’t keep from licking my lips. I watched his muscles flex appreciatively.
    “So?”
    “So…that’s your best friend, her boyfriend, and his gay brother. Quite a collection.”
    God, when you put it like that… Okay, but I only kissed Angel because I was passing on a message from Harvey. And I only kissed Harvey because I was really drunk and he hadn’t even met Angel and I wasn’t with Luke then. And I only kissed Xander because—well, you know that bit.
    “That’s only four people in five months,” I said, “if you count you as well. And you don’t count Tammy—God, Tammy!”
    “Angel’s feeding her,” Luke reassured me. “Still, four people in the space of time I’ve known you…two others since we got together… I think I have a right to ask…”
    I braced myself.
    “Who’s the best?”
    “You’re such a—” I began, but my disgust very quickly evaporated when Luke dropped his head and kissed me.
    Mmm, that kiss. I told you how the world sort of goes away when he kisses me. And there’s only me and Luke left, a universe inside that kiss which I’ve missed so much …
    “Well,” I said breathlessly when he let me go and gave me a quizzical look, “I may need to reconsider. Maybe another example…?”
    Luke rolled his eyes but he didn’t protest. In fact he was showing me all the extras that came with the kissing, throwing my bra on the floor and doing very interesting things in the region of my knickers, when there came a desperate hammering on the door.
    “Whoever it is, they can fuck off,” Luke growled, and I agreed. It was probably only the maid anyway.
    “Can you come back later?” I gasped. “Or maybe not at all…”
    But then a voice was added to the hammering, and my heart sank.
    “Sophie! I’m really sorry but this is really important.”
    Xander.
    “Please go the fuck away,” Luke snapped.
    “I wouldn’t disturb you, only it’s really, absolutely vital. Harvey said I should get you…”
    I looked at Luke. He shook his head at me, but then my phone started to ring, and we both groaned.
    “I’ll get that, you get the door?” I said hopelessly, and Luke, scowling, rolled off me and pulled the top blanket around him as he went over to the door.
    I picked up my phone just as it went to voice mail. Excellent.
    Xander tumbled into the room, looked from Luke to me, then back at Luke again, appreciatively, and said, “God, I am so sorry…”
    “This had better be bloody good,” Luke said, glaring at him, and the effect might have been more menacing if he’d been wearing more than a green fuzzy blanket.
    “It’s really good. Well, really bad,” Xander amended, touching his nose, which was nicely swollen and a pretty shade of purple. “I