forgot.”
She regarded him with dark mistrust. Smart girl.
“I have your panties with me. Would you like them back?”
She choked on the chip she’d just popped into her kissable mouth.
“You were in such a hurry to get dressed, you must’ve forgotten all about them.”
Her damnable mouth moved with little pinches and odd twitches while she struggled to find and form words. Insults she wished to hurl at him, most likely.
Except she didn’t.
In a flash of movement, she bounded from the booth and made to move around him. He shifted his weight and blocked her. Startled Tootsie Pop-brown eyes flew to his face.
He braced for her retribution. Would it be a cool dressing-down or a fiery tongue-lashing? He hoped the latter.
Instead, her expression crumpled and she shoved her way past him.
Disappointment sliced through him. He turned in the direction she fled.
“Hey.”
Luke looked down at Noah’s hand clamped on his arm.
“Are you two going to be able to play nice?” Worry shimmered in Noah’s dark eyes.
“No worries, brother.” A cruel smile twisted Luke’s lips. “I always play nice.”
Chapter Six
E mily banged through the back door and burst into the parking lot. A wall of humidity smacked into her. Clouds had rolled in with the night and a light, warm mist kissed her skin.
Footsteps sounded behind her.
She knew he’d followed her even before she whirled on him. “Wh-why did y-y-you do that?”
“Tell me why you don’t like me.”
“I didn’t start this, y-y-y-you did. Y-you’ve hated m-me from the b-beginning.”
His hard expression splintered. “That’s not true.”
“It is.” She loathed the ring of anguish in her voice. “Why are y-you so against m-m-m-me?”
His hand came up and she shrunk back.
He went still. His green eyes locked on to hers, and with a slow, deliberate motion, he showed her his palms.
She sucked large gulps of air into her lungs while her fingers grappled for the pendant around her neck. He made a soft, soothing sound and slipped closer. His hand slid beneath the curtain of her hair and kneaded her nape.
Rain began to fall in a steady patter. Soon, her muscles eased under his warm touch.
“I am not against you.” He spoke softly next to her ear.
“Y-you pulled me over three times in four days.”
A lock of his dark hair, now wet with rain, fell across his forehead. “I was curious about you. So I made up reasons to pull you over and talk to you.”
Shock siphoned the stinging frustration from her. The intensity in his eyes pulled her in, sweeping her out to sea.
Many long moments passed before she was able to unscramble any words. “W-will you stop?”
“Yes. I promise.” He untangled his hand from under her hair. “Is that it? Is that why you don’t like me?”
At the hitch of vulnerability in his voice, her heart constricted. She shook her head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.”
She startled at the snap in his tone.
“Please.” He took a measured step back. “I want to know.”
Her gaze fell to his throat. “Sometimes… you m-m-make me feel…”
“What? What do I make you feel?”
Her hand flitted over her collarbone. “Sometimes y-you make me feel s-s-stupid.”
She barely registered the slash of devastation that ripped across his face before he was on top of her, pressing her back to the brick wall.
“My God, Emily. How could you think that?”
“Y-you’re always laughing at m-m-me.”
A curse slipped from his lips and his shoes scraped across the gravel parking lot when he pushed away from her.
He shoved both hands through his wet hair so that it stood on end. “It’s just… teasing.”
She’d never seen him so serious. So distressed. A bone-deep weariness clung to the area around his eyes, and the feeling struck her that she was seeing him for the first time. The real Luke.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “Please believe me when I say I’ve thought a lot of things about
She regarded him with dark mistrust. Smart girl.
“I have your panties with me. Would you like them back?”
She choked on the chip she’d just popped into her kissable mouth.
“You were in such a hurry to get dressed, you must’ve forgotten all about them.”
Her damnable mouth moved with little pinches and odd twitches while she struggled to find and form words. Insults she wished to hurl at him, most likely.
Except she didn’t.
In a flash of movement, she bounded from the booth and made to move around him. He shifted his weight and blocked her. Startled Tootsie Pop-brown eyes flew to his face.
He braced for her retribution. Would it be a cool dressing-down or a fiery tongue-lashing? He hoped the latter.
Instead, her expression crumpled and she shoved her way past him.
Disappointment sliced through him. He turned in the direction she fled.
“Hey.”
Luke looked down at Noah’s hand clamped on his arm.
“Are you two going to be able to play nice?” Worry shimmered in Noah’s dark eyes.
“No worries, brother.” A cruel smile twisted Luke’s lips. “I always play nice.”
Chapter Six
E mily banged through the back door and burst into the parking lot. A wall of humidity smacked into her. Clouds had rolled in with the night and a light, warm mist kissed her skin.
Footsteps sounded behind her.
She knew he’d followed her even before she whirled on him. “Wh-why did y-y-you do that?”
“Tell me why you don’t like me.”
“I didn’t start this, y-y-y-you did. Y-you’ve hated m-me from the b-beginning.”
His hard expression splintered. “That’s not true.”
“It is.” She loathed the ring of anguish in her voice. “Why are y-you so against m-m-m-me?”
His hand came up and she shrunk back.
He went still. His green eyes locked on to hers, and with a slow, deliberate motion, he showed her his palms.
She sucked large gulps of air into her lungs while her fingers grappled for the pendant around her neck. He made a soft, soothing sound and slipped closer. His hand slid beneath the curtain of her hair and kneaded her nape.
Rain began to fall in a steady patter. Soon, her muscles eased under his warm touch.
“I am not against you.” He spoke softly next to her ear.
“Y-you pulled me over three times in four days.”
A lock of his dark hair, now wet with rain, fell across his forehead. “I was curious about you. So I made up reasons to pull you over and talk to you.”
Shock siphoned the stinging frustration from her. The intensity in his eyes pulled her in, sweeping her out to sea.
Many long moments passed before she was able to unscramble any words. “W-will you stop?”
“Yes. I promise.” He untangled his hand from under her hair. “Is that it? Is that why you don’t like me?”
At the hitch of vulnerability in his voice, her heart constricted. She shook her head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.”
She startled at the snap in his tone.
“Please.” He took a measured step back. “I want to know.”
Her gaze fell to his throat. “Sometimes… you m-m-make me feel…”
“What? What do I make you feel?”
Her hand flitted over her collarbone. “Sometimes y-you make me feel s-s-stupid.”
She barely registered the slash of devastation that ripped across his face before he was on top of her, pressing her back to the brick wall.
“My God, Emily. How could you think that?”
“Y-you’re always laughing at m-m-me.”
A curse slipped from his lips and his shoes scraped across the gravel parking lot when he pushed away from her.
He shoved both hands through his wet hair so that it stood on end. “It’s just… teasing.”
She’d never seen him so serious. So distressed. A bone-deep weariness clung to the area around his eyes, and the feeling struck her that she was seeing him for the first time. The real Luke.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “Please believe me when I say I’ve thought a lot of things about
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