Chapter 7
Genevieve
“Are you falling for the hot golfer and his adorable pup?” Heat creeps up my cheeks at Kit’s teasing. “The sparks flying in that photo had me fanning myself. Beau even asked me why I was sweating.”
“Beau said no such thing,” I snort. “You’re being ridiculous. We were just smiling.”
“Just. Smiling?” Her incredulous tone screeches through the car speaker. “Genevieve, don’t you dare lie to me. There was no just smiling going on.”
“I’m not,” I squeak, trying to convince both of us. I studied the picture of Luke and me, and when I say study, I mean I looked over every nuance of each of our faces. The person in the photo was the man I fell in love with.
The man I’m in danger of falling for again. That photo clearly showed two people into each other.
Great! My pulse, which I worked so hard to calm down before today's session, is off and running again.
This is bad. The more time I spend with him, the harder it gets to keep my walls up; I catch myself staring at him…often. ‘Golf’s Grim Reaper’ captures his public face. But when he lets his guarded heart thaw, no one can hold out against him.
I know because that’s what happened the last time I fell for Luke Nichols.
“Gen, can I ask you a question?”
Luke’s gruff voice washes over me, leaving me feeling warm and happy. “I don’t know, can you?”
I don’t look up to see his expression, but I can almost feel the smirk line his lips, and I press my lips together to keep from smiling back.
I love making my roommate’s grumpy brother smile.
“Would you consider going out with me?”
My stomach is suddenly taken over by a kaleidoscope of butterflies flying in all different directions. I look up, brows furrowed. Did I imagine that?
When my surprised gaze meets Luke’s warm brown one, it confirms that I heard him right.
Speechless, all I can do is stare.
“Gen?” My heart slams against my ribcage at the nickname my family and friends call me. “I’m sorry, I guess I misread—”
“You didn’t misread anything.” I cut him off, and my cheeks heat at my forwardness. But then he beams at me. The smile I’ve spent weeks trying to earn.
The one I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with.
“Great,” his brown eyes sparkle, and my tongue flicks my dry lip, drawing Luke’s gaze. “Are you busy tomorrow?”
I shake my head and bite the inside of my lip. I realized that the feelings I felt then are hovering under the surface.
That’s not true. According to that photo, they’re on full display.
Ugh! Why did I tell him we’d meet up every day?
“That was stupid,” I grumble.
“You lying to me was stupid?” Kit hops on words that were never supposed to slip out. “You’re right. It was.”
Running my hand through my hair, I groan. I could never lie to my sister; I don’t know why I thought I would get away with it now.
“So tell me about the hottie that has my usually put-together sister all flustered.”
“What’s Beau going to think about you calling Luke Nichols a hottie?”
“Pffft! Who do you think I got it from?”
“Ha,” I huff out a laugh. Kit thought Luke was hot before she realized we’re distantly connected through Beau’s family. “I’m just helping him train his dog.”
Silence descends upon my car like a thirty-pound weight, and I force myself to take a deep breath. Kit has always used the silent treatment whenever she didn’t believe something I told her.
I refuse to let it work. There isn’t anything to say. Luke and I are strictly professional. That’s all I’m going to let it be.
How many times are you going to tell yourself that?
The voice that I’ve been working to ignore asks for the hundredth time.
Sweat beads on my forehead, and I lift a hand to wipe it away. It’s like Kit has some superpower that lets her force people to talk.
Just like I’m going to.
I blow out a heavy sigh. “Do you remember when I mentioned I was seeing my roommate’s brother in college?”
“Vaguely,” Kit says smugly.
Sometimes I really hate my sister.
“That guy was Luke.”
“WHHAAT?” She screams so loud that the car stopped at the red light next to me turns to see what’s going on. “The guy who broke your heart was Luke?”
He pushes my hair behind my ear just as he leans in and gently brushes his lips against mine, sending shivers down to my toes.
Will I ever get tired of kissing him?
Definitely not possible.
“I hate that I’m leaving today,” he says hoarsely. “I hate that I won’t get to see you every day.”
Running my hand up his chest, I whisper. “That’s why video calls come in handy.”
A half smile lines his lips, and a pang tugs at my heart, surprising me. Luke’s acting as if he’s never going to see me again.
“Luke? Is everything okay?”
He slowly shakes his head and huffs out a breath before lifting his gaze to mine. The emotion I see there nearly floors me. His hand cups my cheek. “Yeah. I just…”
“Luke!” His father shouts, and I feel him stiffen. A frown pulls at my mouth as my gaze pins his.
“One second, Dad,” Luke says defeatedly, his eyes looking away.
Nothing about this makes sense. Luke’s joining the PGA tour. Him being one of the youngest to ever play is a massive accomplishment, yet he’s standing in front of me like he’s heading over a cliff.
“Hey,” I whisper, tugging his face so that I can meet his eyes. “This is an exciting time for you. You should be happy.”
“I am.”
“Are you sure about that, Nichols? Cause I don’t see anything about this face of yours that looks happy.”
His brown eyes sparkle and the grin I die for spreads across his mouth. I can feel my smile matching his.
He slides an arm around my waist and a hand in my hair, drawing me close. Gently, I slide my hands up his arms and let my fingers wrap in the hair, brushing his neck. When his lips crash into mine, the breath is sucked from every part of my body, and a shiver runs through me that makes no sense.
Because it feels like he’s kissing me for the last time.
“LUKE!” His father shouts.
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs against my lips and I shake my head.
“It’s okay, you have to go.”
“You’ll pick up when I call, right?”
My forehead furrows. “Of course.” I lean in and give him a quick kiss. “I’ll always pick up when you call.”
He nods before he turns and walks away.
“That guy was Luke.” My ribcage feels like a sledgehammer just crashed into it, and I’m struggling to breathe.
“Ahhhh. Now your clamming up whenever his name came up makes perfect sense.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And the permanent scowl when he was on the TV.”
“I told you I hated golf,” I grumble.
“Not golf. Just Luke.”
I blow out a breath and pull into the park where I’m meeting up with Luke and Bogey for our session. Killing the engine, I drop my head on the steering wheel and take deep breaths, trying to relieve the pressure in my chest.
“Bogey is a husky, right?” Kit asks.
“Didn’t you see the pictures?”
“Yes. I saw the photo, but I wasn’t looking at the dog.”
My eyes roll at my sister’s ability to miss important facts when it comes to anything other than her work. “He’s a husky.”
“I think that Luke may have come to one of the rescue forums I drop in on.”
My brows shoot past my hairline, surprised that Luke would go for help. “Really?”
“Yup.” I hear the grin in her voice and can almost see the gleam in her eyes. “He mentioned getting the dog to help his image…”
“That’s what he told me—”
“And to get his ex back.” She cuts me off.
“Wait. What?” My jaw hangs open like a fish out of water while I listen to Kit tell me all about the forum and exactly what Luke said.
I am in so much trouble.