Chapter 5
FIVE
I looked up and stared at the stars, listening to the soft sound of country music wafting through my house, and then I finished my beer in silence. I didn’t cry; I was done crying over what had happened. I didn’t think I’d fully moved on, and I probably never would, but I didn’t really cry anymore.
When I heard the sliding glass door open, I knew it would more than likely be JoJo coming to check on me, but I wished she wouldn’t. Sometimes, I just needed to be alone. Okay, most of the time I liked to be alone, but she’d never let that stop her.
“Thinking of all the men you’ve left at restaurants?”
My heart paused in my chest when the voice that should have been JoJo’s wasn’t.
“Get any more concussions lately?” I sat up a little straighter in my chair, still facing the opposite direction of the door. I scoffed dramatically. “Oh, wait. I don’t really care.”
“Ouch.”
I could tell Luke was getting closer to me since his voice was louder than before. I kept my eyes focused on my wooden railing when he came around and plopped down on the other Adirondack chair.
We sat in silence for a long time. Long enough for me to stop feeling sorry for myself about Alex, and my dad with his new family, and my mom off in Italy or who knew where.
“So, that’s why you don’t date Marines?” Luke asked, turning his head in my direction.
I looked to my right and scanned his face. How does this guy, who I’d only had a few encounters with, already know my little secret? It took him, what, maybe twenty minutes to put it all together?
“Who told you I don’t date Marines?”
“I know things, Doc.”
I laughed and turned away.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” he asked again, raising his eyebrow. His eyes looked so different out here. Maybe it was the darkness of the night or the fact that we were having a conversation that wasn’t entirely awful, but they looked strangely comforting.
“Why do you care?” I asked sharply. I cringed immediately when the words left my mouth. “Wait, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to come out bitchy.” Did I just apologize?
“I don’t care. I was just wondering.”
And here we went again, back to our normal encounters.
“Well, thanks for not caring,” I retaliated.
“It just makes sense, that’s all.” My forehead wrinkled. “Just why you don’t date Marines. You were obviously hurt by one. ”
Probably not in the way he was thinking, so I sighed. “It was my brother.”
He nodded his head and looked up at the stars.
It gave me a good angle to stare at. His jaw was so straight and defined, just like his nose.
He barely had any scruff on his face, like he had shaved right before he came over.
I watched as his chest rose and fell so softly, as if he were relaxed out here with me and no one else.
We didn’t say anything else for a few minutes. We both just sat there in silence, evening out our breathing and staring at the twinkling lights above our heads.
When he stood quickly, I jumped in my chair. I glanced up at him towering over me and stared right into those green, sea-glass eyes.
“Saying sorry doesn’t really make it any better.” He was right. It didn’t.
He was still staring down at me when his voice hesitated. “But I am sorry that it happened to you.”
I kept my face cool, calm, and collected, but on the inside, I was burning up with nerves.
The moment was tense and full of emotion that neither one of us wanted to show.
He swallowed and licked his lips, looking down at mine and then back up to my eyes.
For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me.
That was how intense and electric the air was around us. But then he gestured toward the door.
“I have a redhead in there calling my name for the night, so I’ll leave you be with your ‘no Marines’ rule.”
Then, he walked away and shut the door behind him, leaving me feeling utterly jumbled and angry. He acted like the moment we’d just shared wasn’t completely out of the ordinary, and like it was entirely inconsequential. I’d thought he was going to kiss me, and holy shit…I was going to let him.
The next couple of weeks were increasingly annoying but also interesting, especially when I would run into Luke.
The first run-in with him was shortly after our encounter on my deck.
It was mid-morning, and he was outside, washing his Camaro.
He was blaring music from its speakers, and I was trying to sleep.
I knew most people didn’t sleep during the day, but I did.
I had to or else I wouldn’t have been able to function at work.
Finally, after hearing enough of the song “Feel Like Makin’ Love” by Bad Company, I shot up out of bed and stomped all the way to my front door.
I swung it open and stormed out onto my porch, glaring in the direction of Luke.
He didn’t have a shirt on, and his muscles worked swiftly with each movement of the big, yellow sponge.
“Turn your music down!” I yelled, crossing my arms over my tank top.
Luke swiveled around, mid-scrub, and stared at me. His mouth formed into a thin line at the same time that he raised one eyebrow. I gulped as my eyes trailed down his toned stomach, and then I shook my head angrily at my lack of discipline.
“Seriously, turn that shit down!” I yelled again.
This time, Luke smiled. My heart flip-flopped at the sight of it.
He slowly turned around and walked over to his car, opening the driver’s side door.
I thought, Thank God, he’s turning it down .
But then, his long body leaned inside and he turned his head toward me.
He was barely visible from the soapy water on the windshield, but I could still see the devil-like grin form on his face.
Instead of turning the music down, he blared it even louder.
Naturally, this made me even more angry.
I stomped my way down the steps, bare feet scraping against the cool sidewalk, and stalked over to him.
He slipped out of his car in a leisurely fashion and grinned.
The second he took a step to the left, I jolted around his body and dove head-first into the driver’s side, slamming my fingers on the buttons to silence the ear-splitting music.
Luke snickered at me, but I was totally high off beating him at his stupid little game.
Unfortunately, that high ended abruptly, because as soon as I exited his car, a blast of cold water struck me head-on.
The water was freezing on my barely clothed skin.
I let out an awful scream, and Luke laughed his ass off.
I stood there, frozen in my spot. I couldn’t believe he’d just sprayed me with water. I could not believe it . My eyes glanced over to the blue bucket filled with soapy water, and I felt myself inching closer to it, but as soon as I stepped over to grab it, Luke slid in front of me.
“Nice try.”
I scowled, which was followed by a shiver. I was freezing. The only thing I had on was a skimpy tank top and a pair of shorts. After all, I had been sleeping.
I still felt like I’d won our battle, though, because as soon as I shivered, I saw Luke’s gaze trail down my body.
His eyes paused when they reached my chest. My nipples were as hard as stone, and they were definitely protruding through my wet tank top.
I watched him gulp, and when his eyes reached mine again, they were undeniably heated.
I smirked at him, and he knew he was caught. It was written all over his face.
Since that moment, I’d felt like I had the upper hand on him—until the following week.
Usually, after working all night, I’d go for a light run through town before everyone woke up and things got hectic.
But guess who also liked to run in the morning before heading into work?
That’s right, Luke, who I couldn’t help but notice seemed to have an issue with commitment, as I had seen more than a handful of girls at his house since he’d moved in. There were never repeats, either.
That morning, I threw on my black running leggings paired with my neon-pink shoes and walked outside.
I pulled my hair up into a less-than-attractive ponytail on the crown of my head, placed my headphones in my ears, and took off running down the street.
I’d always kept my volume down just enough so that I could hear if someone came up behind me (I obviously watched way too many crime shows).
That was when I heard them: pounding footsteps behind me.
I increased my speed, heart thumping even louder than before, palms sweaty, and ears on alert.
My tennis shoes slapped against the pavement, and the nice morning air wrapped around my body like a blanket.
But it didn’t matter, because I was literally shivering on the inside.
I knew I should have gotten a dog, but that would have only reminded me of Alex, because we were going to go to the dog shelter when he got home from Afghanistan. I was still waiting on that to happen.
The eerie feeling of someone following closely behind me continued until I reached the front steps of the gray-stoned courthouse. I knew if I stopped there, the psycho wouldn’t attack me. There were cameras all around the building; no one could be that stupid…right?
At the last second, I jerked my body to a standstill, and he tumbled into me, causing us both to fall to the ground.
I knew it was a he because any woman would know not to secretly run behind another woman for a long period of time, because it would be creepy, and weird, and…
stalker-ish. As soon as I pushed the dense body away from mine, grating my hands on the concrete, I stood up and pulled my leg back to kick him right in the stomach.
Before I could, though, he grabbed my foot with a strong hand, and I screamed bloody murder.