Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The savory smell wafting on the air hit her the second she stepped inside. She closed the door and flipped the lock before slipping out of her shoes. On silent feet, she padded down the hallway toward the kitchen.
Luke stood at the stove, his back to her, and the sight sent a little jolt through her. What kind of man would take care of her the way he had, come into her house and make dinner like it was something they’d done for years instead of days if he was planning to leave her?
Luke turned and caught her gaze, a warm smile spreading over his face. “Hey, beautiful. Did you have a good time?”
Before she even realized she’d moved, she was across the kitchen and in his arms.
“Whoa, sweetheart. Is everything okay?”
She kissed his throat. “I need you.”
He pulled back and stared at her for a moment before nodding once.
Reaching behind him, he flipped off the burner and turned off the oven, then scooped her into his arms. He paused only briefly to check the lock on the front door, then carried her upstairs.
He lowered her to her feet beside the bed and settled his hands low on her hips. “You sure?”
A smile tipped up the corners of her mouth as she placed a hand in the middle of his chest and pushed him backward onto the bed.
He allowed himself to fall but pulled her with him, drawing her up the length of his body.
His mouth found hers and she gave in to the passion between them, letting it sweep her far away from reality.
Her stomach rumbled and she let out a rueful laugh. “Sorry I messed up your dinner plans.”
His arms tightened around her waist, and his chin brushed her temple as he shook his head. “I’ll take this over dinner any day.”
“I’ll bet you would.” She laughed and pushed to a sitting position. “But I’ve kind of worked up an appetite now.”
She slid from the bed and tugged on her robe, tying the sash tightly around her waist. Her gaze darted to Luke who lay reclined on the bed, hands tucked behind his head, a tiny smile on his face as he stared at her.
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” His expression was the epitome of innocence, and she rolled her eyes.
“That. You examine me like some specimen under a microscope.”
He lifted one shoulder. “I like looking at you.” He rolled off the bed and moved to stand in front of her. “C’mon, babe. Let’s get you fed.”
He tugged on his clothes and followed her downstairs to the kitchen. “Not sure how this is going to taste now,” he warned. “I hope it won’t be too bad reheated.”
She glanced toward the table and saw the jar candle flickering softly, surrounded by her good China. A single rose lay on her plate. “Looks like you had this all planned out. Sorry I ruined it.”
“Hey.” He closed the oven and pulled her into his arms. “No apologies. I just wanted to do something nice for you. You deserve it.”
She melted into him as he kissed her long and slow. After that day’s argument with Andrew, she needed the physical reassurance from Luke. There was no way he could be as bad as Andrew said.
Luke released her with a wink. “I have to admit, though, I did have an ulterior motive.”
“Oh? What’s that?” A shiver of apprehension moved down her spine, and she crossed her arms over her middle.
“How would you feel about meeting my parents? I was thinking maybe we could go up there one weekend soon and you could meet them and my sisters.”
He threw a grin over his shoulder, and she forced a smile. “That sounds… nice. But isn’t it a bit soon?”
Hearing her hesitation, he turned and rested one hip against the counter. He studied her for a moment before speaking, his face unreadable. “It was just a thought.”
She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about this turn of events. “I can see what I have going on.”
He relaxed a fraction and smiled. “I know things have been a little hectic. Once this is all over, we can focus on you and me.”
She nodded, not entirely convinced. This was the last week that he was scheduled to work security at the health center. What would happen when this was over?
“What do you think of the country?”
She blinked at him. “It’s fine. Why?”
He studied her. “I think I’d ultimately like to find a home with a little bit of space, a big yard for kids to run around.”
“Okay…”
Luke smiled at her obvious confusion. “It’s just something I’ve been thinking about, especially after someone broke in here. What if we moved in together?”
That was the last thing she expected. She probably should be glad he planned to stick around, since she’d been wondering just moments before what would happen between them after his contract at the health center was up. But this? It was all a little too much.
“I just…” She held up a hand. “Can we take a step back for a minute?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, I knew it was too soon. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
No, she needed to hear it. She just wasn’t entirely sure it was what she wanted to hear. “We’ve only known each other for a few weeks. Why do you want to move in together?”
“For one,” he ticked it off on his fingers, “I think you’ll be safer. And two, I like being with you. I like spending my nights with you, having dinner together, waking up with you.”
“Yeah, but… it’s too soon.”
Wasn’t it? Andrew’s words from earlier resounded in her mind and she struggled to push them away. Luke wasn’t like that.
“Do you think so?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just… Someone told me today to take things slow, make sure it was what I wanted.”
“Andrew.”
There was no question in his tone, and she shifted uneasily, acutely aware of his intense scrutiny. “Well, I went over to his place and—”
“I thought you were going to stop encouraging him.”
Disapproval drenched his words and irritation flared within her. “I actually stopped by to tell him that I wanted to focus on my relationship with you. I never pegged you for the possessive type.”
“Only when some idiot is trying to seduce my girlfriend,” he shot back.
She hesitated, the breath stolen from her lungs. “Is that what I am?”
He speared her with a look of disbelief. “I thought we’d established that.”
“We never talked about it.”
“I assumed you felt the same way.” His eyes narrowed, his tone accusing.
“I…” It was exactly what she wanted, wasn’t it? Thoughts whirled through her mind and she fought to focus. “That really isn’t the point right now.”
“Are you kidding me? Of course it is!” He threw his arms wide.
“Why do you think I get so pissed about this whole thing? No guy wants to see his girlfriend with another man, Hannah. I know he’s your friend, but we can’t go on like this.
All he’s done since day one is try to coerce you away from me.
That’s not something a friend would do. If he cared about you at all, he would want you to be happy. ”
“He does want me to be happy. You’re the one who’s trying to isolate me from my friends.”
“That’s not true,” he countered, pointing a finger her way. “Just him. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t like him.”
“Please,” she huffed. “You’re just jealous and want me all to yourself. Why does it matter so much to you?”
“Because I love you!” Luke raked his fingers through his hair and turned away.
She froze, her heart constricting in her chest. Hearing him say he loved her filled her with a combination of elation and trepidation. She needed time to process everything and break it down rationally. “No, you don’t. You can’t.”
He turned to her, a sad smile on his face. “I do.” She automatically recoiled even as his voice gentled and he reached for her. “You were made for me. You feel it too, sweetheart, I know you do. We fit; we belong together. I love you and you love me.”
“You don’t love me, Luke. It’s just the stress from the past few weeks, and…” She shook her head. “We wouldn’t even be together if I hadn’t gotten that phone call.”
“Who cares how we met? All that matters is you and me. We’re here now, together. I need you, Hannah.”
She took a step backward and wrapped her arms around her waist. Maybe it was a hero complex—maybe the attachment they’d formed had been born from that alone.
“I understand you think you need me, but you don’t.
It’s not healthy to feel that way about someone.
In a lot of traumatic experiences, people form a special bond.
But it’s easy to perceive that shared empathy as love. What’s between us isn’t—”
“I know how I feel.” He cut her off, his tone firm and resolute. “Just because you refuse to acknowledge it doesn’t mean it’s not true. No amount of persuasion on your part will ever convince me that I’m not in love with you. My feelings won’t change—not ever.”
“I… I think you should go.” She pulled her arms tighter against herself, afraid that she’d fly apart if she loosened her hold even the tiniest bit.
His eyes implored her to listen. “You let him plant that seed of doubt, Hannah, don’t you see?
This is exactly what he wants. He wants you to doubt me, to walk away from what we have.
But you know me. And deep down you know I love you—that I will always love you.
The truth is, you’re afraid. You don’t want to admit you love me, too. And that’s what scares you the most.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t love you.”
He pulled one hand free where it was tucked against her chest. She half-heartedly tried to pull back but surrendered, looking away to hide the mist gathering in her eyes. He placed a kiss on her palm before releasing her.
“When you finally start listening to your heart, you’ll know the truth.”
With a sad smile, Luke turned and walked out the door.