Read Online Lucifer's Lover by Tracy Cooper-Posey - Free Book Online Page B

been warned, when he’d taken the job, that Lindsay Eden was not exactly a people person. They’d been right on that score, although he suspected her lack of people skills had kept people at such an arm’s length they’d never thought to ask themselves why she was so bad at dealing with her fellow man.
    He strove for a casual note. “So you make the odd faux pas . It’s not the end of the world, is it?”
    “It could be.” She pulled her hand from his and covered her face, turning away. “What if you had to…apologize for me?”
    It was said quietly and with deep dread in her voice. Luke knew the last thing he could afford to do was trivialize it.
    He kept his voice as even and sincere as he could. “If you do make a klutz of yourself out there, I sincerely doubt anyone will notice. You’re rather dazzling, you know. People will forgive beautiful people for a lot of mistakes.”
    “But you will see them. You’ll be embarrassed.”
    “I doubt it. I’ve got armorhide protection. Your skin tends to grow a little thicker each time yet another relative tells you they don’t want you anymore and it’s time to move on.” He gave her hand a little shake for emphasis. “A couple of social screw-ups by you won’t even scratch the surface.”
    She turned to look at him then and even in the poor light of the moon he could see the puzzled look on her face and a hint of empathy and warmth. It was the same look that had burrowed into his guts in the car, when he had unintentionally told her the real story of his name.
    He used the same defense now and deflected the mood. He swiveled to face her more. “Listen…you go out there and make as much of an idiot of yourself as you want. I promise I won’t feel even the slightest need to apologize for you. And I won’t be embarrassed.”
    Her chest lifted. A deep breath. “You’re sure?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “Well…don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
    “I hear you.”
    He stood and tugged on her hand. “C’mon. Up you get.”
    She rose reluctantly. She was still trembling violently.
    “You’ll be fine,” he assured her.
    “I don’t believe you.” It was a whisper.
    He lifted her chin. In the ghostly moonlight her eyes were eerie pools of shimmering light. The temptation was there. Kiss her . It was a shouted impulse but he clamped down on his mind and his body, subduing it. It would be far too easy to kiss her right now. She was too vulnerable, too open. And he knew he’d feel like a complete heel afterward if he did.
    But man, oh man, was it hard to battle the temptation!
    Finally, before he did something idiotic, he stepped back from her took her hand and led her out of the office, heading for the elevators.
    And she was worried about embarrassing him?

    Lindsay still felt like she had two giant pins stuck through her middle, so tied up in knots was she but there was a vast reassurance in having her hand in Luke’s. He didn’t let go even in the elevator when other hotel guests stepped in to go to the lobby and frankly stared at them in their formal clothes.
    In fact, if her senses hadn’t been racked up to their most sensitive and her nerves prickly and at full alert, she may have missed the tiny movement he made toward her in reaction. But that small movement flooded her with reassurance. She didn’t have to do this alone.
    They walked back into the function room and she felt his hand on the small of her back—a light touch—and she realized that her steps were faltering. She picked up her speed, heading for the thick group of people congregating on the dance floor on the other side of the tables. It was as if no time had passed since she had left.
    But she felt much better now.
    Sort of.
    Fear was still clamping her stomach but at least this time her heart had subsided enough that she could actually hear what people were saying.
    Vince Gormley saw them and lifted his hand to catch their attention. He excused himself from the small group he was with