left your body. That was painful to watch, and you are better than that.” I put his hands on my face and tilted it up toward him. “You understand me?”
“Thank you, Pixie.”
I gave him an eh-what-are-you-gonna-do type look.
He leaned down and kissed my lips, softly. I felt it throughout my body.
“And I am not your fake girlfriend. I am your friend, we’re hanging out. If they think we’re together, I won’t correct them. But I am not spending the next week batting my eyelashes and acting like I worship the ground you walk on. Got it?”
His face filled with uncertainty. “But I told Lexi we’d already been together a few weeks…”
Ugh. “I will fib about that one little thing. That’s it or no deal.”
He smiled, that cocky one that I loved when I really should have despised it. “Deal. My beautiful non-girlfriend girlfriend.”
He turned me on, and he made me laugh. Being here, being with him like this, I was going to fall for this stupid gorgeous man. And he was going to break my heart. Clearly he wasn’t over Lexi. If I was anything to him, I’d only be a rebound. This wasn’t going to end well.
And I had no one to blame but myself.
Chapter Eleven
Lexi
My mind was working overtime as I walked down the carpeted hall and boarded the elevator. I was shocked as hell to see a chick in Luke’s room. Every fiber of my being told me he’d lied to me on the phone. He’d scrambled to make it sound real, he’d tripped over his words, and that was something Luke rarely ever did. But still, his whole body responded to her, to Harlow; his face lit up when she’d wrapped an arm around his waist. I hadn’t seen him act that way, have that reaction to another girl, ever.
Well, not including me.
She was stunning, I’d give him that. She was blonde like Luke, and she had a banging body—on the shorter side, but taller than me and thin. She looked young, and she looked happy. Light just seemed to radiate from her. I’d met her for all of three minutes and I already knew she was exactly what Luke needed. And I’d do whatever it took to make him see it too. I used my key card to enter our suite.
“Hey, Kitten,” Dash called. “Did you see Luke? How did he look?”
I smiled as I joined him and Halen on the makeshift pallet he’d made on the floor so she could play. “He looked cheerful. And tan.” I tickled Halen’s rounded tummy and kissed Dash on the mouth. “I met his ‘girlfriend’ and they are going to meet us for lunch.”
He grinned. “Still think he’s lying about their relationship?” I’d told Dash about my phone call with Luke. Ever since our daughter was born, Dash had been much more understanding and accepting of my bond with my best friend. Which made it much easier to share that part of my life with him, to be honest about all my feelings. Even the ones about Luke.
I snorted. “Without a doubt.” I shrugged and let out a sigh. “At least about some of it. But she’s beautiful, babe. She’s happy and light and smiles. She’s just what he needs.”
Dash shook his head, the ghost of a smile on his face. “There isn’t any way I’m going to be able to convince you to stay out of it, is there?”
“What do you think?”
He picked up Halen and held her over his head, making airplane noises like a boss. “I think you should let Luke run his own life. I think you should let him make his own choices. If he and this girl are supposed to be, they will. Without your help.”
I lay down next to him, smiling at our daughter. “It was a rhetorical question, babe.”
“I know it was, Kitten.”
Chapter Twelve
Luke
Harlow was my hero. When I asked her once again to help me out last night, I was sure I’d find her gone when I woke up in the morning. But not only had she stuck around, she’d rescued me from a week in hell. I knew the second I opened the door and saw Lexi standing there that I wouldn’t survive this promo tour on my own. I was immediately
“Thank you, Pixie.”
I gave him an eh-what-are-you-gonna-do type look.
He leaned down and kissed my lips, softly. I felt it throughout my body.
“And I am not your fake girlfriend. I am your friend, we’re hanging out. If they think we’re together, I won’t correct them. But I am not spending the next week batting my eyelashes and acting like I worship the ground you walk on. Got it?”
His face filled with uncertainty. “But I told Lexi we’d already been together a few weeks…”
Ugh. “I will fib about that one little thing. That’s it or no deal.”
He smiled, that cocky one that I loved when I really should have despised it. “Deal. My beautiful non-girlfriend girlfriend.”
He turned me on, and he made me laugh. Being here, being with him like this, I was going to fall for this stupid gorgeous man. And he was going to break my heart. Clearly he wasn’t over Lexi. If I was anything to him, I’d only be a rebound. This wasn’t going to end well.
And I had no one to blame but myself.
Chapter Eleven
Lexi
My mind was working overtime as I walked down the carpeted hall and boarded the elevator. I was shocked as hell to see a chick in Luke’s room. Every fiber of my being told me he’d lied to me on the phone. He’d scrambled to make it sound real, he’d tripped over his words, and that was something Luke rarely ever did. But still, his whole body responded to her, to Harlow; his face lit up when she’d wrapped an arm around his waist. I hadn’t seen him act that way, have that reaction to another girl, ever.
Well, not including me.
She was stunning, I’d give him that. She was blonde like Luke, and she had a banging body—on the shorter side, but taller than me and thin. She looked young, and she looked happy. Light just seemed to radiate from her. I’d met her for all of three minutes and I already knew she was exactly what Luke needed. And I’d do whatever it took to make him see it too. I used my key card to enter our suite.
“Hey, Kitten,” Dash called. “Did you see Luke? How did he look?”
I smiled as I joined him and Halen on the makeshift pallet he’d made on the floor so she could play. “He looked cheerful. And tan.” I tickled Halen’s rounded tummy and kissed Dash on the mouth. “I met his ‘girlfriend’ and they are going to meet us for lunch.”
He grinned. “Still think he’s lying about their relationship?” I’d told Dash about my phone call with Luke. Ever since our daughter was born, Dash had been much more understanding and accepting of my bond with my best friend. Which made it much easier to share that part of my life with him, to be honest about all my feelings. Even the ones about Luke.
I snorted. “Without a doubt.” I shrugged and let out a sigh. “At least about some of it. But she’s beautiful, babe. She’s happy and light and smiles. She’s just what he needs.”
Dash shook his head, the ghost of a smile on his face. “There isn’t any way I’m going to be able to convince you to stay out of it, is there?”
“What do you think?”
He picked up Halen and held her over his head, making airplane noises like a boss. “I think you should let Luke run his own life. I think you should let him make his own choices. If he and this girl are supposed to be, they will. Without your help.”
I lay down next to him, smiling at our daughter. “It was a rhetorical question, babe.”
“I know it was, Kitten.”
Chapter Twelve
Luke
Harlow was my hero. When I asked her once again to help me out last night, I was sure I’d find her gone when I woke up in the morning. But not only had she stuck around, she’d rescued me from a week in hell. I knew the second I opened the door and saw Lexi standing there that I wouldn’t survive this promo tour on my own. I was immediately
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