realized what she was doing she had her arms around his neck and her head pressed against her chest. For a solid minute he couldn’t move, because he was so stunned by her sudden action. Just when she went to pull away he wrapped his arms around her, and kept her safely against his body. He moved his head closer to her neck, closed his eyes, and let himself the pleasure of inhaling her scent right from the source. Her skin was just as soft as it looked, and he brushed the tip of his nose against her.
“Thank you, Luke.” She pulled back and quickly moved to her side of the seat. Even in the darkness he saw her cheeks turn pink.
“Why are you thanking me?” His voice was husky, but that was because there was so much emotion going through him right now that his damn throat was threatening to close.
She didn’t even hesitate when she said, “Because you showed me that not all men express their ‘love’ with fists and hurtful words.” She looked down and grabbed the straps of her purse in her hand tightly. “So you see what I mean when I say I am just not right for you, Luke.” He forced his hands into fists and kept them on his thighs or he would have reached out for her and pulled her to him once more, but as the seconds ticked by he said fuck it and grabbed her hands. She looked at him a bit shocked, and he brought her knuckles to his mouth and kissed every single one of them.
“What was that for?” Her voice was soft, breathy.
“For showing me that not all females are heartless and cold.” He hadn’t told her about Mina yet, but he would, because he wouldn’t keep anything from her either. She had opened up to him, and he would do the same, but enough information had been expressed tonight.
“I better get Joey inside ,” she said, but still allowed him to hold onto her hands.
Luke placed her hands back in her lap and climbed out of the car. Before she could open her door he was there, helping her out of the car and loving how she allowed him to do these small things for her. She started to open the back door, but he stopped her by gently taking hold of her shoulder. His hand seemed to engulf her, and a surge of masculine appreciation powered through him, as well as a wreath of other emotions he had never felt before. He would protect her, cherish her, and always make her feel worthy.
“Let me get her.” For a moment he thought she might argue, but she nodded and took a step back. He reached in, scooped Joey up in his arms, and took a second to look down at her. She was so tiny, and he tightened his hold on her, feeling the parental protectiveness to make sure she was never subjected to the ugliness the world had to offer. They made their way up to the porch, but instead of trying to take Joey from his arms she opened the door and gestured for him to come in. She led him down a short hallway, and when they stepped into Joey’s room there was a moment of sadness as he looked around. Aside from the twin sized bed, a small box of toys with some dolls scattered around it, and the overwhelming scent of vanilla, which he had recognized as Joey’s unique aroma, he wouldn’t have thought this barren room was for a child. In fact, he noticed every room they passed was bare, and he didn’t think it was because she hadn’t unpacked everything.
After tucking in Joey he followed Alice to the front door. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her, but he knew the night had been draining on her, and Luke had a lot of pent-up aggression from hearing her story. He needed to either kick someone’s ass or work out. The former didn’t sound like it would go over very well since he knew he wouldn’t be able to control his cougar from tearing the other guy in two. Not to mention he was a physician in Sweet Water and was held to higher standards. He couldn’t go around kicking people’s asses, that was for damn sure.
“Thank you again for tonight.”
He looked down at her and smiled. “Thank you for
K. Sterling
Jacquie Rogers
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley
Shiloh Walker
Elizabeth Moynihan
Mary Balogh
Tara Fox Hall
Jonathan Maberry
Jane Hunt
James Kakalios