She glances at her phone and sighs. “I need to get ready for work. Give me a hug.”
I step into her arms, and she holds me tight, stroking her hand over my back like she did when I was little. Her coconut scent fills my senses.
For a second, I relax into the feeling of Mom. Feeling like nothing could ever go wrong. That she’ll always be here to protect me.
“Don’t let those boys get away with anything.” She pulls back and meets my gaze.
Smiling, I roll my eyes. “Way to be vague, Mom.”
“All encompassing, not vague.” Mom smiles and taps my cheek. “Knock ’em dead, kid.”
She heads upstairs to get ready for work, and I pack for a night at Luke’s house. We need to get Nico’s jersey from Hannah, which I’m not looking forward to, and I really don’t want to see her in Caden’s jersey for the rest of the week, but we have a deal.
I figured we’d go to Caden’s again tonight, but Luke informed me earlier we’d be at his place. My memory of his place is dinner with his father.
Shuddering, I grab my toiletries from the bathroom. Mr. Foster is intimidating and cold. Just like Luke.
I pause. Well, kind of like Luke. There are moments with Luke that don’t feel cold or intimidating. Little moments I want to capture and hold onto, because they’re fleeting and don’t always feel real even as they happen.
I grab my bag and my backpack. As I head down the stairs, I call out, “Good night, Mom. I love you.”
“Love you! Be safe.” Her voice comes from her room.
When I leave the house, the sky is definitely dimming. But it’s still light out as I throw my things into the passenger seat. Something makes a scraping noise. My heart stops as I spin around.
Nothing’s there. I clutch my keys in my hand so hard it hurts.
I’m alone out here. I scan the area, but nothing moves. The neighborhood is as quiet as it usually is.
Fuck. It’s fine. Probably a small animal. I shake it off and round the car to slide into the driver’s seat.
Butterflies fill my gut as I start my car and pull out of the driveway.
Once again, I’m willingly going to a horseman’s house. It still feels weird and forbidden. When I pull up to Luke’s house and into the open garage spot he promised would be waiting for me, I drag in a breath and press my hand to my stomach to calm my nerves.
When the garage door goes down, I jump and clutch at the steering wheel. My eyes search and find Luke striding toward me. The butterflies riot. Everything about Luke is a teenage girl’s wet dream.
He’s hot and confident and commanding. Everythinghe does has purpose. His hair is slicked back from his shower after practice. His blue eyes capture and hold mine as he opens my car door.
“Let’s go.” He jerks his head toward the door he came from.
Drawing in a breath, I release it. I’ve been alone with Luke before. I shouldn’t be nervous. But of all the horsemen, he’s still the one who intimidates me the most.
When I grab my things off the seat, he takes them from me before I can protest or get out of the car. As I stand and close the car door, he turns and walks.
Following, I glance all around. The garage has multiple cars, most of which have covers over them. I smooth my skirt down, self-conscious without panties on. Defying Eli didn’t even pop into my head.
If Luke had commanded it, I probably would have done something like I did last time. But Eli doesn’t want my defiance. I’m sure he’d punish me for it, but defiance lights Luke up better than most things. He’d prefer to conquer me than have me submit meekly.
We walk through the darkened house. I saw a little of it when I was here before, but I’m curious to see where Luke grew up. It’s dark and tastefully designed with absolutely no heart in it. It’s beautiful and cold. When we reach the stairs, I hesitate. I didn’t think about being alone with Luke in his bedroom.
Luke stops and turns back to me. I back up a step. I’m not sure why. Self-preservation? But then his eyes soften, and he holds his hand out to me.
Little moments.
Unable to resist, I take his hand, and we walk up the stairs. He leads me down the hallway and into a room I recognize from the webcam. His scent is heavy here. It fills me, making my insides flame higher.
Luke sets my stuff on the chair in the corner and returns to me still in the doorway. “What’s wrong, princess? Shy?”
