He would walk away from this job if it meant being with me.
The weight of that truth swells in my chest, but causes panic in my brain.
Luke clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth, then slowly exhales, shifting his gaze between the two of us. He licks his lips and stares. Waiting, measuring, the tension is so heavy, I can hear my pulse in my ears.
The power play between them is real.
Mercs stands strong.
Luke glares back.
It’s a silent war of wills, and I’m caught in the middle, seconds from imploding.
Then Luke flares his nostrils and grunts out the word, “Okay.”
One word.
No expression.
Mercs smiles, but I blink in disbelief.
“Sorry… what?” I ask, cautiously.
Mercs squeezes my hand, silently telling me to let it go.
Luke still doesn’t look at us. “I said okay. Don’t push it, Effa. I’mnothappy. I don’t condone this. But Mercs, if you treat her right, if you’re serious, then fine. Just don’t fuck it up. And don’t come crawling to me when it all fucking blows up.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Andi snaps from behind him, her voice a sharp blade in the tense air.
Casey reaches over, tugging at her arm in warning. “This is a fucking joke, right?” she mutters, shoving in her earbuds and turning to the window.
“Thank you, Luke,” Mercs says calmly. “Like I told Alana, if things go south, I won’t walk. I’ll finish the tour. I always keep my word.”
Luke scratches his forehead and nods once. “Good to know. Now, will you two fuck off? I’ve got a show to plan.”
I flash Alana a small smile, and she grins back as Luke turns to scribble something in his notepad. We make our way down the plane to a spare row of seats nearSwift Division. Mercs takes the window, and I slide in on the aisle. He pulls me into his side, wraps an arm around my shoulders, and presses a kiss to the top of my head.
“That was intense,” I whisper.
He chuckles. “I was concerned about Luke’s reaction at first, but I think I’ve figured him out. If you throw his own energy back at him, he respects it. He responds to strength and honesty. He doesn’t tolerate weakness.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Luke,” I agree.
“But enough about him. We’re together, and I’m fucking happy about that.”
I lean in to kiss him softly. He kisses me back with more force, sending sparks across my lips. When we break the kiss, he tugs me closer, and I melt into him completely, resting my head beneath his chin.
Then I glance up…
And Jett is staring at me.
His gaze is darker than I’ve ever seen it, and his irises are so black they nearly bleed into his pupils. His scowl is tight, sharp, almost terrifying. My breath catches when we lock eyes. The energy between us doesn’t crackle as it does with Mercs, it damn-well freezes.
And just as quickly as it started, Jett looks away.
But that chill stays with me.
Something in his expression just now…
