"I cannot wait for the play-by-play on the whole weekend," Emmy breathed. "Look, text me what you need packed for the weekend and I'll drop it off at Emmy's, because honestly, if you come home again tonight Mom's going to waylay you and you'll never get to Vegas."
A surge of fond gratitude rushed Luke, and he hugged his little sister. "You're really the best, you know that?"
Noooo!his rabbit howled.YOU'RE the best!
We can both be the best,Luke said wearily, and chuckled aloud as Emmy said, "Yeah I am," as she returned the hug. "LikeI said, text me and I'll get what you need. Better go now before Mom and Dad come home and see the hot blonde babe on your motorcycle, though. There'll bequestions,if they do."
"Yeah. Okay, I'm out of here. Thanks, Em."
Luke made it all the way out of the house before realizing his sister had just set him up to spend the night with Sabrina Keep.
CHAPTER 5
Luke came out of the house looking pained, and worry seized Sabrina's heart. She straightened away from the motorcycle, once more afraid she'd damaged it in some way, and asked a nervous, "Is everything okay?" as Luke approached.
He had a handful of shirts and a pair of jeans, and looked at them as if they, not she, had done something wrong. "No, I'm good, I just, uh. Emmy just set me up."
Sabrina blinked, then laughed. "Worse than finagling you into going to Las Vegas with a total stranger as her fake boyfriend?"
"No and yes?" Luke wrinkled his face apologetically. "She just suggested I text her what I need to pack and she'd do it for me so I don't risk running into Mom and Dad and having to explain that I've acquired a temporary fake girlfriend."
"Sounds legit, honestly." Sabrina glanced toward the house, then, unable to stop herself, said, "Does your entire family just, like,livetogether?"
Luke looked over his shoulder, then back at her with heat starting to color his cheekbones again. "Oh. No. Yeah, I know, I'm old to be living at home."
"No! I mean…yes, but in this economy? But mostly it's just, Emmy's there all the time, your brother Aaron's here all the time, I… well, okay, the other ones aren't, but…it's nice, actually, is what I'm trying to say. You all seem to have really close relationships, and I'm trying to imagine what that's like."
"Mostly great. Sometimes very annoying. Like when my sister sets me up."
"Right. What'd she do…?"
"She said she'd pack up my stuff and bring it over to your place."
"Oh, well, that seems—" Luke's problem with the situation caught up with Sabrina and she feltherselfstarting to blush. "Oh. I. Oh. Yes. Right. She thinks you should stay with me. Oh. Oh, shedidset you up, didn't she. Set us up. And it's not a bad idea, it's just…your sister's kind of a stinker, Luke."
"I'd noticed," he assured her, and then added, in a doomful tone, "I'm assuming there's only one bed?"
Sabrina's blushing uncertainty turned into giggles. "That's true. It's a one bedroom apartment. There's a couch, though. Which I'll sleep on—no," she said firmly as he began the obvious protest. "I'm five foot two. You're six foot seventy. I'll fit on the couch. You won't."
"Five," he said, faintly indignant. "I'm six five."
Out loud, Sabrina said, "From down here it might as well be six-seventy," with a smile. Inside, where she was swooning dizzily, she thought that six five sounded like a very exciting height to be lifted to. Not that herfake boyfriendwas going to pick her up, but never mind that.
"I don't want to kick you out of your bed, Sabrina!"
"The alternative is sharing it, which we'll probably have to do in Vegas because my girls arenosy, but I don't want to make things any more awkward for you than they have to be. The couch is fine. Trust me. It's cozy. And I don't sleep well thenight before traveling anyway, so you don't want me tossing and turning and sweating next to you all night when we have to be out the door at six."
Luke looked like he wanted to protest again, but instead took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. If you're sure. For now, should we go do some more pictures? Is your apartment walking distance, or do you want to take…?" He gestured at the motorcycle.
Sabrina's heart bumped hard in her chest. "Itiswalking distance, but…a short trip on the motorcycle sounds fun?" Clinging to Luke Jones's big strong self sounded fun, more accurately, but Sabrina didn't think she should say that.
He flashed an absolutely devastating smile. "Yeah, it does. You gotta wear a helmet, though." He stuffed his clothes into a saddlebag she hadn't even noticed and went into the garage to come back with two helmets.
Sabrina eyed the well-padded inside of the one he handed to her, and cautiously tried to slip it on. Then, with more effort, she shoved it on, and, feeling like a chipmunk, said, "My cheeks are squished."
"Yup. They should be, just a little. If you shake your head it shouldn't move around." He put his own helmet on as Sabrina gave her head an experimental shake, then nodded.
"Feels okay, I think?"
