I broke the kiss before it turned into something her father would have to address with grill tongs in hand, but I stayed close enough that my mouth brushed hers when I spoke.
“You do not lie to me about him again.” She swallowed hard.
I could feel everybody watching, could feel the Bennett brothers shifting around us, trying to decide if this was romantic, concerning, or a situation that required someone putting me through a fence. But I didn’t care. Not right then. Not when she was looking at me like I had pulled a secret out of her body by kissing her.
“I don’t know what you think you know,” she said, voice low enough for me only.
“Enough.”
“You don’t.”
“Then tell me I’m wrong.”
Her mouth closed.
Exactly.
Luke stepped forward, beer bottle hanging loose in one hand. “This is adorable, but maybe let the girl breathe, Mercer.”
I laughed once. “You do not want to make this about letting her breathe.”
His eyes hardened and I watched the mask drop.
Finally.
The charming family friend mask shattered, and something mean looked out in it’s place.
Ryker moved closer. “Dempsey.”
Luke ignored him. His attention stayed on me. “You’ve been here what, twice? Think you know her?”
“I know she relaxes when I touch her.” I lowered my voice, still clear enough for him to hear. “And she goes pale when you do.”
Pip’s fingers dug into my shirt.
Luke’s smile disappeared.
Knox stopped laughing.
Daniel’s expression changed at the grill.
I didn’t look away from Luke.
There was no taking the sentence back, and I didn’t want to. Let it sit there. Let every man in her family feel the wrongness in the air, even if they didn’t understand the reason for it yet.
Luke recovered fast, but not fast enough. “You’re reaching.”
“Am I?”
“She likes attention. Always has.”
Pip’s whole body went rigid and my temper snapped its leash.
I moved before anyone else did, closing the space between us so fast Luke barely got his hands up before my fist drove into his jaw.
The sound cracked across the driveway.
Pip gasped behind me. Someone shouted. Daniel cursed. Luke stumbled back two full steps, beer bottle shattering against the pavement near his feet.
