Hour by Hour (Games & Diversions #2) (3 page)

The expensive shirt on my shoulders. The Beemer I parked outside. The plastic women who have floated in and out of my life.

They’ve all played a part in who Lukas Griffin has become. And suddenly, after looking—
really
looking—at the modesty of Foxx’s home, everything I’ve acquired now seems so shallow.

Or maybe I’m just drunk and talking crazy.

Yup, that’s probably it…

I start to raise my cup to my lips again when something inside of me snaps.

I pour what’s left of my drink down a bathroom drain, trashing the Solo cup with a slam that tilts the waste bin.

Suddenly, I feel fifteen again, and I’m slamming my last liquor bottle against the wall—the last time I vowed to ever pick up a bottle again.

Old habits die hard
… but I’ve been down this road before. I
know
how it ends. I know it’s not where I want to be…

I close the door before the smell of the alcohol can hit my nostrils, before the pull of an old seduction makes me lose what little will I have left.

Thirteen years.

Thirteen long fucking years… and I’m
still
afraid. Still afraid that the demons of my past will resurface to haunt me—that the mistakes of the father will manifest within the son.

They have before.
I have to ensure they won’t again.

But every day is a battle for control.

I turn another corner in Foxx’s house wondering if another demon will meet me around the bend.

And when I enter one of the empty bedrooms, I find one sitting in wait…

Remember this: The house doesn't beat the player. It just gives him the opportunity to beat himself. – Nicholas Dandalos

ELENA

“Haven’t you
ever
heard of knocking?” I huff heavily, pulling the remainder of my shirt down over my head.

“Why would I knock on what’s
supposed
to be an empty room?” Griff throws at me. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“This is my sister’s party.
I brought her here.
And as you just freaking saw, I’m getting changed.”

I run my fingers through my hair, trying to regain my dignity.

Lukas just caught me bare-breasted, switching clothes for the party, and even
now
… in the dark… I can tell he’s staring intently at me.

“I can’t believe this,” I mutter softly, adjusting my sweater sleeves.

His voice floats over my head.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, Elena. It’s not like I haven’t
seen
you before.”

He stresses the last few words, and heat crawls up my neck and into my face.

I keep my head down as I continue to fold my dirty clothes by the bed. I avoid showing my face—though I know he cannot see it, anyway.

I snort. “And I can promise that you never will
again
. And what happens to my panties are none of your concern.”

I swear I can hear him grin from across the room. It’s
infuriating
… yet frustratingly arousing.

The curve of his mouth. The shape of lips.

I remember every detail… but I wish I didn’t.

I don’t
want
to want Lukas Griffin.

I sit on the bed, gathering the rest of my belongings.

“Why are you stalking through the shadows, anyway?” I ask angrily.

“Why are
you
? Who gets changed in the dark?”

“A person who has a massive migraine from setting up a party all day, that’s who.
But
… you wouldn’t know anything about that.”

He continues to stand, unmoving, in the doorway, looking menacing in all black clothing.

He scoffs. “Like I had any choice. You shut me out,
remember
?”

“And rightfully so,” I respond softly. I slide my bare feet into my wedges, preparing to smooth out my skirt and strut past Lukas.

But I don’t. I know I should just end this conversation, but I have this urge to argue with him. Everything about him hits a nerve in me.

Even when he’s not trying to, he manages to offend me.

“You can’t do something as simple as knock on a closed door. Organizing and planning anything of meaning might make your head explode.”

He takes a step closer, lowering his voice in anger.

“
You underestimate me
, Elena. It would be wise not to.”

I still can’t see his eyes, but I can
feel
them—can feel the concentrated burn of those deep green irises.

The dark adds a malevolence to his appearance, the deep color of his hair and clothes made even deeper by the obscurity of the room.

Do I dare challenge him?

I’m tempted… but reading his body language makes me hesitate. He stands there, rigid, facing me.

His silhouette seems sculpted from granite, the breadth of his shoulders and set of his jaw giving him the appearance of living stone.

My nerves are humming.

Every inch of me is tingling.

I stand still, stiff as a board. Not out of courage, but out of
fear
.

I’m afraid of what will happen if he touches me. I’m afraid of what will happen if he
doesn’t
.

Luckily, I don’t have to wait and see… because a frantic Kat interrupts us, barging through the open door.

I balk, feeling caught red-handed, but Kat doesn’t notice. In fact, she seems entirely unfazed by the scene in front of her.

Typical, self-absorbed Kat.

I guess I don’t expect any less from her.

Not these days.

She grabs for my arm with no sense of finesse.

“
Elle
,” she exclaims breathlessly. “I need you to go pick up the cupcakes.”

Anger beats inside my chest.

“
Me?
” I spout, outraged. “Why don’t you go get Foxx to do it?”

She exhales roughly. “I can’t. He took off with Chris a few minutes ago. Some
work
emergency.”

I can feel Griff tense beside me. But I keep talking.

“Well, then, why don’t
you
?”

“There are
eight
dozen cupcakes
.”

I don’t respond.

“I can’t. That’s too heavy for me,” Kat continues. “
You know that I can’t.”

If looks could kill, I’d be a dead woman. Still… I’m not having it. She’s the one who’s wrong.

Not me.

I throw a few daggers of my own to remind her.

“I guess I
do
know, don’t I?” I sweep past her, nearly brushing her on my way out.

“
Fine
,” I call over my shoulder. “I’ll get the damn cupcakes.”

The sounds of my footsteps echo down the wooden staircase as I make my way through the foyer and out of the house.

When I hear a second pair exit the front door behind me, I twirl on my feet, ready for a round two shouting match.

But it’s Lukas, not Kat.

He catches my shoulders as I whirl on him.

“Oh,” I say, surprised. I look up into his green eyes. “Sorry.”

“
I’m
sorry. Almost knocked you over.”

I shrug. “It’s ok. I thought you were Kat for a sec. I’m actually glad you’re not.”

I lower my gaze.

“I’d rather be around you than her right now, and
that’s saying something.
”

I half-expect him to frown at my joke, but he grins. He takes a step back, looking down at me, but I notice that he never lets go of my shoulders.

I extricate myself from his hands.

“I’ve gotta go,” I say, turning my back.

But I can feel him again. He’s still behind me, emanating heat like a shadowy sun.

I’m confused.

I look back at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Coming with you.”

“Kat asked you to?”

“She didn’t
have
to.” Resolution is imprinted in his features. He stares back at me, and I know he is not asking me if he can join.

He’s telling me.

I want to scream.

“No,” I call out, walking faster towards my car out front. “You’re not.”

I pull out my keys, preparing to open my car door when I hear Lukas from behind.

“You’re right,” he tells me. “I’m
not
going with you. You’re coming with
me
.”

He hits a remote and the lights of a nearby Beemer flash. It is a deep blue sedan—sexy and chic.

My gaze shifts between it and my rim-less Acura. I tap the hood of my car, feeling self-conscious.

Rain begins to fall while I stand undecidedly at my car door.

I look up at the clouds, racking my brain for an excuse.

The sky is rumbling, my
resolve
is crumbling, and I’m wondering how long I can put off being alone with Lukas.

If I could just avoid him for this one night.

But I can’t.

Eight dozen cupcakes
? I can’t carry them all by myself. And he knows it. He starts to chip away at my stubbornness.

“My car will be faster than yours,” he bellows—
as if I needed the reminder
. “Yours looks like it’s on its last leg.”

Indignation breathes life into my voice.

“Well, she gets me from point A to point B.”

“
Barely
, I’m sure.” He glowers at my car and then me. “
Get in.”

I don’t move for several seconds—to prove a point, I guess—but by the time I plop myself into the passenger seat, I am more than grateful.

The car is velvety black inside, and the seats feel like clouds.

Lukas climbs in beside me, turning the ignition on. And then we’re off.

We pull out of the driveway and away from the neighborhood with the GPS speaker on.

She is the only voice that speaks for several miles.

“Turn right,” she commands.

Pause. “Turn right.”

Lukas huffs.

“If we turn another right, she’s going to put us in a circle.”

He glances down at the GPS.

“We’re heading to GiGi’s?”

I rub my damp sleeves with brisk hands, staring ahead, trying to ignore his heated gaze. “Yup.”

At my reply, Lukas turns the car around, whipping a U-turn in the middle of the empty road.

I grab for my passenger-side door with a death-grip that nearly numbs my fingers.

The car enters the semi-circle smoothly, barely making a squeal or skid as it rights itself to head unswervingly in the other direction.

The maneuver scares the hell out of me. But before I can speak, Lukas places a hand on my thigh. He removes the hand immediately.

I do my best to ignore the gesture, but his voice is like a subdued roll of thunder, reverberating softly across my skin, resonating richly in my ears.

“Didn’t mean to scare you. I know a faster way there.
Trust me.”

But I don’t.

I’m not so sure I trust
anyone
after the day I’ve just had.

Lukas.

Linda.

Even Kat.

I can’t believe she didn’t tell me. She
knew
.

How could she be so insensitive?

I press my face against the car window, wishing the rain could wash the last day and a half away.

“Sibling rivalry?”

I glance suspiciously over at Lukas.

“You’re muttering under your breath.”

Oh. Right.

I sigh. “I wouldn’t call it that.”

“What
would
you call it?”

“An annoying pain in my ass.”

He smiles. “I hear siblings usually are.”

“You
hear
?”

“Yeah. I don’t have any siblings.”

“
Lucky you
.”

His smile turns into a subtle laughter, a sound that makes my heart beat faster. But the chuckles fade quickly, and his smile drops just as suddenly as it appeared.

He grows as serious as I am.

“Yeah, well, friends aren’t always much better. They’ll turn their backs on you quicker than family, I suppose.”

I eye Lukas with curiosity now.

“Foxx and Chris, huh?”

He doesn’t respond.

“Yeah, well, I guess I know what you mean. I’ve been going at it with my best friend, Linda, these days.

“She used to be so supportive, but nowadays, she’s giving me every reason why I should just quit.

“And now, I need a new realtor for a new studio, and she just…”

I stop. I’m rambling.

I’m rambling to
Lukas
of all people. A man I couldn’t talk to for more than two minutes. A man in whose face I regular hung up.