Jaded (21 page)

***

“Holy
shit
,” Jimmy hissed to Luke later that day. “I can’t believe you got her in bed.”

Luke felt his cheeks grow warm. This morsel had been shared in honesty, as friend to friend, but Jimmy’s reaction reminded him of the bet. He faltered, struggling to come up with the appropriate reaction. “Yeah, well, like I said, I’ve never lost before; no time to start now.”

Jimmy gaped at him. “I thought her fuckin’ legs were glued together.”

“Appearances can be deceiving. She’s an
animal
in bed.”

A few workers caught wind of the conversation and approached. “Did I hear that Luke won the bet?”

“No way,” Mark piped up. “I don’t believe it.”

“Oh, shut up,” Luke said. “You’re just bitter ‘cause she doesn’t want you.”

Mark eyed him cautiously. “No, I don’t think you did it.”

There was a pause in the huddle. The rest of the workers, as if sensing the rising tension, gathered around him. All eight pairs of eyes were watching him eagerly. He felt the pressure of the group bearing down on him.

“Mark, I did it,” he said succinctly.

“So Luke won? We have to pay?” a worker asked.

“I think you’re lying. I’ve been watching her; I know some things about her. There ain’t no way she woulda slept with you.”

Luke gritted his teeth, put off by the fact that Mark thought he knew her. “So you think I’m lying? What do you know about her anyway?”

A quiet gasp reverberated throughout the circle. Luke realized his reputation was at stake.

“I want you to prove you did it,” Mark said.

“What, you want to see the ultrasound or something?”

“Give us a picture,” someone suggested.

“I can’t
tape
it.”

“Then record it. Just the sound. Slip in a little handheld recorder. She’ll never know.”

He mulled over the suggestion. His first inclination was incredulity...he could never record Isabella and feel okay about it. He never would, ever. But the eight pairs of eyes trained on him, the thick tension hanging in the air between them, made him consent. “Fine. I’ll record it.” This seemed to please his crew. He knew the recording was out of the question, but for now, he was still on top.

“No money until we have proof,” Mark added, smiling smugly. To the crew he said, “And I think we won’t have to pay out this time, ladies. Our man Luke here is trying to pull one over on us.”

“Jimmy? Even you don’t believe me?”

“Hey, man. If I’m gonna save some money, then I’m gonna have to wait for the proof.” Jimmy held up his hands in defense. “This job pays well, but not
that
well.”

Luke sighed exasperatedly. “Fine. Not like I’ll cry about it.”

“
So you think
,” Mark said, exaggerating each word. “Isabella’s got more class than you would expect.”

Luke’s stomach started flipping and he was overcome with anger. He watched Mark strut away, resisting the urge to tackle him. Isabella had class, that was for sure. And maybe he’d been lucky to spend any time with her at all—
really
lucky. But for Mark to think he
knew
Isabella made Luke furious.
Luke
knew Isabella. He was the one who knew her secrets, her history, her quirks, her favorite things. Not Mark.

He suddenly realized how protective of her he’d become, and the depths to which her safety and security had penetrated his being. The thought jarred a cold fear into his body. He was attached to her—
really
attached. And though he told himself otherwise, he wouldn’t be content with their time together last night, nor would he be content with one more night of passion. He needed it to be limitless; he wanted to know that he could see her every day, whenever he wanted. He needed to know that he could hold her when he chose, to kiss her in broad daylight, to spend a night with her without fear that she would reject him.

He wanted her to be
his.

Still.

Goddamnit Luke, I thought you told yourself to get over that
.

***

As the end of the workday was drawing near, Isabella had mustered every available ounce of courage she possessed and approached Luke in the backyard, even though the thought of what she had to say made her shoulders sag and stomach twist.

She was going to set the record straight and make sure they both knew what was going on between them. Once and for all.

“Luke.” She caught sight of his chest glistening in the late-afternoon sun and all her resolve vanished. What was she here for? And what was so wrong with smoothing her hands over his chest again, or tasting his lips, or any of it?

“Yeah?” He set down the ladder he’d been carrying on his shoulder and looked at her, eyes sparkling.

“I...uh...” She stared blatantly at his chest, unable to pry her eyes away. “I just wanted to talk to you real quick.” She managed to lock eyes with Luke, who was watching her with his tongue in his cheek, slyly looking her up and down as though he knew exactly what was going through her head.

“Good, because I had something to talk to you about too.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Isabella said, frowning. She had to get this off her chest, as soon as possible. “I need to tell you mine first, okay?”

They entered the house and snaked through the workers and into her office. As she shut the door behind them, Luke wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and buried his lips in her neck. She struggled to ignore how good it felt. His hands began roaming her body, smoothing their way over her stomach and up to her breasts. Her eyes fluttered shut and she fought to keep her head clear.

“Mmm.” His satisfied groan was even more of a turn-on for her. “Babe, you don’t know how much I wanted to do this all day.” He pulled her closer to him; she could feel his manhood pressing against the small of her back.

She took a deep breath, gathering her resolve even as his hands were threatening to push her over the edge. As she felt his fingers creeping under her bra, she spat out, “Hold on a second.”

“What’s going on? You want it right here?” He laughed, gently kissing her neck. Shivers went up and down her spine.

She turned to face him. “Funny, Luke. You see, that’s kinda what I need to talk to you about.”

The smile fell from his face.

“I won’t pretend like I didn’t have amazing sex with you last night. Because that’s just what it was. Amazing sex.” She paused, trying to recall more from the soliloquy she’d practiced in the mirror earlier that day. The sight of his chest distracted her and she fought to keep her mind on track.
Heartbreak. Pain. Be smart. Come on.
“What I’m saying is, I don’t want us to think that anything more will happen because, well, it can’t.”
Even though it feels so right.
She gulped, looking away guiltily. “We had sex, and that’s where it has to stop.”

Luke stared at her for a while. His hands dropped from around her waist and the air between them felt deflated, joyless. She was afraid to meet his gaze.

“You’re still on that?”

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

He expelled a sigh of frustration that made Isabella too ready to comply and tell him she’d be his. She didn’t like how angry he was getting, how it truly bothered him.

It’s for the best,
her sanity whispered.

“Look at me,” he said in a low voice that made her skin prickle. His fingers guided her chin upward until her eyes met his. “I felt something more than just
amazing sex
.” He looked hard into her eyes and she longed to crumple into his arms and end the resistance. What was the harm in giving in?

She had to find some way to compromise, to be with him and still keep her heart an arm’s length away, so that if things started spiraling downward, she’d be able to skip out before it was time for the ten-mile run on the treadmill. But was that even possible? She wasn’t sure it could be done, because keeping her heart out of it was never an option. She decided, at that moment, to start with honesty. The rest would figure itself out later.

“I did too,” she whispered, voice breaking as emotion welled in her throat.

“So you feel it too,” he said. Then after a heavy moment had passed, he said, “I’m not just making this up.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the words form before she could stop them. “I do feel it too.”

There was a pause.

“Well I don’t think there’s really anything you can do it about it, then,” he said, sounding pleased. “Fate will take care of the rest.”

“But I don’t believe in fate—”

“That doesn’t matter.” He smiled cockily, as though he held some secret beyond her comprehension. “Everything’s gonna fall into place.”

He winked at her and strutted out of the office, humming a tune. His words had left her baffled. He certainly didn’t appear to be a guy who relied on
fate
. Isabella had tried the fate tactic before, and apparently fate
wanted
her to be miserable. She needed to be in control of her own destiny—so goddamn it, she was going to control it. As long as she could make up her mind.

Chapter Eleven

The very next evening was her date with Luke, and the minutes leading up to it had felt like an eternity.

Isabella darted into the kitchen, into the office, and then back to the kitchen, desperately trying to find a tube of lipstick since she’d relocated everything from the bathroom upstairs to various places downstairs. Contemplating climbing that ladder gave her a panic attack, so she reserved that activity for emergencies only.

“I really need some
stairs
,” she muttered, throwing a shirt behind her as she scoured the living room. Luke had made it clear that he was going to arrive at her house at exactly 7:00 and that she had to be ready exactly at that time because he couldn’t wait any longer to ‘have her in his clutches.’

God, she couldn’t get enough of the guy. She’d been thinking back on her first impressions of him at the beginning of the project. The change had been gradual, but from what she knew of him personally and what she could surmise from his past, he was different than the Luke who had originally walked through her door. Was it really possible that the guy who had always avoided serious relationships and any form of dating was now begging her to give him a chance?

Isabella couldn’t wait for their night. Being near him during the work hours was satisfying but limited, as they were both very productive and dedicated people. Their time together outside of the work hours was essential; it allowed them to really get deep into each other’s minds—and, if circumstances permitted, into each other’s pants. Isabella smiled devilishly as she checked her appearance one last time in the mirror.

The doorbell rang and she still hadn’t found her lipstick. She practically ran to the door, loving the moment when her eyes first settled on him, the moment when he first took her in. She swung open the door and there he was, smiling and leaning against the door frame, dressed to kill in black pants and a loose button-up.

“Hey sexy,” he said, stepping inside. He leaned in to her and brushed his lips gently across hers. Tingly explosions erupted underneath her skin, all over her body, and she realized that she’d always felt this way with him; no matter her mood, or the day, or a recent argument, he was always able to coax her back to happiness with his mere presence and the softest kiss.

“Let’s get outta here,” he whispered into her ear, grabbing her hand.

“Give me one second,” she said. “I can’t find my lipstick.” She swiveled away from him to continue the search, but he pulled her back to him.

“You look beautiful without it. Let’s go.”

She complied and followed him into his black convertible, happy that although Luke had plenty of experience in the world of materialism and beauty, he didn’t expect her to be flawless, and preferred her more natural-looking in every situation. Her heart skipped a beat as he took her hand in his and drove with it in his lap, as though it were the natural thing to do.

“Where are we going?” she asked, hardly caring. A night with Luke was good no matter where they went.

“Someplace.”

They zoomed down freeways dotted with palm trees and Isabella sucked in the sultry night air, allowing the excitement to burble happily in her belly, suspending the guilty feelings that she normally forced herself to feel. Why not feel totally happy with him now, when she was doing exactly what she wanted to do? Sure, she had ideas about what she “should” be doing, but at the end of it all, spending time with Luke felt the most right to her. She’d figure out the rest later.

She squeezed his hand. He smiled and, as if hearing her thoughts, said, “You’re gonna like what I have planned.” She had reason to suspect that tonight’s date would be a bit different than before. Luke had pulled his cloak of mystery tight around him, and all she could do was wait to see what surprised he revealed to her.

Before long, Luke pulled up to a small, trendy plaza with outside cafes and illuminated fountains. She stepped out of the car, recognizing the place instantly. She noticed him watching her with bated breath, waiting for her to put together the pieces of the puzzle.

“This is where Mocha Loca is, isn’t it?” She watched him suspiciously, a grin slowly forming.

“You could be right.” He offered his arm and she took it. They strolled up the stone path, stopping briefly to admire the dancing fountain that alternately gleamed in hues of blues and purple. Luke then directed her toward a busy coffee shop. The door was open and from inside, a loud murmur of voices could be heard. As they approached, Isabella noticed a sign outside that read, “Tonight Only! Live Poetry Slam, featuring Greta Gilbert!”

She gasped, confused and pleasantly shocked. “Luke. How did you know...?” She wasn’t sure how many people knew Greta Gilbert was her favorite poet, but was sure she’d be able to count the number on one hand.

He smiled like he had a secret. “I pay attention, okay?” He laughed and then said, “You only have a thousand of her books, you know. Also, Lizzie confirmed it for me.”