Luke (Armed and Dangerous Book 2) (16 page)

***

Without bringing attention to himself, Luke hitched one hip against the door frame of the MacKenna kitchen and folded his arms across his chest as he watched Trinity and Skylar prepare a taco dinner.

Zack Hunter came up beside him and stood, speaking so low only Luke could hear him. “I’ve sent the postcard that Sky received to check for prints, but you know we probably won’t get much that’s useful.”

Luke knew a lot of people had handled that postcard, no doubt, since it got mailed from some little town upstate, nowhere near where Gary Woods and his rustling buddies were being held while they waited for their trials.

“Sky was pretty upset when they came in from the barn,” Zack said. “Let’s keep things light.”

Luke nodded, and Zack headed to his office in another part of the sprawling ranch home.

One shotgun in his face—yeah, that was enough for any evening. Light, low-key, all of that was fine by Luke. Besides, he had to be very careful, since Skylar and Zack knew about his cover and real background, but Trinity didn’t. He needed to tell her soon, but it wasn’t that easy, or even that advisable, letting the information out at this point in the operation. One false move by anybody, with Guerrero already so damned suspicious, and he could find himself useless in the field, and Rios, too.

Still, after Guerrero’s little stunt at the restaurant, and now the damned postcard, Luke didn’t want Trinity too far out of his line of sight. Especially now that he knew Zack—damn him—had involved her in part of the investigation.

That night in the hot tub—
Christ.
He knew Trinity needed time to get her thoughts together, to get past her breakup and understand what she did and didn’t want in her life, but he’d given her about all the time he could stand.

He could still taste her, from the flavor of her kisses and the juices between her thighs. Damn but she was sweet. His cock grew tight against his jeans and he shifted slightly, hoping nobody would notice he had a major hard-on.

Grease popped and crackled on the stovetop as Skylar dipped a corn tortilla into the hot liquid to make a taco shell. Warm aromas of seasoned meat, Mexican rice, and refried beans made Luke’s stomach growl.

Neither of the women had noticed him yet, and it gave Luke a few more moments to study Trinity as she diced a tomato on a wooden cutting board. Wisps of strawberry blond hair fell into her eyes, shielding him from her vision, as she slid the knife into the tomato.

Luke itched to brush the strands behind her ear, to follow his fingers with his tongue and lick a trail down the row of gold earrings along her lobe. And then he’d bite her just below her lowest earring, a soft nip that would make her moan for more.

“Hey there, Luke.” At the sound of Skylar’s voice, Trinity’s head shot up and her cheeks blushed a nice shade of rose as her eyes met his.

“Are you able to join us for dinner tonight, or are you going into town for some Friday-night action?” Skylar asked.

“Depends.” Luke gave Trinity a slow smile. “If Trinity here is up for dancing, we could head on over to Sierra Vista.”

Trinity’s eyes widened and she blushed a richer red. “I, uh, can’t. Dance, I mean.”

“Guess I’ll just stay for dinner then.” Luke winked then turned his attention to Skylar. “Need a hand?”

“You’re not flirting with my little sister, are you?” Skylar cocked an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth quirking into a smile.

Luke gave a slow nod as his gaze moved back to Trinity. “I am. I’m doing exactly that.”

Skylar laughed and gestured with the tortilla she was holding. “You could cut up the onions for Trinity. She hates them.”

At the mention of onions, Trinity’s freckled nose crinkled and she pointed the knife she was holding at a bunch of green onions on the granite countertop. “Have at it, big guy.”

“Sure thing.” Luke ambled over to the sink and washed his hands. Trinity kept her attention focused on the tomato, dicing it into the smallest bits he’d ever seen. “You aiming to turn that into sauce?”

Trinity’s cheeks burned as she stopped in mid-chop and stared down at the desecrated tomatoes. “I, uh, like them that way.” She lifted the cutting board and scraped the tomato goop into a bowl with the knife.

Darned if she was going to tell Luke that she’d been daydreaming about him the whole time she was dicing the tomato. He was all she’d been thinking about, every minute, and it was going to drive her crazy.

“How would you like to join us for dinner first of the week, too, Luke?” Skylar asked from behind them. “Rylie’s coming with her brother Levi, and we’re playing poker afterward. You’d make it an even six.”

Trinity cut her gaze to meet Luke’s and he grinned. “Strip poker?” he said with a teasing glint in his eyes and Skylar laughed. “Count me in.”

“Just be prepared to ante up, cowboy.” Skylar banged the frying pan against a burner as she moved it off the heat. “And keep your clothes on.”

Luke chuckled and gave Trinity a look that said he could see right through her blouse. Her body ached so badly for him she could hardly stand it.

“I’m finished with the taco shells,” Skylar said, and Trinity glanced over her shoulder to see her sister shut off the stovetop burner. “I’ll let Zack know dinner’s about ready,” Skylar added. “Back in a sec.”

The moment she left the kitchen, Luke moved close to Trinity, his jean-clad thighs brushing against her as he murmured, “How was your afternoon?”

Luke’s spicy aftershave flowed over Trinity, bringing back memories of the Christmas party and of the hot tub, and the way he held her today when he talked to her on their walk.

How was she supposed to concentrate on his words?

She looked away from Luke and slipped the vegetable knife into the dishwasher, barely able to think with him so close. “Ah... fine,” she said as she shut the dishwasher door. “But I enjoyed my lunch a lot more.”

He caught her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. His touch caused her skin to tingle and her nipples to peak beneath her blouse.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, his blue eyes intent. “And you know how much I want you.”

“I... um...” Trinity could scarcely breathe the way Luke was looking at her. “Want...”

Yeah. That’s what she was doing.

Wanting.

It was all she could do.

His smile was tight. “You think you’re about over breaking up with what’s-his-name?”

“Race,” Trinity muttered, vaguely remembering her ex-boyfriend’s e-mail. “Nothing to get over, really. It wasn’t that kind of relationship.”

Damn, she wanted to slide her fingers into the thick brown hair beneath his cowboy hat. She wanted to see his incredible body again, touch him and taste him... and finally, finally feel him inside her.

Cripes but she had it bad.

Lust. A serious case of cowboy lust.

Luke’s smile turned sensual as he ran his thumb along her lower lip. “I can read those pretty green eyes, sugar. We’re right for one another, but you’re not feeling sure about that yet, are you?”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking,” she whispered. “And you don’t know we’re right for each other.”

“It’s the truth.” Luke lowered his head, bringing his mouth inches above hers. “You’re flat out too scared to admit it.”

Trinity pressed her palms against his chest and almost groaned out loud. She could feel the play of his powerful muscles beneath his shirt.

“I—I barely know you,” she finally said.

“Sugar, we already know each other better than some folks who’ve been together for years.”

She shook her head. “We only met a few days ago.”

“Doesn’t matter.” He brought his face closer and filled all her senses with his presence. She felt as though she was drowning, losing herself in this virile man, and wanting to lose herself in him. “Somehow, I’ll give you another day—or two, if that’s what you need to be sure.”

“I want you now, Luke. I want you tonight.”

His lips touched hers, then pulled back, sending shivers of pleasure across every inch of her skin.

“Not yet.” His blue eyes pinned her where she stood. “Because I already know this much—when I take you, I won’t be letting you go.”

The sound of Skylar’s and Zack’s voices snapped Trinity out of her Luke-induced trance. Pulling free of his grip, she grabbed the bowl of mutilated tomatoes and dodged to the other side of the kitchen just as her sister and brother-in-law entered the room.

Luke’s soft laugh punctuated the pounding of her heart and she didn’t know whether to fling the whole bowl of diced tomatoes at him, or throw herself into his arms.

On Tuesday night, exactly eight days from when she first met the man, Luke moved beside Trinity as she dug out the playing cards from the china cabinet drawer. She shivered from his nearness. The light cotton dress she was wearing suddenly felt too thin, made her feel too vulnerable, like she was wearing nothing around him.

All evening during last Friday night’s dinner, and then again tonight, Luke had taken every opportunity to brush against her, to touch her when no one was looking.

When I take you, I won’t be letting you go...

Cripes, the cowboy didn’t play fair. Not at all.

“What are we playing?” Rylie asked from behind Trinity as she finally located the cards, and Trinity almost dropped the whole damned deck.

“How about five card stud?” Luke said, the warmth of his breath caressing her ear.

Levi slipped past Trinity and Luke as Rylie tossed the deck onto the dinner table. “Sounds as good as any,” Levi said.

Zack had removed the two middle table leaves a few minutes earlier, so that the table was much smaller and cozier for playing poker. Now instead of a long oblong table, it was almost circular.

Rylie’s blond hair bounced against her shoulders as she punched her brother in the shoulder and she laughed when he grabbed his arm. The man’s hair was as blond as his sister’s, and almost as curly. “You ready for me to kick your ass, Deputy Levi Thorn?”

“Now this I gotta see.” Zack pulled a chair up to the table, his gray eyes glinting with humor as he grabbed the deck of cards. “I always said local law enforcement was nothing but a bunch of—ah—” He cleared his throat and grinned at Skylar. “A bunch of bad card players.”

“Watch it, Hunter.” Rylie gave Zack a mock glare then kissed her brother on the cheek before slipping into the chair next to Levi.

Skylar carried in a tray from the kitchen, filled with bowls of pretzels, bottles of beer and wine, along with wineglasses. Blue followed at Skylar’s heels, and then settled himself under her chair, his head on his paws.

Trinity helped her sister, and after everything was distributed, Trinity took her seat next to Luke, who was dealing out stacks of red, white, and blue poker chips. When she eased into her chair, he paused and gave her that dark, sexy look that made her ache. She had no idea how she was going to make it through this night without having him.

I won’t be letting you go...

Damn, damn. Damn. Damn.

She wanted sex.

The handsome, sexy guy was the one who wanted something more serious.

In what world was that friggin’ fair?

Trinity had already decided to stick around long enough to help Skylar—and DropCaps wasn’t even expecting her to get going at full speed until after the holidays. They were shipping her gear to her, along with a brand-spanking-new high bandwidth satellite dish to stick in Skylar’s back flower bed. With that puppy, she’d be able to send DropCaps files the size of Montana in about three seconds—so, really, she could work at the ranch as long as she needed to.

That meant she could enjoy a few rolls in the hay with Luke.

But it’s not fair. I won’t be staying forever... Besides, I’m afraid that I could lose my heart to this cowboy.

She’d never done casual sex or one-night stands. No. She couldn’t have sex with Luke knowing that the relationship definitely wouldn’t go any further.

Right?

Shee-yeah.

She was ready for all out heavy, wild, screaming sex with the man.

Trinity sighed and took a long sip of her Zinfandel, letting the liquid slide down her throat until it warmed her belly. She could feel Luke’s eyes on her, but she refused to look at him. Every time those blue eyes met hers, she forgot all the reasons why it wouldn’t work out in the long run.

Zack finished shuffling the deck. “Deuces are wild,” he said as he dealt each player five cards, the first two face down and the other three face up.

Rylie and Skylar chatted about the new shooting range that had been opened up several miles west of Douglas, while Trinity, Levi, and Luke watched Zack deal the cards. It still seemed so odd that Zack was her brother-in-law now.

It was even stranger to realize how comfortable she felt with the six of them having dinner together, and playing cards.

Friends.

And family.

She could get used to this.

No surprises.

No mysteries.

But with Luke... well, yeah, there was lots of mystery in the man, but she knew exactly where she stood with him. He wanted her. And damn but she wanted him.

It’s time, Trinity.

She could barely look at her own hand, for looking at him instead.

It’s time to tell him you’re pretty sure you’re ready.

It’s time to be ready.

But was she?

“You heading home for Christmas, Luke?” Skylar asked as she looked over her cards. “Hey, no peeking,” she added to Zack with a frown as he leaned back in his chair as though he might glance at her cards.

Luke gave a noncommittal shrug as he discarded one card and drew another. He was deep enough undercover that if a search was done on him, it would come up that he was born and raised in an obscure town in Texas, and had studied agribusiness at Auburn University.

Truth of the matter was he’d lived on a ranch outside Houston his entire life before heading off to the University of Texas to earn his bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and then going into the academy.

He wondered what Trinity would think once she learned that he wasn’t who she thought he was. Well, he’d just have to cross that cattle guard when he came to it.