Текст книги "Middle of Knight"

Автор книги: Jewel E. Ann

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Текущая страница: 17 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

Chapter Thirty-Three

“Dr. Jones, can you tell us what you and Ms. Day discussed in the lobby of the hotel?”

Jessica was alive.

Luke stared at the steel table beneath his propped up elbows. Nauseous. Confused. The effects of the sedative lingered like a hangover.

He’d been in Houston for three days. Charlie was supposed to meet him for the second half of the week. After coffee and an omelet with whole grain toast in his room, he left early for that day’s seminar to drop a room key off at the concierge for Charlie. He was one of three people in line: a tall gentleman in a suit who looked a little familiar, perhaps another doctor he’d seen at the conference, and a woman at the front of the line. He couldn’t see much of her except a pile of platinum blond hair when she’d make the occasional tilt of her head to the side while talking to the concierge.

“Dr. Jones? Our goal is to get you home as soon as possible, but we can’t do that until you answer our questions.

“You’re those people who trained her … aren’t you?”

The muscle in “Knox’s” jaw ticked. Luke watched him, knowing he would have to decipher the truth from his actions because his words, right down to his name which sounded made-up, gave nothing away.

“You know about us?” He smirked, but Luke didn’t miss the three rapid blinks before he answered. “What did Ms. Day tell you about her training?”

“It’s confidential.”

“Well if you believe we—as you say—trained her, then I don’t see what you could possibly tell me that I don’t already know.”

Once the shock of having seen a ghost wore off, the agony of how she looked settled into his chest, bringing to life a pain that felt as raw as the day he lost her. The image of her bloodshot eyes would haunt him forever. Her body sagged as much as the dark circles beneath those vacant eyes, like she hadn’t slept in days. It was real. She stood before him, but there was no life inside of her.

“Are they all alive? Her parents? Jude?”

“Here’s what you need to know, Dr. Jones. Jessica is alive. She’s not being held against her will. And you will never see her again. If you want to continue breathing, then I suggest you acknowledge who holds the power. You need to answer my questions, and then we will return you to your life.”

“You have my fucking life!” Luke slammed his fists on the table sending Knox’s coffee off the edge.

Knox took a deep breath. His jaw muscles clenched again as he shook the hot coffee from his hand. “Unfortunate circumstances such as this one don’t happen often, but when they do I usually give the forgotten a chance to go home. Ultimately my priority is protecting my own.”

“She’s not yours.”

Knox smirked. “I can assure you … I claimed her long before you did.”

Luke lunged across the table. “You fucker!”

Everything went black.

*

Day

The rescue shelter had told Luke the little black and white Great Dane was the runt of the litter and he probably would only grow to the size of a large Labrador retriever. At eighteen months he measured thirty-four inches in height, weighing in at just under one hundred and sixty pounds—so much more than he ever dreamed. That summed up his relationship with Jessica too.

The nearly two years since he’d met her felt like two seconds. His fear that she would settle into some sort of normalcy and the light that brought life to his existence would fade … it didn’t happen. Even with all his “studying,” Jessica remained as unpredictable as the day they met. He had yet to wake up with her in his arms. The Qin dynasty remained separated from the Nomads. She seemed content with it more than he did. Jessica never imagined him, them, Jones, living together, holidays with family—a life. She never asked for a ring or a wedding, children, or a promise beyond today.

However, Luke wanted that—and he wanted it with her—but not until he could wake up with her in his arms. He wondered if her contentment would prevent that from ever happening. The progress they’d made with her past had by all accounts been remarkable. Separating Dr. Jones from Luke presented a challenge with certain topics, such as her past lovers or as she referred to them “victims.” She doled the information out over many months. They both agreed it was one of the more difficult topics.

“Our kids are going to ride you like a horse, Jones.” Jessica laughed as Jones greeted her at the door. Even in heels she wasn’t that much taller.

Luke listened to her talk to said horse while he poured her a glass of wine in the kitchen. He loved those rare moments of hearing her talk about “our kids,” as if it was a foregone conclusion. Then on cue, he heard one clack followed by a second as she kicked off her heels, letting them fly where they may. In their almost two years together she went from messy to a complete disaster, yet he still adored her beyond words.

“Mmm …” She smiled as he handed her a glass of wine. After taking a sip, she lifted onto her toes and kissed him. That was the reason he too drank wine. It would forever remind him of how her tongue tasted sliding against his. “Therapy Thursday … let’s do this.”

He smiled and followed her to the balcony with Jones right behind them. After a solid year of unofficial therapy three days a week, she requested her “sentence” be reduced. Luke said two days a week, she countered one … so of course it ended up being one. Therapy Thursday.

“I think I’m ready to talk about the sex and blood.”

“Oh?”

Of course most of their sessions had evolved around one or the other, but Luke needed more from her. He needed the missing pieces.

One: Why did she have such a controlling attitude about sex?

Two: What made a vegetarian feel empowered by the taste of blood?

She had seemed as perplexed as him by those questions for a long time. Luke believed her because he loved her and trusted her. Dr. Jones, with his unbiased mental clarity, held a bit more skepticism. Jessica hid something or suppressed it so deep as to try and convince herself it hadn’t happened.

“So last night one of the students in my self-defense class pulled me aside after class to talk. Her boyfriend raped her, but it took her a long time to shed the guilt and acknowledge that it was, in fact, rape.”

“Because he was her boyfriend?”

“No, because he made her orgasm.”

Luke nodded, feeling uneasy about the direction of the conversation. Jessica had a way of disclosing her past with something that had recently triggered a memory.

“I know how she felt.”

Luke tried to keep his voice even as he spoke through clenched teeth. “You were raped?”

Jessica stared at her wine and shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

The reaction that stayed lodged in his throat was one of disbelief. How could she not be sure?

“It was three weeks after Claire died.”

“Wait, you told me you lost your virginity when you were nineteen with the guy from the jazz club. You were seventeen when Claire died.”

“Yes. I told you Pete claimed my hymen.”

He set his wine down to prevent his death-hold from shattering the glass.

“One of the men who trained me took it upon himself to make sure I hadn’t ‘lost my edge’ after Claire died. For the purpose of this story I’ll call him Mick. Anyway, I didn’t want to get out of bed or eat, let alone train for days afterward. All I wanted to do was plan Four’s death. It consumed me. So my father sent me with Mick to a remote location, one of their training facilities that wasn’t being used.

He pushed me hard for days. There wasn’t a part of my body that didn’t hurt. I could barely eat my face was so busted up, and one of my eyes had completely swelled shut. At first I didn’t fight back. It felt like a punishment for being so stupid to go with Claire in the first place. But Mick taunted me … he wanted me to make him bleed, and all I could think about was what a cathartic release it was for Four when he cut Claire. So I fought back and I made him bleed.”

Luke cleared his throat, praying to God that Dr. Jones would take over because the thought of Jessica’s father sending her off with some guy to get beat up, less than a month after her best friend was murdered, filled him with rage.

“How did that make you feel?”

She leaned her head against the back of the chair and closed her eyes. “Alive. It made me feel like a survivor.”

He let the silence settle over them, knowing she would soon confess something that would gut him. Just the feeling alone made it hard to breathe.

“He asked me if Four raped Claire, which was weird because I thought surely my dad had given him all the details. When I told him no, he asked me if I thought I had what it took to keep from being raped.”

Bile eased up Luke’s throat.

“I said yes. Then he asked if I wanted to bet on it.” Jessica shook her head. “I hated him so much. Mick always treated me like I was too young, weak, and naive. So I thought, fuck him, because I wasn’t the only one who looked like shit. His face had caught my fists, elbows, knees, and feet on more than one occasion. I could hold my own.

Anyway, he bet me that I wouldn’t be able to fight him off if he tried to fuck me. He didn’t say rape, but it was implied. I asked what I got if I won. He said he’d take me back home instead of finishing our last few days of ‘training,’ because I would have proven myself to him.”

“What was in it for him?” Luke asked.

Jessica locked her gaze to his. “He got to fuck me.”

He drew in a slow breath.

“After I agreed, he said there was just one stipulation … he wasn’t going to tell me when it would happen. That night I stayed up until three o’clock in the morning, standing guard over my virginity. He slept six feet away in a sleeping bag on the concrete floor. Eventually, I let go … I just couldn’t hold on any longer. I awoke to a tapping on my foot. He stood over me, completely naked. It was the first time I’d ever seen a grown man naked. I couldn’t move … I could barely breathe as he just stood there stroking himself. I’d been expecting him to come after me—clothed with wild eyes. But that wasn’t his game. He had a point to prove and it was that I was, in fact, young, weak, and naive. He asked if I was a virgin. I nodded. Then he said, “Run, bitch.”

“Jess … you don’t have to tell me—”

“I do.” She gave him a sad smile. “It’s time.”

Luke nodded.

“So I ran, or at least I tried. He grabbed my ankle, and I fell face-first onto the concrete. It bloodied my nose and busted open one of the cuts on my lip. He pressed his naked body to my back then reached between us to shove down my pants.”

Luke watched her stare into the sunset, but not a single tear formed in her eyes. She looked drained of all emotion.

“I was scared. I thought about my time waiting for Trigger to return and kill me, but not even then was I as scared as I was when Mick’s cock pressed to my ass. I got it … I really did. It’s a different type of fear, and looking back perhaps I can understand a little why Claire’s parents were so relieved that she hadn’t been raped. It meant she didn’t have that fear. It’s paralyzing, especially for someone who hadn’t ever experienced sex. As if the fear of the unknown mixed with the sheer weight of his body on mine wasn’t enough, he slid his finger over my clit. As he rubbed me off, he asked me how it felt to be so fucking weak. I couldn’t speak, let alone scream or beg for him to stop. It was this painful fear mixed with unwanted pleasure as I climaxed from his touch.”

She took several big gulps of her wine then rubbed her lips together and looked at Luke. He didn’t want her to look at him. He didn’t want her to see the look of complete horror in his eyes.

“He smeared my arousal back … all the way. Then he gave me one last out as he teased the head of his cock against my ass hole. He said, ‘tell me your friend died because you were too fucking weak to save her and this all ends right now.’”

Luke clenched the arms of the chair, willing himself to not look away.

Jessica shrugged. “But I’m my father’s daughter—stubborn to the point of my own demise. So I took a deep breath, braced myself, then I told him to go to hell.”

“Jesus, Jessica …” Luke flinched. He couldn’t help it, even though he knew how it ended.

There was no possible way to react as anyone but the man who loved her. Dr. Jones was nowhere to be found, and Luke couldn’t find any words that conveyed his … shock? Anger? Disappointment?

She continued. “I don’t think our humanity is on some switch. I think it’s more like candles on a cake. It takes a lot to blow them all out at once. I know Mick blew a few out that morning, and I think it allowed enough of my soul to stay hidden in the shadows to allow me to kill Four a few weeks later.” She scrunched her nose. “Does that sound like an accurate assessment?”

Luke didn’t have an accurate assessment. He didn’t have any assessment. “Did you tell anyone?”

“No. That’s why I could somewhat relate to my student. He’d pleasured me and I felt angry, but I also felt guilty. But for me it was more than that. I made a deal with the Devil and I lost, but we shook on it. And even when he gave me the chance to stop it, I didn’t. So to this day I’m not sure how I feel about any of it.”

“You were seventeen, Jessica. It’s not about the pleasure. It was at the very least statutory rape. Your first sexual experience was traumatic. Do you understand how much that itself may have affected your life?”

She shook her head. “Not really. Every part of my life has been extreme. It’s been a world away from normal, even before what happened to Claire or any of my sexual experiences. The day Jude and I were enlisted into this “nonexistent” army of sorts was the day I became someone else. Jude was never raped, and he never watched his best friend die in front of him, but he’s far from normal. He’s a dysfunctional recluse who spends his evenings trolling for quick fucks then goes home to his stupid computer. How do you explain that?”

“I don’t know enough about this “nonexistent” army, but as far as you and your brother are concerned, I think they stole your childhood innocence. I think you missed out on vital time in your teenage years. But they didn’t steal your humanity. That’s just a weak excuse for justifying immoral behavior.”

Jessica frowned. His words may have carried an edge of accusation, but he didn’t regret them.

“Come here.” He pulled her onto his lap and cradled her face. “That stubbornness that you admit to? I think it prevents you from seeing the whole picture of your past. I think you’d rather die than consider yourself a victim. All you see is the monster inside, but that monster is something you’ve created to protect yourself from the pain. I think that’s why you feel the need for revenge. You think it proves you’re a monster and no longer the victim.”

Tears filled her eyes. “Monsters are strong … victims are weak.”

“Oh, baby, that’s where you’re wrong. Monsters prey on others because they have no self-control … they’re the weak ones. And you’re not just a victim, Jess, you’re a survivor and there’s no one stronger than a survivor.”

With one blink of her tear-filled eyes, she released a little more of that pain that she’d been holding onto for so long.

“I did it to him too.” Her lip quivered as much as her voice.

“Did what?”

“I got my revenge and maybe…” she sniffed “…maybe you’re right. Because afterwards I didn’t feel like the victim anymore.”

Luke wiped her tears. “What did you do?”

“By ten the next morning Mick was being hauled out on a stretcher with a broken nose, two missing teeth, and a punctured lung from three fractured ribs. His biggest mistake has always been forgetting that he was only one of the men who trained me.”

Luke gave her a slight nod of understanding. He didn’t want to condone the behavior that he just told her was so counterproductive to her progress, but Mick deserved everything she gave him and so much more.

“What?” she asked as he continued to look at her, contemplating everything she’d just confessed.

“The blood?”

She nodded, brushing the pads of her fingers over her lips, a glassy look in her eyes. “Before they loaded Mick into the ambulance, he whispered, ‘Come here,’ through his weak breaths. I leaned down close to his face and he touched my lips with his bloodied finger. ‘Taste that?’ he asked. I slid the tip of my tongue over my bottom lip. ‘That’s power, sweetheart. And that power will keep you alive.’”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Knight

“Dr. Jones?”

Luke jerked from the strong ammonia infiltrating his nose.

“Welcome back.”

It took a moment to adjust to the light as everything came back into focus. He began to move his hand to rub the back of his head that pulsed with pain, but metal gripped his wrists. Then an aching burn flared along his shoulders, and he realized his hands were cuffed behind the chair.

“I see the connection now between you and Ms. Day. You’re both stubborn, impulsive, and have little regard for your well-being. It’s touching really.” Knox grinned from across the table, with the steam from a fresh cup of coffee spiraling into the air.

“You raped her.”

Knox’s smile faded. He motioned with his head and the three other men standing guard in the room exited.

“You’re an educated man, Dr. Jones. I’m sure had you taken the time to remove your dick from the equation, you would have come to the only conclusion there is: Jessica Day is certifiably insane. She should have been committed. But you wanted to keep her as your little pet instead. You thought as long as you had her on a leash she wouldn’t be a threat to anyone.”

Knox took a sip of his coffee then stood, pacing the room. “What do you know about her training and what we do here?”

“I know you take innocent children and train them to be killers.”

“Killers?” Knox laughed. “Is that what Ms. Day told you? Or is that your own assessment? Because the whole purpose of what we do is to prevent innocent people from being killed. That’s why you’re no longer with your beloved. The day her parents were murdered, her name moved to the top of a list. Do you know what list that was?”

Luke glared at him.

“It was the Next List. As in, she was next on the list to be killed. That’s where we came in to save her life.”

“Witness Protection?”

Knox smirked. “Sort of … but more efficient. Members of our group don’t have to jump through hoops and pray that a bullet doesn’t land in their head before they reach the end. We protect our own at all cost, no questions asked.”

“Who killed her parents?”

“Someone who realized her father was not who he claimed to be. People in the drug trafficking business tend to be a little unforgiving when they find out an undercover DEA agent has infiltrated their circle.”

“If her parents were dead, why would they come after her?”

“Now you’re asking me to think like a drug lord.” Knox shrugged, lighting up a cigar. “I suppose it’s like going to a buffet. Some people keep eating until they’re full, others keep going until they feel they’ve gotten their money’s worth. These kingpins always get their money’s worth, and they have ferocious appetites.”

Luke grimaced as he tried to roll his shoulders.

“Sorry, Dr. Jones. I’d let you go, but I can’t trust you, and I’m not sure how many more of your attacks my patience can tolerate without actually killing you. And your absence in this world would get back to Ms. Day and her unpredictability would most likely bring about the apocalypse. Now, if you don’t mind, it’s time to tell me what the two of you discussed at the hotel.”

Luke shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Knox laughed. “You just saw the woman whose grave you visit every Saturday morning with your mammoth dog and a to-go cup of Samovar tea, yet you expect me to believe you said nothing?”

The metal cut into Luke’s wrists as he glowered at Knox.

“Don’t give me that look. You’ve been the biggest waste of man hours, but you and that dumb dog of yours have had an angel looking out for you per Ms. Day’s request, or should I say per her threat.”

“I said nothing. She said … thank you.” His words mirrored the defeat in his heart. The only thing worse than losing her once was losing her twice. He’d had closure, but he would never have it again. Every day would be filled with worry and the permanent heartache of knowing that she looked broken and miserable and there was nothing he could do.

“Why did she say thank you if you didn’t say anything?”

Luke’s lip twitched into the hint of a smile. “‘God gave you a gift of 84,600 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say thank you?’ William Arthur Ward,” he whispered.

*

Day

“This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever done,” Luke declared.

Jessica giggled. “Really? More than skinny dipping with your parents?”

“That was insane. This is just ridiculous.”

“I’d help, babe, but I have long, painted fingernails for the first time in nearly fifteen years and I don’t want to chip them.”

“Dammit, Jones … hold still.” Luke grumbled as he stood and slipped off his jacket. “Hold this, I’m going to have dog hair all over my suit.”

“Maybe I should see if your dad can help. He’s more patient with Jones than you are.”

“There’s no time. Besides, they’ve already been ushered to their seats.”

Jones tilted his head at Jessica and she blew him a kiss. Luke rolled his eyes.

“He’s a black and white dog. I don’t see the point of dressing him in a goddamn black and white dog tuxedo.” Luke lay down under Jones like a mechanic under a car, to button up the custom made dog tuxedo.

“Millie’s wearing a dress, so Jones has to wear a tux. Besides this is Kelly’s day and the bride gets whatever she wants.”

“You mean it’s Gabe and Kelly’s day.”

“Yeah, yeah that’s what I meant.”

Luke rolled out from under Jones and lumbered to standing, brushing off his pants and re-tucking his shirt.

“Thanks, man, for being such a fucking idiot.” Gabe came into the room and smacked Luke on the back just as he slid his arm into his black jacket. “‘I’m going to the rescue shelter to get Jess a dog. You should get one for Kelly.’ Dumbest. Idea. Ever. The church is filled to capacity and my bride-to-be is having a breakdown because her four-legged bridesmaid’s dress has shit on the back. Who the hell buys a dog a dress with a train on the back?”

Jessica grimaced, backing up toward the door. “Sounds like I’d better help defuse the bride.”

Luke gave her a pointed look.

She shrugged. “Don’t give me that look. That’s why I had Jones’s tux made without tails.”

He rolled his eyes as she shut the door behind her.

“My apologies. Admittedly, the dogs were a moment of insanity. At least Millie fits in a kennel and doesn’t shit logs the size of Redwoods.”

Jones tilted his head at Luke.

“You know it’s true.” Luke narrowed his eyes at Jones.

Gabe laughed. “How did you end up with a dog that’s bigger than your girlfriend?”

Luke chuckled. “So are you nervous?”

Gabe wiped his brow and showed Luke his sweaty fingers. “I’m scared shitless. Half of all marriages end in divorce. But I’m so fucking crazy about her and I want her to be mine in every way possible. I’m just as big a dog as Jones when it comes to her. I want to mark her—lay claim to her—so the whole world knows she’s mine and I’m so fucking protective of her it’s ludicrous.”

“Please tell me those aren’t your wedding vows.”

Gabe laughed. “You have no room to make fun, man. For the past two years I’ve watched you worship the ground Jessica walks on.”

“Touché. Now get your ass to the altar.”

*

Millie the bulldog and her dress, minus the shat-on train, walked down the aisle with Jessica. Luke’s heart ached as he and Jones watched her move with elegance and breathtaking beauty—flowing black hair over her sun-kissed shoulders and a floor-length strapless, champagne dress. He absolutely worshiped everything about her.

As if she could read his mind, her grin doubled when their eyes met. “I love you,” she mouthed. He pressed his hand to his heart. It was ready to burst. He wanted it to be him standing closest to the altar and her meeting him there to start their forever. Someday.

There was a bride, some scripture, a poem, an exchange of vows, and a kiss, but all he saw was Jessica and all he heard was the beat of his heart. Gabe and Kelly walked down the aisle as husband and wife as the guests clapped and cheered. He and Jones met Jessica and Millie at the altar to walk out next.

“I can’t breathe … you’re so beautiful,” he whispered in her ear as he offered his arm.

“Luke …” she shook her head.

Jessica dabbed her eyes as they exited the church. He wasn’t trying to make her cry. It was just something that had to be said.

Luke’s parents took the canines back to their house on the way to the reception lodge by the lake while Luke and Jessica drove the bride and groom in the GTO, tin cans, and a “Just Married” sign in the back window because Luke wouldn’t let them write anything on the actual window.

“I’m driving home,” she whispered in his ear as he helped her out.

“Ahem, enough canoodling, you two. Help me out of the back. I think my groom is lost in the sea of my dress.” Kelly laughed.

Luke helped her out and sure enough, there was a groom buried under a million layers of chiffon and tulle.

“That dress has got to go,” Gabe declared as he crawled out of the backseat.

“Five hours, baby, and you can take it all off.” Kelly fisted his lapels and kissed him.

“Enough canoodling, you two. Your guests await.”

Kelly pushed away and elbowed Jessica with a grin as they made their way to the lodge. Toasts, dinner, cake, and dancing filled the late summer evening along the banks of Lake Tahoe. Luke stood on the sidelines with a cold beer, watching Jessica float around the room, throwing her head back in laughter as she talked with family and friends or danced like a young girl born of innocence and blooming with hope. Not another soul in the room would ever imagine that she carried a hundred lifetimes of pain inside those amber eyes.

“Luke … dance with me!” She held out her hands from the edge of the dance floor.

He grinned and waited a few seconds, needing to let that image of her find its perfect spot in his memory. Then he set his beer on the table and weaved his way through the crowd to those open arms.

“I love you, babe.” She threw her arms around his neck as he lifted her off the ground, kissing her like they were the only two people in the room.

Gasping for air as he eased her back to the floor, she stared at him with wide eyes. “Oh my God …”

“What?” He smirked, wiping her lipstick from his mouth.

Jessica leaned into him. “That kiss.”

“What about it?”

She wet her lips and swallowed. “It’s how you kiss me when you want me … really want me.”

He hugged her to his body, swaying to the music. “I do really want you.”

Her breath hitched. “Dr. Jones, you’re really hard.” She slid her hands down to his ass and curled her fingers.

“Fuck,” he seethed while rocking into her with a jerk. “Don’t do that,” he warned in her ear. His parents were seated at a table twenty feet away. The last thing he needed was them watching him grind into Jessica on the dance floor, sporting the world’s hardest erection.

A playful laugh vibrated from her chest. “Please, please, please tell me we’re going to remedy this situation before we go back to your parents’ house.”

Luke was ready to remedy the “situation” right then and there. Watching his greatest adoration float around all day in that dress, with that smile, wetting those lips if he stared at her too long … it had been a slow burn of seduction. They would not be going back to his parents’ place until the situation was remedied. He just wasn’t certain of the specific details.

“Attention, everyone. The bride is going to toss her bouquet.”

Jessica grinned. “In the bag.”

Luke smiled. “You and me, sexy, in the lake, if you catch the bouquet.”

“Oh, Jones … I love all your little wagers. But you always try to squirm your way out of those lake promises.” She blew him a kiss as she followed the throng of women to the other side of the dance floor.

“Jess, stand by me,” Lake said, grabbing Jessica’s hand. “I turn eighteen tomorrow and I’ve never caught a bouquet. Do you think it’s my lucky night?”

Jessica smiled at Lake. “Yeah … I think it will be.”

Two of the groomsmen lifted Kelly into the air with her back to the mass of hopeful women.

“One. Two. Three!” Kelly tossed it over her head.

Luke smiled while shaking his head in complete disbelief. It was headed straight for Jessica. He imagined her taking out half the women to catch it, but it appeared fate had her back. However, at the last second, she shoved Lake right in front of her. Lake caught the bouquet with a huge grin, eyes wide with surprise. Jessica wrapped her arms around Lake and whispered something in her ear.

As Jessica made her way back to Luke, she shrugged and smiled. “Guess it wasn’t in the stars for me tonight.”

“I don’t think there are enough stars in the sky to count how many times a day I fall in love with you all over again.”

Lake sidled next to Luke, sliding her arm around his back. He hugged her to him.

“Here.” She pulled one of the white roses from the bouquet and handed it to her brother. “It should have been Jess’s, but she gave me an early birthday present. Marry her, Luke. Marry. Her.” She reached up and kissed him on the cheek then hugged Jessica again before twirling off to the dance floor.

“Not even close to enough stars in the sky.” Luke shook his head and tucked the rose behind Jessica’s ear as he pressed his lips to hers. “Race you to the lake,” he whispered over her lips, smiling so big his face hurt.

He backed slowly toward the door. Jessica remained statuesque, lips parted. Her whole face spelled shock. Luke nodded his head toward the exit. With a deep breath, a smile grew along her lips as her eyes gleamed with excitement.

The second he stepped outside he made a dash for the lake, knowing she would be not more than a breath behind him.

“Jones!” she squealed, chasing him down the tree-lined path to the lake.

Jacket, tie, shirt … he tossed them to the wind. The adrenaline-fed insanity made him feel more alive than he ever imagined possible. He took a quick look over his shoulder as his legs continued to propel him forward. Long dark hair flowed behind his living dream. Her shoes tossed to the sand, and with each step she ran right out of her dress. Stopping at the water’s edge, he slipped out of the rest of his clothes.