Текст книги "Luke"
Автор книги: M. Malone
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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 12 страниц)
chapter seven
†
LUKE
As I’m driving to the restaurant where Tank told me to meet him, my mind keeps going back to what I overheard. I’m fully aware that no conversation ever sounds right from the outside but there was no mistaking the desperation in Seven’s voice. Whatever she needs “to go through” must be extremely important to her.
Maybe it’s related to one of the games she’s designed or hell, it could have to do with a bill she paid before she left. There’s no end of the ways I could fill in the blank on that conversation. So why can’t I let it go?
Maybe because you saw her leaning over your computer?
I barely got a glimpse, more an impression of movement than an actual image but it was enough to make me wonder. Seven has been acting so strange since she got here and after overhearing her conversation, I’d be a fool not to wonder if she has an agenda.
But what?
I can’t think of anything I have that she’d want. She makes her own money so I seriously doubt she finally made contact with me to try and rob me. The look on her face when she thought I saw her messing with my computer is hard to discount though. She looked guilty as hell and there’s only one reason she’d look that way.
She’s up to something.
I’m still turning over the possibilities when I arrive at Sweetie’s, an upscale restaurant in the city of Newport News. There’s valet parking but my old habits are hard to break. It wasn’t that long ago when I was still counting every dollar I made so wasting it on letting some other person park my car seems pretentious. There’s a parking lot on the side of the building and when I turn in, I recognize Finn’s beat up old pickup truck. It makes me smile. It’s definitely not the kind of thing you’d expect a billionaire to be driving.
After parking a few spaces over from Finn, I get out and jog around to the front of the building. I don’t think I’m late but I definitely don’t want to put Tank any further in the dog house with his soon-to-be wife.
As soon as I step inside, I spot Tank standing near the check-in desk while a nervous waiter hovers behind him. He lets out a huge groan when he sees me.
“Good, you’re here. Em has been freaking out for the last half hour.”
“Sorry it took so long. I wasn’t at home when you called.” I follow him as he weaves between tables. The room they’ve reserved for the event has been decorated with red and silver streamers and there’s a bunch of white balloons right outside the door.
“If you wouldn’t mind pretending that I called you a few days ago to remind you that would be great.”
I laugh at Tank’s nervous look. “You’re scared, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, you try living with her. We’ll see how brave you are then,” he mutters.
“If the offer is open—” I break off at the suddenly murderous expression on his face. “Kidding. Totally kidding.”
We both laugh but our amusement is short-lived because Emma appears out of nowhere.
“Luke! You’re here!”
I’m pulled down into a hug and then before I know what’s happened, I’m being hugged by a succession of boisterous, chatty women. Finn’s wife, Rissa, hugs me and then pushes me down the aisle to where everyone else is waiting.
“Go see Sasha and she’ll tell you what to do.”
I walk to where my brother Gabe and his fiancée, Sasha, are standing. I blush as I always do when I see her. With her long curly hair and brown sugar skin tone she reminds me of a pop star I’ve had a crush on since I was a kid.
Gabe looks pained as she throws her arms around me. My brothers all seem to have found really affectionate women who enjoy hugging.
And I enjoy how much it annoys them.
“There you are! We’re about ready to start.” Sasha grabs my hand and leads me to the other side of the room and down a long hallway. Then we’re outside. A large arbor has been constructed on the lawn behind the restaurant with several rows of chairs set up before it.
“Okay, wait here while I get the other guys. Then we can start.”
Soon I’m joined by Gabe, Finn and Tank. Zack finally comes out a few minutes later. He’s grown in the sides of his hair to cover the tattoos on his scalp and tamed his signature dark Mohawk down with some gel. The girls gather on the other side around an older man in a dark suit that I assume must be the minister. He shakes hands with Tank before continuing down the aisle to the other end.
For the next hour, he leads us through the rehearsal. I’m not sure why we need to rehearse walking up front several times but then I see the stressed look on Emma’s face. It’s apparently bad luck for the bride to rehearse her own wedding so she’s standing off to the side watching everything.
When we’re finally done, Tank lets out a long sigh of relief.
“This had better go off without a hitch. Emma didn’t want to have it here but all the local churches were booked a year out. We had to get creative. This is the only place that could take us so soon so I convinced her to try it. I didn’t want to wait a full year to get married but if something goes wrong, she might never forgive me.”
“Of course she’ll forgive you.”
Tank shakes his head. “She hasn’t been too happy with me lately. No matter what I do, it seems like it’s wrong.”
This isn’t the kind of thing I expected to hear the day before they’re getting married.
He claps me on the shoulder and seems to shake off his prior mood. “How are things going with you? Are you bringing your girlfriend to the wedding?”
“Can I? I didn’t want to assume anything.”
“You’re family. This is a celebration of family so please bring her along. And Luke, if you care about this girl, don’t let her get away.”
“I don’t know how I feel about her.”
This is the wrong time to unload on him when he’s dealing with so much but I don’t know who else to ask. Out of all of my brothers, he’s been in a stable relationship the longest.
“How are you supposed to know that you can trust someone that much? How did you know Emma was right for you?”
A faraway look comes over his face. “Because seeing her was what made me look forward to getting up in the morning. If you find someone you can’t wait to see every day, that’s how you know.”
†
When I enter my apartment a few hours later, Seven is curled up on the couch hugging a throw pillow to her chest watching television.
“Luke, you’re home!” Her eyes light up when she sees me.
When was the last time someone cared enough to wait up for me? I honestly can’t think of anyone else who’s ever cared that much besides my mother. I’m just as happy to see her. All I could think about tonight was how much longer until I could come back home and tell her about it.
If you find someone you can’t wait to see every day, that’s how you know.
Tank’s advice comes to mind immediately. But then I remember that she’s keeping something from me. Until I figure out what it is, I can’t take anything she does at face value.
I close the door behind me and put the take out boxes of food that I brought back for her on the coffee table.
“You had leftovers?” She sits up, adjusting the throw pillow behind her back as she does. With her dark hair in disarray around her face, she looks adorably rumpled. She’s also not covering her face. I’ve noticed when she’s tired or caught off guard, she forgets to be self-conscious about it.
“No, that’s for you.”
Shock then pleasure filters across her face. “You didn’t have to do that. That’s so nice.”
Her smile warms me through and through. She always seems so surprised by kindness.
“How was the rehearsal dinner? Was your whole family there?”
I grab her a fork from the kitchen and she smiles gratefully before digging in to the macaroni and cheese I brought.
“You remember I told you about not knowing my father?”
She nods while taking another huge mouthful of macaroni. It’s hard to stifle my laugh. She looks so happy with it, like a little kid being allowed to have junk food for the first time.
“Well, my father had other children before he met my mom. Of course, I didn’t know that until recently. Tank, Finn, Gabe and Zack are my half-brothers. We’ve been getting to know each other over the past year and surprisingly, I like not being an only child.”
Her eyes follow mine as we both sit back deeper into the couch. The noise from the television recedes into the background and it’s just the two of us cocooned into a little space of our own making.
“Is he having a bachelor party?” Seven asks.
Just hearing the words bachelor party makes me groan.
She looks over at me in amusement. “Oh boy, now I know there’s a story behind that.”
“Hell yeah, there is. Tank’s bachelor party was two weeks ago. His bride insisted they have the bachelor and bachelorette party weeks in advance so they wouldn’t look hungover in the pictures or in case anything went wrong. It turns out that was a really good idea.”
Her eyebrows lift. “Why, did you guys all get really drunk?”
I kick my feet up on the coffee table to get more comfortable. “I didn’t but my brothers did. We went to one of the strip clubs in Virginia Beach and they got a table in VIP.”
“Pretty swank.”
“Exactly. Sounds like it should be a good time, right? I don’t even like clubs and I was enjoying myself. Well, everyone was having fun except for Tank.”
Seven crinkles her nose. “Why not? It was all for him, right?”
“It was supposed to be but he dragged his feet through the whole thing. First he didn’t want a bachelor party at all. Then he finally agreed to let Finn plan one but claimed he didn’t want strippers. Of course, Finn insisted. Tank was pissed at him until he found out that Emma was having strippers at her party.”
Seven snorts so hard she almost chokes on a bite of her food. I’m laughing too just recounting the whole mess.
“Did he crash her party or something?” she asks once she catches her breath. “Please tell me he crashed her party and fought some male stripper for her honor.”
That mental image sets us both off laughing again.
“No, although if he could have found out where it was I don’t doubt that he would have. Finn finally calmed him down and he’s behaving but when we got to the club what does Tank do? He proceeds to get shitfaced and spends the entire night telling the strippers who are trying to give him lap dances all about Emma and how much he misses her.”
“Aw, now I feel bad for laughing. That’s really sweet. All he wants is her.”
“Yeah those two are the real deal. I have to admit Tank is pretty funny drunk and very chatty. It was a bitch of a time getting him into bed at the end though. We all had to take a limb and then just toss him toward the mattress.”
Seven giggles at that and I turn toward her. When she sees me looking, she covers her mouth with her hand. I reach out and tug it down. Her laughter trails off and she dips her head so her hair covers her face slightly.
“What?”
“Nothing. I just don’t want you to cover that sound. I love hearing it.”
“Hearing what? Me laughing?”
“Yeah. I like hearing you laugh. Seeing your smile.”
My words hang in the air between us. Seven doesn’t seem to know how to respond but I can tell by the flush in her cheeks that she likes this, too. With a little embarrassed laugh, she turns her attention back to the carton of food in her hand.
After finishing the last of the macaroni, she lets out a happy, satisfied sigh and rests her head on the back cushion of the couch.
“I love talking to you like this,” she blurts then looks mortified at the outburst.
“You do?” I turn toward her.
“It feels just like when we used to chat every night. You always had some crazy story to tell about your family or your newest projects.”
“I was always worried that you’d get sick of listening to me bitch.”
She shakes her head. “You weren’t bitching. Just sharing your life. It made me feel like I was a part of it, too.”
Taking a chance, I grab her hand which is resting on the couch cushion between us. Although she freezes in place at the contact, after a moment she squeezes my hand.
“That’s because you are a part of it. A really important part. And I loved sharing those stories with you. It meant a lot, having someone willing to listen.”
In the time that we’ve been talking, I’ve moved a little closer. Close enough that when she turns her head to look at me, her hair brushes against my cheek. It’s so soft and I wonder how it would feel against my skin.
“There’s something else I’d love to share with you if you’re willing.”
At my words, she looks up. When she realizes how close we are, she swallows. Hard. All it would take is for one of us to lean forward a little and our lips would touch. It’s so tempting but until I know I can trust her, it would be foolish to allow myself to get any more attached. It’s crazy how this girl has me so turned around.
My gut tells me she’s hiding something but it also tells me that she cares for me. So which do I believe? The only thing I can think of is to keep her close and hope that she’ll confide in me the way she has before. In order to do that, she needs to know I’m here for her as a friend.
As difficult as it is to rein my lust in, our friendship has to take precedence over my sudden curiosity to know what she tastes like.
“Would you be my date for the wedding?”
Her hand jerks in mine. “You want me to come with you? Really?”
Giving up my resolve to give her space, I pull her against my chest. She’s tense for a second and then she melts against me. Her head settles in the curve of my shoulder and her breath warms my neck. I run my hand up and down her back soothingly.
“Yes, I want you to come with me.”
“Why?”
Her soft question throws me. Does she really not know how much I enjoy spending time with her? I thought it was pretty obvious that I’ve gotten way too attached to having her around over the past week. But maybe it’s time I make it a little more obvious.
“Because there’s no one else I’d rather share it with.”
†
The next morning, I drive Seven to the small strip mall on the other side of town since we don’t have time to go across the water to one of the big malls in Norfolk or Virginia Beach. I was going to just call up Sasha and ask to borrow a dress but when I made the suggestion Seven told me I was “such a guy.”
I have no idea what that means but apparently borrowing a dress is the worst idea ever.
Following a girl around while she tries on clothes is pretty much my idea of a waking nightmare but luckily Seven seems to know what she wants. After flipping through a few racks, she grabs a light blue dress and another one in a soft yellow color. After less than five minutes in the dressing room, she comes back out holding the blue one.
“I’ll take this one and those nude sandals in a size seven.”
While the saleslady collects the shoes, Seven grabs one of those little sparkly purses girls always carry to fancy events and then plucks a pair of earrings off the display on the counter. A few minutes later, we’re outside in the sunshine.
“That was the fastest shopping trip I’ve ever been on. My mom used to take forever picking out a dress.”
Seven throws her bag in the backseat of my car and then climbs in the front. “Your mom is gorgeous and probably knows how to dress. I just try to look appropriate and fit in. Fashion isn’t my thing and never will be so I stick to the same basic colors. Blue usually works. Besides, no one will be looking at me.”
There’s no anger or sadness in the statement. Instead she says it as a matter of fact, like it should be obvious to everyone. I open my mouth to say something but she’s already turned toward the window.
Once we get back to my apartment, she makes an excuse about needing to work and then disappears into the guest room. I let out a sigh. I should have said something. It kills me that she sees herself that way, as unattractive or unworthy. Her scar bothers her, I can tell by the way she hides it, but I barely see it now. I noticed it when we first met but now it’s just part of her face like the shape of her eyes or the curve of her lush bottom lip.
Disturbed by the direction of my thoughts, I sit on the couch and bury myself in my own work. The next time I look up, it’s after lunchtime.
Shit. The wedding starts in two hours and as a groomsman I’m supposed to arrive early so we can take pictures. That’s probably something I should have mentioned to Seven when I asked her to come with me. Most women appreciate a little time to get ready before an event.
“Sev, it’s time to get ready,” I call out.
I don’t hear any movement so I close my laptop and then walk down the hall. I knock on the door once, then again before opening it slightly. There’s a muffled curse and when I open the door all the way, I see why.
Seven is in the middle of pulling her dress over her head.
We both freeze and the sight of her slim curves in the sheerest bra and panties I’ve ever seen is instantly burned into my brain. There’s a warning sound going off in the back of my mind telling me that I should turn around to give her privacy. That I’m being an asshole by standing here staring at her while she’s struggling to pull her dress down.
But I can’t move.
Her dusky nipples are clearly visible through the sheer material of her bra and behind the front panel of her bikini bottoms, I can tell that she’s completely bare. My mouth falls open but all that comes out is a little wheezing sound.
Completely. Bare.
“Oh Jesus.”
“Oh my god.”
We speak at the same time. Seven finally turns around to face the window but of course that doesn’t help much. Now I’m presented with the elegant line of her spine and also with the evidence that what I thought was a bikini panty is in fact a thong.
“Fucking hell.”
“Luke!”
“I’m sorry. Fuck.” I close the door and then lean my head against it. My hand clenches around the doorknob. It’s taking all my self-control not to open the door and go back in that room.
I hear another muffled curse from behind the door.
“Sev? Are you okay?”
It’s quiet for a moment then I hear, “I’m stuck.”
“What?”
“Oh just open the door, damn it.”
I push open the door again. She’s still facing away from me and I clench my jaw when I get another look at her curvy little ass. I wouldn’t have expected her to have such a round bottom when she’s so thin but her clothes have been hiding a gorgeous shape.
“When you’re done staring at my ass could you help me?”
Her angry words pull me out of my stupor. While I’ve been standing here ogling her, she’s still got her arms stuck over her head, trapped by the dress.
“Sorry. Here, just hold still.” I manage to pull the dress up slightly so she can get her arms out of it.
Once she’s free, she rubs her shoulders. “Thanks, the damn thing was strangling me.”
Now that she’s standing normally, it’s even harder to keep my eyes on her face. When our eyes meet, she blushes again. Her hand goes up to brush her hair forward over the scarred side of her face. That one movement just about breaks me. Just the idea that she could be worried about how she looks in front of me …
I pull her against me until we fit together from chest to thigh. She sucks in a sharp breath and her hands land on my chest.
“Luke, what are you doing?”
“Hell if I know.”
Then I’m kissing her. No longer caring about taking things slow or whether I can trust her, in that moment I’m acting purely on instinct. She shudders against me and her lips part, hot and needy against mine. Finally. I don’t waste any more time waiting for permission before my tongue seeks out hers, teasing her with gentle strokes.
Her fingers flex against my chest and the gentle pressure feels so damn good. I’ve never been more conscious of the difference in our sizes but the way she’s clutching at me makes me want to curl my whole body around her. To protect her and shelter her. Her head falls back and my mouth follows the line of her throat before coming back up to take her lips again. I love the way she tastes, slightly sweet like she’s been eating candy.
“Luke?”
Her voice startles me, pulling me out of the haze I’ve slipped into. When I open my eyes, she’s staring up at me plaintively. That’s when I realize I’m holding her under the arms so tightly that she can’t move. Her dress is crumpled between us. I immediately let go and she steps back.
“I am so sorry.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Yes, I do. I’ll wait outside so you can get dressed.” I don’t look at her again, just walk to the door.
But just before I close it, I turn around. She’s still standing by the window holding her dress in front of her like a shield. Her hair has been mussed by my hands and there’s a sexy, satisfied little smile on her face. I can’t deny the intense satisfaction I get from knowing I made her look like that.
“Plenty of people will be looking at you tonight, Sev. Especially me.”
†
After changing into the tuxedo Tank convinced me it was smarter to buy than rent, we drive over to the restaurant. Seven is extremely quiet in the car and I can’t think of anything to break the silence. Clearly I can’t be trusted not to say something inappropriate after my earlier behavior.
Even though she said I didn’t have to apologize, it’s obvious that I scared her a little. She looked completely unnerved standing there holding her dress like it could protect her from me. I practically mauled the girl and she’s so tiny she couldn’t push me off.
The restaurant has a sign that it’s closed for a private event but the door is open. We follow the flower trails out to the back. Everything was pretty much set up last night but now the large grassy lawn behind the restaurant has been completely transformed into an oasis of white and pink flowers. As soon as you walk outside, there’s a little table with the guestbook so I sign in for both of us.
“I have to go find Tank and the other guys. Are you going to be okay on your own?”
Seven nods a little too quickly. When her eyes finally meet mine, the tops of her cheeks turn pink. “You told them I’m coming, right?”
“Yeah, Tank said it was fine. He put you in the second row so you’ll be right up front.”
She nods. “Go on, be with your brothers. I’ll be fine.”
I want to say something but I can’t think of anything other than “I like the way your lips feel” so I just watch helplessly as an usher escorts Seven to her seat in the second row, right behind Tank’s mother. Once my mom arrives, she’ll be seated on the same row. Mom will have plenty of time to interrogate Seven tonight, unfortunately. I’ll be stuck taking pictures after the ceremony for at least a half an hour.
I walk towards the hallway and almost bump into Gabe. He looks relieved when he sees me.
“Glad you’re here. Tank is about to hyperventilate.”
“What?” I follow him to a room I didn’t see last night. Tank is pacing in front of a mirror, wearing a tuxedo minus the jacket. His hair is sticking straight up and his eyes are wild. Finn is talking to him in a low voice.
Zack jumps up when we enter. “Dude, where have you been? He’s about to crawl out the window. I thought we were going to have to restrain him. I’m sure you can guess about how well that would go.”
He glances over at Tank and we take a collective breath. Tank is aptly nicknamed and if he freaks out it’ll probably take all four of us to hold him down.
“What the hell is going on?”
Gabe hands me a maroon cummerbund and a bow tie. It’s been a really long time since I’ve tied one of these but I manage to get it into a decent shape.
“He thinks that Emma wants to back out of the wedding for some reason. Finn has been trying to calm him down. Nothing has been working.”
Zack yanks at his own bowtie until Gabe finally slaps his hand away and ties it for him.
I look over at Tank again. His expression reminds me of how he looked at his bachelor party. Then I remember Seven’s words when I told her about Tank’s drunken whining.
All he wants is her.
“I have an idea but I’m not sure it’ll work. And it’s risky. Where are the girls?”
Gabe leans out the door and points down the hallway. “The room at the end of the hall.”
“Try to keep him calm.”
I jog down the hall and knock on the door. It opens and a cloud of perfume and giggles comes out. Sasha looks surprised to see me. Josie peeks over her shoulder and takes my picture.
“Luke, what are you doing here? I thought you were the other photographer. If you see him, tell him to hurry up. Josie can’t take pictures while she’s walking down the aisle—”
“No, that’s not why I’m here. Sorry to interrupt but I need to talk to Emma for a second.”
The girls move back and then I can see Emma standing in front of the mirror. Like most guys my age, I haven’t thought too much about marriage except as a thing to do someday. But even I can’t deny that Emma is a vision. Under her veil, her blond hair is twisted up into an elegant knot. Her white dress nips in at the waist and then billows in layers that make her look like a princess.
“Wow. You are gorgeous.”
She flushes adorably at the compliment. “Thank you, Luke.”
“I have a favor to ask. And I know it’s probably completely against the wedding rules.”
She holds out her hands to me and I cross the room, dodging kicked off high heels and what looks like lingerie.
“What’s going on? Is Tank okay?”
“No. He’s not. That’s why I need a favor. I need you to kiss him before the wedding.”
Emma is already shaking her head. “It’s bad luck to see the groom before the wedding.”
“There might not be a wedding if he runs out of here!”
Emma looks stricken and a girl with dark, wavy hair puts her arm around her and gives me a nasty look. “Tank wouldn’t do that. Stop scaring my sister!”
Sasha grabs my arm. “Is it really that bad?”
I’m suddenly surrounded by a sea of worried faces. Okay, Luke. Maybe this wasn’t the best plan. It wasn’t my intention to scare the hell out of Emma on her wedding day but I’ve seen Tank when he freaks out. It’s not a pretty sight. I take a deep breath. Talking about it isn’t going to get the job done here. If Emma could see how bad Tank looks right now, she’d know I’m right.
I pull out my phone and call Zack. He answers immediately.
“Blindfold Tank. I’m bringing Emma to you guys.” Then I hang up.
“You’re doing what?”
“Where are you taking her?”
The room explodes into a chorus of worried questions as I grab Emma’s hand and tug her toward the door. She follows me into the hall, Sasha and Josie scrambling behind her to carry the train of her dress. Zack peeks his head out of the door and his eyes go wide when he sees me leading a charge of women down the hall.
“This is your plan?” he hisses.
I push him out of the way. “Do you have a better idea?”
Zack moves back to let us inside. As soon as Emma sees Tank across the room she drops my hand and runs to him. He has what looks like a tie around his eyes but even with half his face covered you can tell he’s a nervous wreck. As soon as Emma wraps her arms around him, his whole body shudders in relief.
“Emma, you’re still here.”
“Of course I’m still here. Didn’t I tell you I would never leave you?” she whispers back.
“Come on, everybody. Let’s give them some privacy.” Sasha shoos us all out the door. We all stand in the hall awkwardly trying not to listen too closely to the soft voices coming from behind the door.
After a few minutes, Emma emerges wiping tears from her eyes. “Everything is okay now. Thank you for getting me, Luke.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “I did the right thing? No bad luck?”
Emma smiles and hugs me. “No bad luck. Thank you, little brother.”
We watch as she leads the girls back down the hall. Once they’re gone, we go back in the room. Tank is looking out the window with the most peaceful expression on his face.
“Is everything okay?” I ask tentatively.
Tank turns and then picks up his jacket. He shrugs into it and then moves to the mirror to adjust his bowtie.
“Everything is more than okay. Now where the hell is that photographer so we can get these pictures out of the way.” He catches my eye in the reflection and mouths thank you. Then he turns around.
“Let’s get this show on the road. I’m ready to get hitched.”
