Текст книги "Undone"

Автор книги: R. E. Hunter

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 20 страниц)

15

As the weeks passed, Luke and Embry fell into an easy routine. They met every Monday and Friday, and most Wednesdays, at four p.m. Embry became something of a personal assistant on top of working on Professor Coleman’s research. She helped keep his office organized, did filing, and even helped with the few private clients he had. Since he had to be on campus, Luke kept all of his files in his faculty office instead of splitting time between Whitman and his office in Oyster Bay.

Embry learned quickly that Luke was incapable of keeping his office organized. As clean and put together as his town home was, his office was the complete opposite. He didn’t seem able to put anything back where it belonged. His desk was littered with papers, and large accordion files for each case lined the floor. She was positive he would have no idea where anything was without her.

By October, leaves of orange, red, and yellow littered the grounds. Embry made her way across campus and pulled her sweater tighter around her body as wind whipped against her cheeks and knotted her hair. She’d forgotten how much she’d missed fall in New York. Amazing foliage, apple picking, pumpkin spiced everything, hayrides, roasted corn, home-baked pies … It was heaven.

In the warmth of the law school, she made her way to the faculty wing and didn’t bother to knock before she walked into Luke’s office.

“Where’s the Allen file?” he asked without looking up when she walked in.

“Hello to you, too.” She plopped a coffee on his desk. “Bottom drawer, middle file cabinet.”

“Hi.” He grabbed the coffee, looking up and giving her his signature Luke smile. “You’re too good to me.”

“I know.” She walked over to the cabinet and pulled the file, dropping it on the ledge behind him.

Their new normal was pushing boundaries, seeing how far they could go without crossing the imaginary line they’d drawn. But somehow, the line seemed to keep moving. She hopped up on his desk, and he rolled out his chair, making room for her between his legs as his warm hands came down on her jean-clad thighs. She looked at his hands then back up at his face, her eyebrow raised. He shot her a mischievous look, and she held his heated gaze. He gave her thighs a light squeeze and dragged his hands down her legs before dropping them back into his lap.

“Change in schedule this week,” she said, ending the moment. She pushed him back and hopped off his desk, creating some much-needed distance.

He smirked, unaffected by her brush off. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“Memos are due on Friday, so I won’t be around the rest of the week to help out.”

Luke sobered instantly. “Embry, your first memo is due this Friday?”

“Yes.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Why didn’t you tell me? You should be working on that. Research can wait.”

She knew he was right. It was the first serious assignment of the semester. She didn’t have to worry about midterms because most classes had comprehensive final exams instead. But she had two large legal memorandums that accounted for the majority of her legal writing grade. The first one was due that Friday, and she hadn’t put nearly enough time into it. “I know, I know.”

“So go, get on it. Don’t worry about me. I’m good.” He flashed her another gorgeous smile.

“Yes, Professor,” she said mockingly, rolling her eyes and trying to fight a smile of her own.

* * *

The following evening, Embry headed home to work on her memo. After throwing her things down by her desk, she grabbed her cell and thumbed through her missed calls. She skipped over new messages from her mother and Morgan to listen to a blocked number. It was a hang up. After deleting the message, she went back and listened to her mom’s message.

“Hi, sweetie! I haven’t spoken to you in quite a while. I don’t want to call too much and bother you while you’re studying, but I wanted to check in. Hope all is well. Your dad and I miss you. If you have any free time, we’d love to see you and give you a squeeze! Oh! That reminds me. I ran into Jack Stowe today. Can you believe that? He’s grown into such a handsome man. Anyway, I let him know you were back in town. He just moved back to run his father’s company. You know Mr. Stowe has been thinking of retiring for a while. Well, I passed along your number. Maybe you’ll get to see him when you come visit. I never did understand why things didn’t work out between you two. All right, honey, I love you. Call us when you can.”

Embry slowly lowered the phone from her ear, and stared at the screen in disbelief. The cogs of her mind turned furiously, trying to process what she’d just heard. Jack was back on Long Island and, thanks to her mother, he knew that she was, too. And he had her number.

She wanted to scream. Cry. Run. Run. It was what she did best. But she couldn’t run this time. She had law school to think about now. And Luke. She had someone to run to. Despite what had happened between them, she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to keep her safe. Just thinking about him sent a wave of warmth and comfort through her, but she couldn’t involve him in this.

The phone rang in her hand, tearing her from her thoughts. Blocked. She stared at the phone and realized who might be calling. She threw it across the room, getting it as far away from her as possible. She wouldn’t answer. Couldn’t. Would he be on the other end?

The ringing stopped, and Embry set up her laptop, getting ready to work on her memo. As she pulled out her research, the phone beeped to alert her to a new voicemail, and she nearly jumped out of her chair. Her nerves were shot. Just the possibility of Jack calling caused her to spiral out of control. But a niggling curiosity made her stomach flip. Maybe he’d be different. It had been five years; maybe he’d changed.

She got up, grabbed the phone, and pulled up the voicemail. Another hang up. Maybe it wasn’t him. She realized she didn’t want to find out. Whether he had changed or not, she didn’t want to know Jack again. She stared at the phone for a while, waiting for it to ring. When enough time had passed without another call, she got to work.

Embry made headway on her memo. She’d finished all of her research and was putting a dent in her first draft. It was getting late, but she was determined to get as much done as possible. Her phone rang again. Distracted by her work, she picked it up without checking the caller ID.

“Hello?”

The line was silent.

“Hello?” A chill slithered down her spine as she waited. Still nothing. “Jack?” she whispered.

“Hello, Embry.”

Her world crashed down around her. The voice on the other end was one she had never wanted to hear again, and the minute she heard it, she knew he hadn’t changed one bit.

Memories barreled into her, taking her back to a time she never wanted to revisit. She dropped the phone and ran to the bathroom as a wave of nausea hit her. She fell to her knees in front of the toilet and dry heaved. Her body was determined to expel all that was Jack Stowe from her system. She breathed deep and fought to gather herself and calm her nerves. She sat on the cold bathroom floor cursing her mother for being so clueless, cursing herself for never telling her parents the truth. Her phone rang again in the living room.

She realized Jack was right where he wanted to be. In. her. head. But she wasn’t the same broken girl. She wouldn’t let him win. Dragging herself up from the floor, she walked into the living room and picked up the phone. She hit ignore on Jack’s call and dialed Morgan. The voicemail picked up. Hanging up without leaving a message, Embry checked the time and realized it was after midnight. Her phone rang in her hand again. He knew he was getting to her, which meant he wouldn’t stop anytime soon. She ignored the call again. Before she could talk herself out of it, she dialed Luke.

His sleepy voice came through the phone after a few rings. “Hello?”

“Luke,” she choked out.

“Embry?”

She heard his sheets rustle as he moved in his bed. She pictured him lying there—shirt off, muscles flexing, pajama pants low on his hips—and she remembered the comfort of his arms around her, the security his presence gave her. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head to clear the thought.

“Bree?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”

His question brought her crashing back to reality. Jack. She couldn’t tell him. She wasn’t ready. “I just …”

Maybe the Jack thing would blow over. She could change her phone number and be done with it. But in that moment, she just wanted to feel safe.

“What is it?”

“I need you,” she said. It was as simple and as true as that.

“I’ll be right there.”

He hung up before she could form a response. He was coming over. The phone continued to ring as Embry sat on the couch, numb and waiting for Luke. At some point it must have died, or Jack gave up, because the ringing stopped. A million thoughts flew through her head. What would she tell Luke? What could she do about Jack? She would have to tell her parents the truth. She couldn’t have her mother telling Jack where she was.

That thought made her pause. What if she already had? She shuddered at the thought.

Thankfully, her doorbell rang, stealing away her scary thoughts. She looked through the peephole to make sure it was Luke. The concern on his face took her breath away. He was through the door and scooping her up before she could speak. Wrapped tight in his warmth, her resolve crumbled, and she broke down.

“Shhh.” Luke lifted her easily and carried her to the couch. He settled her against his chest, his arms never leaving her. “It’s okay. I’m here. What happened?”

She couldn’t tell him. She didn’t want to. But she needed to explain why she’d dragged him out of bed in the middle of the night.

“I just got spooked,” she said, wiping away the moisture on her cheeks. “I got these weird hang-up calls. They were probably nothing, but then someone banged on my door and I thought they were trying to break in. I tried to call Morgan, but she didn’t answer. I was so scared.” Her voice trembled.

She was scared. Scared of everything. Being harassed by Jack. Loving Luke. Failing out of law school. It was all suddenly too much.

“I just needed you.”

He pulled her head against his chest and ran his fingers through her hair. “You’ve got me.”

* * *

Embry stretched out in bed with no recollection of how she got there. As her brain began to wake up, memories clicked into place. Jack. The phone calls. Luke coming over … shit.

She was sure she’d find Luke by her side—he must have put her in bed at some point—but she was alone. She slid out of bed, washed up, and headed for the living room to find her phone and call Luke. Instead, she found him asleep on the couch, his shirt folded neatly on the floor. Her eyes feasted on his body, taking full advantage of the opportunity to stare at him without notice. He lay on his back, one arm tossed over his eyes, making his abs stretch in a delicious way. His perfect lips were parted slightly, and his breathing was deep and even. He was out.

It hit Embry all at once. Her feelings for him—barely contained before—were spilling over the surface. It made her heart ache. She’d needed someone, in the middle of the night, and he hadn’t hesitated. He must’ve held her until she fell asleep, taken her to bed, and crashed on the couch instead of sleeping with her. She felt guilty. She’d been flirting, pushing the boundaries, and pulling away just as quickly. He was trying as hard as possible to respect her wishes, and she’d been sending mixed signals left and right. She owed him more than that. But the lines had been blurred and she had no idea how to go back.

Letting him sleep, she found her phone and plugged it in. When she turned it on, she was surprised that her voicemail wasn’t filled with more hang ups. Whether Jack continued to call or not, she knew she’d have to deal with it at some point. At that moment, she just wanted to focus on Luke. As quietly as possible, she set coffee to brew and got breakfast ready. While she was cooking the eggs, Luke wandered into the kitchen looking adorably disheveled.

“Hey,” he said, his voice a low, sleepy rasp.

“Hey yourself. Want some coffee?”

“Please. How are you feeling?” he asked, coming up behind her.

“I’m fine,” she answered too quickly.

She felt the warmth of his chest against her back as he leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Liar.”

Jumping at the feel of his breath on her neck, she swatted him. “Really, I’m fine.”

He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms, his Celtic cross stretching across his bulging bicep. She wished he’d put a shirt on. “You weren’t fine last night. Want to talk about it?”

Part of her wanted to spill it all—her past, the phone calls—and seek comfort in his arms. But the more she let him in, the harder it was to keep things professional. She had a good laugh at that thought. Professional, my ass. Her professor was shirtless and standing in her kitchen.

She turned to face him, plastering on a convincing smile. “Really, I’m fine. I’m just over stressed. I put the memo off until the last minute, I’m not getting enough sleep, and I got myself all spooked.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” She was surprised he’d let it go so easily.

“Okay.” He shrugged in a way that told her he didn’t believe her, but he’d leave it alone for the moment.

Feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny, Embry shoved a cup of coffee in his hand. “Go sit. I’ll bring you breakfast when it’s ready.”

Luke settled on the couch with his coffee, and Embry followed with bacon and eggs. They ate in front of the TV, and she was thankful for the distraction. She wouldn’t be able to avoid Luke’s questions forever. He helped her clean up and stayed for another cup of coffee before heading out.

They stood at the door, neither saying a word, avoiding the awkward good-bye. Another line had been crossed between them, and Embry wasn’t sure how to act. She was trying to do the right thing, but lately, nothing felt right.

He smiled a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and lightly stroked her arm. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I am. I’m sorry about last night.”

He slipped a finger under her chin, gently coaxing her eyes to his. “Don’t ever apologize for needing me. I’ll always be here.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. Without a thought, she pushed up onto her toes and pressed her lips to his.

He returned the kiss, soft and slow, his tongue tangling with hers. All of her thoughts and worries were swept away. His hands lifted to run through her hair and she nearly let the kiss take her over. Nearly. They had to stop before they did more damage. It had been over a month since that night on his dock, and although their feelings were always simmering beneath the surface, they had been making a professional relationship work. But they couldn’t keep those crossing lines.

She gently pushed against his shoulders until he broke the kiss, and she knew with one look that she’d hurt him. There was no need to explain; he knew why she’d stopped. Her forehead fell against his chest. “We can’t. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

He pulled back, his features stiff. “I know. It’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.” There was a coldness in his voice she’d never heard. A coldness she’d put there. He walked out the door without another word.

16

Embry was half-awake as she wandered to the atrium on Friday afternoon. She’d pulled an all-nighter to finish her memo and had just turned it in. She’d been working on it non-stop since Luke left her apartment on Thursday. It was a miracle she’d finished at all considering how distracted she’d been.

When she wasn’t worrying about Jack and waiting for more harassing phone calls, she couldn’t take her mind off Luke. Hoping he’d just needed time to cool down, Embry had texted him, thanking him again for his help and setting up a research meeting with him for Friday afternoon. His response did little to curb her anxiety. A simple “yep” was all he had said.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear Jeremy and Morgan calling her until they were beside her.

“Ready for a drink?” Morgan asked.

“Is it espresso?” Embry shot back.

“No way,” Jeremy chimed in. “I need alcohol. That memo killed me.”

She could relate.

“Sucks for you, pretty boy,” Morgan joked. “I made that memo my bitch! We’re celebrating!”

Jeremy groaned and threw his arm around an exhausted Embry. Morgan continued to ramble in the background.

“Is she ever not like a cheerleader right before the big pep rally?” he asked quietly.

“Nope. This is pretty much her norm.”

They walked through the atrium and toward the front doors of the building. Embry pulled away from Jeremy toward the stairs leading to the faculty wing.

Morgan, who had just realized she no longer had an audience, turned around. “Hey, where are you going?”

“I have to meet with L—”

Morgan shifted her eyes toward Jeremy.

“Professor Brody,” Embry corrected herself. By the look on Morgan’s face, her best friend knew something was going on and wanted the scoop.

“Okay, I’m going home to grab Brett, and I’ll swing by in a while to pick you up. Jeremy, you want to meet us there at five?” Morgan asked, organizing their happy hour excursion.

“Sure. Duffy’s at five. See you guys later.” He walked out of the building.

Morgan closed in on Embry. “What’s going on with you and the prof?”

“Nothing,” Embry answered nonchalantly.

Morgan narrowed her eyes. “Nothing, my ass. I’ll get you talking tonight, Jacobs.”

“You can try,” Embry teased and walked away.

As she climbed the stairs, she felt the unwelcome dread she’d experienced the first few times they met for research. But they were so far beyond that. At least, they had been. As Embry neared Luke’s office, she realized she had no idea what mood she’d find him in. The door was ajar, and Embry walked in without knocking.

“Okay, so I’ll see you tonight then,” he said into the phone.

He was staring out the window and hadn’t realized she was there. She didn’t feel right listening to his call, so she dropped her bags louder than necessary to make her presence known.

He turned around, his eyes flicking to hers, and spoke to whoever was on the phone. “Yep, I’ll see you then. I look forward to it.” He hung up and regarded Embry. “Did you turn in your memo?”

“Yep.” She tried to pretend she didn’t notice the chill in his voice.

“Good,” he said, busying himself with a stack of papers.

She sat uncomfortably for a few minutes before she realized he had nothing else to say. She’d never seen him like that and had no idea how to act. He wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. He wasn’t hostile. He was just … shut down. Pulling out her computer, she tried connecting to the school’s WiFi to continue her research. After a few failed attempts, she realized the Internet must be down. It was a normal occurrence at Whitman. “Shit.”

He barely glanced up, as if responding would take too much effort.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she explained her problem.

“Fine. Use my computer,” he said, unfolding himself from the chair. “I have to go through the Allen file anyway.”

Embry dove into her research, trying to block out Luke’s presence. At some point, she became aware that he’d stopped what he was doing and was watching her. She tried to ignore him by scrolling through cases, but she felt his eyes boring into her. She kept her gaze trained on the computer screen, tracking him from the corner of her eye when he stood and walked toward her. Without a word, he leaned over her, his palms on the desk on either side of her, his arms caging her in. Her body heated at his close proximity.

“Finding what you need?” he asked, his breath tickling her neck.

She swallowed hard, trying to block out all of the inappropriate answers running through her mind. “Um, well this one here seems like the seminal case as far as the ethics issue goes.” She nodded at the screen.

“That’s good,” he said, leaning in farther.

He began talking about the case and all of the ethical issues they were researching, but she didn’t hear a word. His voice was a deep rumble in his chest, vibrating right through her. He rambled on about case law as if he wasn’t practically on top of her. She looked down in an effort to concentrate on his words, but all she could see were his strong forearms on either side of her. Her thoughts were muddled and confused. She couldn’t make sense of his behavior. Giving her the cold shoulder one minute, invading her personal space the next. She didn’t know what to make of it. He had to know how he was affecting her.

Suddenly it was all too much. She couldn’t be so close to him without responding, but she couldn’t have a repeat of Wednesday either. What was he thinking getting that close? In a quick, uncoordinated move, Embry shoved the chair back into Luke and jumped up. He rubbed his thigh where the chair had hit him and looked at her.

She searched her mind for an acceptable excuse. “I … I have to go!”

He quirked an eyebrow in that irritatingly sexy way she both hated and loved.

I have to go. Good one, Embry. Real smooth.

“You have to go,” he repeated.

It was a statement, but she saw the question in his eyes. “Yes, I-um, I have—”

“To go,” he cut her off.

His tone snapped her out of it. She did have to go. She had drinks and friends waiting for her. She was in no mood to put up with the tension and confusion that came with being around Luke.

“Yep.” She grabbed her purse and headed for the door. “I do.”

* * *

Embry sat at a high-top table with Morgan, Brett, and Jeremy. Brett hopped up to drag over another stool while Jeremy carried over two pitchers of beer.

“Who’s that for?” Embry asked Brett.

“Oh, my friend Brendan is stopping by.” He wouldn’t look her in the eye. Brett had never had a good poker face, so she knew something was going on.

“Brendan?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Morgan cut in. “He’s Brett’s new best friend from CrossFit.”

“Oh God.” Embry rolled her eyes. “Really? You’re turning into one of those, Brett?”

“Hey, don’t knock it,” Morgan said. “You should see his abs. And his stamina …”

Brett flexed and shot her a wink.

“Ick. No thanks.” Brett was like a brother and Embry had no desire to hear about his stamina.

“Brendan’s a great guy. You’ll like him,” Brett said.

“I’m sure,” said Embry. She had enough on her plate and just wanted to enjoy drinks with her friends. She had no desire to meet a new guy.

Jeremy squeezed past her. “Be right back.”

She watched him approach a table full of girls. She had to give it to him; he was smooth. Within a few minutes, he was heading back to their table with a girl Embry recognized from school.

“Everyone, this is Cindy,” Jeremy said, pulling up another stool. “Cindy, this is everyone.”

They said their hellos and settled in with their beers. They’d polished off one pitcher and were starting in on the second when a guy with sandy blond hair walked into the bar. He was no Luke, but he was tall and good looking and caught Embry’s eye. He glanced toward their table and began walking over.

“Hellooooo, Brendan.” Embry was feeling a little fuzzy and didn’t realize she’d actually said the words out loud until she heard her friends laughing. She clapped her hand over her mouth, turning beet red. She gave each of her friends as stern a look as she could manage before Brendan reached the table. “Do not say a word!”

Brendan walked up to Brett, smacked his buddy on the back, and introduced himself to the table before taking the stool conveniently set across from Embry. She looked at her friends, and Brett shrugged, shooting her an obviously guilty grin.

“So, Embry,” Brendan began, “you go to law school with Morgan?”

She smiled, trying her best to be friendly. “Yep. We also went to high school together, along with your scheming friend Brett over there.”

Brendan laughed, and it was a nice sound. He even had the decency to look a little embarrassed. He had a cute smile and sparkling green eyes, and she decided that for one night, she’d let herself enjoy being around a guy who wasn’t her professor and didn’t bring more complication to her life.

She had a great time. The conversation flowed as freely as the beer, and Brendan was really funny. It felt good to just let loose and laugh. They had a lot in common, which was nice.

The TVs surrounding the bar were each tuned to a different sports channel, and Embry noticed the Yankees game starting. “I forgot we’re playing Boston tonight!”

“You like the Yankees?” Brendan asked.

“Yep, love them,” she answered.

“Me too!” His hand shot up into the air.

Embry stared at him in confusion.

“You gonna leave me hanging?” Brendan asked, his arm outstretched and hand up high.

“What?” She looked to Morgan who was snickering across the table.

“High five!” he exclaimed, pushing his hand toward her.

“What?” She was positive a grown man wasn’t trying to high-five her.

“High five” he said again, louder and with more enthusiasm.

Was a person over the age of ten really that excited about a high five? “Oh. Um, okay,” she said.

As she half-heartedly slapped hands with him, Morgan barely contained her laughter. She mimed a high five at Embry and laughed into Brett’s arm. Embry actually admired his enthusiasm. It wouldn’t have been that bad, but the high-five rampage continued throughout the night, and Embry’s hand was getting sore. Brendan was wearing her out.

A while later, Morgan dragged her to the bathroom. “So first of all, what’s going on with you and Luke?” Morgan asked as soon as they were out of earshot from the table.

“Nothing I want to talk about right now. I just want one night without thinking about him.”

“Okay, okay. So what do you think about Brendan?”

Embry narrowed her eyes at Morgan. “Way to warn me about that one.”

“I’m sorry. It really was innocent at first. He and Brett have become good friends, and we thought he would be a good way to take your mind off of Luke.”

“He’s nice and super cute and funny,” Embry mused. “But if he tries to high five me one more time, I might need to start drinking something harder than beer.”

Morgan laughed loudly. “High five denied!”

The girls left the bathroom. As they headed back to the table, they saw Jeremy reaching to high five Brendan.

“Oh my God! It’s contagious!” Embry whispered to Morgan, having a hard time controlling her laughter.

“You’re just going to have to embrace the high five, Bree.” Morgan laughed and pushed her back toward Brendan.

As she neared the table, Brendan hooked his arm around her neck, pulling her in toward him. “Are you having fun?” he asked.

She was having fun, but that didn’t stop her from wishing she was looking into her favorite pair of blue eyes instead of Brendan’s green ones. Longing crashed into her, and she felt the weight of all that had been going on with her and Luke. Wanting to erase the sad feelings, she grabbed her beer and downed it. “I am having fun.” She gave Brendan a flirty smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome,” he said, pulling her closer.

She adjusted so that she was leaning against his body and turned back toward the table. When she did, she found the blue eyes she’d been thinking about trained on her. Luke stood across the bar looking murderous. What is he doing here?

Her jaw dropped, and all she could do was stare back. Brendan said something in her ear, but nothing registered except Luke. Until she noticed the gorgeous blonde by his side, looking up at him adoringly. What. The. Fuck.