And yet with Lorena, it chews me up inside, makes me want to protect her, to shield her from anyone who’d ever try to cause her harm.
“You’re a friend of the family and I’m the one who got you this job. Think of it as a company car. Whatever happens, Lorena, I’m not letting you work here without proper transportation.”
This could be too far. Letting. As though I have some claim over her.
Which I do. But she doesn’t know that.
“If you’re sure,” she murmurs.
“I am,” I say matter of fact. “And I’m going to give you a ride home tonight too. I’ll have the car delivered to your parents’ place tomorrow morning. That way, you don’t have to worry. Sounds like a plan?”
“Are you really sure it’s not too much trouble?”
“I’m certain.”
She nods slowly. “Okay, then thank you, Lukas. Really. That means a lot.”
I shrug as if it’s not a big deal when really my whole body is taut at the idea of my woman walking the city alone so late at night. She deserves the best, always, the best of everything.
“I’ll be back at closing time,” I tell her, turning away.
I have to leave. I’m too close to the edge, too close to blurting out how I feel about her.
As I push the door open and walk into the night, I’m already counting down the seconds until two AM.
Chapter Seven
Lorena
“Thank you for doing this,” I say, climbing into the passenger side of Lukas’s car.
He smirks over at me. He looks so handsome in his suit, with his silver hair neatly trimmed and styled.
His eyes shine in that difficult-to-read way, and I wonder if he’s mocking me in some way. But I can’t figure out what the joke is if there is one, or if it’s all in my head, and I remind myself he’s being nice. He’s doing me a favor.
“It’s not a problem.” He starts the engine. “It will just make me more comfortable knowing you’re safe.”
My heart threatens to burst at his words. But he’s only saying it because I’m his employee and a friend of Jamie’s. It has nothing to do with any personal protective impulses he has over me.
We drive in silence through the city.
I watch as the lights flit past, warning myself not to get intoxicated by his musky scent. He smells so manly. It’s not sweaty, exactly. It’s more like his body is offering signals to mine, making my belly swirl with desire, my panties growing wet.
“How is it, going to college here instead of… you were in Maine, right?”
“Yeah.” I risk a look at him. His eyes are on the road, his jaws tense as though it’s offended him. “It’s okay. I had a few friends down there, but it’s nice to be close to Jamie again.”
I mention his son, my best friend, as a reminder to myself… I can’t let my thoughts spiral into absurd territory as if they haven’t already.
Last night, I woke from a dream where we were all crowded around a dinner table at Christmas, Lukas smiling widely, his whole face alight as he carved the turkey.
“Are things going well between you and Jamie?”
“Yeah, sure. Jamie’s great.”
His question seems to hold more significance than I understand. It’s in the way he says it, deep and intense. Or it’s possible I’m imagining it, just like I’m imagining so much else.
“Did you leave anyone important back in Maine?” he asks.
My instincts tingle. It’s almost like he’s trying to subtly ask if I’ve got a boyfriend in Maine.
“No, just my friends,” I say. “I didn’t have anyone special down there.”
“Ah.”
Ah? Ah?
It’s impossible to decipher what he means.
A spark of annoyance lights up inside of me. I dig my fists against my legs, feeling more exhausted from talking to Lukas than from hours of work and studying. It’s like there’s no concrete ground, nothing I can rely on when it comes to him.
It makes sense. We’ve never spoken before. I’ve got no frame of reference. And, on top of that, I’m the only one trying to read importance into every little thing he says.
I’m sure he’s not doing the same with me.
“I guess it’s difficult to have a love life when you’re so busy,” I say, being purposefully vague.
I can’t let him know I’m talking about me and him.
“I know what you mean.”
“You do?” I say, way too eagerly. “I thought you had…”
“What, Lorena?”
We drive across the bridge, the road almost empty except for us. He glances at me. With the night sky behind him, he becomes a silhouette, looking even more imposing than usual. Which is quite the achievement where Lukas Landon is concerned.
I shrug. “Jamie always said good things about you and his mom.”
“He did?” Lukas narrows his eyes as he turns back to the road. “That surprises me. But I suppose he only saw the good.”