“Cammie, are you okay?” she asked as she rushed over and hugged me tightly.
“I’m fine. A little embarrassed, but fine.”
Luke stood up beside us and walked back into the ballroom without another glance in my direction. I watched him through the open doors as he talked to who I assumed was his commanding officer. They shook hands, and then their glances reached mine. I quickly turned my eyes back to JoJo and Ryan, who apparently had been talking to me the entire time.
“Wait, what?” I said innocently. “Sorry, I zoned out.”
JoJo cocked an eyebrow but thankfully didn’t pester me. “I said that if you wanted to leave early, I could take you home and come back and get Ryan in a few?”
The thought of going home right now was so relieving that I wanted to cry, but I wasn’t about to take this night away from JoJo. She’d had to miss out on last year’s ball with Ryan because he was deployed. Plus, I could not let her perfectly applied makeup and beautiful, gold gown go to waste just because I was being a baby.
“No, it’s fine. I think I may just walk. It’s only a few blocks to my house. I’ll be fine.”
“What? You can’t walk, Cammie!” she pleaded. “You’re wearing five-inch heels.”
I rolled my eyes. “They’re three inches, relax. My feet can handle it.”
“I’ll take you home,” Luke said as he walked over to us.
“No way.” I looked at his face and for a second, I could see through his armor. He could be sweet when he wanted to be. He could be caring and sweet and…wait a second.
“I would have had a ride home, but someone made my date bail…” I glared at Luke and he laughed out loud. He thought he was so funny.
“Seriously, Luke. What are you, an alpha male? Jett bailed on me within seconds…”
Now that the hard part of the ceremony was over and I no longer felt as if I was going puke my guts out, I started to feel a little hurt that Jett had just ditched me like that. Was I really that bad of a date?
Maybe it was me. Oh my God, I think I just had an epiphany—it was me!
Luke started, “Well…” I glanced back over at him as a huge smile formed on his face. “I’m Jett’s boss, so I kind of played my cards right.”
My mouth gaped. “You tyrannical bastard...”
Everyone was laughing, but I was being totally serious. He was despicable, completely and utterly borderline beautiful. Wait, what?
Before I could protest, Luke softly grabbed my elbow with his hand and started to usher me outside. I looked back at JoJo and she winked while tossing me my clutch, which she must have grabbed off the table for me. I mouthed, “I hate you!” and she blew me a kiss. Ryan looked amused as he escorted her back into the ballroom.
I stopped before we could get any further away from the building. “Wait. Let me go apologize to General Siekman for bailing. It was rude.”
“I already told him you said sorry, Doc. They understand.”
I looked up at Luke’s face, and mine softened. I feebly ran my hand down my cheek and murmured, “Oh, thanks.”
I wasn’t really sure how much longer I could fight the fact that I wanted him. I wasn’t really sure how much longer I could pretend that I hated him.
Because I didn’t.
Not even a little bit.
He gave me whiplash. He could be so snarky and rude, spouting off insults that drove me crazy, but then he could soften in the blink of an eye…showing me that he cared, showing me that he had a heart, a really big, loving heart.
During the entire drive to my house, which was maybe three minutes, I watched as Luke’s virile hand grabbed his gear shift. I rolled down the passenger window the second we took off in the direction of our street, because I needed air. I needed a cold shower and a reality check. You would think the pain of Alex’s death anniversary tomorrow would be enough of a reminder for me not to get involved with Luke—for us to just stay friends and nothing more. But seeing him in his uniform, being so compassionate and caring, and then the way his hand so effortlessly handled the gear shift…I wanted him.
Scratch that. I needed him.
When we stopped, I all but jumped out of the passenger seat, thankful that my dress didn’t shred from the jerking movement, and walked as fast as I could up to my door. I hurriedly grabbed my keys out of my clutch and had the door open within seconds.
I was prepared to shut the door on Luke’s face and yell a “thanks” through the peephole, but he was inside my house faster than I was. He bypassed me, as if he’d known I was going to try to shut him out.