“I’m happy to help,” he said and smiled. “The store is really looking great. I think your dad would be proud of what you’ve done with the place.”
“You think?” She paused, thinking. “He always was a dreamer, so I’d like to think he’d be happy for me pursuing mine.”
“I’m sure he would. I don’t think anyone else could have breathed life back into that space the way you have.”
“Not even you?” she teased and he laughed.
“Not even me,” he agreed. “I guess you finally came out on top, huh?”
“Finally? I think you’re forgetting all the other times I beat you.”
“Hm … Guess you’ll have to refresh my memory.” The words were full of heat and she swallowed hard as she imagined all the other, more pleasurable, ways they could compete if they took their old rivalry to the bedroom. “I’m sorry for all the stress with the construction and the store, by the way. I—”
“You did what you could. It’s OK, I get it.” She shrugged. “Truthfully, you made me fight for it in a way I haven’t had to do for a long time. Things in New York were just … stale. I didn’t even realize it until I came back home and found myself face to face with this annoying dark-haired guy who kissed me senseless.”
Luke laughed, the sound lighting up his whole face. “I’m glad I could help,” he said, still grinning. “Noah told me a little about what went down in New York, but if you ever want to talk …”
She shrugged. “There’s not much to tell, really. Things were good, or so I thought, until they weren’t anymore. I was … a different person—one Tyler wanted, not one I recognized—but coming back home and facing off with you reminded me of who I am.” April smiled wryly. “I just need my ex to get the memo that it’s over. I finally blocked his number tonight, just to stop the constant messages. I’ll get Noah to get my stuff for me at some point.”
A muscle in Luke’s jaw feathered. “I’m sorry that he treated you that way. I’ll happily go with Noah when you’re ready. Just say the word.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly, feeling lighter for having spilled her guts and smiling when Sadie whined from their feet, eyeing the chicken on their plates.
They finished eating and April found that she devoured her food quickly. Apparently, mind-blowing orgasms and a day of cleaning was hungry work.
“Now, no pressure,” Luke said, leading her up the stairs. “I have a guest room that you can use, or if you don’t mind sharing with yourfriendthen you can join me. But I’ll warn you that Sadie is a pillow hog.”
The emphasis on “friend” hadn’t gone unnoticed, but she let it go, not quite ready to talk about what any of this might mean for them. “Noted.”
She followed him into his room and wiggled her toes in the thick cream carpet as Luke pulled back the fluffy covers. Sadie immediately jumped up on the bed, tail wagging a mile a minute, and April smiled as Luke roughhoused with her.
“Bathroom’s through there,” he said, nodding to a wooden door leading off from the bedroom. “Help yourself to the toiletries and shower if you want. There are clean towels in there.”
So far, she’d been pleasantly surprised by Luke’s place. It was possible that he was tidier than she was, but the bathroom would be the real test.
The door opened soundlessly and she peeked inside,surprised to find things more traditional upstairs than the sleek modern appliances downstairs. The floor was hardwood and the toilet and sink were both freestanding and white—the seat was even down, which surprised her. The walk-in shower was modern, though—the rainfall head looked to die for—but she’d have to make use of it in the morning because right then she was too tired to do anything more than pee and clean her face.
“A guy that puts the seat down,” she mused as she walked out of the room and found Luke shirtless by the bed. “Seems too good to be true.”
He tossed her a large t-shirt and she thanked him, pulling off her clothes and slipping it on. It was soft and well worn, smelling faintly of laundry detergent and something woodsy, something uniquelyLuke.
“If I don’t close the lid then Sadie will drink the toilet water,” he said dryly and she wrinkled her nose.
She retrieved her toothbrush from her bag and moved back into the bathroom. Luke came to stand next to her at the sink, and their eyes watched each other’s reflection in the mirror as they brushed. She wasn’t sure what the protocol was here. Were they just two sort-of friends who’d slept together? Were theymore?
Luke had stripped off to his boxers, and April couldn’t stop her eyes from travelling down his chest, following the line of his abs until they came to rest on the bulge at his crotch. A familiar hunger flutteredthrough her lower abdomen, but at the same time she felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her.
Luke smiled at her coyly as he finished up, and April couldn’t stop herself from rising to that all-too-familiar smirk. “What do you want, Pointer?”
“Nothing, Jones. Just remembering how pretty you looked all blissed out on the counter this morning.”
April swallowed thickly, trying to think up a witty retort but coming up short at the memory of his skin under her fingers, his lips hot against hers. But she wasn’t sure if she had it in her to go again tonight. Panic rose in her at the thought of telling him this, though—Tyler had always gotten moody if she turned down sex, and she was worried it would make things weird between her and Luke. After all, she had no idea if he’d only invited her back because he was expecting another hook-up.
As if reading her mind, Luke smiled slightly and said in a soft voice, “Hey, don’t get in your head about this. We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. If things go the way I think they might, I reckon we won’t be short on opportunities to revisit what we started this morning.”
Relief swelled in April’s chest, coupled with a fondness toward Luke which a month ago would have been entirely unthinkable. He placed a firm hand on her shoulder, turning her toward the bedroom and flipping off the bathroom lights behind him as he guided her to the bed.
The sheets were cool when she climbed in and she rolled to face him as he got in the other side. He pulled the comforter up, then captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger, pulling her face up to his. He pressed a firm kiss to her lips which made April’s stomach somersault, and she responded in kind, her hands reaching up to grasp his jaw. He broke away, studying her face intently before pressing another quick kiss to the tip of her nose, which made April giggle in surprise.