Now stop thinking about her and start thinking about me again.
Because I’m definitely thinking about you.
About your lips.
About the noises you make.
About how you taste.
I set the phone down again and press my palms against my eyes. This is insane. I’m sitting in a public diner, in broad daylight, getting sexually harassed via text by a man who may or may not be a criminal, and I’menjoyingit.
I’m also relieved that woman is safe. Somehow, despite everything—despite the complications with Luke, despite the fact that I’m sitting in a public diner flushed and aroused and completely compromised—I believe him.
I’m also completely, utterly undone by him. My mind may be telling me to run away from him, but every other part of me wants to chase him down and tie him to my bed.
Maybe it’ll run its course and then we’ll be done. Maybe the more I resist, the bigger it becomes in my mind. If I just allow it, we’ll probably fizzle out and I can go back to normal life.
I frown. Yeah, I don’t believe that either.
Fact of the matter: I want to talk to him about last night and the woman, and we can’t do it over our phones. I’m going to have to meet him somewhere private so we can talk freely.
That’s my reasoning, and I’m sticking to it.
Unknown Number
Meet tonight?
I bite my lip. I want to ask him why—to talk about the woman and what happened, or to fool around some more.
Who am I kidding? I’m not turning down either one.
Where?
Unknown Number
Anywhere you want.
Adding him to my contacts, I set my phone down and stare off into space. I already know I’m going to say yes. Luke’s like crack. I’ve had a taste and I want more—a lot more.
But I’m going to be smart about this.
As smart as you were fooling around with him while your dad was down the hall?an annoying voice whispers in my head.
“Yep, probably that smart,” I mutter as I slide out of the booth to pay and head to work.
30
LUKE
Harper didn’t answer back my last message, but I know we’re on. She wants more—just like I do.
I’m in the kitchen making coffee, in a happy haze thinking about what I’m going to do to Harper tonight, when Mason sets a tablet in front of me.
COLE TURNER ANNOUNCES GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN
There’s a photo of the fucker—polished, smiling, wearing an expensive suit that probably costs more than what I used to make monthly in the unit. He’s standing in front of the Iron Ridge town hall, American flag in the background, looking every inch the legitimate businessman.
“Asshole.” I lean in and read the article.