His Lover to Protect - Katee Robert Page 0,26
she was going to do what she could to help his pain.
She picked up her pace as he pulled a set of keys from his pocket. Alexis grabbed them out of his hand and danced back when he turned on her. He’d already proven that he didn’t want her pity—which she understood all too well—so she’d take a page from his handbook and snarl him into submission. Putting as much snark into her voice as possible, she said, “I know where we’re going, so I’m driving. End of story.”
For a second, she thought he’d argue, but Luke just shook his head. “Whatever you say, princess. Your way or the highway, right?”
She’d never been that unbending even once in her life, but she nodded all the same. The faster they got back to the lodge, the faster he could sit his ass down and rest. “That’s exactly right.” He should know something about that, being stubborn as all get out.
“Figures.” He stomped over to a tiny red Volkswagen Golf. When she just stared, trying to reconcile this large man with the itty-bitty car, Luke glared. “It’s all they had.”
“I didn’t say a word.”
“I can read it all over your face.” He marched over to the driver’s side, opened the door, and then marched back to the passenger door. At her blank look, his glare only deepened. “What? My auntie raised me right. Get in the car.”
Wordlessly, she rounded the front bumper, tossed her pack into the back, and slid into the driver’s seat. What was she supposed to say? Alexis couldn’t remember a single time a man had opened a door for her. Oh, Drew and Ryan did it from time to time, but that was different. She didn’t see them as men. But a boyfriend? Never. Even Eric had claimed to be so enlightened that it was his firm belief that feminism meant women should open their own damn doors and pay their own checks. They’d split every single date’s cost until they were engaged. And she’d patted herself on the back for not needing a man to take care of her then—or now.
That said… She liked the feeling that came when Luke opened her door, even if he was surly about it.
It was something to think about later, when she had time and space to be alone. She turned out onto the street and headed back toward the lodge where she’d spent the night last night. The drive was really pretty, the road curving through so much greenery, it was like a completely different world than back home. The man sitting beside her only added to the surreal feeling. In Wellingford, Luke never would have looked twice at her, and she never would have had the courage to push and prod and meet him every step of the way. She liked the New Alexis. She liked her a lot.
She just needed to figure out how to keep the changes when she finally went home.
The silence stretched, threatening to become uncomfortable—at least for her. He was staring out the window, and she wasn’t really sure what to do with a contemplative Luke. He was so much easier to deal with when he was snapping and snarling at her. “Thank you.”
“Not necessary. I do it for every woman.” He spoke without looking over.
She took half a second and considered letting it go. What would it hurt for him not to realize she knew what he’d been up to on the cliff? But he was the one who got her those final steps to the edge. She had to acknowledge that, for herself if not for him. “No, I mean thanks for back there—for goading me into getting to the edge.” She wasn’t sure if she could have done it without anger at him driving her.
“You would have gotten there on your own eventually. I just sped up the process.”
Shock spread through her, and she tightened her grip on the wheel. He threw it out so casually, as if he had no doubt in his mind that she would have made it to the edge. Just like that. This man, who seemed barely able to stand the sight of her half the time they spent together, had more faith in her than she had in herself.
She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she didn’t say anything. As they wound around the lake next to the massive building, her mind turned to the promise he’d made her at the top of