tell he was choosing his words carefully. “And you still . . . never mind.” He shook his head.
Elle shifted in her seat, turning her body toward Luke. “No, what is it?”
“Nah.” He patted her leg again, this time allowing it to linger on her knee. “It’s way too soon for discussions like that. It’s not like we’re exclusive . . .”
Elle’s brow formed a deep crease above her nose and uncertainty built within her. Luke’s tone was confusing. He was either fishing for a declaration of exclusivity or relieving himself of any sort of commitment hovering in the SUV. Normally, she’d confront him and insist on knowing exactly what he meant by that. But Troy’s reemergence was more than enough chaos for her to handle at the moment. She felt like she was walking through the surfing part of a fun house where you have to walk through the turning disk. Around and around it goes, as your feet attempt to walk across its constantly spinning axis. She was disoriented, confused, and felt as if she’d left her bearings back at Anthony’s Pub.
The remainder of the car ride was silent. Elle stared out the window, breathing in the ocean air as they entered Santa Monica. She craved the comforts of home and wanted nothing more than to hide under the plush covers of her bed, allowing only Linus to puncture her solitude.
Luke walked Elle to her front door, his hands in his pockets and his lips pressed in a straight line. Elle fumbled with her keys, her hands trembled, and her concentration faltered. When she inserted the proper key, the door pushed open. She sighed with relief, turning back to Luke.
“I think we should call it a night.”
Luke nodded. “I figured that.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” She faked a smile. “Bright and early.”
“You got it.” Luke removed his hands from his pockets, placing them on Elle’s waist, pulling her close. “Good night, Elle. I hope you have pleasant dreams.”
Elle pressed her eyes tight, willing the tears that were forming to go the hell away. She had no time to cry over Troy or the burden he placed on her mind and she had no time to ponder what this meant for her budding relationship with Luke.
Elle pressed her lips to Luke’s, softly at first, but when his fingers gripped into the skin of her back, she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. She cupped his cheeks with her hands, pressing them tightly to his warm skin, hoping he could make everything better. Somehow.
With one outstretched arm, Luke opened the door, walking Elle backward into her house. His mouth drifted to her neck and the tickling sensation of his lips served as respite for her conflicted body and mind. Luke’s touch was intoxicating and she wanted nothing more than to get lost in the beautiful man who was worshiping her body, awakening every cell with his expert touch.
In a swift motion, he’d taken her hands and lifted them above her head, pressing her back into the cold wood of the door. A small gasp left Elle’s mouth and her eyes locked with his. Luke’s voice was husky and deep. “I’ll make you forget about him.”
One simple tear, filled with the pain of the past and conflict of the present, fell from Elle’s eye. Luke watched it as it drifted down her cheek. When the warm tear reached her jaw, he lunged slightly and kissed it from her skin. Elle was tormented by guilt. She wanted to succumb to Luke, to indulge in the way he made her feel, but how could she do that when her thoughts kept drifting back to someone else?
Elle freed herself from his grasp. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, turning back toward the door. “We should really call it a night.”
Luke grabbed her hand, pulling her back. He nuzzled his nose against the most sensitive part of her ear. “Be here now,” he whispered. “Nowhere else. Just here.”
Overwrought with both sadness and arousal, Elle pressed her lips to Luke’s; he reached to support her, hoisting her up against the door, allowing her to wrap both legs around his waist. He rocked into her again and again. The sensation of him, hard beneath his jeans, sent Elle into a frenzy. She wanted to escape into Luke, to forget about Troy and the burdensome conflict of her past.
With her legs still wrapped around his waist, Luke carried her upstairs to the bedroom. They