heart and spread it out for all to see. I tried to keep my conflicting emotions under wraps, but my dad suddenly stopped mid-sentence and looked at me.
“Mallory? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, Dad.”
I lied, the proof plain to see in the tears that threatened to fall from my eyes. It was all too much. I didn’t want to relive my past, especially not under the watchful eyes of Luke Bates.
“You’ve had a long week, girl. I think you should stay at the house tonight, get some sleep, and then you can come pick me up in the morning,” Dad said. “Luke, would you give her a ride home? She’s clearly exhausted.”
“Dad, I don’t need a ride. I’m fine,” I explained. I didn’t want to be alone in a car with Luke, no matter how tired I was.
“Don’t you talk back to me, Mallory Anne! I’m still your father and you’ll listen to what I say,” he replied. He tried not to smile but failed. A grin formed on his face and he turned to Luke. “Well, you going to give her a ride or not?”
“Yes, sir, I’d be happy to.”
Luke’s dark brown eyes flashed when they met mine and he stood, tossing what was left of his dinner in the trash.
I was trapped. Disobeying my father was out of the question but I wasn’t going to ride with Luke. I could probably just walk out with him and then jump in my own car. That could work.
“Fine, Dad. Whatever you want.” I stood to kiss his forehead. “I’ll be back first thing in the morning to pick you up.”
“That’s my girl,” he said with a smile.
I returned his smile and made my way out of his room. Luke followed me and when we were several doors down in the hallway, I stopped.
“Why are you going along with him?”
“Why? He’ll kick my ass if I don’t. Joe isn’t exactly someone I want to piss off, Mal.” Luke’s white teeth flashed out from beneath his wide lips. My breath caught in my throat but I regained my composure quickly.
“You’re afraid of him? He’s dying. You give new definitions to the word masculine.”
I laughed at him and kept walking down the hallway. I felt Luke’s hand on my arm and he pulled me into an empty room.
“You think this is easy? You broke my damn heart three years ago and I’ve been the one here, taking care of your dad. I’m the one who watched his health fail and brought him to the hospital more times than I can count. I’m the one who made sure he was taken care of. And what the hell have you been doing for the last three years? You’ve been living your life without a care in the world, including your dying father,” he spat.
He backed me up against the wall and moved closer until his face was inches away from mine. “And don’t refer to your dad like that! He’s a stronger man than anyone I’ve ever met, and falling short in his eyes is the last thing I would ever want to do, aside from spending any amount of time with his spoiled rotten brat of a daughter, of course,” he sneered.
I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe. There were no words for the emotions Luke evoked in me. I stood, frozen by his presence and silenced by his speech. Guilt flooded my entire body, along with another emotion, one I hadn’t expected or experienced in a long time. Desire.
No matter how ill-suited we were for each other, I was still painfully attracted to Luke in a way I couldn’t explain. It was more than just the way he stood up for my dad or even the way he looked. He’d grown up over the years. Luke was right—I was still a spoiled rotten child hell-bent on getting my way. Tears gathered in my eyes but I didn’t bother to brush them away. I was afraid if I moved, Luke would stop staring at me with that hungry gaze.
I bit my lip and his eyes flicked to the movement. When he looked back to my eyes, his were even hotter and I thought he might kiss me. He leaned in closer and I closed my eyes. His fist slammed into the concrete wall next to my head and my eyes flew open, surprised to find him leaning away.
“This is stupid, Mal. We need to stay away from each other,” he whispered. He looked at his hand