“You always think you have things to do. I bet you can’t be still for five minutes.”
“Of course I can.”
“Five minutes. I’m timing you.” He grabbed his phone.
“That’s dumb.”
“If you get up, I’m dragging you right back down again, and the clock starts over.”
He fiddled with an app on his phone, then set it down on the coffee table. Shannon glanced over to see it counting down the seconds.
“This is dumb,” she said.
“You’ve been warned.” He turned off the television.
“What about your baseball game?” Shannon asked.
“I won’t miss much in five minutes.”
Then he reached up and flipped the three-way switch on the lamp until it was at its lowest setting. Without the flickering light from the TV, fifty watts barely lit the room.
“Okay,” Shannon said. “I see where this is going.”
“Going?”
“Oh, come on, Luke! How dumb do you think I am?”
“Shannon, if I wanted to seduce you, you’d be half naked by now.”
“Well, you’re full of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Just relax, will you?”
He settled back on the sofa and continued to stare at her. Her antennae went up, looking for the slightest hint of manipulation, for an ulterior motive hiding behind those devious I’m only thinking of you messages. As the seconds ticked away, she tapped her fingertips impatiently on her knee. Luke put his hand on top of hers to still it. She pulled away and folded her arms.
“You need to lighten up about the animal adoptions,” he said.
“I already said you were right about Tasha and Ginger.”
“I’m talking about all of them. You’re never going to find them perfect homes. Pretty good homes are better than none at all.”
A twinge of annoyance bubbled up inside her, but something about the quiet of the room and the softness of his voice calmed the irritation she felt. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling tension slip away. Slowly she unfolded her arms and let her hands rest on her thighs. Next to the fireplace, Goliath had stretched out on his blanket, his chin on his paws, the dim light melting his brindle coat into a deep copper.
Luke said nothing. He just sat there watching at her. He was like an armchair hypnotist, coaxing her into the depths of relaxation whether she intended to be there or not. And with it came a dose of self-realization she hadn’t expected.
“I’m sorry I got so angry about Tasha and Ginger,” she murmured.
She waited for Luke to respond, but he was silent.
“It’s just that some of the animals have had such a hard time of it. I just can’t stand the thought of sending any of them into a bad situation all over again.”
“I understand that,” Luke said. “But you have to think of yourself, too. You can’t let the shelter make you crazy. That’s not good for you, and it’s not good for the animals, either.”
“It’s just that there’s so much to do. Always. It never ends.”
“I’m here to help you,” he said quietly. “But you have to let me.”
“I thought you were just here to put in your time and then hit the road.”
“Yeah. About that.” He lifted his elbow, resting it on the back of the sofa as he turned to face her. “Turns out maybe I’d like to do a little more.”
He spoke with total sincerity. Nothing more should have passed through her mind than that. But lately even the most benign comment from Luke sounded sexy to her. Whenever she was around him, some raw, earthy thing beat on her from the inside, demanding to be released. It felt exciting and dangerous all at the same time, like the intoxicating rush of driving a hundred miles an hour. And the way he was looking at her now…there was no denying it. It was sexy. Her mind started humming with erotic thoughts, and soon she was about as far from relaxed as she could possibly get.
All at once Luke’s phone alarm went off. Shannon jerked with surprise, as if she’d been awakened from a dream. Luke silenced it. When he looked back, self-consciousness overtook her. She rose from the sofa.
“Five minutes is up,” she said, scooping up the remote and handing it to him. “Watch the rest of your game.” But before she could get up, Luke grabbed her by the arm.
“Why don’t you relax a little longer?” he said, tossing the remote aside.