Page 29 of Trustfall

“We had a leak in our kitchen. It was fixed, but we need to dry out the floor. No one is available until tomorrow.”

He nods in understanding. “No problem. Let me make a quick call, but I’ve got you.”

“Really?” I’m so relieved I could kiss him.You already wanted to kiss him.I ignore my inner voice because she’s smug as hell and settle for a “thank you” instead.

Luke holds up his finger as he brings his phone to his ear. He talks with someone for under a minute and then looks back at me. “All set. Marco is coming with some industrial fans. He should be here in fifteen. They’ll need to run all night to make sure everything is completely dry.”

“No problem. Thanks again! You seriously saved us tonight.”

“It’s the least I could do. You did risk your job and good name to stitch me up, after all.”

“That is true. Well, thanks all the same. I’m going to go tell Allie the good news.”

“Hey, Em.” He calls as I turn around, and my stomach dips. “The fans are loud. Like madness-inducing loud. Even with the doors closed and headphones on, you can still hear them. I just set up a guest room. A few of my buddies are visiting this weekend, so it’s all ready to go. If you and Allie want to crash here tonight—it’s no problem. I mean, it’s just there. As a guest room. And no one is in there. Yet. Not until this weekend. It’s a queen-sized bed,” he adds at the end.

A smile spreads across my face. Is Luke Collins nervously babbling? Is he nervous to ask me to stay at his house for the night? I can’t seem to wrap my head around this man. One minute, he’s this tough, tattooed, motorcycle-riding, leather-jacket guy who hauls me out of a bar over his shoulder, and the next, he’s shy about asking me to spend the night in his guest room.

“Thank you for the offer. I’ll talk to Allie,” I say as I walk out.

It turns out Allie is more excited to crash at Luke's than I expected. She dashes inside, grabs her overnight bag, and is already on her way to his house before I can even take a look at the kitchen mess for myself. Marco arrives a few minutes later and quickly sets up his gear. I thank him before changing out of my scrubs and into a T-shirt and sweats. Then I pack a bag and head to Luke's.

I knock on the door and peek inside. “We're in the living room,” Luke calls out.

“We just ordered pizza,” he says as I walk over and take in the scene. Allie is snuggled up in a fuzzy blanket with basketballs on it, sitting on Luke's couch, while Luke sits in an armchair, sipping a beer. Their eyes are fixed on the TV, where my favorite Alaska house-hunting show is playing. What the hell did I just walk in on here?

“Allie told me you're a fan of this show. And pizza, right? I got a pie with half mushrooms and half peppers. Hope you're good with that.”

“Yeah—of course. Thank you.” I take my shoes off, sit next to Allie, and try to grab some of her blanket for myself, but she tugs it back.

Luke sees our blanket tug-of-war and goes to the closet, grabbing another fuzzy blanket with footballs on it and draping it over me.

“How many sports-themed blankets do you own?”

“Enough.” He winks.

I giggle and snuggle under the blanket, getting it just right, and suddenly I'm in heaven—blissful and cozy as I watch my favorite show.

After several episodesof the Alaska show and more slices of pizza than I care to admit, I realize it's time to call it a night. Allie is a night owl and stays up until midnight most nights, but I have to get up at dawn, so I’m usually in bed by nine on work nights. I have no idea when Luke goes into work, but I imagine he gets an early start as well. I nudge Allie and give her a look that says, “We should get out of this guy’s hair for the night.” She rolls her eyes, stands, and announces, “I’m sleeping with this blanket.” Then she trots into the guest room like a damn cat.

I take that as my cue, and Luke and I do an awkward dance, trying to figure out how we should say goodnight. A kiss on the cheek? Fist bump? Head pat?

“I'm off to bed too. Night,” I say finally. “Thanks for letting us crash and for the pizza.” Luke had insisted on paying, despite my offer to buy it as a thank you for hosting us. He wouldn't hear of it, so I gave in. Later, I discreetly left a twenty-dollar bill in his fridge, tucked under a beer bottle in the back, hoping he wouldn't find it until tomorrow.

“Anytime, Little Wells,” he says before closing the space between us and gently kissing my forehead.

That's his move? A forehead kiss—the most intimate gesture out there. I respond by slowly backing out of the room, but I trip on one of Allie's shoes and almost fall on my butt. Again. Then I make a quick exit.

The tossing and turning that follows is intense. It lasts long after Allie stops checking her phone and starts snoring softly beside me. The bed is surprisingly comfortable. Luke picked out really soft, nice sheets for the guest room bed. Unlike most guys, who would have gone for the cheapest option, Luke thought about his guests' comfort.

I've had many sleepless nights, but this one feels unique. It's as if I can sense Luke's proximity, yet he's still too far away. I want him to be wrapped around me like he was a few mornings ago. I want to be enveloped in his strong arms, feeling his chest rise and fall, and basking in the warmth emanating from his skin. Instead, he's right next door, in his own bed, sleeping like a baby, blissfully unaware of the tortured girl unable to sleep down the hall. This is pure agony.

I glance at my phone. It's already after one in the morning. I've got to be up in three hours. I rip the covers off and jump out of bed. I need some fresh air. I head to the kitchen, grab a bottle of water from the fridge, and hope Luke doesn't have an alarm system as I open the sliding door to the back deck. Luckily, no alarms sound. I look around. Luke doesn't have much furniture out here—just a couple of loungers with a small wooden table in between. I drop onto one of the loungers. A gust of wind blows through the trees, and I shiver, goosebumps sheeting my arms. I'm wearing my usual pajamas—a long T-shirt and underwear. I didn't think to grab sweatpants or a jacket before coming out here.

“Blanket?" A sleepy male voice behind me makes me almost jump out of my skin.

“Oh my God. Where did you come from?”

“Inside the house,” Luke deadpans.

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