Page 83 of The Hookup
It had all gone so well, him talking to her, and opening up, and suggesting they go out and grab something for brunch. And then he’d gone and ruined it all by reminding her of the reason he wanted to be with her.
For sex, and nothing more.
She had left his apartment wondering if that was how men like Luke Hunter rolled, and she reminded herself that she had been on the brink of splitting up with him before, and that she had only put it off because of the wedding.
She had been torn. One moment thinking that it was possible to move beyond the hookups, and the next moment, convinced that she was being an idealistic and hopeless fool for thinking this way.
But that had been a week ago, and she hadn’t heard from him since. No text or email, nor a phone call. It was Valentine’s Day tomorrow, and she would have expected at least a text or something by now, because he had no idea how much he’d upset her, and he would have assumed that everything was still fine between them. Besides, it wasn’t as if she was expecting a present from him. Christmas had taught her that the guy wasn’t into exchanging gifts. She already knew not to have any expectations, and had forced herself to forget that night with him, but it was hard to when Luke Hunter’s sense and smell were still imprinted all over her.
She could no morenotthink about him, than she could not breathe. Forgetting him was impossible, and was made more so because of his total silence. She didn’t know what to think. She wasn’t sure if he was ignoring her because he regretted making himself vulnerable, or whether he was just busy. He’d mentioned that work would soon be starting on the new club he’d recently bought on Canal Street, but the truth was, she just didn’t know what to think.
So when Erin suggested that they go to The Oasis, she found herself in a quandary, particularly since she didn’t know what face to show the friend who was so excited for her ‘new romance.’
“Why not?” Erin whined, when Kay made up another excuse for why she couldn’t.
“I can’t,” she replied, pretending to busy herself in work. She had plenty to do and had done a few fourteen-hour workdays lately, but that was because her mind hadn’t been on work as much as it should have been.
She hadn’t had her period either. Unable to wait, she’d taken a test, but it had been negative. She was treading between the two possibilities. One in which she carried Luke’s child, and one in which she didn’t. Only time would tell. Maybe she’d take the test again in a few days’ time.
She had no desire to step foot inside Luke’s bar just yet. Back when it had been just a hookup, things had been different.Easier. She hadn’t given of herself as emotionally back then.
But there was more than just her reputation to think about now, it wasn’t just about what Erin, or Geoffrey, or Savannah might say, if they knew. It was about protecting her heart. Unable to help herself, she had entertained the idea that she and Luke could have something more, that he needed her, even if he couldn’t say it in as many words. Her feelings for him had changed.
If he had at least tried to get in touch this past week, she might have taken Erin up on her offer, but going to the bar now, given Luke’s silence, might anger him.Shehad good reason to be angry with him—she had come to demand more from the relationship and now she knew that he didn’t. For him it was what it was; convenient sex between two like-minded people. She couldn’t understand his reasons. Perhaps he couldn’t handle it, those broken rules and the revelation about his past and his mother’s story. Those things might have been too big a step for him to take.
“Just for a couple of drinks,” Erin insisted.
“No,” she replied, looking up at Erin somberly.
“Have you both had a fight?” her friend asked. “I noticed you’ve had your head down lately.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, Remington is looking to me for results. I can’t mess this up.”
“Not even for a couple of drinks?”
“Maybe next week.” She would wait it out. Let Luke come to her. Or make the move and split up with him now so that the thing was done soon. Anything was better than dealing with the mental trauma of being in this type of situation with that type of guy.
Chapter 27
“Do you want to get a beer or something?” Xavier asked him soon after he had arrived at the Canal Street site.
Luke was happy to see him, but getting a drink was going to be impossible. “I could do with a couple of beers, but I can’t today. There’s just too much going on.” He did a double take because his friend looked like shit. In fact, Luke was pretty certain he didn’t look so good himself. After his visit to the doctor, and a subsequent ultrasound, he’d discovered that the doctor wanted to run more tests.
“Why? What brings you here?” he asked, because something was clearly up with his friend. They hadn’t kept in touch lately, so the fact that his friend had turned up, told him things were dire.
“She found out,” said Xavier, looking miserable. “Izzy found out about the bet.”
“She what?” Poor girl. That can’t have gone down well at all. He swiped a hand on the back of his neck, staring at his friend. Xavier looked as if his easy-come-easy-go world had imploded. In the background, the continued banging and drilling noises, as well as the workmen’s loud, gruff voices, filled the air.
This wasn’t the place to havethattype of conversation and he could see that Xavier needed someone to talk to. He was about to suggest they go someplace quiet, when Xavier spoke. “She found out. She knows, and she hates me for it.”
“How the hell did she find out?”
“I have no fucking idea.” Xavier glanced at him. “Wasn’t you, was it?”
Luke had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. They weren’t closeclose, like in your face close. Xavier didn’t know anything about him, or even that he’d been to his sister’s wedding, or who he was dating—if you could call what he and Kay haddating. But this surprised him, that his friend would think he’d been the one to snitch on him. “You’re really askingme?” He glared at Xavier in disbelief. Shaking his head, he said, “I never said anything. You know I wouldn’t, right?”
“I don’t know how the fuck she found out, then.”
