Page 38 of Falling Hard
"You were drunk. The next morning, I would have been like all the fucking others, something you regretted and avoided. I know you."
"DO you really? I don’t think so. I loved you back then. I did. Your reaction to what I said … fuck, it hurt. But I love you. Shit, I always will."
"You love me?" Luke asked in a tone softer than before, almost gentle.
Scared to say more, I could only nod.
"If I had never gotten engaged to Solenne, would you have ever told me?"
Tears prickled my eyes. This was definitely rejection. I braced myself for the impact of his words. He was going to marry Soufflé. I shook my head and turned away, desperate to escape the sting of embarrassment. My heart ached. It had been warning me for years not to do this, to leave things as they were. I took a few steps away, eager to hide, when I felt his hand grab my wrist and yank me back. Suddenly, I was crushed against his chest. He tightened his arms around me so I couldn’t go anywhere, and I don’t know if this was a goodbye hug, or my dream coming true.
"Where are you going?"
Confused, I slowly pulled from his embrace and turned to face him.
I saw it in his eyes. The way he felt. A thousand feelings at once. Luke raised his hand and trailed it down my arm, stopping at my hand. His fingers intertwined with mine. His other hand found the small of my back and pulled me closer until I was flush against him. He licked his lips. Swallowed. The muscles in his jaw clenched. He let go of my hand. I wanted to protest, but his fingers were under my chin, gently pulling my lips to meet his. Heat surged through me. The kiss was tender, soft, saying everything we'd never dared. It deepened, exploring. I felt his fingertips dig into my hips, like he was trying to pull me even closer. Impossibly closer. Our lips parted, but he pressed his forehead to mine.
"Luke, what does this mean?" I needed to hear him say it. Craved it. Without it, I’d crumble.
"It means I love you too."
Confused and excited by his words, I stared at him, desperate for more. "What about Soufflé?"
Luke laughed. "Olivia, her name is Solenne. Cut the crap, you know how to say it. It's not Solange, Salmon, or whatever silliness you've been calling her. I’ll tell you what it was, though, it was a hint from the very beginning how much she got under your skin, and that meant I could use her to my advantage."
"Huh?" I stepped back.
Luke lifted a hand. "Now remember you love me, so stay calm," he said.
"Luke, what are you talking about?"
"I was never going to marry Solenne. She's a friend ... and, well, she agreed to help me."
My chest burned as I began to understand. "What?"
"Actually, Solenne is the stepdaughter of my father's business colleague, the largest shareholder inEye on Fashion.She moved here to take over, and when you pushed back against her, that gave me an idea."
I felt my face grow hotter as his words sank in, and anger rose fast and sharp, my fists clenching at my sides. "I'm not following. Actually, I’m jumping to a conclusion, but for your fucking sake, I’d better be wrong."
A smile covered Luke's face, like confessing he tricked me was some kind of joke. Rage burned through me, and when it reached my hand, I lifted it to slap the shit out of his face.
It was loud, and I hope it hurt.
Luke raised a hand to rub his cheek. "Are you mad?"
"Are you fucking kidding? Of course I am! You and that woman nearly drove me out of my mind. Do you know I haven't had a good night's sleep since you told me about the damn engagement? Shit, I've been a nun, no sex. Fuck, all the money I spent … wasted. Every waking hour I agonized over you and–"
I stopped when I realized this was exactly what Luke wanted.
"I've loved you forever. Yes, you confessed that you felt the same way once, but you were drunk. How many drunk one-night stands have you had? Probably dozens! I didn't want to join that list. I wanted you forever. For years, I waited patiently for you to come to your senses. You never came. I was nothing more than a cleanup boy. After they had fun with you, you ordered me to take out the trash. Fuck that. I wanted all of you."
"And you couldn’t just confess your feelings like a normal human being?"
Luke reached for my arm and gently unfolded it from across my chest. "I nearly did, but my father had a plan, and it wasn't to torture you like you think. It was only to see if my waiting was in vain. What good was confessing my love for you and wrecking our friendship if you didn’t feel the same way?
I was shaking with anger. All along, it had been a game.
By all rights I should have felt relieved. The man I loved wasn’t going anywhere, but damn, it drove me crazy. Half of me wanted to call Hopeton and get out of there to cool off. But that would be running.
