by Tia Siren
“No, I’m not,” he snapped, looking up at her with a glare. “Get out, Alicia. If you’re going to act like a psycho, get out. I’ve got enough to deal with without your crazy moods.”
She hugged her dress close to her chest angrily. “Fuck you, Luke. Just fuck you.”
After stomping across the floor, Alicia punched the elevator button. She stepped inside with her dress still clutched tightly to her chest, completely naked behind it. Her eyes narrowed at him before the elevator doors shut and he heard the whir of it heading down.
There was no doubt that his team would get a good eyeful when she reached the bottom. Things like that never mattered to Alicia anyway. Hell, they had fucked in a hotel elevator that had a camera at one time, the feed of which had been aired on TMZ a few years ago. He could still remember his father yelling at him over that one.
This was revenge for all the times Luke had done everything he possibly could to defy his father’s values. Marriage, relationships, things like that had never been high on his agenda. He loved oil. He loved being in business. Those were the things that were the most important to him. Now he had to adjust those around in the next thirty days to win over Paige. Money obviously didn’t impress her, so he had to do something else.
Even if it gave him a headache.
“You’re a prick, Dad,” he said, shaking his head with a sigh. “I don’t think you realize how much of a fucking prick you really are.”
Chapter Five
Paige
“This is where Luke wanted us to meet?”
Paige took in the jungle of greenery as they drove up a twisted and private driveway to a small restaurant centered in the middle of it all. It was still warm, even a bit balmy, when she rolled down the passenger window to inhale the scent of fresh herbs and greenery.
“Yes,” Shannon said, gazing out the window as well with a smile. “It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?”
“I never imagined it’d be so nice here upstate,” Paige replied. She shook her head in amazement. “Who knew you all had farms upstate. It’s almost like being home.”
A pang of homesickness went through her just thinking that. Her parents were most likely out working on the farm right now. It had taken all day with the three of them doing it together, but she imagined it took them longer now that she was gone.
If her parents even knew about Luke. A headache pounded in Paige’s head as she imagined the onslaught of questions. She’d definitely get a lecture about dating an older man with tons of money. It wouldn’t be a “I’m so happy for you, honey” type of conversation. It’d be a “I don’t think you can handle that type of situation, Paige” type of conversation. They had never been approving of her possibly dating—even in high school.
That was what had driven her to sneak around with Marcus after school. She had loved it back then, too. It had been thrilling to sneak around until that night Marcus had convinced her to make out in the back of his Jeep.
After that, her hopes of finding a boyfriend like any other sixteen-year-old girl in her class had been dashed. Her parents had set a harsh rule that there would be no dating until she was eighteen and out of their house.
Not that it had mattered anyway. She never trusted anyone again after finding out that Marcus had been in on it just to appease his ex and friends at the time.
The car pulled up next to a large patio area with lantern lights wrapped around the porch railing. Luke stood on the porch with one hand tucked casually in the pocket of his dark jeans. Unlike the other time she had seen him, this time he wore a simple white shirt with a zip-up sweater. His blond locks were tousled but pushed back from his sharp face. He looked more at ease than the other time as he talked to Toby while they waited for the girls’ car.
Nerves fluttered in Paige’s stomach when Luke turned to look at the car. Smoothing the silky fabric of her floral dress, Paige reached for the door to open it but found Luke already there.
“Hey,” he said after tugging the door open. “I’m glad to see you here. You look beautiful by the way.”
He smiled, revealing a set of white pearly teeth. Paige stared up at him as she tried to discern if any of that was fake, but she couldn’t pick anything up. He seemed genuinely happy to see her.
“Hi,” she said, and she slid out of the passenger seat with help from Luke’s hand. He let it drop the second she was standing. “This is a beautiful place up here. I never thought there would be a place like this in New York.”
“Upstate is different from the city,” Luke said. “I have a farm up here that I come to whenever I need a break from the city.”
He extended a hand toward the patio. Paige stepped up onto it gingerly in her pair of strappy heels. Without pause, Luke held out an arm with a charming grin.
Maybe Shannon is right. Paige took ahold of his arm, tucking her hand into the strong curve of his elbow. She felt his muscles flexing beneath his sweater as he led her around the corner with a chatting Toby and Shannon behind them. He is different when he isn’t moody.
“I figured you would like this place,” Luke said. “I’m sure it’s a lot better than how crazy it was in that lounge.”
“A bit better,” she agreed, tensing at the mention of last Friday night.
Luke glanced at her with a contrite expression. “I am sorry about that night, by the way. Whiskey can get me in a bad mood if I’m not careful.”
“I noticed,” Paige said, and grimaced at how bitchy she sounded. “I’m sorry too. I have a tendency not to let things go easily.”
“Duly noted.”
A large greenhouse covered the back part of the restaurant. Flowers, vegetables, and herbs all grew around the tables that were in the middle of it all. Luke led them to a private table through a bush of flowers before pulling out Paige’s chair for her.
“I know the chef here,” Luke said, giving her a small wink that made Paige’s stomach flip. “I had a feeling you were a pasta type of woman, right?”
“Good guess,” she said. She looked over at Shannon, who smiled brightly. I told you so, was what her smile said. “Is this how you got all your previous girlfriends to like you in the past?”
Toby broke out into a fit of coughs that sounded like hidden laughter. He shook his head when Luke glared at him.
“Sorry,” he said. “I wouldn’t necessarily call them girlfriends.”
“Shut up,” Shannon said, rolling her eyes. “Don’t listen to my brother. He’s an idiot sometimes.”
“Yes, please don’t listen to him,” Luke said. “He has a habit of saying things that aren’t necessarily true.”
Despite his glare, a playful grin tugged at Luke’s lips. There was an ease around the three of them Paige hadn’t noticed before that suggested years of strong friendship. It helped her nerves even when Luke scooted close to her. The smell of his cologne, a spicy musk, filled Paige’s lungs pleasantly.
They talked absently about things to do in New York while they waited for their food to arrive.
“So, you’re not a native of New York then?” Paige asked curiously.
“No,” Luke said, sipping at his water. “I was born in Bismarck, North Dakota. I lived there for a long time. I worked on a few oil rigs under my father after I graduated from high school.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “I have a hard time imagining you as a roughneck.” A blush filled her cheeks when Luke playfully glanced down at the muscles that wanted to bulge out of his shirt. “Never mind. I can see that you used to work on an oil rig. How long did you work there for your father?”
“Until my mother died.” A dark shadow danced in Luke’s eyes. “After that, I came to New York to help the other side of the business.”
Both his parents were gone—one of them recently. Paige had a hard time imagining that type of heartache, but she could see that Luke hadn’t necessarily come from a loving home. His sour mood Friday night was a testament to that.
She didn’t push the subject though.
<
br /> Their food arrived a moment later. The smell of shrimp sautéed in rich butter and garlic caused Paige’s stomach to rumble happily. The food back at NYU wasn’t too bad, but it was never filling. Paige thought it was amazing that she had yet to put on a few extra pounds.
They ate while they conversed about classes at NYU. Luke appeared genuinely interested in Paige’s classes and asked questions about art history. It wasn’t until they were finished with their meals that he told her about his fondness for good art.
“That’s why I love New York,” he said, guiding her along the garden pathway out back. “There are some talented artists here with their galleries.”
“Oh, I know,” Paige said, her heart swelling with excitement. “I’m hoping that one of my professors will let me showcase some of my work in his private exhibit.”
“If you do, let me know. I’d like to see them.”
She blushed. “I’m not that good. I mean, not compared to some of the artists I have seen here in the city.”
“If you were accepted into NYU for your art, trust me, you’re good at what you do.”
They reached the edge of a pond with goldfish happily swimming about in it. A small water fountain trickled peacefully. Paige sat down on the bench facing the pond, crossing her legs when Luke took a seat next to her with a relieved sigh. There was less than a few inches of air between them. Her heart skipped when she realized that Toby and Shannon had disappeared from the pathway behind them.
They were utterly alone in the middle of a garden with no one to interrupt them.
“You’re nervous to be near me,” Luke said, tilting his head back to let the sunlight warm his face. A smile tugged at his lips when Paige turned to look at him. “You’re always looking around for Shannon or Toby.”
“Well, for one, I don’t want repeat of last Friday night,” Paige said. “Shannon promised me that wouldn’t happen.”
“Do you honestly think I’m that type of guy?”
He opened his eyes to look at her intently.
“No,” she said, and then she shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea who you are. You’re completely different now than you were on Friday night, and when you called me.”
“I told you that I’m sorry. I try to steer clear of whiskey when I’m already pissed off about something that’s bugging me.”
“Well,” she said hesitantly, “this is a nice change. I like this side of you better than the other one.”
“I’ll make a note to work on it,” Luke said, and his eyes closed again. “Do you really believe that having Toby and Shannon around will prevent me from what I want to do?”
The sultry tone dripping off Luke’s voice caused goose bumps to break out across Paige’s skin. A warm and hazy sensation crashed over her.
“What do you want to do?” Paige asked breathlessly. “I still don’t know why I’m even here with you.”
“For one,” Luke said, opening his eyes to look at her again, “you’re an attractive young woman. I don’t know why you think otherwise. You’re obviously smart and talented, because you're at NYU because of your passion, not because of money. Why wouldn’t I want you here with me?”
“I-I guess I’m just still trying to figure things out in my life is all,” she said, twisting her hands nervously in her lap. “You’re billionaire. I’d think you’d have your eyes somewhere else than on me.”
“Well, you’re wrong about that,” he said. “My money doesn’t dictate who I find attractive. Let’s just get that straight along with something else.” Reaching out a calloused finger, he stroked along her cheekbone before tucking a curl behind her ear. A shiver went up her spine at the simple but intimate contact. “You’re sexy as hell in a lot of ways you aren’t even aware of. I want to kiss you too.”
“Oh,” she said softly. “That’s what you want?”
Luke shifted to bring their faces closer. She felt his warm breath wash over her as his hand smoothed down to rest on her shoulder.
“Yes. That’s what I want.”
“And that’s all you want? Because—”
A finger pushed against her lips. Luke chuckled at her with a shake of his fair head.
“You think too much, sweetheart. Just let me kiss you. That’s all that is going to happen today. Scout’s honor.”
She couldn’t even respond. Having Luke so close, close enough for her to see the bristles of his blond beard, was intoxicating in a thrilling way. Their lips brushed lightly when Luke leaned in further to kiss her. The contact sent jolts of electricity down her spine. Her stomach fluttered erratically. It was a soft kiss, the softest type of kiss that left her yearning for more.
****
The feeling of Luke’s lips moving against hers, coaxing her lips to open to him, was more than what Paige could handle. Her blood raced through her veins. Her heart pounded erratically against her chest.
All from one single kiss.
She gasped when the tip of Luke’s tongue caressed hers lightly. The taste of him overwhelmed every one of her senses. Luke’s fingers squeezed her shoulder gently before trailing up to rest on the side of her neck.
While a part of her screamed to get away, to stop it before anything else could happen, the other part of her that wanted to be touched and kissed screamed louder.
Reaching forward hesitantly, she placed her fingertips on the strong curve of his jaw. The bristle of a beard poked her sensitive fingertips. It felt too good, too entirely good to pull away. This wasn’t the same man at the lounge who had openly felt her up with lust raging in his eyes. This man was patiently kissing her while rubbing the side of her neck soothingly.
He coaxed her head back to kiss her again, but this time, it was much deeper. It had undertones of lust in it that rendered Paige completely motionless from the crashing sensation.
One of Luke’s hands found its way to rest on her bare knee. His thumb traced errant circles there, leaving trails of fire. Feeling emboldened, she let her hand fall from his jaw to rest on the center of his chest. She felt his heart thumping steadily against his ribcage.
The pace increased slightly underneath her palm.
Footsteps approached them. Paige drew back with a gasp to turn around as Shannon and Toby entered through a separate pathway. Heat filled her cheeks when Shannon arched a knowing eyebrow at them.
“Well, well,” she said, crossing her arms. “Look what we have here. Ms. Scott didn’t want me to leave her alone, but she snuck off to have a moment over here.”
“Don’t tease her,” Luke said, wrapping a strong arm around her shoulders. “You were the one who set this up.”
Shannon grinned at him. “That I did. I should make money for what I do.” She motioned for them to get off the bench. “Come on. Let’s walk around this place for a bit before we head back into the city. I have homework to do.”
“What about you?” Luke asked softly. His fingers rubbed her shoulder, and it felt nice to have someone strong to lean into. “Do you need to get back to the city to do homework? I don’t want to take you away from your studies.”
“I do,” she said, but she loathed the idea of holing up in her apartment when it was still nice out. “It can wait until tomorrow though. Unless you have plans you need to take care off.”
“Nothing that can’t wait. We could get some coffee. I didn’t sleep very well last night.”
“It’s settled then,” Toby said. “We will drop Shannon off at NYU, and then I’ll disappear to give you two some space.”
“That works for me,” Shannon said, shrugging her shoulders. “That okay with you, Paige?”
She looked pointedly at Paige, silently asking her if she needed a way out, as they had discussed on the car ride up.
The day was pleasant, and the mention of coffee did sound good. Chewing on her lip, Paige studied the relaxed expression on Luke’s face. He seemed much more at ease than before.
“That’s fine with me,” Paige said. “Let's look around a bit. I want to see
the rest of the garden too.”
“Great,” Shannon said, grabbing ahold of Toby’s arm. “Come on, brother. Let’s look around the garden a bit.”
They strode out in front of them, chattering away. Luke stood up wordlessly to hold out his hand for Paige to take. His fingers laced through hers as they walked slowly hand in hand behind Toby and Shannon through the rest of the garden.
Once the air started to become chilly, they piled into Luke’s large SUV to drive back into the city. The entire time, Luke kept a hand resting on the bare skin of Paige’s knee, and it caused her stomach to flutter. She could hear her mother’s voice scolding her inwardly. Tell him to keep his hands to himself. You shouldn’t have worn that dress.
She didn’t move his hand or ask him to move it. The heat and weight of it on her knee felt comforting as she half-listened to the three of them amicably chat about next weekend’s flight to North Dakota.
“Maybe you could come,” Shannon said, twisting in her seat to look at Paige. “It’d be nice to have another girl with me.”
Paige looked over at Luke, who had a frown etched onto his face. “I don’t know. I don’t want to impose or—”
“You wouldn’t be,” Shannon said.
“I have a lot of homework to do as well,” Paige said, unable to read the look on Luke’s face as he gazed out the window. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll stay behind.”
Shannon pouted, but she let the subject drop as they pulled up to the freshman apartment building.
“You still want coffee?” Luke asked a bit distantly.
It was such a strange thing to see him so relaxed and then suddenly closed off again. It had something to do with that trip to Bismarck. Confusion filled her again.
“If you want to still,” Paige said reluctantly. “I don’t expect you to spend tons of time with me.”
“I want to,” he responded firmly, and then he opened the door for her to get out. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
She nodded while pulling out her dorm card to swipe it through the card reader. Paige glanced over her shoulder right as Shannon slid out as well. She gave Paige a thumbs-up before sweeping a silent Luke into the conversation.