by Dani Wade
She bristled at his tone, but good manners dictated she let him in to find out what he wanted. After all, her house wasn’t on the way to anywhere. He’d come here for a reason. What that was, well, she couldn’t imagine.
“I’m sorry,” she said, stepping back and gesturing him inside. “I haven’t been up long. My wits haven’t kicked in yet.”
She led him into the front parlor, pausing awkwardly next to the proper antique sofa that had belonged to her father’s parents. As she glanced around, she realized this entire room would easily fit in at a museum. It still had the original fabric wall coverings from when the house had been built, along with needlepoint from her great-grandmother’s own hand and original furniture. She’d made it into a sort of memorial to her family. Though it wasn’t comfortable for lounging, she came here often to look at the pictures on the mantel.
Just as Luke had last week, Mark paced in front of the fireplace, studying the photographs she’d framed in antique picture frames to fit the room’s decor. Mark seemed to fit here—he’d been born into one of the oldest families in Black Hills outside of the founding family, the Blackstones. He’d attended the only private school in the area, same as Avery. Had gone on to a prestigious college, and had done well as far as she could tell. He’d worked his way up into executive management at the mill, though “worked up” sounded a little harder than it had actually been. He’d never actually worked on the mill floor. He’d simply held white-collar jobs there.
Mark was an intellectual kind of guy—not into sports or cars. He’d filled his own house with antiques, liked the challenge of numbers and enjoyed fine dining.
“Would you like some coffee?” she asked.
Mark turned to face her, but his gaze wandered around the room, not landing anywhere for long. “I didn’t come here for pleasantries, Avery. I came to ask if you think you’re making the right choices.”
That forced a double take. “What?”
He shook his head, as if he were talking to a disappointing child. “Avery, I saw you with him that other day, then yesterday. Do you really think this is the best thing for you? The right thing?”
Avery felt a wave of heat roll over her as she remembered meeting Mark’s gaze in the diner. For a moment, she felt ashamed, knowing she had assumed she’d be good enough for a superstar personality like Luke.
His earnest brown gaze finally met hers. “You’re a small-town girl, a quiet homebody. Do you really think you can compete with his career? The attention? The freedom? The women?”
A familiar sense of inadequacy sparked deep inside Avery, spreading until her hands trembled. She knew if she took one step forward, she’d fall. If she picked up something, she’d drop it.
Instead she lowered her eyelids, wishing she could hide away from that knowing look on Mark’s face. But in the darkness behind her closed lids, the sensations from the night before surfaced to flood over her. Her body moving in harmony with Luke’s.
There’d been no shame last night. No clumsiness. Just two people exploring each other and giving each other pleasure. Luke may not love her, but they were friends. He wouldn’t want her to be embarrassed by what they’d done.
“Mark, I appreciate your concern. But what happens between me and Luke isn’t any of your business.”
“We dated for a long time. Doesn’t that count for anything?”
Therein lay tricky ground. “We went to community functions together. That’s not dating.” But that wasn’t the whole of it. “You’ve been my friend for a lot longer than that, Mark. That counts for a whole lot more than a few appearances. If you have something helpful to say to me, great. But I will not let you make me feel inferior, simply to make yourself feel better.”
A look of almost desperation came over Mark’s face, furrowing his brow and glittering in his eyes. He stepped forward, grabbing her shoulders and shaking them a little harder than she liked. “I thought we were perfect for each other, Avery. You’d be an excellent hostess, a beautiful companion. We were meant for each other.”
That was so not what she’d expected. “Mark, you never acted like you felt that way.” She swallowed hard, wishing she didn’t have to hurt her friend on top of everything else. “I’m sorry, so sorry if you wanted something more than friendship, but I’ve never had romantic feelings for you.”
Mark’s color deepened from red to purple. “So you think a small-town girl can compete with the excitement to be had in North Carolina?”
Ouch. “There’s no competition.”
“There will be…the minute he steps out of Black Hills.”
He wasn’t telling her something she didn’t already know. “That’s not your concern. Or mine, either.” If she worried about the future, she’d go crazy. “I’m sorry that you learned exactly what was going on like this, but I never meant to hurt you.”
“So you’d rather whore it up for one of the Blackstone brothers than be the lady your parents wanted you to be?” His hands squeezed, the pressure making her wince. “You could have been my wife, one of the most prominent women in Black Hills. Why would you ruin everything for him?”
Her gasp sounded loud in the room, but she didn’t have long to dwell on the shock.
“That’s enough.”
Luke’s voice rang through the downstairs, strong and clear. Mark let go of her, turning toward the entryway. The sounds told her Luke was coming down the stairs, though she couldn’t see him from her angle. But she could tell from the widening of Mark’s eyes that he had a clear view of Luke’s approach.
Avery looked back at the doorway just as Luke crossed the threshold, and she almost choked. It was Luke, all right. All gleaming muscles, in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs. Obviously, self-consciousness wasn’t an issue for him.
From Mark’s apoplexy, it was clearly an issue on his part.
As he took in all of Luke’s bare skin, then turned to study Avery’s loose-fitting clothes, knowledge dawned in his eyes. Uncomfortably aware of her braless state, Avery crossed her arms over her torso, only to realize the move probably made her lack of undergarments even more obvious.
Suddenly Mark twisted his lips into a smirk. “Well, well. You aren’t just planning to whore it up…you already have.”
“I said, that’s enough,” Luke said, the hard edge to his voice making Avery just a little bit scared, even though it wasn’t aimed at her.
Mark’s expression said the wheels were still turning in his brain. His gaze was no longer blank as he looked between her and Luke. The knowledge of the night they’d spent together added fuel to his earlier anger. He opened his mouth to speak, but Luke beat him to it.
“If you walk out right now, we’ll just chalk this up to your disappointment in losing the girl.” He crossed the room and placed a protective arm around Avery’s shoulders. Her lashes fell for a moment as his fingers brushed over a sore spot from Mark’s hold. Luke went on, “If not, I’ll see to it that Jacob hears every detail. And you can look forward to Monday being your last day at Blackstone Mills.”
“You aren’t my manager,” Mark growled. “You can’t do that.”
This time it was Luke’s turn to smirk. “No, but he can. And I’ll make sure he does.”
“Fine.”
Mark stalked over to the door, and for once, Avery was glad to see him go. She didn’t need people in her life who intended to tear her apart. Life had taught her that long ago.
Mark opened the door, then glanced back at where they stood in the entryway to the front parlor. Avery felt the large span of Luke’s palm blanket the small of her back. Mark’s gaze flicked down, then back up to her face. “Think about it,” he said. The door slammed behind him.
Luke moved as if to follow, but Avery grabbed his arm.
Thankfully, Luke pulled her close. She rested her forehead against his chest, breathin
g in the musky scent of his skin. His hand covered the back of her head, holding her close until her trembling stopped. Then she forced herself to pull back, stand up tall and smooth down her hair—no matter how she felt inside.
“I’m sorry,” she said, unable to meet his gaze…or anything else on him, for that matter. “I don’t know what got into him.”
“I don’t, either,” Luke said. “That didn’t seem like jealousy. It was all aimed at you.”
Avery was already shaking her head. “I didn’t give him any reason to think that I—”
“I know,” he assured her as he stepped closer. There was no getting around the sight of all that sexy bare skin with him two inches away.
Skin she wanted to touch. Just as she had last night.
“What we do here is between you and me. No one else. Don’t let him change that, okay?”
“I won’t.”
As he led her back up to bed, she was determined to hold on to that promise with all her heart.
* * *
“Master Luke, there’s someone at the door for you.”
Luke looked up from the racing magazine he’d been reading to find Nolen in the entryway to the front parlor. “Who is it?” he asked.
For once, the butler’s somber face gave way to a slight smile. “Someone I believe you will want to see.”
Luke glanced across at his brothers, who were playing a game of chess near the fireplace. They both shrugged.
Guess he’d go see who the mysterious visitor was, and what he wanted, since the old guy wasn’t going to say. As he walked by, Nolen’s grin grew. Now Luke knew something was definitely up. Something big. Nolen’s smiles were as rare as two-dollar bills.
Luke enjoyed his newfound freedom as he walked down the short hall to the foyer. He’d forced himself to give up his cane almost a week ago. Moving with care, he’d regained his equilibrium and added a bit of speed to his gait. Avery had been complimentary of his progress, though he could see the sadness beneath her smile. One step closer to freedom. One step closer to leaving…her.
Something he hadn’t figured out how to handle yet.
Behind him, he could hear multiple sets of footsteps as his brothers and Nolen followed. He hoped whatever stood outside the door wasn’t an embarrassment.
As he stepped out the front door onto the veranda, Luke’s eyes were drawn to the shiny black hot rod in the drive. The sleek, low-slung coupe set his heart racing the way most men’s would for a sexy woman. Behind him, he heard a masculine whistle of appreciation that echoed his own feelings.
Then the driver’s-side door opened, and out stepped Avery. Her buttery-soft tan pants and leather jacket finally drew his gaze away from the car. The uncertain edges of her smile tugged at something in his chest he couldn’t name. She closed the door and stepped around the car to meet them on the porch.
“What’s all this?” he asked, his gesture encompassing the car that she couldn’t have gotten anywhere around here.
She glanced at all the men in the small space, then turned all her focus back to him. She probably thought it was a safer option.
“I came to give you the good news,” she said. “I’ve had all your X-rays and evaluation results looked over by your doctor. You passed. It’s time to drive again.”
Luke stared for a moment, not quite comprehending her words. They’d talked about his driving as being something he would do in the future, but she’d never given him a firm date. He’d known she was evaluating his progress this week, but didn’t question why. He’d known he was on the right track. He’d just hoped to learn how far along it he was.
Now he knew.
The smile that burst over his face had originated deep in his gut. Pats on his back from his brothers only added to the joy.
“Very good, Master Luke,” Nolen said.
But it was the beaming face before him that held his attention. Her joy reflected his. He couldn’t stop himself. He drew her close and met her lips with his own, felt the spark of that touch.
By the time he pulled away, she was flushed and panting. His brothers were grinning. “You’re welcome,” she murmured.
She waved her hand in the car’s direction. “I thought we could celebrate. And I didn’t think you wanted to have your first drive in my little SUV.”
“You didn’t rent this car anywhere around here,” Jacob remarked, echoing Luke’s earlier thoughts.
Avery shrugged. “The Blackstones aren’t the only people who know people.”
The men gave a murmur of appreciation that had Avery’s cheeks flushing even deeper. She reached in a pocket of those skintight pants and pulled out the keys with a metallic rattle. Then she held them out. “Shall we go?”
Luke grabbed her hand and started down the steps, wishing he could sprint. “See y’all later.”
He was able to stay his excitement long enough to open her door, then he practically ran to the other side of the car. But after dropping into the low leather seat, Luke found himself unable to move. Beside him, Avery kept quiet.
The seat felt cool, smooth. As he squeezed his hands around the steering wheel, the familiar feel overwhelmed him. His chest tightened. One hand dropped to the stick shift in the center console. He’d learned to drive on a stick and all his personal cars had been manual transmission ever since. His memories reverberated with the hum of the engine beneath his body, the pressure of the pedals beneath his feet and the shift of the stick beneath his palm. The scent of leather filled his senses, along with the sweet scent of woman.
Avery.
Blinking his eyes, Luke cleared his vision, then turned to her. She blinked back, sitting still with her hands folded in her lap. “Sorry,” he said, then realized he didn’t need to apologize. Understanding shone from her blue eyes, accompanied by a sweet little smile.
“Let’s go,” she said.
He pushed the ignition button. A smooth purr filled the small cabin and Luke’s entire body went ahhh…
Then he revved the engine and shifted into gear. Control was the only option. Luke kept himself to a snail’s pace as they started down the drive. The ache to pick up speed sat heavy in his gut, but he knew the minute he gave in, his small exertion of will would break and he’d never get it back.
He carefully gauged every turn, every acceleration. They headed out on the highway, opposite the direction of town. The first time he hit sixty should have felt like nothing compared to his racing stints, but instead his heart pounded same as the first time he’d put tires to a track.
He was ultra-aware of his precious cargo. Avery—who’d gone out of her way to do this. Who’d given him this gift.
Acute awareness of how undermined his confidence had been by the accident shook him. The fact that he wouldn’t let himself gun it. Couldn’t. Because something bad might happen. And Avery sat next to him in the car.
Just when the shaking reached his hands, a warm palm covered the upper part of his forearm. He eased off the gas and looked over at Avery.
“Turn right up here,” she said.
Reorienting himself to his surroundings, he realized they were about ten miles out from Blackstone Manor. The road, and the turnoff, should have been familiar to him. His late teens had practically been lived on this road.
He followed her directions down the road to the entrance beyond. “I didn’t realize this place was still here,” he said.
“I got the owner to open it up for you. He’s kept it in good repair, but they only race here once a month now.” She chuckled. “He remembers you very well, and appreciated the memorabilia you sent him a couple of years ago.”
Wow. Avery had arranged for him to spend his first time back behind the wheel since his accident at the only racetrack within fifty miles. Probably more like seventy-five. “Do you trust me to do this?”
Would he push it too hard? He knew firsthand how addictive speed was, how desperately the fever burned in his blood for it. But as he looked into her direct gaze, her words echoed inside him.
A few minutes later, he halted the car on the lane. To his surprise, Avery unbuckled her seat belt.
“That’s not safe, hon,” he said.
“It’s not a problem if I’m not gonna be in the car.”
He sucked in his breath, simply watching her.
Her soft hand rubbed along his jawline. “I know you’d never tell me, but I have a feeling this is something you need to do by yourself. Right?”
Not by nod nor shake did he give away his answer, but she got out anyway. Waiting until she was safely behind the barricade, he eased the car into gear and took a very slow turn around the track. It had been years since he’d been on an oval track this small. He let himself and the car meld with the road. Then he took a deep breath, down into the bottom of his lungs, and hit the gas.
Forty minutes later, he wanted to cry true tears at having to stop, but knew he shouldn’t press the limit of his healing limbs…or his therapist. But as he drove off the track, he knew this would stand out as one of the most important moments of his life.
Not just his career.
TWELVE
As Luke hit the straightaway leading from town to Blackstone Manor, he couldn’t help but sadly remember the black sports coupe Avery had rented for him. It made him miss his race car, and the beaut he normally drove every day. Instead he was driving a pickup from the Blackstone fleet.
His foot pressed harder on the gas, giving him the thrill of speed and the satisfaction of being that much closer to Avery. His woman.
After a long day walking the mill for inspections, he wanted only one type of thrill tonight—one that involved bare skin and delicious friction and hard thrusts.