Luke (A Cocky Cage Fighter Novel Book 8)

by Lane Hart

“Wow, who stole all of the air out of your balloons?” she asks, sitting up to lean her head on my shoulder.

  “I was doing great, you know, living my life and shit, and then…wham, the past walked up and bitch slapped me.”

  “Megan?” she asks with a gasp. Abby and I started trading tales of our first loves the first night she invited me over to her place.

  “Yep, that would be the one,” I answer with a nod against Abby’s head.

  “Who’s Megan?” Senn asks.

  “Eli’s girlfriend,” Abby answers, causing an annoyed growl to erupt from my throat.

  “Why does everyone say that shit?” I huff. “He was cheating on her and then he died!”

  “Shh,” Abby says, wrapping an arm around me. “Sleeping baby, remember?”

  “Sorry,” I mutter. “I just get so sick of everyone making it sound like she’s still Eli’s after what he did to her.”

  “Because you’re still in love with her,” Abby offers.

  “Yeah, and now she’s back…with Eli’s son.”

  “Holy fu-!” Abby exclaims, and Senn has to slap his big palm over her mouth, so I don’t hear the rest of her mumbled reaction. Removing his big hand, she whispers softly, “They had a son? Wow, he must be like, what? Three, right?”

  “Right,” I answer on an exhale. “My mom is over-the-moon happy, and my dad warned me to stay away from Megan.”

  “Why would he do that?” Abby asks.

  “Because I kissed her and she agreed to go out with me tomorrow night,” I say, unable to help my smile.

  Abby squeals before squeezing me in a hug. “That’s great, Luke! This is like your second chance...”

  “Hold on,” Senn interrupts. “I thought you said she was Eli’s girlfriend.”

  “Luke and Megan did the nasty after the funeral,” Abby overshares. “Wait, are you sure he’s not your son? I thought you said you were both virgins.”

  “Apparently I was wrong, since she was already pregnant,” I state the obvious, not wanting to dwell on my lack of experience. “So what am I supposed to do? Cancel the date and stay away from the first woman I ever loved to make my parents happy, or take a chance on screwing everything up?”

  “Hmm, that’s a tough one,” Abby responds, tapping her finger to her bottom lip. “I say you go for it. Just talk to Megan and make sure that whatever happens, she agrees that it won’t affect your family getting to see Eli’s son.”

  “I can do that,” I agree with a sigh of relief. “And Meg’s a sweet, reasonable girl. I don’t think she would ever do something so spiteful.”

  “Well, she did keep him away for this long,” Abby points out.

  “She was young, and her parents apparently wouldn’t let her come back home. Megan lived with her aunt in Arizona while she finished college and just moved back down here to take a job.”

  “Oh, well that’s understandable for why she wasn’t around, but why didn’t she send photos or invite you guys to come visit them?” Abby asks.

  “Good question, and I guess it’s one I’ll have to ask her tomorrow,” I say.

  Chapter Six

  Megan

  After the third time I closely examine every single garment hanging on the clothes racks in my closet, I give up and flop down on my bed with my arm over my face.

  I survived childbirth without painkillers, but I’m not so sure I’m gonna be able to find the strength to actually go through with this date.

  “What do people wear on dates?” I ask aloud to the ceiling.

  It doesn’t answer me back.

  Maybe the nerves in my stomach are actually more from remembering my last date I was supposed to have…the one Eli canceled on his birthday to be with someone else before he was taken from us.

  Dammit, Luke is not his brother, despite how similar the two may look. He likes me. In fact, I’m pretty sure he had a crush on me years ago before the night I went temporarily insane and slept with him. And I can admit that I’m definitely attracted to Luke now. Before I left, I was so obsessed and in love with Eli that it was hard to really see anyone else.

  Now, though, there’s no denying that Luke has grown up and filled out into a very attractive man. While after that night together I was ashamed of what we did and what I allowed to happen between us, after yesterday’s kiss there’s nothing but excitement bubbling inside me, wanting more.

  This isn’t the plan I had in mind when I came back home to Cary, but maybe it’s even better. Luke isn’t a teenager anymore. He’s a grown man, and he wants to date me. While I had my concerns that getting involved with him would only complicate the situation even more, I can’t find it in myself to cancel. I want to see if the obvious spark between us can become something more. Not that I’m getting my hopes up that Luke will want to go out again; but if so, it would be great to get to know him. And if he wants to spend more time with Lennox too that would be…perfect.

  Pushing aside the nervousness, I roll out of bed and grab a pair of dark skinny jeans and a white, lacy tank to dress it up. My hair and a touch of eye makeup are already done, so after I pack a few things in a backpack for Lennox, we’re ready to go.

  “Lennox, buddy, would you like to go see the friends we met yesterday?” I ask him when I get to the living room and find him racing his cars across the hardwood floors.

  “Yay!” he exclaims, getting to his feet. “Is truck awake?”

  “I bet he is awake and ready for you to play with him,” I tell my son since I’m sure the Campbells charged it up last night. “But only if you don’t get upset when it goes to sleep tonight.”

  “I won’t!” he promises with a grin.

  A few minutes later we pull up at their curb. Man, last night this house brought back so many memories, mostly of Eli. I shared so many meals with his family and hung out here several days a week as a teenager. The Campbells were like my second family, and I’ve missed them over the last few years.

  More than once I picked up the phone and started to call them. But I was a coward who wanted to hide from my mistake instead of face it with them, so I’m thankful they’ve been able to forgive me so quickly.

  “Come on! Let’s go, Mommy!” Lennox shouts excitedly from his car seat when I hesitate outside of the Campbells' house.

  “Okay, hold your horses,” I tease him before climbing out and helping him out of his seat. “Will you mind if I leave you here to play with Nancy and Phillip for a little while?” I ask him on the way up the sidewalk. I probably should’ve warned him before now.

  “I wanna play with the truck and train,” is Lennox’s response. He’s been doing great ever since we moved and I started taking him to daycare. I think he’s enjoying playing with other kids his own age, and the structure is good for him.

  The front door opens before we reach it, telling me that someone has been waiting for us. I’m surprised to see that it’s Luke and not his mother.

  “Hey, champ, how’s it going?” Luke asks, holding out his palm low enough for Lennox to slap it, which he does happily.

  “Can I drive the truck?” Lennox asks Luke straight away after he gives him a hug.

  “It’s all set and ready for you out back,” Luke squats down and tells him. “Do you mind if I take your mommy out to eat while you play?”

  “Sure,” my son answers before running past Luke into the house when his parents call his name.

  “Hey,” Luke says to me when he stands, looking…really nice and making me feel underdressed. His white, button down is rolled up to his elbows, showing off his wide shoulders and tan, muscular forearms. It’s tucked into a pair of dark gray slacks, accentuating his flat stomach and long legs.

  “Hey,” I reply, and the one word comes out shaky either because of how good he looks or because Luke reaches for my hip and pulls me to him for a hug. And, wow, he smells delicious, that familiar scent of leather and berries, not to mention that his body is big, warm and so hard. Since I was caught off-guard by his hug, my palms are caught betw
een our bodies, resting on his defined pecs that my wandering fingertips enjoy feeling a little too much.

  “You look amazing,” he says into my hair without letting me go.

  “Thanks,” I reply. “So do you.”

  “Thanks, and did you just rub my nipples?” Luke whispers with me still in his arms.

  “Sorry,” I mutter into his chest while cringing with embarrassment, my cheeks blazing bright with a flush.

  “Not complaining,” he says before taking a step back, trying but failing to hide his grin. “So, are you ready?”

  “Yeah, let me just say hello to your parents, drop off Lennox’s bag with them, and tell him goodbye.”

  “Okay,” he agrees. “Let me have your phone, and I’ll put in all our cell numbers.”

  Removing the phone from my back pocket, I place it in Luke’s waiting palm. “Thanks.”

  “No problem. Now go say goodbye so we can get going,” he replies as I walk into the living room.

  “Hi, Megan. Thank you so much for letting Lennox stay with us,” Nancy says when she sees me. “He’s already dragged Phillip outside, and I’m heading that way now.”

  “Thanks for watching him, and here’s his bag with a change of clothes in case he gets dirty, his no leak cup, and a few snacks,” I tell her, handing over the backpack.

  “Great, and I’m sure he’ll be fine,” she replies with a smile as we head to the back door of the house that leads to the backyard.

  Sure enough, Lennox is already plowing through the grass in his big truck. When he looks up and sees me, he smiles and waves, looking so much like his father…

  “Bye, Lennox. Be good for Nancy and Phillip!” I yell to him.

  With another quick wave, his eyes are back on the yard in front of him without a care in the world about me leaving.

  “Wow, he’s not gonna miss me, is he?” I ask the Campbells.

  “Have fun, sweetie,” Nancy says with a squeeze to my shoulder. “We’ll take good care of our grandson.”

  “Thanks,” I tell her. And when I turn around to head back inside, Luke is right behind me, having joined us in the yard.

  “He’ll be asleep when we get back, won’t he?” Luke asks, offering me my phone back while watching Lennox squeal as he does donuts in the grass.

  “Most likely,” I reply, slipping the phone back into my pocket.

  “Ready?” he asks, holding out his palm for mine.

  “Yes,” I hold his sparkling blue eyes and agree.

  And when I place my hand in Luke’s, a field of butterflies take flight in my stomach either from the heat and intimacy of actual skin-to-skin contact or from the confident strength of his grip.

  “Hurry back,” Luke’s father says into the silence, effectively interrupting the tender moment.

  “We’ll be back in an hour,” I assure his parents.

  “Two,” Luke corrects before pulling me around the side of the house.

  “Bye, Lennox,” I call out, but he barely notices. “Call if you need me,” I tell the Campbells.

  “He’ll be fine,” Luke assures me as we walk around the front of the house and he opens the passenger door of his new looking, Clemson orange Mustang.

  “I know, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop worrying,” I tell him as I slide inside. My lips part, and I start to comment on the fact that Eli would love the color and make of Luke’s car, but I keep quiet instead. It doesn’t seem right to mention him on what is my and Luke’s first date. “So, where are we going?” I ask Luke instead.

  “Just about a mile away,” he answers with a grin while putting on his seatbelt, and I’m glad he’s keeping to his promise that we’ll stay close to the house.

  “So I’m guessing you haven’t dated much between taking care of Lennox and school, right?” Luke asks while we drive.

  “Ah, no. And I’m pretty sure finding out I have a son would have run off any potential suitors,” I reply.

  “Good,” Luke answers, glancing over to flash me a smile. “Hopefully that means your expectations for tonight are low.”

  “Extremely low,” I tell him. “In fact, we could go through a fast food drive-thru, and I would probably call it a success.”

  “I can do better than that even if I am technically unemployed,” he replies with a chuckle. “We had a team tournament back in January and came in first place, so I won a decent sized purse.”

  “Team tournament?” I ask. “Like wrestling or…”

  “Cage fighting,” he answers. “Evolution has changed over to Havoc now. We’ve got some pretty great world fighters and better coaches.”

  “Oh. Guess that explains why you’re like that,” I say while waving a hand in his direction.

  “Like what?” he asks with a grin because he knows exactly what I meant, but he’s gonna make me embarrass myself and say it.

  “You know, bigger, sturdier,” I try to reply while keeping some of my dignity.

  “Definitely bigger,” he teases. “And sturdier?” he asks, sneaking another quick glance at me. “I think you need to elaborate on that one.”

  “I just meant you’re obviously…much stronger than you were four years ago from doing whatever it is fighters do.”

  “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment,” Luke says with a chuckle.

  “You should; sturdy looks good on you,” I tell him, enjoying our flirty banter. Already this date is going better than I imagined. With Eli, we always seemed more like friends, and mutual attraction was definitely lacking. I’m pretty sure that Luke and I have great chemistry, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

  …

  Luke

  I’m so fucking happy that I’m afraid it may burst out of every pore, causing me to spontaneously explode right here in the middle of downtown traffic.

  All these years later, after thinking I had lost Megan forever, she’s come back. And not only that, unlike our one night together that the guilt and regret made feel all wrong, now I’ve been given a second chance that finally feels…right.

  I know a lot has changed, like the fact that Meg’s been raising Eli’s son with only help from her aunt. But it no longer feels like I’m betraying Eli by wanting to be with her. I know my brother would only want both of us to be happy. In fact, I think he would want me to help take care of their son since he can’t be here to do it himself.

  “Now you’ve gone quiet. I made things awkward, didn’t I?” Meg asks into the silence of the car.

  “No, definitely not. Just thinking, sorry,” I tell her. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

  “Good. There’s no thinking allowed tonight,” she teases as we pull into the parking lot of The Melting Pot.

  “Fondue! I’ve always wanted to come here,” Megan says, sounding excited.

  “I’ve never been either, but everyone says it’s great,” I tell her. “Oh, but it takes about two hours to eat since you have to cook everything.”

  “Nice,” Meg replies with a smile before she leans across the console to press a quick kiss to my lips. “Thank you,” she says when she pulls back. “Now let’s go eat.”

  I’m still sitting in the driver's seat wishing I would’ve reacted sooner to keep that kiss going when Megan gets out and walks around to my side of the car.

  “You coming?” she asks when I open the door. And it’s gonna be a long night if she keeps up the likely unintended innuendos. Somehow, despite the passage of time, she still has the ability to make me feel like that unsure, dorky sixteen-year-old boy.

  Inside, we’re quickly seated in a cozy semi-circle booth so that we’re sitting next to each other. After the waiter leaves with our drink orders, I decide to go ahead and get the unsexy conversation over with.

  “So, my dad actually tried to talk me out of coming out alone with you tonight,” I start telling Megan.

  “Oh really?” she asks, her emerald eyes widening in surprise.

  “Yeah. He’s worried that if we part on bad terms, it might mean you would
n’t bring Lennox around anymore.”

  “Luke, I can’t tell you how sorry I am for keeping him away from you and your parents for so long,” she says with a hand on my forearm. “But I promise I won’t keep him from you again. Even if we have to move, you and your mom and dad will always be welcome to visit.”

  “That’s good to hear, but you’re not thinking of moving anytime soon, are you?” I ask in a near panic.

  “No, of course not,” Meg answers with a shake of her strawberry blonde waves. “I just mean, if, in the future, I were to have to change jobs or whatever…”

  “Thank you, because my mom is doing so much better. Not that she’s your responsibility to make happy. It just means a lot to her to have a piece of Eli back.”

  Lowering her emerald eyes, Megan nods. “I understand how important it is that she get to be a part of his life. And I’ve missed you all more than you know.”

  For a second I almost ask her why she didn’t keep in touch with us if she missed us so much, but I hold my tongue on that for now. There’s been enough serious discussion, and I want tonight to be fun, not rehashing all the shit from the past. It’s obvious that Meg feels bad about her decision, so I don’t want to make her feel even worse. In fact, I only want to make her feel good. Beautiful and adored as well.

  “So, tell me about your job here,” I say when I reach for her right hand in her lap and intertwine our fingers, taking any opportunity I can get to touch her.

  “Well, once school starts back next week, I’ll be the nurse for two of the high schools in the district, Green Hope and Cary High. I split up the week at each campus, talking to students individually and as a group about drugs, alcohol and…safe sex.”

  It’s a good thing the waiter hasn’t brought our drinks yet; because if I had been sipping one, I would’ve just spewed it everywhere.

  “Sex? You don’t say,” I remark, fighting the urge to squirm in the leather booth when the crotch of my pants suddenly seems too tight from only hearing her say that one word. It’s also like the elephant in the room is finally being addressed.

  “Yeah, ironic, right?” she asks with a smile. “But it’s important for teenagers to know the consequences…”