by Caisey Quinn
Vivien sighed dramatically. “Well, when you say sweet stuff like that, I guess I have to marry you.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Chase slid the ring on her finger. A pear-shaped diamond that reminded her of a flame.
Vivien worried her face might split in half from the grin that took it over. She was his. Finally. Forever.
“Perfect fit,” he whispered against her lips when he stood.
“Just like us.”
Epilogue
Smoke billowed in clouds around the two people in the center of the outdoor dance floor. Between the fog machine and the twinkle lights, the wedding decor had Annalise Gamble written all over it.
Luke Foster made his way to the open bar as the bride and groom began their first dance.
Of all the guys he knew, Chase Fisk was the absolute last one he’d have expected to tie the knot before the year was out. But life was unpredictable. So were people.
Speaking of unpredictable people, the wedding planner extraordinaire herself was making her way to the bar at roughly the same pace from the same distance on the other side of the room. It reminded Luke of that word problem everyone hated in middle school math.
If two trains are traveling down the same track at similar speeds from opposite directions . . . whatever. The details didn’t matter. He knew the answer.
They fucking crashed.
And that was what running into his best friend’s younger sister always felt like. A collision. Two people careening recklessly down a dangerous path toward an inevitable and destructive outcome.
As he reached the attractive blond bartender, he did everything in his power to ignore the breathtaking brunette coming up beside him. He didn’t let his eyes rake over her delicate face, didn’t let them drift down to her perfectly full breasts pushed up by a tight black bridesmaid wrap dress that hugged curves he longed to get his hands on. He sure as hell didn’t make eye contact. Because she worked in Intelligence for the Nashville PD for a reason.
Every time Annalise locked her espresso-colored eyes on his, he worried she could read his every thought. She was known for her success with criminal profiling and the thoughts he had about her were definitely criminal.
Not thoughts, memories.
He twitched at the reminder from his subconscious.
Yeah, he remembered. Despite trying his damnedest to forget.
“Luke,” she greeted him while moving up to order her drink. “It was a beautiful ceremony—don’t you think?”
“Yeah.” He took his drink from the now-faceless blonde and cleared his throat. “It was. You did good with all the . . . stuff.”
This was the problem with being around Annalise Gamble. Every other woman paled in comparison, and he became stupid and tongue-tied.
“Thank you.” She took her flute of champagne from the bartender and turned to him. “So what do you think Lewis will get?”
Luke exhaled, grateful all she wanted to discuss was work. Eric Lewis, the Music City Bomber, was an easy topic. “Twenty years to life, probably. More if they can pin Ethan Meadows’s injuries on him. He won’t be able to stand trial until he recovers from the injuries from the shooting. But even if he only gets fifteen, he held a federal agent at gunpoint. With the insanity plea and the PTSD stuff, he should do his sentence day for day without parole if the DA does his job correctly.” So maybe that was a mild jab at Preston Winters, the district attorney that he knew had taken Annalise to dinner a few times.
If Annalise noticed a bitter edge in his voice, she didn’t acknowledge it. She simply nodded and sipped her champagne.
Do not look at her mouth. Do. Not. Fucking. Look!
He looked.
His cocked twitched in his dress slacks.
Luke took several long swallows of his Jack and Coke, and turned back to request another one. A double this time.
“Hard liquor kind of night, huh?” Annalise asked as he picked up his second glass.
He nodded. “Been a long couple of weeks.”
She smiled, gifting him a rare glimpse at a gorgeous grin it seemed she reserved just for him. “You can say that again.” She turned to watch the bride and groom as another song began and other couples joined them on the floor. “But look how it ended. I love a happy ending.”
Luke said nothing. He was happy for Chase. He was.
He was also jealous as hell.
There was no happy ending for him—there would never come a day when he could profess to the world how he felt about her. Not if he wanted to have any semblance of a friendship with Aiden. Even though Aiden had given them his blessing long ago, the truth would change that. What Luke had done to Annalise could never be forgiven. She might’ve forgiven him, but he’d never forgive himself. He knew Aiden probably wouldn’t either. The aftermath of the one time he’d slipped was too great and he’d never risk hurting her like that again.
The primary reason they would never have a future together stood off to the side of the dance floor chatting with a few other guys from the department. Luke took a step back from Annalise. But she wasn’t having it. She moved with him, plucking his drink from his hand and setting it next to hers on a nearby table.
“Dance with me.”
It wasn’t a question. Only one woman could own him like this. Could turn off his constantly whirring thoughts and make him follow her lead like a mindless fool.
The band, a male-and-female duo that was actually quite good, continued singing slow songs. The woman’s voice held a haunting edge. It flowed richly through the open space, combining with the male one that chimed in to sing the lyrics, “It’s always been you.”
Fuck.
Luke allowed Annalise to lead him to the edge of the dance floor.
“Here’s good,” he said, stopping in a location where Aiden wouldn’t have a clear view of them.
She didn’t complain. She just lifted her arms to hold him. He stepped into them, taking her left hand in his right one and wrapping his free hand around her waist, resting it on the small of her back. It was too natural, and way too damn enticing. How was he ever supposed to let her go when holding her felt this good?
“Look at me, Luke. Please.”
Her plea softened his resolve not to make eye contact.
The instant their gazes collided, his body tightened with need and his grip on her did the same. He wasn’t sure he believed in soul mates, but if there was anyone who was specifically made for him in an anatomical sense, it was her.
“Just like prom,” she teased, poking dangerously at a long-buried secret they’d sworn never to discuss again.
“Annalise.”
“Lukas.” She sighed. “One day you’re going to have to forgive yourself. I can’t carry this around forever. He’d forgive you, too, if you’d just—”
“Don’t.” He ground his teeth together, trapping his tongue so it wouldn’t slip out to taste her.
He could still remember. Sweet sugary fruit punch. The sting of vodka lacing it. The combination was pure intoxication on her lips as he devoured them. Dancing with her in the glow of headlights on a back road because her dick of a prom date had upset her and she’d never gotten to dance in her dress.
Her brother would’ve likely lost his mind if he’d known how her date had behaved so Luke had gone to pick her up. It was the night before he and Aiden left for basic training. That night was forever etched in his memory. Wisps of it returned along with the clean, floral scent of Annalise, every time she entered a room.
“You haven’t forgotten,” she commented quietly as if she’d read his mind. “I always wondered.”
“I remember . . . everything.” He swallowed thickly. He remembered the way she’d felt, the way she’d moved, and moaned. Every breath, every sigh, every whimper. She thought he’d forgotten? He wondered if he was that good of an actor. Apparently the sho
w he’d put on for Aiden all these years had convinced her as well.
He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.
Her body pressed in closer against his, and he wasn’t sure if she’d moved or if he’d pulled her in.
“I remember, too,” she whispered in his ear, sending a jolt of electricity down his spine. “And I’m tired of pretending—”
His phone buzzed angrily in the inside pocket of his jacket. Over and over—vibrating against his chest and pulling him out of the moment.
“I should—”
“Go ahead,” she said, stepping out of his personal space and leaving him feeling bereft without her in his arms.
He retrieved his phone quickly and checked the screen. It was his Captain calling, which was odd since Captain Raeder had been at the wedding.
“Foster,” he answered.
“Luke,” the Captain greeted him with his first name and in a tone he’d never heard before. “You need to come in. Now.”
Luke glanced around to see if he was being pranked by Chase or Aiden. But Chase had all eyes on his bride and Aiden was across the room looking at his own phone while the single bridesmaids were strategically circling him like a piece of meat.
“What’s going on, Captain?”
Annalise’s face contorted into a mask of concern. Lit by the lights behind her she looked like a goddess. One he knew he needed to walk away from before he couldn’t. He gave her the best grin he could muster and held his hand out in apology before continuing to walk toward a nearby clearing where he could hear better.
“I’ll explain as soon as you get here. But I need you at the station. Now. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going. I mean it. No one. Just get here.”
“You okay, Captain? I’m at Chase’s reception and I—”
“There’s a hit on you, Luke. One large enough that it just put a giant target on your back. It’s three times my pension and then some.”
The world stood completely still around him for a split second; then it began to spin out of control.
He opened his mouth but no words came. That was a first for him.
“It’s an inside job,” his Captain continued. “Speak to no one. Don’t go home. I’m sending two officers from my personal detail to follow you in. Don’t do anything until they get there.” With that, the call disconnected.
A name appeared in his mind. He had a pretty good idea who was gunning for him. But that person had been in police custody and shouldn’t have been able to make contact with anyone capable of marking him for death.
“Luke,” a male voice called out, cutting sharply through the cool night air.
As embarrassing as it was to admit, it startled him enough that he nearly reached for the G22 he kept tucked into the back of his waistband while off duty. Nothing like hearing there was a price on your head to make a man jumpy.
“Chase. Shouldn’t you be with the rest of the wedding party?”
Chase nodded. “Yeah. And so should you.”
Luke glanced down at his phone. He knew he could trust Aiden and Chase but the Captain’s words repeated in his head. Telling them anything before he knew the details himself might put them in danger, so he kept his mouth shut. “I know. I’m sorry to do this at your wedding reception but I need to head to the station.”
Chase made a snorting sound of disbelief. “For what?”
“Some loose ends I need to tie up.”
His newly married friend pulled a contemplative face. “Speaking of, you left a loose end untied on the dance floor.”
“I don’t know what you’re—”
“You know exactly who I’m talking about.” Chase shook his head. “Take it from someone who already lost the love of his life once—get your shit together and make your move, man. Trust me. Without her, nothing else will matter.”
Maybe it was hearing that his life was on the line. Or maybe it was the intense happily-ever-after vibes from Chase and Viv’s wedding. Or maybe it was holding her just moments ago. Whatever it was, he knew that Chase was right. He just had no clue what to do about it. It was so much more complicated than Chase knew. The things Aiden knew, if he knew Luke was responsible for what had happened to Annalise all those years ago . . . He didn’t even want to imagine the reaction his best friend would have.
“And, uh, you might want to figure your shit out soon since she’s moving in.”
Luke shook his head. “I must’ve heard you wrong. I could’ve sworn you said she was moving in.”
Chase shrugged. “Viv and I are buying a house, so my room is open. You and Aiden need a third to cover the rent. Annalise’s roommate is nuts and she spends more time at our place anyways. Pretty sure Aiden is going to run it by you later, but I already gave them my approval.”
Luke felt as if the entire planet had shifted off its axis. Saying no would require some serious explaining to Aiden and would without a doubt hurt Annalise’s feelings. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.
Never again would he hurt her.
He tilted his head back as if the night sky might hold some answers as to why his life had become exponentially more difficult in the last few minutes.
Either a hit man was going to take him out or living in close quarters with the forbidden woman he wanted more than air would be the death of him.
Playlist
“Sirens”—Fleurie
“Black Roses”—Clare Bowen
“Fire Away”—Chris Stapleton
“War of Hearts”—Ruelle
“This Town”—Charles Esten and Clare Bowen
“Under Your Spell”—The Sweeplings
“It’s Different for Girls”—Dierks Bentley featuring Elle King
“Playing with Fire”—Thomas Rhett featuring Danielle Bradbury
“Hurts Like Hell”—Fleurie
“Still Your Girl”—Fleurie
“Beautiful”—Matthew Mayfield
“Turning Page”—Sleeping at Last
“Rescue My Heart”—Liz Longley
“Why Do I Feel”—Dierks Bentley
“Little Do You Know”—Alex & Sierra
“Alive”—Sia
“Always Been You”—The Sweeplings
Caisey Quinn lives in Nashville, Tennessee and is the bestselling author of the Neon Dreams, Second Chance, Abbott Springs, Kylie Ryans, and Broken Heartland series.
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