Tasha’s pulse skyrocketed. Without turning around, she felt Luke’s judgment descend over her. This had to look bad. If he wasn’t angry with her before, he would be now. The last thing she wanted was to hurt or disappoint him. So far, she’d failed miserably on both accounts.
Elijah’s amused gaze flitted to Luke and back again. A sigh of frustration escaped before she could stop it. She shoved him back with a scowl and turned around. Luke’s amber eyes drilled into her, searching her face, looking for answers but giving none of his own.
“Hey,” she managed to say. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he replied. His focus slid to her lips. A furrow appeared between his brows.
“We were just finishing up a meeting.” One of Elijah’s eyebrows arched.
Heat rushed into her cheeks. She resisted the urge to pass a hand over her mouth, lips still stinging from Elijah’s kiss.
“And what kind of meeting was it exactly?” Luke asked, his tone heavy with sarcasm.
“I like your girlfriend,” Elijah said. Tasha jumped at the sound of his voice. She’d forgotten he was there. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “She’s tasty.”
“Don’t be a dick,” Luke said. “And she’s not my girlfriend. She’s made that very clear.”
“Oh, really?” Elijah raised an eyebrow, eyes sparkling. “Then why can’t I have her?”
“Nobody can have me,” Tasha said.
“Or maybe we could share you?” Elijah waggled his eyebrows. “Could be fun. What do you say, Luke? Like old times?” His gaze drilled into her then he winked. “That’ll give you something to think about tonight, Tattoo Girl.”
“Eli. Enough,” Luke said. An undertone of amusement tinged his warning, like he was reprimanding an unruly but precocious child.
“Is it?” Elijah asked. “Personally, I can’t ever get enough.” This time his focus homed in on Luke and stayed there until Tasha grew uncomfortable.
The way Luke bit his bottom lip and avoided her eyes suggested there might be some truth to the suggestion. She scanned his face, searching for clues, and found nothing. A frisson of tension pulsed between the three of them.
“I don’t know what’s going on here, but I think I’ve had enough,” Tasha said. She tried to step around Elijah, but he hooked an arm about her waist and pulled her into him.
Both men were staring at her. Luke shoved his hands in his pants pockets and rocked back on his heels, his eyes accusing. Elijah brimmed with excitement, as if he’d just received a new toy and couldn’t wait to play with it. The air thickened with something she couldn’t define, a mixture of attraction and friction.
“What the fuck, Elijah?” Seth poked his head out of the penthouse door. “Are you coming or not? This shit isn’t going to write itself.”
“Get off me, man. I’ll be there in a sec.” Elijah waved a bored hand in Seth’s direction before turning to Luke. “I’ve got to get busy, but I’d really like to continue this conversation at a later time.” He twirled a finger in the air between them. “Maybe the three of us can hook up for dinner or something.”
Luke laughed, but she couldn’t tell if he was amused or pissed.
“I don’t see anything funny,” she snapped. A surge of anger prickled her skin, masking the hurt beneath it. Whatever game they were playing, she wanted no part of it. She turned to the elevator and relieved a little of her frustration by stabbing the call button repeatedly. The sooner she could get away from them, the better. Her attraction to both men had her mind whirling.
“Hold up, Tash. I’ll ride down with you,” Luke said.
“Don’t bother,” she said.
The doors opened, and she stepped into the elevator. Luke pushed in behind her. She stared straight ahead, ignoring him. The car stopped on the next floor, and a handful of people crammed into the elevator with them. Luke stood behind her, his front pressed to her back.
Conflicting feelings of longing and irritation cluttered her mind. Part of her wanted to be angry with him for mingling their friendship with sex. Sex complicated everything. It made her father leave her mother, and it made Luke confuse friendship with romance. Part of her blamed herself for letting things get out of hand. She’d known he was off limits, and she’d gone for it anyway. Her impulsive nature always got her in trouble. When was she going to learn from her mistakes?
When they departed the elevator, she headed straight to the revolving door and hoped Luke wouldn’t follow her. The second she stepped onto the sidewalk, the sights and sounds of the city churned around her in stark contrast to the quiet cocoon of the penthouse. Car horns blared, buses rumbled past, and voices hummed. People jostled them on either side, eager to get home after a long day of work. Tasha headed for the curb, where the doorman held her taxi, but Luke stopped her.
“My car’s over there. I can give you a ride home,” he said.
“No. I’m good,” she said and opened the taxi door. “Go back to your buddy.”
“Tasha, look at me.” He moved between her and the cab, blocking her escape.
Reluctantly, she turned to meet his eyes. The noise and bustle around them faded away. He smiled at her, a little shyly, and it all came rushing back to her. This was her friend. Her best friend. The guy who held her hair when she puked after too many vodka shooters and killed spiders in her bathroom. Where was that guy? She needed reassurance about him, about her, about who they were.
“That, up there?” She pointed to the top of the hotel. “It was just weird. I feel like I stepped into an alternate universe or something.”
“I know. The dude’s out there sometimes, but what can you expect? He lives in a fish bowl with a bunch of people who cater to his every wish.” Luke’s hand sought hers and tightened around it. “He lives by a totally different code than us.”
“No. I’m talking about you. You didn’t seem like you up there,” she said, pulling back. She slid into the cool interior of the taxi. Luke’s face fell and he studied his shoes for a few seconds. When he lifted his gaze to meet hers, his eyes were filled with so much sadness that her throat tightened in empathy.
“We had—we had a past,” he said, his voice thick. He looked away and swallowed. “Look, I can’t explain it. It’s complicated.” When his gaze returned to hers, she saw fear in its depths. “I’m not sure you’d understand. Especially after that kiss.”
Her cheeks burned from the accusation. She tried to pretend she’d been unaffected by Elijah’s kiss, knowing Luke would see it on her face. It had meant nothing. Elijah probably kissed a dozen girls a day in the exact same way. In fact, he was probably kissing one of his whores right now, and she was fine with it.
“Look, about that…” she began, but he stopped her by shaking his head.
“Not my business,” he said, and closed the car door behind her.
Chapter 18
The next weekend, Tasha walked into Felony, and a warm, tingling sensation washed over Luke. He’d been replenishing the speed rail in preparation for the night and turned to watch her cross the dance floor. She wore some kind of tight pants made out of strategically placed strips of red lace held together by black mesh. Fair white skin peeked through the grid of the mesh, tantalizing him. He held his breath as she bent to toss her purse beneath the counter. When she straightened, their eyes met and held for an interminable second. They were several feet apart but it was as if she touched him. The corners of her lips curved upward.
“Hey,” she said. The breathy quality of her voice made his groin tighten. It was only one word, but the intimacy of it was unmistakable.
“Hey, yourself,” he said.
“If you two are done eye-fucking each other, I could use a little help over here.” Randy, in his usual no-nonsense manner, interrupted without apology. He carried an armload of canned beer for the coolers and dropped it on the floor next to Luke. Tasha glared at Randy.
“You’re an ass,” she said.
“I love you,
too,” Randy replied, unaffected.
What was it with those two? A frisson of jealousy snaked through Luke’s gut. He knew they’d had a brief affair once. It had never bothered him before, but now the idea of Randy’s big hands on Tasha’s tender flesh set Luke’s teeth on edge. He scowled at his friend.
“Don’t talk to her like that,” he said.
“Excuse me?” Randy straightened and raised an eyebrow “What the hell, Jameson?”
At six-three, Luke was still a few inches shy of Randy’s towering height. The man had gone undefeated in the underground fight circuit, crushing every opponent who faced him, but Luke didn’t care. “Just leave her alone.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, that’s how we communicate,” Randy said. “She bitches at me, and I bitch back. It works for us.”
“Well, I don’t like it.” Luke began stocking the cooler with the beer, knowing he sounded unreasonable but unable to help it.
Randy’s chuckled. “Dude, chill. I’ve got more than I can handle with that one.” He jerked a thumb in the direction of Karly, who gave him a warm smile from the opposite end of the bar. “Besides, I wouldn’t dream of hitting on your girl.”
Luke didn’t say anything, but his lips curved downward in a frown. His girl. She’d never be his girl. He doubled his speed, shoving beer into the cooler like a mad man to avoid Randy’s amused stare.
“Come on. We all know you’re hitting it.” Randy’s voice echoed through the room. “Don’t act like it’s not true.”
Embarrassment heated Luke’s blood. He’d never been quick to anger, but his temper stretched to its limit under Randy’s ribbing. Even as kids, Randy had delighted in tormenting him. They’d tussled in the grass more than once over much less.
“Give it a rest,” Luke grumbled.
“Just calling it like I see it, my friend,” Randy replied. “What’s the big deal, anyway? You like her. She likes you. Ain’t no big thing.”
Randy slapped him on the back and left to open the door. People filtered in a few at a time. The booths and tables began to fill up. His gaze followed Tasha around the room as she moved from table to table, taking orders, laughing with the customers. And then he saw a familiar face stood out from all the rest. There was no mistaking the dyed black hair with bright red tips or the swagger of a rock star.
In the basement, Tasha halted at the junction of two hallways and did a double take. Luke leaned against the wall outside the storeroom, his hands resting behind his back. Her mouth opened to say his name then snapped shut when she realized he wasn’t alone. The silhouette of a hand moved out of the darkness to touch his shoulder.
Jealousy filled the cracks and spaces of her chest. Her heart rate doubled. Luke’s lips moved to speak words too soft for her to hear. She strained forward, eager for a glimpse of the other person yet afraid of what she might learn.
The muffled thump and thud of music vibrated the wall against her back and made it impossible to hear. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to know what was being said. After a few painful seconds, she’d almost convinced herself to leave when the other person stepped into the soft red light of the exit sign.
Elijah stopped in front of Luke, close enough to blur the lines of their bodies into one. He leaned a shoulder against the wall beside Luke. She had a clear view of Luke’s profile, strong and clean. Elijah faced him, eyes glued to Luke’s face. He held a bottle of beer in one hand and tipped it up to his mouth. The muscles of his throat worked as he swallowed, gaze never straying from Luke.
They were quite the pair; long, lean, and sexy as hell. Luke in tight white T-shirt and faded jeans. Elijah in black leather pants molded over narrow hips and a black dress shirt, unbuttoned to the waist, revealing rippled abs. Light and dark. Good and evil. Sex and sin.
Elijah ducked his head to speak into Luke’s ear. Luke tipped his head back against the wall and laughed. The intimacy in their body language and facial expressions was unmistakable, undeniable, and completely unexpected.
This revelation turned her stomach to acid. It bubbled and churned. She swallowed hard. Upstairs, the music paused as the band went on break. The hall fell into silence, broken only by Luke’s laughter. She squeezed her eyes shut.
“I don’t blame you. She’s beautiful, man,” Elijah said in his silky-smooth voice.
Who? Sherry? A sliver of jealousy sliced through her heart.
“You have no idea,” Luke replied.
A fresh wave of unpleasantness washed over her as the house music kicked in and obliterated the rest of the conversation. No longer able to restrain her emotions or the urge to flee, she backed into a stack of boxes. They scattered and spilled over the uneven dirt floor. One of them raked over her leg, tearing away the skin. Luke and Elijah sprang apart. A wave of crimson swept up Luke’s throat and into his cheeks. Elijah’s face smoothed into a blank wall.
“Hey, Tattoo Girl,” Elijah said.
“Are you okay?” Luke recovered and moved forward to help her. She flinched when he touched her arm.
“I’m good. I just tripped. No big deal.” She bent to right the boxes, while Luke frowned at her. He kneeled at her side to help. Elijah shook his head, staring intently at Tasha, eyes glowing with heat and something else she couldn’t define.
“Are you sure?” Luke pointed to the scrape on her shin.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She put a hand on her chest and tried to slow her breathing. “Jack asked me to come and get you. He wants to talk to us.”
***
Jack gathered the group together in his office once everyone else had left. An undercurrent of tension swirled through the room. Karly and Randy stood near the door. Elijah sat in the chair behind Jack’s desk and launched paper wads at Randy using a rubber band. Tasha sat on the metal file cabinet, and Luke stood next to her. They gravitated together despite the unrest in their relationship.
A knot of dread coiled in her stomach. Ally sat on a corner of the desk, her blond hair swept into a high ponytail and a frown on her lips. Jack paced the space beside her, the mischievous sparkle absent from his brown eyes. When everyone had assembled, he cleared his throat, and silence blanketed the room.
“I don’t know what to say, guys,” Jack said. He shoved a hand through his hair in a gesture Tasha had seen Luke use when he was frazzled or frustrated. “We’re in deep shit here. Attendance has been dropping over the past six months. We just aren’t bringing in enough cash to cover overhead, salaries, and expenses.”
“I thought we were doing better,” Tasha said. “What about last weekend? A ton of people came through here.”
Luke’s hand rested on her shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze, letting her know he was still there for her.
“It wasn’t enough,” Ally said. “This building is old and needs major repairs. The taxes keep climbing every year. We managed to squeak by last year, but I just don’t see how we can keep doing this.”
“If things don’t turn around, we’re going to close at the end of the summer,” Jack finished.
Ally put her hand in his and smiled up at him, tears in her eyes. Their sadness touched Tasha more than she let on. They’d worked so hard to keep the bar afloat. Felony was their haven, a secret place to get away, and she couldn’t imagine her life without it.
“There has to be something we can do,” Karly said, looking up at Randy.
“I suppose I could do some more fights,” Randy said. He’d retired from the underground fight circuit to graduate from college and marry Karly.
“No.” Karly shook her head and put her arms around his waist. “You’re done with it. You promised me.”
“I’m sure there’s another way,” Luke said.
Jack’s jaw tightened. “I appreciate your offers, but I don’t want your money. You’ve all got troubles of your own. I talked it over with Ally, and we’ve decided it’s the best thing to do. We’ll do our best to keep things afloat, but I wanted to give you a heads up in case you wanted to look for other jobs.
”
No one spoke for at least a minute. The end of Felony meant the end of their surrogate family. People always said they’d stay in touch, but they never did. They drifted apart, and their lives changed. Soon they’d all be strangers with nothing in common but a shared moment in their past.
Her gaze flew to Luke. Where would it leave them? He’d moved here to help Jack run Felony. Once the obligation ended, he’d have no reason to stay. He’d go back to Chicago were he grew up, and she’d never see him again.
Chapter 19
Luke lowered himself into the armchair of his living room and groaned. His head felt like a squashed balloon and his gut churned. They’d stayed at Felony until dawn, drinking shots of bourbon with Jack and Randy, toasting the end of an era. Elijah had crashed on his couch, preferring Luke’s dumpy apartment to the grandeur of his penthouse suite, and never left.
Elijah stretched out on the floor and threw a tennis ball at the ceiling over and over and over. Catching it and tossing it back into the air. Thump. Thump. Thump. The sound intensified the pounding between Luke’s temples.
“It’s like old times, isn’t it?” Elijah asked. “You, me, hanging out after a night of drinking.” He paused. Luke could almost hear his mind whizzing along at breakneck speed. “We need Caroline. I wonder what she’s up to?”
Thump. Thump. Luke tensed, unwilling to recall the unpleasantness of the only girl he’d loved. Of course, Elijah was oblivious to his tension. He had no idea how things had ended between him and Caroline.
“I don’t know,” Luke snapped.
“What about Chelsea? You ever see her?” Elijah asked. “I thought about looking her up, but I don’t know where she is.”
The mention of Jack’s ex-wife made Luke groan. Chelsea made him promise to keep her whereabouts secret from Elijah, and he didn’t blame her. He wasn’t sure what had transpired between the two of them and didn’t want to know. The less he knew, the better.
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