Shifting Lines

by Abigail Lee

  We were both frozen in each other’s eyes, daring the other to make the next move. Before the gap was closed between us, the door swung open, and I heard a female voice.

  “Luke, we need you up front,” the girl said. “A couple of guys are starting a fight at the pool tables.”

  He dropped his head and stepped back, running his free hand over his face. I took the moment to gain back all composure that I had lost in that small office.

  “Did you hear me?” she asked. “Luke?”

  “Yeah, I got it.” He dropped his hand from my neck and interlocked it with my hand. We began to walk out of the office and back into the bar.

  “Oh, hey there.” His sister smiled. “I thought I might see you again with my dear brother.”

  “Shut up, Mel,” he growled before he pushed open the large wooden door that led us back into the crowd of people.

  Without another word, he walked me back to my table and released his hold.

  “I’ll find you later.” He looked into my eyes. “I have to go take care of this.”

  And with that, he walked away, leaving me more confused than ever. I had a million thoughts running through my head. Hannah grabbed my arm and pulled me back into my seat before I could process any of them.

  “What in the hell was that?” she demanded.

  “I have no idea,” I answered honestly.

  “Is he the reason you were smiling earlier today?”

  “No, yeah, I don’t know.” I felt defeated and excited at the same time. “It’s impossible to read him.”

  “Trey said he never has a girlfriend. Apparently many have tried and no one has succeeded to tie him down.” She raised her eyebrows.

  “Perfect.” I rolled my eyes. “What else does the all-knowing Trey say?”

  “Well, since you asked.” She smiled. “He said that he’s never seen him act like this before or react that way to a girl who was dancing in his club. He and Adam both about died when we saw you that morning.”

  “I need another drink,” I sighed. “A strong one.”

  “You’re in luck.” She moved two small glasses in front of us. “I was saving a shot just for you.”

  We lifted the small glasses, clinked them together, and quickly swallowed the sweet liquid that passed our lips.

  “Another.” I slammed my glass back on the table.

  “Get the lady another shot!” she laughed as she yelled.

  Over the next two hours, I only caught a few glimpses of Luke. He was in full-on work mode and looked as if he didn’t want to be bothered. So, I kept drinking with my best friend. I dared to go back on the dance floor by the end of the night. Partly because the alcohol running through my system really made me want to dance, but mostly because I wanted him to come back and drag me back to the office again. This time I knew I wouldn’t hold back if given the chance to kiss him again. I also noticed that no guy even attempted to dance with me. I was okay with that, but also hated it at the same time. I was starting to think I looked stupid out here.

  Once the lights came on, signaling last call, we stopped dancing and made our way back to our table. My heels were killing my feet and not enhancing my ability to walk at all. We giggled at our drunken state when Hannah all but fell into Trey’s lap.

  “Okay, girls.” Trey helped her stand upright. “Let’s get you home before someone pukes.”

  “No one is going to puke.” She wrapped her arms around his waist. “I don’t think.”

  I laughed as we made our way to the exit only to get cut off by a broad chest and tattooed arms that I knew I’d dream about tonight.

  “I’ll make sure she gets home tonight,” Luke stated, almost daring someone to challenge him.

  I narrowed my eyes and tried to focus on him. Was he serious?

  “Did you ask her if that’s what she wants?” Hannah took a protective step toward me.

  “It’s fine, Han.” I cocked my head to the side and smirked at him. “He won’t bite.”

  I watched his eyes darken as he watched me.

  “You’re sure?” Trey asked.

  “Yeah, I’m sure,” I answered. “See you guys at home.”

  Once the room had cleared out, he closed in the space between us and leaned into my ear.

  “What makes you think I won’t bite?”

  My heart was racing as I ran my fingertips down his arm. “I was kind of hoping that you would.”

  “You’re going to be the death of me.” He shook his head as he stepped back. “I have to finish a few things in the office. Do you want to go back there with me or stay at the bar with Mel?”

  “Bar.” I smiled.

  He narrowed his eyes back at me but didn’t reply. Instead, he placed his hand on the small of my back and led me back to where Mel was cleaning up from the night’s crowd.

  “I’ll be back in about ten minutes.”

  I sat on the bar stool and watched Mel place lids back on bottles and wash the dirty glasses.

  “Do you need help?” I asked.

  “No thanks, pretty girl.” She smiled up at me. “You need to sit there and sober up. Here’s some water.”

  She placed a glass in front of me, and I took a long drink.

  “Thanks.”

  “So, how did you find yourself back in this bar?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “After the other night, I figured you’d never step foot back in here. You know, after you saw us fighting.”

  “Oh yeah,” I replied. “What was that all about?”

  “We’ll just call it sibling rivalry.”

  “Do you own this place, too?” I knew nothing about these people.

  “No.” She laughed. “I just help out a few nights a week. I’m actually an accountant in my real life.”

  “Really?” I asked as I looked over her short, bleach blond hair, stick thin figure, and size D bra size.

  “Don’t look so shocked.” She laughed again. “It is possible to be hot and smart.”

  “No, I didn’t mean anything.” I couldn’t find the words I should say. “Sorry.”

  “I’ll take it as a compliment. No worries.”

  “So, what’s the deal with your brother?” I’m going to go ahead and blame my bravery on those shots.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, he acts like he hates me one second, and then goes all caveman on me the next. It’s a little confusing,” I answered honestly. “I’m not quite sure how to take him.”

  “Hmmm.” She thought for a minute. “I’m not sure what I can tell you other than if he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t waste a second of his time on you. He’s got a wild temper, you saw that. But he’s a good guy, Riley. If he wants the chance with you, try to give it to him. He doesn’t open up to people often.”

  Before I could pry anymore, I saw him walk in from the side of the bar and over to where I was sitting.

  “What are you two talking about?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” we both answered at the same time causing us to burst into a fit of laughter.

  “Perfect,” he growled before helping me to my feet. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mel.”

  She was still laughing when we walked out of the door.

  “Can you ride on the bike?” he asked as if he were suddenly aware of my outfit and state of mind.

  “We can take the side streets, plus it’s dark so no one should see you.”

  “Where do you live?” I asked changing the subject.

  “In an apartment above the bar.” He nodded upward.

  I stood in silence and wrapped my arms over my chest when a crisp breeze blew past us.

  “Let’s go.” He placed his arm around my waist and pulled me into him as we began to make our way to his apartment.

  “Hold on a sec.” I looked up at the flight of stairs before me and reached down to pull off my heels.

  Before I could pull off the first shoe, I was swept into his arms, and he was easily making his way up
the stairs as if I weighed nothing. With my arms wrapped around his neck, I rested my head against his shoulder. He smelled like leather and a hint of cologne. I couldn’t wait to see where this was all leading.

  She fell asleep in my arms before we even reached the top step. I adjusted the keys in my right hand and reached over to unlock the door. I slowly walked through the apartment, not wanting to wake her. The lamp was on in my bedroom, and I gently laid her down on the side where no one had ever slept.

  I had never brought a girl into my apartment. Any hook up had been either in the office downstairs or at their place. This place was just for me, and now it was for her, too.

  I reached down, pulled off her shoes, and placed them on the floor next to the bed. Walking over to my dresser, I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. I looked at her laying there and realized that she might not appreciate me changing her clothes for her.

  Fuck it. I want her in my bed and in my clothes.

  I climbed onto the bed and hovered over her. My hands quickly found the zipper and unzipped her skirt, pulling it down around her legs and finally off. My hands were dying to run up and down her smooth skin, but I refrained and quickly pulled the pants up above her hips.

  Running my hands behind her neck, I untied the halter top and stretched and pulled it down her legs as well. Staring down at her black, lacy bra, it took every inch of my will power not to touch her. However, my fingers couldn’t hold back when I noticed her tattoo in the dim light. I traced each letter, and she let out a soft moan. I wondered what those words meant to her, and why she suddenly felt the need to ink them on her body.

  I could feel the swelling in my pants and knew I needed to dress her quickly and get out of the room before I woke her up out of sheer need.

  Somehow, I maneuvered her body into the t-shirt and pulled the covers up to her chin. Leaning down, my lips brushed against her forehead and lingered a little too long. My lungs let out a deep breath before I stood and walked my way back into the kitchen.

  I leaned against the dark countertop and wondered what in the hell I was getting into. Whatever it was, I was in too deep now to go back. I didn’t want to go back. My life had been pretty well laid out for me since I was in high school. I grew accustomed to having things a certain way. My way. No woman had ever had a say and for some reason I was sitting her like a lovesick fool waiting for her to tell me where this was all leading. I needed to take some control back in the situation or at least pretend like I had the control.

  My phone vibrated in my back pocket, and I reached for it, only to find fourteen new emails that were sent in the last hour. Sighing, I grabbed my laptop and headed for my bedroom. She would still be asleep, but I wanted to be next to her.

  I dropped the computer on the bed and hit the power button. Pulling my shirt over my head and my pants to the floor, I pulled back the covers and slowly crawled into bed until I was sitting up next to her.

  The computer was setting across my thighs, and I was going through email after email regarding the bar and some construction I had started as a side project. There were days that I loved the work that I did. Other days, I wished I were still in college with my friends. Going after a dream that I created myself and not one that was handed to me.

  “Luke.” Her voice pulled me out of the computer daze I had fallen into.

  “What, baby?” I could see she was still asleep and only talking in her sleep.

  “Luke,” she repeated again.

  I powered the laptop off and moved it to the nightstand. Rolling over, I pulled her into my arms and wrapped my legs around her. Once my legs touched the cotton of my sweatpants, there was no hesitation in my movement to remove that piece of clothing from her body. I wanted to hold her. I wanted her skin next to mine.

  “Luke,” she said a third time.

  “Goodnight, baby.” I pulled her even closer to me and kissed the back of her neck. “I’m here.”

  I woke to a dark room and an arm wrapped tightly around my waist. I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds allowing my eyes to adjust. The light from the hallway allowed me to see that the walls around me were exposed brick and that I was obviously lying in a bed with someone next to me. Where in the hell was I? How much did I drink last night? I reached to the nightstand next to me, searching for my phone or anything that would provide more light. No such luck.

  The breathing next to me let me know that the person was still asleep. Seriously, how much did I drink? I remembered everything up until we took those shots after I went to the office with Luke. Luke? No way in hell was I lying in his bed. Did we have sex last night? Shit.

  I slowly slid out from under his arm and placed my feet on the ground. The room swayed a little bit as I stood, but I needed to find a bathroom before this situation became even more embarrassing. Somehow, I maneuvered my way out of the room and into the hallway. Luckily, the first door I came to was a bathroom. I found an unopened toothbrush lying on the counter, and after releasing the remaining alcohol in my system and washing the makeup from my face, I walked back into the hallway.

  Now what? Was I supposed to go back to bed with him. I looked down at the blue t-shirt that hung over my bare legs. Did I change myself into this? I swear if I had sex with a guy that hot and I don’t even remember it…

  My feet somehow led me to his kitchen where I found a bottle of water in the fridge and my purse sitting on the counter. I dug my phone out to see what time it was. 5:14AM. It wasn’t too early to sneak out, I guess. If only I could find my clothes. I looked around at the black, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. This was a really nice kitchen for a guy. I wondered if he liked to cook.

  “Hey.” I jumped at the sound of his voice.

  “Hey,” I said back.

  He stood in the doorway of his kitchen wearing only a pair of boxers. His tattooed, bulging arms crossed over his rock hard chest. My eyes traveled down to see the sculpted abs that had always been hidden under his t-shirts. I swallowed the lump in my throat as he took several steps toward me and ran a hand through my tangled mess of hair.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Not as bad as I apparently should feel,” I answered.

  “I wondered how drunk you were.” He ran the back of his hand over my cheek causing me to blush. “Do you remember everything?”

  “I remember you taking me back to your office for dancing with a guy. I remember taking shots after that.” I looked into his eyes. “It’s all pretty fuzzy from there.”

  “Are you serious?” He looked angry. “How much did you drink?”

  “An amount that I’ll never drink again.”

  “I like that answer.” He carefully pulled my head into his chest and held me against him. “Let’s go back to bed. We’ve only been asleep for a few hours.”

  “Did we….” I couldn’t ask the question.

  “No, you fell asleep in my arms when I was carrying you up the steps. I put you to bed right after we came inside.”

  “And changed my clothes?” I questioned.

  “Yeah.”

  “And nothing happened?” I asked again.

  “No, nothing happened.” He pulled back and looked me in the eye. “Except one thing.”

  “And what was that?” I was surprised I wasn’t lighting up the room with the red glow from my cheeks.

  “I saw your tattoo.” He chuckled and ran his hand down my side, over the ink.

  “That’s not fair.”

  “Why’s that?” I could feel his chest rumble each time he laughed.

  “I still haven’t seen all of yours yet.” I wrapped my arms around his waist. “So, it’s not fair.”

  “I guess we’ll need to fix that sometime soon.”

  “So, you just took care of me all night?” I asked.

  “Someone had to.” He laughed now, and we began to make our way back to his room. “Now, let’s sleep, please. I’m too old for these crazy college hours.”

  “How old are you?
” I asked because I realized I had no clue.

  “I’m twenty-six.”

  “Oh, yeah, you are an old man,” I teased. “I’ll be sure and let you keep up with me from now on.”

  “Trust me, baby.” He stopped in the doorway to his bedroom and pulled me into his arms. “Soon enough, you’ll be the one trying to keep up.”

  When I woke again, the bed was empty. I looked around the room and could see the sun peeking in from behind the dark blinds. The large bed took up most of the room, and the pillows smelled like leather and Luke. I needed to bottle that up so I could spray it every day.

  Lifting my phone from the nightstand, I saw that is was past 2:00PM. Shit, I had slept most of the day. I placed my feet on the floor again, and thankfully, I felt steady. My head had cleared and most of the night was slowly starting to come back to me.

  Luke had stopped me when we were leaving the bar and wanted to take me home. I talked to his sister. Had she said that he liked me? And then we came here.

  “Hey.” He was standing in the doorway.

  “Hey.” I turned to look at him.

  “You feeling any better?” he asked as he came and knelt before me.

  “Yeah, I was just wondering where my clothes were.” I let out a shy smile.

  “I put them on the chair right here.” He pointed behind me, and I saw my clothes folded in a neat pile.

  “Why are you being so nice to me?” I was tired of trying to analyze this.

  “What do you mean?” Confusion swept over his handsome features.

  “I mean just that.” I looked down at my hands. “Why are you being so nice to me now? You hardly know me.”

  He slowly lifted his hand and pushed my hair behind my shoulder. “Look at me.”

  I hesitated but lifted my eyes to meet his gaze once he ran his knuckles down my cheek.

  “When you charged into that argument between me and Mel, I was furious. No one has ever stood up to me like that, especially a girl. Then you sat there that night as if nothing had happened. Then you came back again with your advertising gig. Every time I saw you, I knew I’d met my match.”