He shifted in bed, and I knew I wouldn’t have time to read them all. I didn’t want him catching me, because I can’t imagine what he’d think of me.
I went to the text dated the previous evening—the one that read:
Where are you?
He’d responded:
Switzerland.
I hit the forward keys to read the rest.
Is it cold?
Nah.
I’ve really missed you.
She’d sent the picture. And to that he wrote,
I think about you all the time.
My throat hurt from the sobs trapped within it.
I feel so alone.
My chest stung as I read his next text.
You’re not alone. I’m always here for you.
Tears streamed and my face was hot.
And then he wrote,
Can’t wait to see you.
Luke stirred, so I shut off his phone and returned it to his pocket. I grabbed whatever clothes I could find—blue jeans and a yellow spaghetti-strap shirt—put them on and walked out the door.
In the hall, I burst into tears. I didn’t see him ever hurting me this way; and yet, he had, so easily.
I know I’m ordinary, and I can be goofy with my blurting crap out and whatnot—but why even waste his time on me? Just to figure out he can’t wait to see her.
The picture obviously wasn’t recent. I knew he wasn’t cheating on me, because I’d seen him every day. But it was so obviously his ex—his stunningly beautiful ex—and he was so obviously missing her.
I got into the elevator and went down to the lounge. It was open twenty-four-seven, but hardly anyone was in there—which was great, because I didn’t want anyone to see how broken I was.
As I tried to decide which seat to cry in, a sexy male voice from behind the counter called,
“Adonia? Are you okay?”
I jumped in place when I saw him there. “Troy? You work here, too?”
He smiled. “No, I’m just keeping watch for a friend while she’s getting her dinner.”
“This late?” I said, fiddling with my fingers. “That’s very nice of you.”
He grinned, crossed his arms on the counter and leaned toward me as I approached him. “I’m a night owl.”
I nodded. Once again he had that look in his eyes, and it occurred to me he really was attracted to me.
And I realized that I really, really liked it.
“You look upset, mademoiselle.”
I looked at my feet for a moment, trying to compose myself. “I’ve had a long day,” I managed.
He hummed thoughtfully. “I know of a place with an incredible view. Would you like to go with me?”
“Like, out in the middle of nowhere?”
His eyes locked with mine intently. “You can call it that.”
I knew going someplace secluded with a guy I’d just met was a bad idea—it was downright stupid. It should have raised a red flag. I should have said “no,” excused myself and gone back to my room. But he was one of Luke’s friends, so he had to be trustworthy. And he was damn hot to boot. So I said,
“Sure, why not?”
His eyes lit up. “Really?’
I bit my lip. “Is it far?”
He moved for the girl he’d been covering for, who returned with her food. She whispered “Thanks” and glanced at me.
“It’s about a fifteen minute walk. I’ll get my coat, eh?”
I anxiously waited for him, with the receptionist watching me. I hoped Luke wouldn’t come down and ask about me; leaving with his best friend who I’d previously called “mind-bogglingly hot” would seem kind of weird.
I clenched my jaw. Then again, getting pictures of his lonely ex-girlfriend who he couldn’t wait to see was kind of weird, too.
And more hurtful than he could ever imagine.
When Troy took my hand, my heart stopped. Somehow I didn’t expect him to do something so direct. It felt kind of intimate—and awkward.
“You’re not going to take advantage of me, are you?” I blurted.
He pulled me into the chilly night air. His eyes twinkled seductively as he grinned. “Not unless you want me to.”
I stared.
“No worries, mademoiselle,” he said with a wink. “I’m not a psycho.”
Hearing that, I breathed just a bit easier. Because, you know, he’d surely tell me if he was.
I am so naive.
We walked down the streets of the resort town and turned up a trail that seemed to lead to the middle of nowhere.
“Is it much farther?” I asked minutes later, increasingly nervous that absolutely no one was around. By this point I really began questioning my judgement. I reached into my pocket and turned on my phone like that’s going to save me from impending doom.
He squeezed my hand as we hiked uphill through the snow. “Not much farther.”
A few nerve-wracking minutes later we reached an overhang, and the view was absolutely stunning.
The snowy landscape shimmered beneath a magnificent full moon, and majestic snow-capped mountain peaks spread as far as the eye could see. Billions of stars twinkled in the cloudless sky, interlaced with the Milky Way.
“Oh my God!” The sight literally took my breath away.
“You like it?” he asked, leading me to a nearby bench. Apparently this was a popular spot.
“This is incredible!” Although the landscape was stunning, I couldn’t peel my eyes off the sky. I sat beside him on the tiny bench. “Thank you for bringing me here!”
He sighed and looked at the heavens. “I come up here for answers.”
“Answers to what?”
“Life. I really missed this place while I was in California. At night I’d lie in bed and pretend I was here.”
“Did you grow up there?”
“I grew up everywhere. My father is French-Canadian and he doesn’t have a big family. My mother is half Swiss, half American—she’s one of six children, and I have a lot of cousins I’m close to on her side. Most of them are in Vermont, New York, Florida…” He chuckled. “I have a cousin who looks like Matt Damon.”
My mouth dropped. “Really!”
He nodded. “His name’s Greg Daniels, he’s my uncle Jack’s.”
I laughed. “Does your uncle drink a lot?”
“Yes, and I think Greg drinks more than he does,” he said with a grin.
“That’s not good…” There I was with a guy who looks like a male model, learning about his cousin who looks like a movie star—and somehow I was still surprised!
Troy cleared his throat. “Greg lives with my cousins Derek and Jesse. I feel sorry for them.”
“You don’t like him?” I asked with a grin.
“Trust me, he’s not very likable. Derek likes him okay, but he’s in the minority. Greg did some messed up things to my cousin Trevor.”
“Like what?”
He looked at me. “Ah, a story for another day, eh?”
We fell quiet. And after a while, his silence made me wonder if I’d upset him.
“My cousin Trevor lives in Alaska,” he said suddenly.
“Really? What part?”
“Not sure. Some out-of-the-way place. I haven’t seen him in a while, I used to visit him in Florida.”
“Oh. Yeah, Alaska’s a big state,” I said, stating the obvious.
He looked at the landscape thoughtfully.
“How long have you known Luke?” I asked eventually.
Troy crossed his arms behind his head. “Feels like forever. I used to steal his girlfriends.”
My eyes widened and I looked at him.
He put his hands out and grinned. “Don’t worry, I’ve stopped. He’s always been picky and I liked his. We didn’t get along at first, it was more like a challenge for me. But we realized we had a lot more in common than taste in girls, so we became really good friends.”
“Did he have a lot of girlfriends?”
“Honestly, mo
st didn’t even count. It was just childish middle school crap. He didn’t even get to first base with most of them.”
I hugged myself. “What about high school?”
“Ah, high school years were mostly a blur. We spent most of them skiing—after school, on weekends, on holidays…” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “When he visited the Alps my parents let me come, since my mother has family here. But anyway, for the most part, Luke stayed single.” He raised his eyebrows when our eyes locked. “Until you.”
“So his girlfriends, what were their names?" I pried.
“One was named Andrea; forgot why he broke up with her. And he had another one that he saw for a few months his junior year, but she moved.” He shrugged. “Her name escapes me.”
I’m pretty sure her name’s Nikki.
“He wasn’t too crazy about them, though.” He rubbed his chin. “That’s what it seemed like, anyway.”
“Oh.”
Troy sighed. “Where the hell is he, anyway?”
“Sleeping.”
He nodded and we fell silent for a while.
“So you’re looking for a roommate?” I asked a few minutes later.
“Yeah, wanna move in with me?” He grinned.
My cheeks grew rosy.
“Your best friend—the one that’s in love with me—” he said with a wink, “she’s taken, eh?”
“Um, I think so.”
He chuckled. “You think so?”
“Yeah, it’s complicated. She’s Luke’s sister. You haven’t met her?”
He shook his head. “Nah.” Brief pause. “Is she hot?”
“Very.” I took out my cell phone and showed him a picture. “That’s Lilly.”
His eyes popped. “Whoa! No wonder Luke wouldn’t show me pictures!”
I laughed and put my phone away.
“So what will she have, a boy or girl?”
I shook my head. “I don't think she thought that far ahead!”
He looked at me oddly. I knew it made no sense at the moment, but I kind of hoped he’d figure it out.
I found myself trying to compare him to Gino. They’re both hot, but this guy wins. Even so, I knew Lilly would have a heck of a time choosing if it ever came down to it.
And this hottie seemed super interested.
“Luke talked about her a lot,” Troy breathed. “About when they were kids, whatever he could remember. If you ask me, he really missed her growing up. I met his mom and Burke back in California, but his sister? She didn’t tag along.”
“Wow, that’s too bad!” I’m sure she’d be devastated if she found out what she’d missed!
“Dating my best friend’s sister would be a bit weird, though, eh?”
I laughed. “Well I’m doing it, and she’s still talking to me, so it’s not too bad.”
“Ah, yeah?” Shy eyes met mine. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
I hugged myself and looked at the stars again. The night was so peaceful.
“You seem like a great guy,” I said after a momentary silence. “And I can’t thank you enough for stealing Luke’s girlfriends.”
He laughed. “You’re welcome!” His eyes twinkled. “You’re the only one he’d miss, so I’m kind of tempted.”
“Right!” I said, red as a lobster. I really liked this guy—another one who made me feel good. Until Luke, there were a grand total of zero such guys at my school, or anywhere, for that matter!
“I’m serious, I’ve never seen him like this around a girl—the way he was today. I’m happy for him.”
“Yeah,” I said sweetly. Part of me wanted to ask who Nikki was, but I didn’t know if I could trust him not to tell. The whole thing just made my soul ache, and I didn’t want anyone to know.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, his voice shaky. He shifted in his seat, growing closer to me. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
I shook my head. “It’s not you.” Our eyes locked, our faces mere inches apart. I was close enough to feel his breath and smell his aftershave.
And a sad, desperate, broken part of me wanted to know what it’d be like to kiss him.
His mouth dropped a bit, like he was going to say something. My eyes settled on the lips he licked, and moved back up to his yearning eyes.
I stopped breathing when he looked at my lips.
Maybe subconsciously, my head inched toward his. But my heart wouldn’t let me do it.
My head fell. I love Luke too much—even after what I’d found out.
“Are you tired?”
I looked at the mountains ahead. “Not really. I like it here.”
“It’s hard not to. I’m sorry for whatever is bothering you,” he whispered.
“Me, too.”
“And I’m sorry Lilly did not come on this trip with you.”
I burst into laughter. “I’m pretty sure she’s sorry, too!”
He grinned and looked back at the sky. After a moment he slid an inch or two away from me, like maybe he felt bad that I wanted to kiss him.
And I knew he’d wanted to kiss me.
Troy looked at his light-up watch. “It’s 1:30, mademoiselle. I should get home before my granny freaks.”
I giggled. “Yeah, you probably should! Thanks for bringing me out here, I love it!”
“No problem,” he breathed, wiping what I realized was a tear off my face. “If you need anything, let me know.” He winked. “I kind of like you, eh.”
XI
I didn’t kiss him, but having thought about it made me feel dirty. It felt wrong. The guilt weighed on me, probably as much as Luke flirting with that supermodel did.
I got to the room and hopped in the shower.
When I was done, I dried myself, put on my silk nightgown and crept back into bed. It was weird sleeping with him, but—despite everything—I wanted it to never end.
As I settled into bed, Luke pulled me close and cradled me. “I love you,” he breathed, and I knew he was wide awake.
Tears welled in my eyes again. I squeezed his hand.
When I didn’t answer, he shifted, letting me roll beneath him. He held his weight with one hand and looked down at me. “Where were you?”
“Troy took me to see the stars,” I said, a bit frightened to admit it.
He stared at me for a moment. “Oh.”
When he didn’t say anything else, I touched his chest. “Aren’t you going to ask what I did?”
“No.”
I furrowed my brow. “You’re not?”
“No,” he breathed. “I trust you.”
I nodded. Sobs bottled in my aching throat.
He flashed me a crooked grin. “You’re acting weird though, so I might as well. What’d you do?”
“We just talked.”
And I thought about kissing him.
“I figured. So why do you look upset?”
Anger filled my chest, but I stewed in silence.
“Adonia?” His eyes pierced mine and he grew serious. “Talk to me.”
My heart raced. The room was heating up. He was waiting, and I didn’t know what to say. I swallowed back some sobs and bit my tongue—so hard, it bled.
He wiped my eyes with his thumb. “What’s going on? Did someone hurt you?”
I burst into tears and nodded.
His breaths grew rapid and his eyes widened. “Who?”
I knew he was thinking Troy, but I was too scared to say it was him.
“Adonia.” He still gazed into my eyes. “Please.”
“I saw your texts, and your picture!” I blared. My face was wet, and I blew snot and spit everywhere.
He was taken aback. His mouth hung and his eyes widened still. “What are you talking about?”
I hit his shoulder. “Stop it, Luke! You know exactly what I’m talking about!”
He grabbed the hand I’d hit him with. After a brief pause he said, “Wow, you’re mad about that?”
“Are you serious!” I spat. “I
had to take a shower ‘cause I felt dirty for wanting to kiss your friend! How could you tell Nikki you think about her all the time and can’t wait to see her, then act like you did nothing wrong!”
His brow creased. He looked astonished. “You wanted to kiss my friend?”
“I am so hurt, Luke!” I sobbed. “I don’t think you understand what it’s like to see what I saw!”
His head fell into his hands. I pushed him off of me, sat up, and curled up against the headboard.
When he sat up himself, I pushed him away from me. “Don’t touch me!”
Clearly hurt, he sat facing me, so he could look into my eyes. “Why were you looking through my phone?” he demanded, surprisingly calm.
“Because it’s been distracting you for days. I didn’t think it’s some girl sending you a beach body pic! I had to see for myself, and it didn’t help that you’re in it.”
He didn’t respond, he just stared at me.
“Do you love this girl?” I ordered.
After some silence, he crossed his arms. “Yeah, I do.”
My heart sank, and I felt numb. “Why do you even call me Beautiful? Why do you even bother with me, if you’re going to tell her how much you miss her? If you’re going to think about her all the time, why even bother staying with me? Do you just not know how to break up with me, or what?”
He held up a finger as if to stop me. “I just spent $1,500 on a plane ticket to get you here. You think I did it because I didn’t know how to dump you?”
I stared at him. Admittedly, I hadn’t thought of that.
“Whatever. That doesn’t explain why you’re flirting with your ex. Maybe you didn’t want to dump me, but if she’s all you think about and you love her so much, maybe you should.” After another sob, I wiped my snot.
He covered his face. After a minute he turned on the light above the mirrored headboard, drew close and looked at me.
Trembling, I pushed his hand away when he tried to touch me.
“Do you love me?” he demanded.
I broke down. “As much as you hurt me, Luke! Maybe even more!”
He met me with a fierce embrace. It was so passionate I was stunned. “Stop crying,” he demanded.
I tried to push out of his grasp but he overpowered me. “Don’t tell me how to feel after pulling this crap!” I spat.
Book of Luke (Book 2) Page 9