Her face was flushed and her hair was soaked, she was only wearing a sports bra and tiny running shorts. Her perfect skin ran with rivers of sweat, twisting and bending over her lean muscles. She would have looked completely gorgeous if she wasn’t staring daggers at him. Luke tried to overlook Shane taking a protective stance behind Lenny. What the hell is he doing here?
“I’m here to see you.” Was all Luke could think of to say. Somehow professing his idiocy and undying love seemed inappropriate in the midst of her obvious ire.
Lenny’s eyes flicked over to the receptionist and then back to Luke. She was trying to decide if this was, in fact, where she wanted to have the fight that was coming. She decided against it, turned abruptly on her heel and stormed to the elevators.
Luke grabbed his room key off the desk and picked up his bag, hurrying after her.
“Can we talk?” he asked her when they got to the lift. He ignored Shane’s warning looks.
Lenny’s eyes were severe when she looked at him. She didn’t answer as she stepped inside the lift, Luke and Shane following.
The ride to her floor was silent and Luke wasn’t sure what to do next. When the doors opened and she charged to her room, he had no choice but to pursue her.
She unlocked her door and let herself in, slamming it in Luke’s face. He sighed and knocked.
“Lenny…please can we talk?” He asked through the thick wood.
After a few moments without an answer, Shane touched Luke’s shoulder.
“Maybe give her a few minutes. She’s pretty pissed at you right now.”
Luke frowned at him. When did I switch places with Shane? Doesn’t Lenny hate this guy? Luke swallowed the words that wanted to lash out at Shane and took his key card from his pocket. He walked down the hall a few paces to his room that happened to be right next to Lenny’s, he noticed wryly. He dumped his bags and his coat and went back to Lenny’s door.
Shane was still standing outside of it like some sort of bodyguard and Luke felt his anger at the situation growing. This was not part of the plan. He needed to talk to Lenny and having this gargoyle watching his every move wasn’t helping.
He knocked on the door again.
“Lenny, please.” Luke tried to reduce the frustration in his voice. “Can we talk?”
Some doors down the hall opened and the rest of Lenny and Shane’s group peaked their heads out in curiosity. Luke was positive they had all heard the rumors about their wild love affair during his last tour. Most of them had probably been filled in on the tabloid pictures and the recent song release. And they had all, more than likely, formed their own conclusions. Luke wasn’t the good guy in any of them. They knew Lenny, of course they would be on her side. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t gawk at the rock star.
Luke looked uncomfortably at the small audience that was gathering twenty or so paces down the hall. He knocked on the door again.
“C’mon, Lenny.” He tried to plead again. “Can we please talk?”
The door suddenly flew open. Lenny backed Luke up into the hallway. Her jaw clenched and her mouth formed in a hard line.
“Sure. Let’s talk.” Lenny crossed her arms over her chest. “Who is she?”
“What?” Luke’s eyebrows pulled together.
“The tart checking the depth of your throat with her tongue!” Lenny took a step towards him and he backed up again.
“She’s not…I…uh…” Luke had never been on the receiving end of Lenny’s fury. He was at a loss for what to do.
“Wow.” Realization hit Lenny. “You don’t even know her name, do you?” The onlookers let out a collective gasp.
“Did you hear your song?” Luke was flailing and he grabbed at his only defense.
“Oh, the song you said you wrote for me but then sold?” Lenny stretched her hands out to the sides and let them fall, slapping against her thighs. “You run out of ideas? Is that why you’re here? You need me to help you find that next hit?” She took on an aggressive stance and put her hands on her hips. “What, hard up for cash after the tour? Being a philanderer must get expensive fast!” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
“Hey!” Luke had about had enough. He pointed to his chest with both hands. “How do you think I felt when you left?! I was lonely and I missed you and I’m sorry about the girl, it just happened!”
“Really? You were minding your own business and she tripped and fell and you caught her with your tongue?” Lenny yelled.
“You LEFT!” Luke shouted, taking a step forward and leveling a finger at her face. He knew he wasn’t helping the situation but he couldn’t stop himself. He was still angry with her for walking away. “Besides, how do you think I feel when I get here and you’re with him?” Luke pointed at Shane. “Is he helping keep your bed warm in Alaska?”
Luke knew he had crossed a line. He regretted it the moment he said it. The hurt and anger in Lenny’s eyes tore through him. Before Luke could take it back, Lenny’s hand flew to his face making a loud ‘smack’ that was followed by silence.
He stared at her in shock. Luke had never been slapped before. His cheek stung with the heat from her hand. Lenny’s eyes glossed over with tears and Luke instinctively reached for her but Shane, misreading Luke’s intentions, stepped in between them. Lenny spun and retreated, slamming the door to her room.
Shane’s eyes bored holes into Luke’s. Luke tried to step past him but Shane stood firm, his powerful body rigid.
***
“Alright, everyone.” Serge’s calming voice cut through the tension. “The show is over, it is time to get downstairs for dinner.” He herded the wide-eyed onlookers towards the elevators. Luke and Shane stood toe to toe, neither one of them moving.
Serge and Nick sent the elevator on its way and approached the testosterone fueled standoff.
“This is needless,” Serge reproved them. “Shane, you should come downstairs with me.”
“I’m not leaving him alone with her,” Shane seethed.
“I would never hurt her,” Luke responded in kind.
“You already have,” Shane took a step forward.
“So have you,” Luke reminded, closing the gap between them.
“This isn’t a pissing contest!” Nick snapped, pushing the two men apart. He narrowed his eyes at Luke. “You need to give her some time. Why don’t you cool off and get something to eat with us?”
“No, thank you,” Luke growled. He backed up and sat down with his back against the wall, facing Lenny’s door.
Nick sighed and grabbed Shane by the arm.
“Let’s go.” He pulled Shane toward the elevator but not before Shane gave Luke one final, threatening scowl.
***
A heavy silence descended over Luke as he waited in the hallway. He rested his arms on his bent knees and leaned his head against the wall. This was the last thing he had expected. He had thought that she might be a little mad, maybe hurt. Mostly he was hoping she would be happy to see him. He’d come so far just to have the door slammed in his face. Twice. And why was Shane being all possessive? Were they back together?
Luke rubbed the hot skin on his face where she had slapped him. He knew better than that. Lenny wasn’t sleeping with Shane. It wasn’t in her character. Of course, she probably had believed the same thing about him and look how he had treated that belief.
The only thing that had been on his mind on his entire journey here was telling her he loved her. Instead, he had yelled at her and pushed her even further away.
***
After Lenny had slammed the door she retreated to the bathroom. Her hand stung from where she had struck Luke’s face. She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed the tears that were spilling down her cheeks. She wiped them away angrily and turned the shower on.
The hot water poured down her back and Lenny gave way to heaving sobs. She leaned against the wall of the shower and cried. How could he be here? Why? What purpose did it serve for him to torture her up close? Couldn’t he l
et her suffer from a distance? Everything about this was wrong. Completely and totally wrong. On one hand, she wanted to push him down a flight of stairs, along with the tramp from the photos. And on the other…all she wanted was to have him fold his perfect arms around her and believe that they could start over and none of that other stuff mattered.
Lenny slammed her fists against the shower wall in frustration. She was still going to have to deal with this. Slapping his face and slamming the door were only minor interruptions in the fight they were in the middle of. It would take a lot more than that for this to get solved. But Lenny didn’t want to. She wanted to go back to a few days ago, when the powder was perfect and Shelby Lynn had called her Snow Goddess. When she was so busy with living her life that her heart had, albeit briefly, stopped aching for a minute. How could the presence of one person completely turn her world upside down?
She somehow managed to wash her hair and scrub herself clean. The tears abated for the moment and Lenny wrapped a towel around herself. She stealthily crept to the door and looked out the peep hole.
Predictably, Luke was sitting just outside, facing her door. Lenny dug through the pile of clothes she had dumped out on the floor earlier for some sweats and a shirt. Nothing was particularly clean or attractive and she decided on a pair of gray, lumpy sweats and an old college sweatshirt that she had ‘borrowed’ from Scott years ago.
She slowly combed out her long, wet hair and thought about what to do next. She could let Luke in and the fight would probably start again. Maybe even causing them to get kicked out. Or she could go to bed and hope that he’d get the hint and fly back to wherever he had come from. The last thought scared her more than the first. She didn’t want him there but the idea of him leaving the way things were made her want to panic.
She should go out there and talk to him. She knew it inside but it was difficult to figure out what to say. She had said everything she needed to when she had left the airport. Why did it feel like they were still connected? Shouldn’t it be over? But no, she could feel him from the other side of the door, waiting for her.
The rigorous workout that Lenny had subjected her body to hours before was catching up with her. So was the emotional stress of Luke’s presence. Lenny curled into a ball on her bed and tried to focus on her breathing. The fatigue took over and she fell into a dreamless sleep.
***
The others came back from dinner and a hush fell over the group as they stepped over Luke’s rumpled form in the hallway. He didn’t even look up at them. Nick ushered them to their rooms and told them to turn in early. They didn’t need convincing.
Shane waited in his room long enough for the others to think he’d gone to bed and then he stepped into the hallway. He paused, waiting to see if Luke would notice his presence. If he did, it wasn’t obvious. Luke was more exhausted then Shane had first noticed. His clothes were wrinkled and unwashed. His eyes were sunk in and dark from days, possibly weeks, without sleep. He hadn’t shaved either. Shane wondered when he had eaten last.
He made his way slowly towards the singer and took a seat next to him on the floor.
“I don’t want to fight with you, Brookings.” Luke said roughly. His eyes heavy with fatigue and discouragement.
“That’s not why I’m here.” Shane answered flatly. He clenched his jaw. Being a dick was so much easier, but Shane wanted to be a better person. How he hated himself right now.
They sat in silence for a while, the ice maker down the hall and a movie with explosions in the room behind them, the only noise.
“She hasn’t slept with me.” Shane said, his voice echoing in the silence. He felt an indescribable need to defend Lenny’s honor. Maybe because he had been the one to ruin her in the past, it would be a way of making amends. Shane wasn’t sure. He didn’t particularly like Luke Casey but he knew Lenny cared for him. And that was important to Shane.
“I know,” Luke sighed in frustration.
“Then, why did you…?” Shane’s voice trailed off.
“I was mad. And I still don’t know why you’re here.” Luke threw a small glare in Shane’s direction.
Shane shrugged. Luke had a point. It did look suspicious at first glance.
“I’m not after your girl,” Shane declared.
Luke ‘hmphed’ and leaned his head back, looking up at the ceiling. “What makes you think she’s still my girl?” He asked the ceiling more than Shane.
Shane considered his words carefully before saying them. “I’ve known Lenny a long time,” he began slowly, “And she’s never slapped anyone. Kicked the crap out a couple of guys and has definitely thrown some punches but never slapped.”
“And that helps me how?” Luke let out a disgruntled chuckle.
“I think…you have to care really deeply for someone to let them get to you that much.” Shane shook his head and looked into his lap. “She never even fought with me.”
Luke frowned and looked over at Shane. “Never?”
“Nope. She’d just shut herself off or leave town for a while. I guess I always knew I wasn’t worth her time.”
“So, you’re saying the slap is a good thing?” Luke asked skeptically.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying.” Shane’s serious face cracked a smile. “But that’s Lenny for ya, when she loves, she goes all in.”
***
Luke swallowed hard. He missed her. He wanted to start pounding on her door and demand to work this out. But he thought she might be sleeping and he didn’t want to disturb her. She had looked so tired.
“Did you really get a tattoo of her name on your arm?” Luke suddenly asked.
“Ha, yeah. You wanna see it?” Shane pulled up her sleeve to reveal his perfectly sculpted bicep and a simple script:
Free Bird
“Why did you do that?” Luke asked.
“What can I say, I’m a lifelong fan.” Shane shrugged and smiled, lowering his sleeve.
“Get some sleep, man.” Shane started to stand up. “If this storm breaks tomorrow, she’s gonna head for the highest peak.” He raised an eyebrow, “You ready to chase her?”
Luke gave a crooked grin through his weariness as an answer. “I’ll think I’ll sleep out here…just in case.”
Shane nodded and headed back to his room. He grabbed a couple of the extra pillows and a blanket and brought it to Luke in the hallway.
Luke nodded his thanks and Shane left it at that. He hoped that Luke could put things right. He wasn’t a bad guy, he’d just made some piss poor choices. Shane had been there. But Lenny had forgiven Shane, so she would probably forgive Luke as well. Hopefully, sooner rather than later. Those two belonged together.
Chapter 23
Get Around This
Lenny’s growling stomach is what woke her up. She was starving. Her first thought was for pancakes. Her second thought was Luke.
She crept to the door to look out the peep hole and held her breath. What if he wasn’t there? What if he had left while things were still ugly between them? Lenny let the air out of her lungs as she observed Luke’s slumped over figure in the hallway.
He looked pitiful. He’d tried to stay propped up but had nodded off sometime in the night and was slouched, painfully crooked. Lenny’s heart squeezed inside of her chest. What kind of a man would sleep outside of the door of the girl who had publicly chastised him and then slapped him?
Luke Casey was that kind of man.
Lenny went to the bathroom and rushed through her routine. She shook her head to herself as she contemplated what her next move should be. She couldn’t see a way out of talking to him. He obviously wasn’t going to leave until she did. She brushed her teeth and pulled her silky hair into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck. She looked down at her pajamas and decided she didn’t want look like a total mess.
She tried to find something clean to wear amongst her pile of dirty clothing. Settling on some well-worn jeans and her black, lace-back riding tank, Lenny quickly changed. She sl
ipped on some thick socks and laced up her boots. She grabbed a black and white flannel from off the floor and shoved her arms through the sleeves, not bothering to button it up.
She closed her eyes to steady her breathing before opening the door. She pulled it open quietly and slowly stepped into the hall. Luke didn’t stir. She looked up and down the hall but didn’t hear any other activity aside from the small click of her door closing behind her. It was still early, the rest of the group would probably be asleep for at least another hour.
Lenny looked down at Luke and noticed his appearance for the first time. She had been so upset with him the night before that she didn’t see the circles and puffiness under his eyes. But he was still as handsome as she remembered, his long hair nearly to his shoulders and partially covering his face.. She knelt down next to him and readjusted his pillow.
Luke’s eyes opened slightly and then closed again. Lenny gently touched his face, brushing his hair away. His eyes opened again and fixed on her. Lenny smiled slightly as his brain caught up with his vision.
“Lenny?” His voice croaked.
“What are you doing sleeping in the hallway?” She asked softly.
Luke pushed himself into a sitting position and tried to reorient himself. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked at his surroundings. His vision came to rest on Lenny and he looked her up and down, finally settling on her face.
She tried to work the moisture back into her mouth, suddenly at a loss for words under the scrutiny of his crystal blue eyes. Her anger from the previous evening momentarily forgotten in his larger than life presence.
“You wanna get some breakfast?” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. She knew they needed to talk but she didn’t know where to start and she didn’t want to be in the hallway when the others started to rise from their comas.
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