by Nadia Lee
Michelle wrinkles her nose, then lets out a soft sigh. It’s a signal—I’m going to be patient for now. She settles next to me on the couch. “Can we skip this part?”
“Why?”
“It’s my least favorite.”
“But it’s the most honest part of the show.”
“I hate it that Angel became evil because of the happiness he had with Buffy.”
“He didn’t become evil. He was already evil. He’d just hid it really well because of all that soul business.”
Michelle peers at me. I sip my tea.
“Buffy should’ve done a better job of looking into his background,” I add. “Then she wouldn’t have been betrayed. On the other hand, this was before social media, so maybe she can be forgiven.”
“Did something happen?”
Guess her patience has worn through. Somebody needs to write her an HR manual on how to be a more forbearing friend and colleague. “Please put on your highest heels and kick me repeatedly in the face if I ever date another guy I can’t check out first.”
She turns her entire body to face me. “What did Luke do?”
I let out a rough breath. No matter how I try, there’s no way I can hide the fact that I cried…and that I won’t be going back to Luke’s place.
I take another long swallow of the tea, then tell her everything, starting with the phone swapping. Michelle listens without interruption. But she does pat the back of my hand, which is nice.
“That asshole.”
“I know,” I say, my eyes burning with unshed tears. I’ll be damned if I cry over him again.
“If you need some backup, I can bring a baseball bat.”
I sniff. There’s no truer sign of friendship like offering to bring a bat. “Won’t be necessary. I’m not seeing him again. And I doubt he’s going to want to see me either. He’s not shameless enough.” Most guys aren’t when they’re caught cheating. Except Gerald. But he was an especially obtuse case.
“Undoubtedly not.”
“And I deserve better.”
“You do.”
“I’m going to find the right guy, even though right now I feel like the Empire has defeated the Rebel Alliance and taken over the galaxy.”
She puts an arm around my shoulders. “Remember, the Rebel Alliance won in the end.”
“I know.” I force a smile, and we watch the rest of Buffy in silence. When it’s done, I go up to the bathroom and draw a super-hot bath.
When I broke up with my first boyfriend, Mom told me it was okay to hurt, okay to cry. That it doesn’t make a person weak to feel sad, or disappointed, or angry.
Just don’t let yourself stay down for too long, Mom added. I trust you’ll be wise about it.
After stripping down, I sink into the hot water and let fresh tears fall.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Since Mom’s right about unworthy guys—and my experience has proven her right—I come up with a very solid plan once I’ve gotten some decent sleep.
One: Acknowledge that the relationship was good while it lasted, but was ultimately built on a crumbling foundation. You can’t fix a problem if you can’t assess the situation honestly.
Two: Give myself two days to mope. The forty-eight hours started when I discovered Luke cheated on me—or more like cheated on Belinda with me—and that means I’m going to get over him within the next thirty hours. This feels a bit unfamiliar to me; I haven’t done any moping in years.
Three: Don’t deviate from your routine. Routines are comforting, helpful and reduce the need-to-mope time.
And that’s why I’m back on the jogging trail Saturday morning. It’s misting, and the cold moisture slowly seeps into my running outfit. Thankfully, it’s semi-waterproof. Despite that, the frigid air feels good in my lungs and clears my head. Not to mention the music pounding from the headset makes me pump my legs and arms faster.
I’m so focused on moving forward for the full sixty minutes that it takes a while before I notice somebody’s keeping pace with me. It takes another second before I realize it’s Luke.
Why the hell is he following me?
I pick up the speed, even though I know it’s futile. Next time I’m choosing a guy who can’t keep up.
Luke’s saying something—I can hear that rumbling tone underneath my music.
I raise the volume. I’m so not listening to him.
He yanks at my earphones, dislodging them.
“We have to talk,” he says.
Argh! I’m beta-testing my ninja app on Luke, not Gerald. “What you’re doing isn’t talking. It’s called harassment.” I pump my legs faster.
He isn’t about to give up. “We’re in a public space. I’m running next to you.”
“You’re forcing me to socialize with you, which I do not want to do. That’s illegal.” Even if it isn’t, I bet Nathan and Stan can find a way to make it so. They get paid big bucks to twist the law, and I get the full sister discount.
“You’re one stubborn mule,” Luke says, his breathing rough with exertion.
“At least I’m not a cheating mule.” That isn’t as clever or biting as I’d like, but it’s hard to run and think at the same time.
“I didn’t cheat on you!”
“Uh-huh. And Bernie Madoff claims he didn’t steal.”
“Tom’s my brother.”
“Right, because…” I come to a stop, almost stumbling. I couldn’t have heard that correctly. I must’ve ruined my eardrums with the loud music.
“Tom’s my brother,” Luke repeats, stopping as well and facing me.
“Tom. As in the boy.”
“Yes.”
“No, he’s not. I’ve seen your mom. She’s too old to have a kid that young. Tom’s what—four? Five?”
“He’s Belinda’s kid. She dropped him off at my place because her parents came up for an impromptu visit, and she panicked.”
I just stare because my brain’s not capable of processing this at the moment. The only thing I can do is drag in more air and wait for him to elaborate.
“Dad had an affair with Belinda, who was his student at the time. She got pregnant and refused to have an abortion, even though that’s what he wanted.”
My jaw drops slowly as the meaning of his words sinks into my brain.
“He wants nothing to do with her—or Tom—and Belinda isn’t getting any support from her ultra-conservative family, either. As a matter of fact, her family still has no idea about Tom. I didn’t want them to be on their own, so I decided to support them financially.
“Dad disagreed with the idea, and we argued about it in the beginning. The only thing he finally asked was that if I was going to help them, do it discreetly. I promised I would, mostly because it’d hurt Mom and her family more than him if she ever found out.”
“He had an affair with a student…? Isn’t that against college policy?”
“He’s tenured. It wouldn’t have gotten him fired, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Then I remember how Sun told me Luke’s uncles are “politically successful.” Their opponents would’ve used whatever dirt they could’ve during an election to bring them down, so I can see why Luke would’ve wanted to protect them.
“Why didn’t you tell me right away?” I ask, still slightly suspicious.
“Because I thought I owed Dad a warning.” Luke runs a hand through his hair. “I called him to say I might not be able to keep the promise I made to hide Tom and Belinda’s relationship to him. Told him I couldn’t lose you because of his lapse in judgment.”
“What’d he say?”
“‘That’s your problem, not mine.’”
I start to doubt that Beau actually said that, but catch myself. Of course he said it. Did I not see for myself how unsupportive and nasty he was to Luke? If he thought nothing of belittling his son in front of strangers, I can only imagine what he’s like when they’re someplace more private.
“And I tried to go by to see you last night
, but your housemate wouldn’t let me in.”
That doesn’t surprise me. I would’ve done the same for Michelle if the situation had been reversed. And she can be a real fighter.
I take a good look at him. He seems a little haggard, his complexion wan.
“You should’ve told me all this on our first date,” I say.
“I should’ve, but it wasn’t my secret to tell. Also, I didn’t realize how deeply I was going to fall for you.” Luke reaches out, and I let him hold my icy hands in his. He blows gently on my frozen fingers. “If I’d known I was going to fall in love with you, I would’ve come clean—about everything—from the beginning.”
“You still should’ve told me,” I say with mock sternness.
“I know. I should’ve, before asking for your trust.”
“So…is there anything else you want to tell me? Full disclosure?”
He draws in an especially deep breath. “Yeah.”
My belly clenches.
“I love you, Sammi.”
God. Luke looks too damn serious, looking into my eyes as though he’s trying to compel me to believe him.
And you know what? I do.
I smile. “I love you too. But I expect you to make up for my pain and suffering over the last twenty-four hours. It’s going to take a long, long time.”
He cradles my face in his hands. “I will. Believe me, I will.”
Chapter Thirty
Luke
My life was always pretty predictable…until the moment I agreed to switch rooms with David. When I saw Sammi lying on the bed with that box of toys, it was like a thunderbolt from heaven. I knew she was it.
And it was the craziest thing ever. I’ve written about characters who fall in love—or lust—with someone they just met, but I’d never experienced it myself. I never thought it was possible…until Sammi, who doesn’t play games, who always says what she means.
After meeting her parents last week, I can see why. They’re incredibly warm and loving, and every word out of their mouths is supportive and encouraging. No wonder Sammi is so confident, strong-willed and sweet.
Even though I told her to let it go, I know she did no such thing with my dad. He apologized to me a month after an ugly confrontation over my not keeping Tom and Belinda secret from Sammi. “I’m sorry I said those things. It wasn’t right of me to expect you to carry the burden, and Belinda and Tom are, of course, my responsibility.” As brilliant a scholar as he is, he can’t act for shit, so he sounded like he was choking the entire time. “And I should’ve never belittled your writing. I’m very proud”—was that a gagging noise?—“of your books.”
“You really shouldn’t have,” I told Sammi afterward.
She just shrugged and smiled. “I didn’t. I think your dad finally saw the light. After all, there’s no such thing as consequence-free misdeeds, and wouldn’t it be a shame if all his embarrassing affairs were posted on the front page of the college website by some justice-seeking hacker?” She waggles her eyebrows.
Sammi has also befriended Belinda and Tom. I think the boy likes her more than me. She got him a cool Lego set and is teaching him how to ride a bike.
Right now, the love of my life is reading my latest book—yet to be released; I promised her an early copy—on her belly, her trim body in a pink shirt and faded blue jeans. Ever since we got back together, she’s abandoned her black outfits, although she’s still my raven girl with that wicked obsidian hair.
She hasn’t said a word since she started reading, and I periodically take a surreptitious look at her. Unfortunately, I can’t tell what she’s thinking. Maybe she hates the book. It’s possible. There are times when I think I’ve put out my best work ever, and readers write in just to say, “Wow, this is the shittiest thing I’ve ever read. I can’t believe I paid money for it.”
Sammi didn’t have to pay for it, but I’m nervous anyway. Her opinion matters because she matters. Besides, it would be really awkward to dedicate a book to someone who hated the thing.
Finally, she puts down her e-reader and looks at me with a small frown. “How long did it take you to write this?”
“Two months, once I was done with the research,” I say, my mouth a little dry.
“Huh. Damn. No wonder.”
My stomach sinks. She hates it.
“I knew you were brilliant, but didn’t realize you’re a genius.” She grins, her eyes sparkling. “It’s the best thing I’ve read this year.”
Laughing, I bump a shoulder against her. “Minx.”
“To think I’ve been calling you ThAssIMWa…”
“Does that mean ‘that sexy stranger’ in girl-speak?”
She snorts. “It means That Ass In My Way.” She writes it out on a piece of paper and slides it toward me.
That
Ass
In
My
Way
I arch an eyebrow. “Ass?”
“You were, when we first met.”
“Hmm.” I tap my lower lip. “I guess it doesn’t matter what you call me now.”
She giggles.
I grin, then take the pen from her. I cross out a line, then make a small correction and give the paper back to her.
That
Ass
In
My
Way
Life
Forever
“ThAIMLF?” She arches an eyebrow.
“What about it?”
“Kind of sounds like a hot older woman in Thailand. But I guess it doesn’t matter what you’re called now.”
“Nope. It doesn’t, so long as I get to be in your life permanently.”
Then I pull her into my arms and—between kisses—tell her how I plan to spoil her for the rest of our days.
——
Thank you for reading That Sexy Stranger. I hope you enjoyed it.
Sweet Darlings Inc. series continues with That Wild Player, featuring Michelle.
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Titles by Nadia Lee
If you want to receive notices about my latest books, please join my VIP List at www.nadialee.net/vip!
——
Sweet Darlings Inc. Series
Book 1: That Man Next Door
Book 2: That Sexy Stranger
Book 3: That Wild Player (Working Title; Coming later 2018)
——
Billionaires’ Brides of Convenience Series
Book 1: A Hollywood Deal
Book 2: A Hollywood Bride
Book 3: An Improper Deal
Book 4: An Improper Bride
Book 5: An Improper Ever After
Book 6: An Unlikely Deal
Book 7: An Unlikely Bride
Book 8: A Final Deal
——
The Pryce Family Series
Book 1: The Billionaire’s Counterfeit Girlfriend
Book 2: The Billionaire’s Holiday Obsession
Book 3: The Billionaire’s Secret Wife
Book 4: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Fiancée
Book 5: The Billionaire’s Forbidden Desire
Book 6: The Billionaire’s Holiday Bride
——
Seduced by the Billionaire Series
Book 1: Taken by Her Unforgiving Billionaire Boss
Book 2: Pursued by Her Billionaire Hook-Up
Book 3: Pregnant with Her
Billionaire Ex’s Baby
Book 3.5: Romanced by Her Illicit Millionaire Crush
Book 4: Wanted by Her Scandalous Billionaire
Book 5: Loving Her Best Friend’s Billionaire Brother
——
If you want to receive notices about my latest books, please join my VIP List at www.nadialee.net/vip!
About Nadia Lee
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nadia Lee writes sexy, emotional contemporary romance. Born with a love for excellent food, travel and adventure, she has lived in four different countries, kissed stingrays, been bitten by a shark, ridden an elephant and petted tigers.
Currently, she shares a condo overlooking a small river and sakura trees in Japan with her husband and son. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading books by her favorite authors or planning another trip.
To learn more about Nadia and her projects, please visit www.nadialee.net. To receive news about Nadia’s upcoming releases, sales and promotions, giveaways, exclusive epilogues, bonus scenes and more, join her VIP List at www.nadialee.net/vip!
That Sexy Stranger
Copyright © 2018 by Hyun J Kyung
Google Play Edition
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without the prior written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.
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