by Mallory Kane
She shivered and gave a weak laugh. “We’re a pair, aren’t we? I’d rather not talk about all that, Lucas. It’s done. I’m fine.”
Lucas took a couple of steps toward her. “I’d rather not talk about that, either. I’ve got something to tell you.”
Angela’s heart leapt. Was he about to tell her that making love with her had changed his life? That he couldn’t possibly live without her? Because if she could, that’s what she’d tell him. Only she never would, because to reveal all that to him would open herself up to him, and she didn’t think she could take his rejection—not a third time.
So she met his question with the most logical, unemotional answer she could think of.
“Your suspension’s been lifted.”
He laughed. “No such luck. Although a buddy of mine called me earlier and said he’d heard there was going to be a hearing tomorrow, and the scuttlebutt is that I’ll have my job back by the end of that hearing.”
“I’m so glad,” Angela lied. Now she knew what people meant when they said their heart sank. She tried to force brightness into her voice. “So you’re leaving.”
“Yeah.” He paused. “You don’t have to sound quite so happy about it.”
“Oh, Lucas, I’m not! I mean, I just know you’ll be glad to get your job back.”
Again, his eyes intensified. “I just hate to leave you.”
Dear God, if only he meant it. “No. I’m fine,” she rushed to reassure him. “I can take—”
“All right, stop it!” he snapped. “You know, Ange, it’s really annoying to listen to you say that, over and over and over.”
She frowned. “What? That I can take care of myself. But I can. Usually, that is. I mean, do I say it that much?”
To her surprise, Lucas looked down at the toe of his boot. “Not today. Not yet. You know—”
He took a long breath. “I never wanted anything to do with family. Especially not the Delancey kind. Big, close and destructive.”
She blinked. That was a strange change of subject. “I know. It’s why you went to Dallas.”
Suddenly she understood. This was it. The big goodbye. Although she wasn’t quite sure why he was bothering. They’d hopped in the sack one time. It wasn’t like they’d made some kind of commitment to each other.
To her horror, Angela felt a prickling behind her eyes that signaled tears. She blinked, determined not to cry.
All through their childhood, she’d never cried in front of Lucas. And she wasn’t about to start now. Right now it was more important than ever to make sure he understood that she really could take care of herself, because right now she felt more vulnerable, more lonely, more at a loss than she’d ever felt before.
“Suddenly, I’ve got all these ridiculous notions in my head. Weird things.” Lucas stopped and swallowed. “Like a house. Like a hon—” He cleared his throat. “A trip, you know. Someplace special.”
“Lucas, what are you talking about?”
He put a hand on the door facing and looked at it, scrutinizing his fingers as if he’d never seen them before. “What do you think of Dallas?”
“Dallas? I don’t—” All at once an odd thought hit her. A house? A trip? A special trip. She took a step forward, then another, until she was within arm’s reach of him.
“Lucas, why does it matter what I think about Dallas?” Her heart was pounding so fast she felt like she couldn’t get her breath. She watched him warily.
Come on and say it already, she wanted to shout. Before I make a fool of myself.
Lucas’s gaze lowered from her eyes to her mouth, then back up. “Why’d you kiss me?” he asked. “Why—what?”
“Why did you kiss me. Back in high school. Why?”
Now it was her turn to look down at her shoes, but a gentle fingertip urged her chin up until she was looking into his eyes. “Because it was the last thing I ever expected you to do. And I want to know why you did it.”
She closed her eyes for an instant. Okay, here was her chance to prove once and for all that she could take care of herself. Because if she fell apart because Lucas didn’t love her, then he would be right. Lucas would finally have definitive proof that she couldn’t take care of herself in any situation.
Sucking in a deep breath, she took the plunge. “Because I wanted to see how it felt. I wanted to know if I was in love with you.” Her voice sounded a little strangled at the end of that sentence, but at least she’d made it through.
Lucas’s eyes glittered like emeralds. “And—?”
She shrugged. “I was.”
He moved a little bit closer. “Was?”
She caught her lower lip between her teeth.
“That’s a relief,” he said softly.
“A relief?”
“Yeah, because if I had to do all the loving and all the taking-care-of, I’d be exhausted.”
“All the loving? All the—Lucas?” Her heart leapt.
He gave her a solemn nod. “When we’re married, Ange, I expect you to take care of yourself.”
Before Angela could say anything, he kissed her, good and hard. And long.
Much later, as their lips parted, Angela couldn’t stop smiling. “When we’re married, I’ll not only take care of myself, Lucas Delancey. I’ll take care of you.”
Lucas grinned at her. “And there she is. That’s the stubborn Brat I love.” He swept her back into his arms, where she’d always known she belonged.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5543-6
HER BODYGUARD
Copyright © 2010 by Rickey R. Mallory
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†Black Hills Brotherhood
†Black Hills Brotherhood
†Black Hills Brotherhood