I can’t blame him. Lukas’s biceps look huge in his T-shirt, pushing at the material, and his eyes are filled with fire.
“Don’t apologize to me,” Lukas snaps.
The bigger man spins, his eyes narrowing as he looks at me. For a second, I think he’s going to make another douchebag comment. But then he lowers his gaze.
“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to upset you,” Charley, says.
“I don’t know why you felt the need to bother me. I didn’t do anything to you,” I murmur.
“Because we were bored,” the tall man grunts. “It’s not a big fucking deal. We were bored and—”
He freezes when Lukas places his hand on his shoulder. He does it softly, more like he’s resting his hand there then grabs Charley. But the threat is clear.
The smaller man swallows, blinking through his drunkenness. “I’m sorry. There’s no excuse.” The other man grunts out a barely audible sorry.
“That’s right,” Lukas snaps. “Now fuck off, both of you. If I ever hear about you bothering this woman again, there’s going to be serious problems. Do I make myself clear?”
The men mumble yes as they leave. Lukas stalks after them, into the street, watching them until they’re gone.
When he returns, he closes and locks the door.
“Are you okay?” He approaches the desk quickly. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Lori. Those fucking animals. Who do they think they are?”
I might be going crazy, but this seems like way more rage than a man should feel over a family friend being insulted and threatened. Doesn’t it? And the way he’s talking about me… it’s almost like he feels a sense of possession over me, one I desperately wish he did.
“I’m fine,” I tell him. “I probably overreacted, calling you—”
“No.”
He lays his hand on mine, where it rests on the counter. His touch makes my skin tingle, as though hinting at all the passion we’re going to share, the connection we will feel when our lust finally erupts. I expect him to pull away, but he only looks at his hand over mine for a long moment, as if he’s making a decision.
“You did the right thing,” he says. “If those bastards had hurt you…”
“It’s fine. I’m fine.”
“It’s not.”
He lets go of my hand and lifts the counter divider, walking around so he’s standing on my side. He stares down at me, his hair messy from sleep, making my hands twitch as I fight the urge to run my fingers through it.
“They don’t get to talk to you like that, Lori.”
I try for a smile, to push away some of this tension. “Since when did you start calling me Lori, huh?”
I noticed it the first time he used it, on the phone, and it made my whole being quiver. It made my body pulse as if the shortened version of my name was a proposal.
That’s how crazy he’s got me, making me read so much into every tiny thing.
“Look at you.” He smirks. “The fact that you’re smiling right now, trying to make a joke of it… You’re amazing, Lori.”
I smile wider. He’s right. But it’s not all me.
If this had happened and then I’d been left on my own, or with someone else even – mom, dad, or Jamie – I’d still be freaked out. But Lukas has a way of pushing everything else to the periphery, making me focus on him and him alone.
“That didn’t answer my question.”
“Your name? It just feels right. Does it bother you?”
“No, not even a little bit.”
It’s time to question if I’m going crazy again. He’s moving closer, almost imperceptibly, so that I don’t notice the exact moment he comes to be standing right in front of me. His scent crashing into me.
“Good,” he says in a husky voice as he leans down, bringing his face to mine. “Because I like calling you Lori.”
“Lorena too much of a mouthful?” I murmur, hardly aware of what I’m saying.
He’s so close. I can feel his breath on my lips, my cheeks, leaving me no way to say this is anything other than what it is…
He’s leaning in for a kiss. Lukas freaking Landon is going to kiss me.
“I want to be strong,” he whispers. “But I can’t.”
Our lips touch and he lets out a groan and then pushes against me, hard like he never wants to stop.
Chapter Ten
Lukas
Once I’ve started, I can’t stop. Especially when she makes that cute moaning noise, muffled through the kiss. She whimpers as I slide my hands down her body, smoothing my hand around to the small of her back and pressing down against her.
This forces her even closer to me, and I hold her there, feeling her heartbeat hammering in her chest against mine.
Her mouth tastes like perfection, her tongue clashing against mine. I grind my groin against her, knowing I should take it slow, I should hold back.