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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Kassie
Kassie’s head was spinning by the time they got to Luc’s loft. She had offered to drive, since it was her car and he had been through a rough night. But Luc could obviously tell she was still shaken, and he wouldn’t hear of her driving. Luc’s father seemed to be in good shape, and she was relieved that things hadn’t been worse.
When she heard there had been an accident, her mind had gone to the worst case scenario. She couldn’t stand the thought that she might not see Luc again, and she’d never told him how she felt about him. She’d never said those three words that mattered.
But by some miracle, her worries did not come to fruition. Luc was okay, and his dad’s injuries were minor. The Porsche not so much, but cars could be replaced. People could not.
They quietly sat down in the living room. She could only assume they were all trying to unwind from the events of tonight. Kassie was snuggled into Luc’s side, her head resting on his chest. His poor dad looked uncomfortable, judging by the way he winced each time he changed his sitting position. It was as if even breathing hurt him, but he’d never admit it.
“Dad, you sure you’re okay?” Luc asked.
“Yeah.” His dad waved him off. “I’m fine. Just sore. That’s to be expected.”
Luc sighed heavily. “I feel so bad. I should’ve swerved sooner to avoid that asshole.”
Kassie could feel his pain, his regret. His body tensed as he spoke.
“Son, don’t beat yourself up about it. It wasn’t your fault.” The look of concern dropped from his dad’s face, and was replaced by exhaustion. “Did the police find you at the hospital?”
Luc shook his head. “No, why?”
“They found the other driver not far from the accident scene. His car was mangled, and the paint scratches on his car matched yours. Drunk driver.”
Luc shook his head and sighed. “Well, at least they caught him.” He wrapped his arm tighter around Kassie.
“Plus, you’re both okay,” Kassie added. To her that was the most important thing to note. Insurance and lawyers would figure out the rest. None of that mattered right now.
Luc’s dad nodded in agreement with a half wince, half smile. “I’m going to go get cleaned up. Need to get the smell of hospital off me. Excuse me.”
“Hang on, Dad. Look, this shook me bad. It’s made me think about how far away you really are once you go home. I’d like you to think about moving here. Even if it’s just during the season, or just part of the season. I can help you keep a place here in the city—and one back home, if that’s what you’d like. But I’d feel better if you were closer.”
Luc’s dad took a moment and just looked at him. There was a soft look on his face. “I’ll give it some thought. But it doesn’t sound like a half bad idea.” He nodded with a smile and left them alone in the living room.
The room was quiet for a few minutes until Luc spoke, not only breaking the silence, but taking with him her feeling of security as he moved away from her side. “Kass, you want something to drink?” Luc stood up from the couch, leaving her cold and uneasy without him by her.
“I’ll come with you.” Even though his dad was in his room changing his clothes, dirty from the wreck, she felt odd being here. Almost as if she was in the way. Or it was all her imagination, and after the events of tonight, she just couldn’t stand to be more than a few inches from him?
“My kitchen isn’t that exciting, I swear,” Luc said, as she followed close behind him. “I know I’ve never given you the royal tour, but there’s not much to see. Living room, kitchen, small dining area to your left, which I rarely use. Then of course, there are the bedrooms and baths. Two of each.” His voice was flirty, but she wasn’t falling for it. Not with his dad here. “And the walls are pretty thick.”
Kassie stood in the corner of the kitchen, her back was to the cupboards, and she watched him retrieve drinks from the refrigerator. He wasn’t complaining, and she knew better than to think he would, but she still noticed him wince when moving his neck.
“Maybe you’d be interested in a tour of the master bedroom?” Luc trapped her in the corner and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close.
His breath was hot on her face, and she swore he must be able to hear her own heartbeat pounding against her chest. His hard body barely pressed against hers, she stared into his deep, devious eyes. They gleamed with flirty enjoyment.
“Kassie, I’m tired of worrying about the code. My mind is made up. I want this.” Luc stood strong and was sure of his words. This was him fighting for what he wanted, regardless of what it cost him.
He towered over her. She stood silent and weak at the knees. She couldn’t dispute it, she wanted this too, but the words weren’t forming. She wanted to scream it from the rooftops how she felt about him.
“You know as well as I do that we have something here. Something real. And I’m not ashamed to tell you that this is something I’ve never felt before.”
Her heart pounded, and her pulse raced. Being this close to Luc was giving her butterflies and made her breathing shallow with excitement. “You have to be on the ice with Kaden, and you guys have to get along.”
He tilted her chin up so their eyes met. “Sweets, you worry too much about your brother. He and I will be just fine. We’ll work everything out when we talk. Haven’t you and I wasted enough time worrying about what everyone else thinks? The only people we should be concerned with right now is us. And speaking of us, I’d really like it if you stayed with me tonight. I don’t want to be away from you tonight.”
