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“So what is true?”
He raised one eyebrow and stared her down. “How about you tell me what’s going on with your family? Then I’ll tell you about mine.”
Her jaw stiffened. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“That’s what I thought.” His anger was losing its energy, and now Luke just felt tired. The breeze picked up on a hard gust, and the bare branches swayed around them, sliding together with eerie sounds. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll walk you back to your car.”
“But—” she stammered behind him, but Luke was moving on. He knew he could just say, “No big deal,” and let it go. He could take her out to dinner again, maybe spend the night at her house. Or his.
She was a nice girl, after all. And she was right; it was only reasonable that she would be on guard against someone trying to take advantage of her. He’d be disappointed in her if she wasn’t. But he was telling her the truth, even if he’d left out a few grisly details. And right now he just felt…raw. Maybe it was unfair to Tessa, but she had made him think of refuge. And now that refuge was gone.
Yeah, it wasn’t her responsibility to carry his baggage, but that was just another good reason to walk away.
It only took seconds to reach the parking lot since they’d abandoned any pretense of a pleasant stroll. “I’m sorry,” he said, pausing for only seconds at her car. “I’ve had a bad day, and I’m sorry you had to find out about my marriage that way, but… Our lives are too damn complicated individually, so let’s just leave it at that.”
She took her keys out of her pocket and unlocked her car. “We’ll see.” Her clipped words radiated anger, but he couldn’t help that.
“Bye, Tessa,” he said. She slid into her car without a response, and when she drove off, a little German barmaid bobblehead nodded wildly from her back window.
Good God Almighty, the woman made him smile even when he was breaking it off with her. But this time, the smile edged more toward a grimace, and he was frowning by the time he walked back into the station. There was nothing left to do but work.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
WHAT A TERRIBLE Tuesday. Truly awful. Worthy of a Monday status, really.
Tessa had way too much to do. She had to call the Kendall Group to find out when Roland Kendall was back in town. Then she had to ask the Donovan Brothers attorney about what it would take to revise the contract if she wanted to change the deal. Lastly, she wanted to call Monica just to check in and see how the conversation had gone with her father. Plus there was all her regular work at the brewery.
So what was she doing sitting in her car in the parking lot of an erotic boutique? Oh, she’d been in the White Orchid before, but she’d never gone in with the express purpose of finding a way to seduce a man. A man who was pissed. A man who’d stared her down as if he didn’t feel a thing for her.
Anger had kept her safe as she’d driven away. It had even sustained her long enough for her to stomp into her house and slam the door. But then she’d had a whole night to think. Then another night. Then a third and fourth. All that time alone had let her remember how weary Luke had sounded the first time she’d asked about Simone. Weary and sad. And just plain done. Now she understood why. Because it wasn’t the only lie he was living under.
Tessa knew she hadn’t been wrong to ask about the divorce, but she could understand why he’d shut down. Her brothers had taught her a little bit about men, after all, and she knew that their thick skins could be a defense mechanism. They weren’t as tough as they wanted the world to believe.
And despite Jamie’s assertions, Tessa truly believed what Luke had said about his divorce. She didn’t want to be one of those women who believed anything a man said. But she also didn’t want to be one of those women who didn’t trust her gut. Her gut said not to let it end like this. Her gut said that she should buy some hot lingerie, show up at his door and get him back into bed, quick. Actually, maybe that message was coming from a different body part.
“Whatever,” she murmured as she got out of the car and walked into the shop. Happy music and the scent of lilac floated over her as the door closed behind her.
“Hello!” a girl called from behind the counter. Her sculpted bob was glossy black and gorgeous, and her shirtwaist dress was more housewife than sex-toy peddler. Tessa gave her a wave and started to browse.
The toys were in the back room, but if everything worked out well, Tessa wouldn’t be needing any toys. So she wandered through the clothing racks, trying to spot something that would rock Luke’s world.
She petted a cute red cheerleader skirt for a minute, but decided it might hit a little too close to the old virginity issue for Luke. Considering how he’d reacted to that, he probably wasn’t into the cheerleader thing. Then again, he was a man. But it was best saved for another time. She moved on to a gorgeous white lace bustier, but white wasn’t going to flatter her skin tone. But again…he was a man. Skin tone didn’t really play into it.
Hmm. She held it up to her body, trying to picture herself. It was hot, but it felt a little too contrived. If she was going to wear a lace bustier, she’d have to go all out with big hair and painted fingernails and gallons of makeup. Then Luke would probably arrest her for solicitation.
She put the bustier down and headed for a corner of the store with slightly more muted colors. Suddenly she found herself in a dream world of silks and satins that felt magical under her fingertips. “Wow,” she breathed, picking up a little camisole to look at the price tag. She squeaked and put it back down, then picked it up again. The label was something in French
that she couldn’t pronounce, but the pale pink silk felt almost weightless as she dragged it over her palm. The matching panties were beautifully cut, but maybe a little too modest for seduction, but Tessa couldn’t resist taking the camisole to the fitting room, anyway. Maybe she’d buy this just for herself, and get something more revealing for tonight.
But when she took off her shirt and bra and slipped the camisole over her head, Tessa gasped in shock. Yes, the material was expensive and delicate and pretty. It was also erotically thin.
A shiver ran through her and her nipples peaked, and she could see the clear outline of them through the fabric. She could even see the darkness of her areolas. Suddenly she wasn’t worried about how modest the bottoms might be. They were the same fabric and they wouldn’t leave anything to the imagination. Screw the cost. She was buying the whole set.
She hurried over to the cash register with a big smile on her face. “Oh, my God,” the salesclerk said. “Aren’t those gorgeous? You’ve got great taste.”
“Thank you. They’re beautiful.”
“It’s a new line our manager brought in a couple of months ago. She’s expanding the next order, so be sure to come in again in a few weeks.”
