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My boots rested in the corner of the closet. I didn’t think I would ever look at them the same way again after I had seen them bounce over Luke’s bulging shoulders. I hadn’t decided, but his shoulders might be my favorite part of his body. They were strong and wide. I loved running my fingers over them, feeling the contact of his rigid muscles underneath my touch. I sighed.
“What is it?” Helena stabbed the double espresso chocolate cake with a fork.
I smiled. “Nothing.”
“You have it so, so bad.”
“I do. I really do. And I’m not sorry.”
“You shouldn’t be. I’m glad you’re doing something for yourself.”
I opened another lid and attacked a raspberry torte. “I run a multi-million-dollar company. I have a new athletic line that I’m getting ready to launch. My footwear brand is doing almost twice the numbers that were projected. I’ve been nominated for every possible CYA category I could.” I took a bite. “If I can do all that. I can be with Luke.”
I don’t know when I had traveled so far into the shadows that I had forgotten who I was. It took determination and unrelenting drive to make it to the top. I was the girl who had worked her ass off to get there. Jake had somehow pushed me out of the way of my own success. I had to own that. I let him do that to me. I stepped to the side while he started to take possession of what were my victories. That wasn’t going to happen anymore.
“Hell yeah, you can.” Helena grinned.
We both jumped when my phone buzzed.
“Is it Jake or Luke?” she asked.
My lovesick grin gave it away.
“Ok, I’m going back to my room so you can talk to him, but I’m taking the rest of this cake.” She plucked the platter from the cart and walked out.
I touched the video button to see Luke’s face.
“Hey.”
“Hey, gorgeous.”
“How did it go at the hospital?” I asked.
His room looked simple. It wasn’t nearly as elegant as the suite I had reserved.
“Took one of the other guys with me. Kids seemed to like it.”
“You did?” I didn’t mean to sound as stunned as I was.
“Yeah. Rookie guy named James. Thought it would be good for him too.”
“Wow. Now you are recruiting and mentoring. I like it.”
“Hey, don’t get carried away. I’m going to have to go close down a bar tonight to right the scales here. People are going to get the wrong idea about me.”
I twisted my lips together. These were the moments when I saw him lower the shield that barricaded him from the rest of the world. It made me melt.
“Don’t do that,” I warned playfully. “And Charlie? What did she say?”
He scratched the back of his head and leaned back on the bed. I wanted to be with him so badly. I wanted to fall asleep and wake up in his arms. We were in the same city, but separated because of my choices.
“Yeah, she’s pissed. Madder than a fucking hornet, actually.”
I giggled. “Sorry, not funny.”
“I did what I said I would do. I made the kids smile,” he grumbled.
“And you loved it. Admit it.”
