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“Uh, sorry, Luke. Words aren’t quite working, you know? Maybe my brain is frozen.”
“I’ll stop with the questions until the rest of you thaws out, but we’re not done. Not by a long shot.”
Huddling deeper into the blanket cocoon, I tried to push the odd interaction away. Lucas stroked a fire in my belly, the one I thought had been extinguished long ago.
The scary truth was, I didn’t want to leave his house today or ever. Hopefully, my instincts were good. When he knelt down in front of me and touched my chin, I saw pain in his eyes.
Lucas cared about me already, and though he was a perfect stranger, I longed for the chance to repay him for his kindness.
Elias
Entering the house, I glanced through the kitchen. Heading down the hall into the living room, I spotted Luke leaning his back against the coffee table while a young woman laid about five feet away from him in front of the hearth.
“Thanks for coming home early.” Luke got to his feet, but his gaze drifted to the colorful scrubs on my legs. “Fluffy clouds and rainbows? I like it.”
“Shut up, or I will turn right back round.” My accent increased the snippiness of my statement, and it would likely not be lost on my best friend.
“Tone.” His playfulness disappeared in an instant.
Luke did not want to attempt to rein in my brat today. He would not win; at least that is what I told myself. I refused to listen to the alarm bells warning in my head. “Believe me, if I had another option, I’d have worn it instead.”
The woman shifted around, craning her neck up at me. “I think your scrubs are magical, but I don’t need a doctor.”
“I heard you took a dip in the pond,” I said, attempting to bring warmth to my statement. “Let me examine you and make sure you’re all right.”
“I don’t need to be examined,” she stated firmly.
“Elias is the best doctor in the whole world. He saved my life once.” Luke played his trump card early. “I’ll get you another cup of cocoa and add marshmallows if you behave.”
She pouted slightly. I thought she was in her mid-twenties, but the gesture made her appear younger. Shuffling over to me, I saw she was wearing my clothes. Instead of irritating me, I thought she looked positively adorable.
“I’m Emma,” she dropped her head down to her chest. “Shoot. I wasn’t going to say that.”
“Are you in trouble, sweetheart?” Shooting a questioning look at Luke, his nod was the confirmation I sought. Emma shook her head, keeping her eyes on the floor instead of looking at either of us. “If you refuse to answer such a basic question, then perhaps you should be on your way.”
“She needs our help, Lee, not our judgment.” Luke grumbled his displeasure.
I glared at him, stuck on his tone. What the hell had gotten into him today? His Dom peeked out, ready for war. Actually, I’d venture a guess that this side was all Daddy. Emma seemed desperately in need of a daddy, and with the way I was acting now, Luke seemingly decided I needed one as well. No. I would not let my mind go down that path. As much as I wanted him to call me his boy and take care of me, since all I did was care for others, it was too much to ask for.
Still, if I poked a little harder. “Listen–”
“You better not be speaking directly to me in that tone of voice.”
I needed a minute to regroup. It had been entirely too long since I’d been in any sort of relationship with a dominant and submissive dynamic, but typically I was the one in charge. I longed for a submissive woman to call my own. However, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to have Luke in the role of my dominant. He’d be good at it, and he knew me better than anyone else in my life.
We’d make the perfect triad. Having Luke set rules for me, making me a priority, while I did the same for Emma. Where had that thought come from? I didn’t even know the woman, and yet the way she was staring at me with those perfect gray eyes, red-rimmed from crying... I wanted to scoop her up and make her smile. My secret crush on Luke was something I’d never shared with anyone. No. I couldn’t entertain the thought of the three of us.
Lock it down. Lock down all the emotions.
I’d never have such a beautifully balanced relationship. Women treated me like a one-trick pony, and I’d never gotten the nerve to even look at another man. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I inhaled deeply. If I was being honest with myself, the only man I wanted in my life stood near me, scowling his displeasure. Likethatwould ever happen.
I allowed Luke to make a lot of decisions when it came to the house, finances, and other major things. Hell, he’d even threatened to spank me on more than one occasion, but until now, I stopped pushing when the threat felt real.
“I left the operating room for this little brat.” Luke bridged the gap between the two of us. “The last thing I need is an attitude.”
“So, then, why are you giving me one?” Luke practically growled. “I’d already planned on speaking with Emma later tonight. I can fit you in as well.”
Bloody hell.
