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With distance, she realized she had liked Viggo because he didn’t make her feel too much, and he either didn’t mind or didn’t notice. Feeling too much was risky.
Honesty: There was no way someone like Sam was ever going to get close to a fraction of what Viggo got.
Brutal honesty: The percentage Luna had given Sam was already higher than she had ever intended.
It was time for Luna to turn that brutal honesty on herself because, in spite of who Sam was, he had an ability to make her forget she wasn’t supposed to like him.
Most importantly, Sam wasn’t supposed to kiss her like that. He wasn’t supposed to kiss her in a way that made her feel things, as though somewhere inside was a bare lightbulb flickering in the dark, revealing there was still someone home.
Luna had tricked herself into believing the guy was nothing but the human equivalent of a slight breeze. Then he’d touched her, sending a shockwave of shivers traveling across her skin. Then Sam had said he’d wanted to kiss her, and his surprising boldness sent a thrill to every major pulse point. Luna considered it all harmless fun, and who didn’t like a bit of meaningless kissing every now and again?
But when his lips brushed hers, she realized,Oh, shit! I’ve been caught in a surprise tornado on a Ferris wheel.And once one was inside a tornado, no one was coming out cool or arrogant, let alone doing any eyerolls.
His kiss had been gentle and sweet, making her feel both tender and needy. She hadn’t felt either of those things in a long time. Luna hadn’t wanted it to end. She’d touched him in return, his facial hair scraping the tips of her fingers. Sam had answered her neediness with a deep groan, pulling her closer, his tongue beckoning her to give more. Luna hadn’t realized how much she’d missed being wanted. Everything outside the kiss had disappeared. Luna hadn’t needed anything else. Wanted anything else. Just this. She had felt something, and it was…perfect.
But it could never be perfect.
Because it was Luna and Sam. The word “and” wasn’t something that should ever appear between their names. Not even an “&” or a “+” and especially not preceding a “4ever”.
By the time Luna had stopped swirling inside the tornado, she’d realized she’d let things go too far. Tessa had clearly seen what she’d done, and while she hadn’t given Mia the hairdresser’s information yet, she knew her name. Maybe she was tired of waiting for Luna and would seek Tessa out on her own, make an appointment, and then she’d learn about the Ferris wheel kiss and tell Ross everything. The thought had made Luna’s heart panic. She hated herself for having been so reckless just for a bit of meaningless fun.
To reconstruct her barriers, she drew back her arrow, aiming for Sam’s center. He didn’t even flinch. He took it, his face becoming devoid of every emotion. Obliterating someone never felt as good in reality as it did in theory. When he turned and walked away she felt nothing but emptiness.
The jewelry shop bell jingled.
Luna raised her head from wiping one of the glass jewelry cabinets. Aanya walked in, returning from her lunch break.
“Was it busy while I was away?” Aanya asked her.
“No. Pretty dead.”
“I thought maybe there were a lot of customers for you to be wiping the cabinet twice.”
Luna slid the glass cleaning supplies away without a word. It was better for the subject to be dropped altogether than for her to admit she’d been standing here, wiping the same spot, since Aanya departed.
Luna was about to leave her spot on the shop floor when the phone rang. Her gaze zipped to Aanya’s, who answered, “Lanza’s Fine Jewelry.” There was a long pause before she said, “Just a moment. Let me see if she’s here.”
There could have been any number of people who would call Luna, like the bank or a customer, but her stomach went into instant knots.
Aanya put the call on hold. “It’s Amy again. Do you want me to take a message?” It was a silly question considering Amy had yet to leave any messages the other times she called. Her mother wasn’t giving up.
“What do you think she wants?” Luna asked in a low voice, her gut already churning with nerves.
“Sounds like she wants to talk to you.”
Luna had no desire to talk to her, but this also couldn’t go on forever. “Fine, I’ll take it.” Her stomach squeezed tighter. She didn’t like the unknown. Taking a deep breath, she took the call off hold. “Hello?”
There was a pause. “Luna?”
“Yes.”
“This is Amy.”
“I know.”
“How are you?”
“Fine. Why are you calling?”
