Chapter Fourteen

Amy got in the car with Lucas, immediately engulfed by his scent. Why did he have to smell so good? She could feel a stirring in her stomach as she sat motionless next to him. How could she want to be with him after the things he’d said and done? She was trying not to see the good in him because it was so much harder to maintain her distance when she let down her guard.

They rode in silence for several minutes, until he turned into a parking lot. This wasn’t the car dealership. What was he doing? Maybe he was going to drop her somewhere and hope she got abducted.

“We’re going shopping first. That way, the items can be delivered and the crew can finish your apartment,” he explained. He didn’t wait for her to answer. He stepped out of the vehicle and came around to her door to open it. When he did the small things, such as treating her as a lady, it made her see the more human side of him. She didn’t want to see that side; it was much harder to resist him. She’d rather he act like an arrogant ass so she could justify her own distance.

She got out of the car and walked next to him into the vast store. “I really don’t need any decorations. I’m sure the apartment is fine as it is,” she tried telling him. She was uncomfortable as it was with all the Andersons had done for her. It felt too much like assistance.

“Let’s get this done,” he stated in a voice that said, Deal with it, it’s going to happen.

She soon found it was much easier to go along with him than argue. He took her through each department, asking her preference on colors and styles. His mood seemed to lift as they progressed through the store. She’d never have guessed it, but it looked like Lucas enjoyed shopping much more than she did.

She’d never had the money to spend frivolously, so shopping had been a chore, never something fun.

When they finished in the store, Lucas made arrangements for the items to be delivered to her apartment immediately. “We’re ahead of schedule, Amy. I think you’ll be able to move into your place tonight,” he said as they left the store. “I’m hungry. We’ll have lunch before going to the car lot.”

He didn’t ask if she was hungry. He didn’t ask if she wanted to share a meal with him. He simply said they were going to lunch, and so in his mind, that’s exactly what they were doing. If she hadn’t been so hungry, she would’ve refused to eat just to prove a point, but she knew he wouldn’t even notice, and then she’d be the one suffering for the rest of the day.

He pulled up to a small diner and again came around to open her car door. As they began walking inside, he placed his hand on the small of her back, sending chills all the way to the soles of her feet.

Inside, the waiter left them chips and salsa, then returned and took their order. As they waited for the food, Amy thought it had to be one of her most uncomfortable moments.

“You and my father seem to be getting awfully cozy,” Lucas said, his tone sounding more like an accusation.

“I like Joseph. He’s always been very kind to me. He’s spent some time in the offices while you’ve been gone, and I feel like I can honestly talk to him for hours on end,” she answered.

“He’s got a big heart. I don’t want anyone taking advantage of that fact.”

Amy snapped her head up and looked at Lucas incredulously. Did he really just accuse her of using his father? That’s what it sounded like to her. She wanted to knock him off his high horse so badly her hands were practically shaking, but instead, she took a calming breath before opening her mouth.

“You may think the whole world is out to get you, and everyone wants something from your family, and that may even be the case with a lot of people you know. But you don’t know me even kind of well enough to make a jackass accusation like that. I have nothing but the deepest respect for your father and would never even imagine doing anything to hurt him. Just because you’re jaded and bitter with the world, for some unknown reason, doesn’t give you the right to speak down to me. You have two choices: Either apologize right now, or I’m walking out of here. I love my job, but I won’t be talked to this way. It’s unacceptable.”

She looked him in the eye, fury boiling inside her. She saw the shock on his face as she gave her speech. She had no idea how she wasn’t crying. She knew he might fire her right then, and she’d probably regret her words by the time she found herself sleeping in a hotel room later that night, but at the moment, she was too ticked to care.

After several moments of silence, the edges of Lucas’s lips lifted and small lines appeared around his eyes. The smile then turned into a chuckle. Amy watched him in shock. He was now laughing at her?

She pushed her chair back and stood up. A person could only take so much.

“Amy … stop,” he said between chuckles as she quickly made her way through the restaurant. No way was she turning around. She knew she had less than thirty seconds before her rage simmered down and the tears started. She wanted to be far away from him before that happened.

She made it outside and started running, managing to make it to the alley next to the building. She took a few steps inside, then leaned against the wall, her legs shaking as reality began setting in.

She heard footsteps quickly following her and she wanted to scream. Lucas caught up to her as the first tear slipped down her cheek.

He slowly approached as if he was dealing with a wild animal, which wasn’t too far off the mark. She felt very unpredictable right then.

“I wasn’t laughing at you, okay? I’m sorry. I know you’re not using my father. I don’t know why I even implied it. I’m just … you’re just … I don’t know!”

He took a step back, running his fingers through his hair as he paced in front of her. A few more tears slipped as she watched him. Agitation was clear in his movements, but she was still angry, feeling no sympathy for his frustration.

“Look, you’re driving me crazy. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me right now, but you don’t help the situation when you look at me with your lust-filled eyes. You don’t exactly hide your emotions well,” he snapped as he turned and stood right in front of her.

Amy’s tears dried as he towered over her, his body only a foot away. Even wanting to throttle him, he still turned her on. He’d opened the floodgates inside her and a tidal wave of desire had raced through. Now she had sex on the brain constantly. She wanted him, even if she didn’t like him very much.

Their eyes locked and she saw his blue depths dilate. Her breathing grew heavy, as pulling in oxygen suddenly became a workout.

“Screw it,” Lucas muttered before his hands pushed against the wall on either side of her and he quickly caged her in. Before she had time to blink, his lips came crashing down on hers. Need. Anger. Frustration. Desire. They were all in his kiss. His mouth crushed hers as he pushed his tongue inside, forcing her submission.

She had no choice.

She couldn’t fight what her body longed for so intensely. She tried to remain stiff against the brick wall, but as his hand lifted, sliding up the front of her blouse, she gave up. She kissed him back as his palm captured her breast, massaging the soft flesh, pressing against her hardened nipple.

The kiss deepened as his hips pushed against her, pressing his arousal into her heat. She pressed back. She knew it was wrong, knew they shouldn’t be doing this, but she didn’t care.

A horn sounded close by, startling Amy. Lucas pulled back, his eyes hazy with desire. Suddenly, a siren went off, and they both turned, watching as a police car flew by the alley entrance.

Lucas stepped back and swore as Amy stood rooted to the spot, wondering what the heck she’d just done.

“That shouldn’t have happened. It seems I once again need to apologize to you. It’s becoming a nasty habit, one that I don’t like. Let’s forget about my earlier comment, forget about this kiss, and just finish our lunch, then get on with the day.”

Lucas faced her, his eyes challenging as he made the offer. She could accept his apology and let it go, or she could walk away from everything: her job, security, and new friends.

It was an easy decision.

Without saying a word, she stepped away from the wall and walked toward the restaurant. She refused to think about what the staff was imagining they’d been doing. She knew her hair was tousled and her lips had to be swollen. It was obvious she’d just been kissed to within an inch of her life.

With as much grace as she could muster, she resumed her seat and picked up a corn chip, taking a bite. It tasted like sawdust, but she forced herself to chew and swallow, then repeated the process.

The rest of their meal was eaten in an awkward silence until, thankfully, he received a phone call that occupied him until they were finished.

The pressure from the day was beginning to settle on her shoulders, and she just wanted it over with. The sooner she got to be alone, the better off she’d be. Then she would have time to think.

They silently made their way to the car lot after lunch. She’d never owned a car before, never even priced one. She knew she’d get one after college, but she hadn’t had the money yet. She knew how to drive, but she still wasn’t really comfortable behind the wheel.

She didn’t want Lucas to know about her insecurity, though, so she decided to suck it up and brave the situation.

“Do you want a manual or automatic?” was the first question he asked.

“I’d prefer an automatic.”

“If you want my opinion, I think you should go with the Mercedes ML450 Hybrid SUV. We have about ten choices for you, but I’ve done the research on this one, and it’s highly rated in safety. It gets excellent fuel mileage and is recommended on the consumer reports,” he said, sounding like a car salesman.

“I really don’t know anything about cars, Lucas. I wouldn’t know where to begin,” she answered.