“I had a bad day on Monday. A really, really bad day. I tripped and fell at home and hit my cheek on the corner of the coffee table. But that was just the final straw.” I swallowed, looking away from his intense gaze before I forced myself to look back into his eyes. “Luke, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for the way I left things with us on Sunday. I mean, you opened yourself up to me and I basically shrugged in your face, and I cant take it back, but I am asking that you forgive me.”

I stood in front of him, his hands still cupping my face, waiting for him to say something. He didn’t. Instead, he just lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to mine. He pulled back after a second and said, “Stay here real quick. Don’t leave, okay?”

I nodded and he walked off to the back of the shop. After a minute he came back out, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out the door to his car.

“Wait! Luke, my car!” I cried, pulling back on his arm to slow him down.

He paused for a second, then said, “Take it to your house and I’ll follow. But then we’re going to go get some dinner and you’re staying at my house tonight.”

“But,” I began, but Luke raised his hand, not letting me finish.

“My house. Tonight, Emma. I want you in my bed.”

I sighed, giving in and walking to my car. I drove to my house, Luke right behind me. When I pulled up, Luke parked behind me and came inside while I got some clothes together. I didn’t even have my bag zipped before Luke grabbed it and then me, and pulled me out the door. I managed to get him to stop long enough to lock my front door and then we were in his car, headed back into town.

“Where do you want to go to dinner, sugar?” Luke asked.

“I don’t care, Luke. Whatever sounds good to you.” I replied.

“Beck’s on Main?”

“Yeah, that’s good.” I replied, already flipping through their menu in my head. What? I love food!

We went to Beck’s and were seated immediately because it’s a bar like Griff’s but they’ve got more of a bistro type menu. I ordered my favorite, loaded baked potato soup with cheese and bacon, and a turkey bacon club sandwich. Luke ordered a French dip sub and started to order the French onion soup to go with it, but changed it to the potato soup as well when he glanced my way. Hmm…

It didn’t take us long before we were done eating and headed to Luke’s house. We pulled up and Luke grabbed my bag off the backseat before I could, and held my hand as we walked up on the porch. As I was waiting for Luke to unlock the door, I heard a small chuff behind me. Then the smell hit.

I turned around, surprised to see Doug standing behind us, his yellow fur hidden under mud and only God knows what else. I plugged my nose, trying to breathe out of my mouth, because he smelled like a skunk. I gagged and took a step back, plowing into Luke who had turned to see what was going on. He had his shirt up over his nose and was glaring at Doug, who seemed to be smiling at us.

“You stupid ass dog, Doug!” Luke yelled. “This is the fifth time this year you’ve been sprayed by a skunk and its supposed to be Brandon’s turn to deal with it!” He growled deep in his throat, which made Doug even happier. His whole body shook with the vicious wagging of his tail.

Luke looked over to me and shook his head in exasperation. He unlocked the door and stepped back to let me inside, hollering, “NO!” over his shoulder at Doug. When we got inside, he put my bag down by the steps and then I heard, “Oh, shit!” and Luke took off running through the living room towards the kitchen and the back door off the side of it that opened out onto a huge back deck with a hot tub sunk into it.

I watched in fascination as the doggie door ( I hadn’t noticed it before) just barely began pushing in when Luke dove to the floor, jamming his hands against the flap, and subsequently, Doug’s head. I heard Doug woof once outside the door, while Luke laid on the kitchen floor, forehead on the tile, hands extended out in front of him holding the doggie door shut. Luke very carefully reached up with one hand and released the locking flap, moving his other hand quickly out of the way as it swung down, before sliding the lock into place.

He turned his head to look at me, a grin beginning to grow on his face that could only be described as devilish, and said, “You’re gonna get dirty tonight, sugar!”

I groaned.

An hour later I was kneeling in a kiddie pool filled with tomato juice. I was holding onto a hundred and twenty pounds of wiggling, stinky dog, and I was covered head to toe in the juice that should have been on the dog instead. Luke was standing in the pool on the other side of Doug, almost falling over from laughing so hard. The last pitcher of juice that he had scooped up to pour over Doug had landed on my head, leaving me gasping and blinking my eyes while the dog barked and began licking my face.

I glared up at Luke, and then Doug jerked in my grasp, so I ended up lying face down in tomato juice with Doug standing over me. He noticed the ponytail holder in my hair, apparently, because he suddenly pounced on my back, nipped the holder between his teeth, and began pulling.

I shrieked, reaching up to try to dislodge his mouth, and heard Luke, still laughing, breathlessly trying to call Doug off.

At the end of the ordeal, Luke and I were wearing just as much juice as Doug, my hair was loose down my back, and Doug was prancing around, flipping my hair tie up in the air with his teeth before chasing it.

Later on that night, after we had shampooed the tomato juice off of Doug and off of each other (that was fun!), we were cuddled up on the couch together, watching a movie. Brandon came in about halfway through and sat down on the other end of the couch by my feet. A few minutes later, I felt him grab my feet and pull them up in his lap, rubbing them gently with his hands.

I heard Luke take a sharp breath in, and pulled my feet back away from Brandon, who just laughed, got up, and slapped Luke’s leg as he walked down the hall to his room.

I glanced up at Luke asking, “What was that all about?”

He shrugged, not saying anything. I sat up and asked again.

Luke shook his head a little, before he sighed and said, “Brandon just let me know that if I didn’t make things right with you, then…you know.”

I froze. “What do you mean, you know? Are you saying…?”

“Yeah. He said that he would do what he could to make me regret losing you.”

“Is he on drugs? I mean, sure he’s hot (Luke growled when I said this) but so are you and I’ve never even looked at him like that!” I exclaimed.

“Well, that’s good to know, sugar.” Luke said, smiling.

“And besides. You didn’t lose me. We weren’t ever really together-”

Luke cut me off. “Emma, quit while you’re ahead.”

I shut up. For a second anyway. “Well, since we’re talking, I just want you to realize that you were being overbearing. I mean, I felt like you were a caveman, beating his chest and pulling me around by the hair. You claimed me, Luke! Like I was a possession!” I winced when I realized I was yelling at him.

“I’m sorry…again. I’m such a bitch.” I flung myself backwards on the couch, covering my eyes with my arm.

Luke moved over me, spreading my legs open and kneeling between them. “Emma, baby, look at me.”

I moved my arm, just barely enough for me to peek at him.