SOFIA

“What room is Luke Martinez in?”

Sherry pauses on the other end of the call. “I’m sorry…I know you came in together, but I’m not allowed to give out room numbers.”

“Is it 27?”

“We leave that up the guests, if they want people to know where they are.”

I pick at my comforter and ask, “So you won’t tell me if I guess it right?”

“No.”

“Is it 22?

A pause and then, “I’m sorry, I wish I could!”

“It’s okay,” I smile, because she just told me and doesn’t even know it.

“Hotel policies, Ms. Cocker, I’m so sorry.”

“I understand, Sherry, you’re doing a great job. My buddy Tyler was saying so, too.”

She gets happy, leaving behind the guilt for not being able to help me. “Really? How nice of him. He’s a very handsome man, I was sad he had a wedding ring on.”

My face squishes up, because I’ve never heard Tyler called good looking after he hit puberty and left his cute-kid-face far behind. “They’re pretty happy, too, I’m afraid. Oh well, you’ll find your man.”

“I hope so,” she wistfully replies.

“Have to go. See you soon I’m sure.”

“Bye, Ms. Cocker.”

I gently drop the hotel phone back in its cradle, staring into the possibilities. I know I should leave this alone, and that’s why I’m not in the elevator right now. I’ve explored a few shops not far from the hotel, but my eyes kept finding the second floor, wondering what Luke was doing up there. Tyler will probably come get us for dinner, but what the hell am I supposed to do with all this time if there’s no mission to execute?

I want to spend time with Luke.

As soon as I saw him standing there waiting for Tyler in the parking lot, I knew it was him I’ve been missing, haven’t allowed myself to think about him, did everything possible to distract myself around the plantation.

He’s angry at me.

Feels betrayed by Atlas.

I have to make this right.

Marching to the elevator like he is now my mission, I jab the button and impatiently wait to hit the top floor. At Room 22 I bang on the door. Heavy footsteps clomp toward me and Luke appears, wearing no shirt, belt off, first button undone on his tight-fitting jeans like he’d gotten really comfortable.

My mind goes blank. “Uh…”

He reacts, runs a hand through his shiny, black hair hanging down his naked back. His chest is peaks and valleys of burnished copper muscle. “Soph, what do you want?”

Parting my lips I try hard to remember why I thought it was a good idea to come up here. “I…uh…”

We don’t move for what feels like minutes, but it’s probably three seconds, tops.

“Come in, Soph,” he grumbles, holding the door open wider.

I’ve never been this awkward around him, so I clasp my hands behind my back and walk inside, scanning the pretty room as I struggle to speak. Clearing my throat, I offer a lame, “It’s nice in here.” He shuts the door and crosses his arms, the stance not impatient but not welcoming either. “Bed okay?”

“I sleep fine.” He takes a couple steps in as I lift a notepad from his nightstand. “Don’t touch that.”

“What is it? You writing a story or something?”

“Just some thoughts I have,” he shrugs. “Non fiction. Put it down.”

“Put this down?” I smile, teasing him, “You don’t want me to open this?”

He uncrosses his arms and points at me. “Soph, put it the fuck down.”

My fingertips shuffle just the edges of the closed pages, torturing him with, will I or won’t I?

“Gosh, you’re so nervous. What’s in this notebook, I wonder?”

He starts for me, coming around the bed, so I jump on it to escape him. “Sofia!”

“What?” I hold it high and dodge left and right as he circles the bed. His gaze drops, repeatedly flickering around my body. With all the jumping around, I’m jiggling like crazy, and the way his expression changes, he’s in a war with his baser instincts.

I should stop.

But when have I ever done anything I should?

So I bend over, cleavage at its deepest, and hold the journal out. “You want this?”

Double entendre intended.

Like a predator about to pounce, Luke hunches over, dark eyes sparkling with a warning. I’m sure I’ve got the same look in mine as a naughty smile spreads on my lips.

“Come and get it,” I whisper.

He lunges for me.

I whip the notebook out of reach, leap off the bed.

He lands on fluffy blankets and pillows, grasping at zip, zero, nada. Flipping around he sees me standing near the window, opening the notebook and he shouts, “NO!”

It’s so loud it startles me, and that gives him the edge he needs. Tackling me, Luke grabs the book, lifts me over his shoulder, flings the notebook far away as he throws me on the bed, leaping on top, caging me. Our chests are heaving as we stare at each other, his hair brushing the sides of my face, mine fanned out. I lick my lips. He keeps staring at them, like he’s trying not to kiss me but desperately wants to. Voice gravelly, he asks, “What do you want from me, Sofia?”

My mind is filled with images of our Dads punching each other, Mom furious and reminding me why we have rules.

“I…”

He punches the bed, and repeats, more desperately, “What do you want?!”

I almost say, you. But I can’t make the same mistake twice and jeopardize our family. Instead I say what is so true, it hurts. “I want to go back in time.”

He frowns. “To before you and Atlas…I can’t even say it.”

“Yes,” I whisper, “To before then.”

“You saying you would have chosen me?”

“I’m saying I wouldn’t have done it at all.”

He jumps to standing with the grace of a Black Belt. I rise up on my elbows as he takes angry strides to the window and looks out at red sandstone mountains protecting the peaceful valley.

Sitting up I plead with him to understand. “Look at where you are, Luke! Stuck out here because they’re trying to keep us apart and it wasn’t even us! Imagine if it had been.”

“I’ve been imagining it, that’s the problem,” he says through gritted teeth, eyes locked outside.

Closing my eyes I almost tell him he’s not alone in that, but I’ve been trained to fight for what’s right, and for our family. And that’s what I’m going to do. Climbing off the bed I go to him, but don’t touch him. I’ve no intention of teasing him now. I’m dead serious. “Listen, our parents put this rule in place for a reason, and I didn’t know it until all of this went down. Sage isn’t talking to Atlas. After I found out he lied and gave the blame to you, I’ve done nothing but punish him. You’re out here, away from your family when we should all be doing what we do! And then there’s Celia, crushing on him! Can you believe that? You should have seen our fathers, they haven’t been the same!”

His eyelids are heavy, voice drawn with tension. “What’s done can’t be undone.”

“But I miss you!” He looks at me with so much distance in his gaze. “You know I’m better at ripping things apart than I am at putting them back together! Help me!”

“I’ve been thinking about it for weeks. I don’t know how. Atlas fucked me over, Soph, and I haven’t been able to get past that yet. Need some time.” He walks to pluck his notebook from the ground, smoothing the pages that got bent from the fall.

Under my breath I say, “We’ve got tons of it out here.”

Putting the notebook in a drawer he flattens his fingers as he shuts it, making sure it’s closed. “No doubt.”

“Well, let’s spend some time together, like we always do.”

He thinks about it, snapping two fingers like a slowing heartbeat. “Act normal and then maybe it’s normal again?” I nod and force a smile, which brings a bemused smirk out of him. “Nothing better to do.” He walks me to the door.

“You want to go do something now?”

“Nah,” he mutters. “Going to stay here today. I didn’t expect to see you, Soph. Just give me a minute.”

In the hallway I turn. I don’t want to leave, even if we could just sit and watch the television, I’d relish it. But Luke’s got his wall up, heels dug in.

“See you at dinner?”

“Yeah, Ty say where or when?” he asks, chewing his lip.

“No. Haven’t talked to him.”

I just wanted to see you.

He digs his phone from his pants while I try not to stare at his naked chest. “I’ll give him a call then text you.”

Smirking I reach out and stop just shy of touching him. “Oh, you know how to use your phone now?”

Luke chuckles, “Just remembered. Amnesia passed, lucky me.”

I head away, “I’ll look out for the text.”

“Soph?”

“Yeah?”

“I missed you, too.” He closes the door.