The Renegade Returns (Mill Town Millionaires) (7 page)

“So who takes care of you?”

Her gaze shot to his, clashing with those amber eyes while the implications hit her hard. Who
did
take care of her? Who ever had? No one since she was a kid. At least, not that she could remember.

Uncomfortable exploring the question any deeper, she walked back toward the checkout counter. “I know you didn’t have an appointment this afternoon. What do you need, Luke?”

“I’m here,” he said with a charming grin, “because I thought it would be more fun to create mischief than be tortured.”

She should have teased back, slipped into casual mode. But a flood of remembered sensations from the night before held her immobile.

Luke tried again. “I think it’s time for another adventure.”

Oh, Lord help her. “I don’t think an adventure is a good idea.”

Considering how much she wanted a repeat of yesterday’s kiss—definitely not.

Would she even survive another? Between the fun and the fear of hurting him from last night, she wasn’t sure her heart could take it.

Could it?
“Definitely not a good idea.”

Luke took her concern in stride. “It rarely is but that’s what makes it fun. The danger.”

Oh, it was dangerous all right. This was getting out of hand.

A taste, remember?
Oh, yeah. She’d almost forgotten that little pep talk to herself—and she desperately wanted a taste like she’d had last night. But was she willing to put herself out there, to risk making herself vulnerable again to Lucas Blackstone, of all people? She tried to clear the tightness from her throat. “What did you have in mind?”

Luke didn’t blink. “How about the drive-in? They always have something fun to see.” He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned. “Something spooky, for good cuddling. And it won’t be open too many more weekends before closing for the winter.”

Before she could respond, the lights blinked out. Avery froze. Then the emergency lights clicked on, lending an eerie green glow to the room. Only then did Avery notice that the world outside had darkened to midnight and rain had started coming down in heavy drops.

“I don’t think Cindy beat the rain home,” she murmured.

“Nope,” Luke said. “And neither will we.”

Instantly alert, Avery walked to the window and searched the slope of the parking lot through the increasing sheets of rain. “Where’s Nolen?”

Luke shifted beside her, his arm brushing hers. Such an innocent touch for such a sensual response deep inside.

“He didn’t bring me. Aiden dropped me off and was gonna send Nolen back for me later.”

Despite the gloom, she turned an incredulous eye in his direction. “Have you not listened to the weather today?”

She saw a flash of his white teeth. “Guess I didn’t think this through very well. But in my defense, having your brother wait while you ask a woman out is a bit awkward, if I could even convince him not to get out of the car.”

Avery didn’t have siblings, but she knew from observing others that a man’s brothers were his first source of friendly ridicule. Aiden would never have stayed in the car. “Well, you won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.”

Luke stared out the front windows. Rain lashed at the asphalt so heavily as to obscure the view. An occasional glimpse of tree limbs dancing was all that made it through. “I see that,” he said.

“No.” She shook her head. “I mean, for longer than you think. Remember the bridge at the bottom of the hill?” They couldn’t see it from here, but it was the only access to the facility drive. Avery’s heart pounded as her brain kicked into overdrive. “It floods in heavy rains like these. That’s why we canceled our afternoon appointments.”

Luke moved closer to the window. “That quick, huh?”

“All the water from uphill flows back down here. It flash floods, so we take extra precautions.” Including having a comfortable living space that allowed her to stay here cozy and safe—and usually alone.

“So this means we’re stuck here—for the night?” Luke asked, a curious tone in his voice.

Avery swallowed hard, her mind on her fear of the storm and a new fear…of being cooped up with the sexiest man she knew…for hours on end. “Probably so.”

“Well, that’s an adventure by itself, right?”

SEVEN

“I
need to lock everything down,” Avery said. She stepped over to secure the front doors, then walked in the other direction, leaving Luke to stand there and twiddle his thumbs—a safe distance away.

Only he’d never been a twiddle-his-thumbs kind of guy. Following along to the workout room, he watched as she made sure all of the equipment was unplugged, including the computers. She was as thorough as he’d expected her to be—just as she was with her patients.

His meeting with Mr. Hutchens still haunted him. The elder man’s stalwart attitude. Avery’s careful attention to the man’s needs and lack of concern for his wallet. Yet through it all, she’d approached the whole situation in a way that got the job done without attacking the man’s pride.

A lot like she’d done with Luke. Guess all those years of studying others had paid off.

Just then, a rumble of thunder built outside, shaking the building until it ended in a crack. Avery’s breath caught and she winced.

Luke realized something that he’d missed in all his years of knowing Avery: she definitely did not like storms.

As she finished securing the back door, she turned toward him. Her stiff back and wary look left him wondering if she thought he would pounce. Or was it just the weather?

“We can wait it out in my office, if you want,” she said quietly.

He didn’t really have a choice, and that made him inordinately glad.

He followed her down a short, windowless hallway by sound rather than sight, his cane plonking with every step. She disappeared to the left and he paused in the doorway. A few fumbling sounds, then a drawer closing, and an electric lantern flared to life.

Luke blinked to clear his vision, then found himself staring in surprise. This might be Avery’s office, but it looked more like a plush, feminine version of the retreat Aiden had built for himself at Blackstone Manor. One corner was dominated by an antique desk with the expected accoutrements, but there the usual description of a doctor’s office ended.

He couldn’t tell what color the walls were, but it was warm even in the deep shadows. There was an armoire, which he suspected held a media system, and a deep upholstered couch that looked wide enough for him to sleep on—though not wide enough for them together.

Not that he should be thinking about that—Hell, who was he kidding?

Avery gestured toward the high-end furniture. “Make yourself at home. It’s gonna be a while.”

Seeming oblivious to him, she reached into the bottom of the armoire and pulled out a radio. She’d obviously used it before because it was tuned perfectly when she turned it on.

The announcer was moving quickly through a multitude of weather warnings and storm watches, including a flash flood warning for their county.

“No kidding,” Avery muttered under her breath.

Luke could only grin. Avery often projected the image of being calm and in control—except in the face of two things: any form of sexual attention from a man and, from what he’d seen tonight, thunderstorms.

“This is really nice for an office,” he said, hoping to soothe her nerves as he settled onto the couch.

She surveyed the space from behind her desk. He couldn’t see clearly, but he was pretty sure she blushed.

“Well, I end up staying here overnight some due to weather, so I wanted it to be comfortable.”

“Does this happen often?” he asked.

“I realize it’s probably foreign to you,” she said, shuffling the papers in front of her, “but some of us are afraid to drive in storms. And I can get caught here unexpectedly.” She chuckled, though it sounded strained. “So it’s less stressful than trying to get to my house since it’s so far out of town.”

“That sounds like a safe option to me,” he said.

Her shoulders relaxed a bit, but she didn’t look up. The papers were slowly migrated into a series of neat little piles. Then she began moving them to the nearby filing cabinet.

It couldn’t be more obvious that she was uncomfortable having him here. Of course, she’d been on edge since that kiss last night—and he seemed to be making it worse rather than better.

On her next trip past him he leaned forward to reach for her. Her eyes widened, then she tried to sidestep and change direction just as his hand met her arm. A moment’s push and pull, then she tumbled into his arms with a cry.

Unexpected, but oh so right.

Warm weight, softly honey scented and extra wiggly. Just like that, all the reasons he shouldn’t touch her disappeared. Then a loud crash of thunder shook the building and Avery changed direction. Instead of pulling away, she dove in close, clutching at his shirt, burrowing against his chest.

The slight tremble in her hands brought his barriers down even more. His palms found the skin of her upper arms. Up and down, under her sleeves, he instinctively moved to comfort her—

Only comfort wasn’t the result.

He’d wondered since meeting this adult version of Avery how she would feel against—and under—him. He had to admit it. But he couldn’t have fantasized how perfect she would feel in his arms. Slowly his hand traveled up along her neck to her chin and lifted her face to his.

This kiss wasn’t tentative, but Luke didn’t rush. As he leaned in, he breathed deep, soaking in her honey scent. Then his lips brushed over hers, coaxing her to open.

She signaled her surrender by melting against him. Soft flesh pressed to his chest. All he could do was pull her closer. Then his focus narrowed to the play of her tongue against his.

Avery twisted more fully toward him, their bodies meeting in a collision that had Luke seeing stars. The good kind.

Her hands fisted into his shirt and Luke shot straight into overdrive. He guided her legs over his until she straddled his lap, but their mouths never parted.

All that lovely pressure right where he wanted it. And he wanted
more
of it.

He pulled her hips tight against his groin while he sucked lightly at her bottom lip, then moved his lips back over her jawline to the sensitive column of her neck. He couldn’t stop his hands from roaming, sneaking beneath her scrub shirt to finally cup the breasts he’d been fantasizing about all too often.

She moaned, arching her back to press into his palms. Only it wasn’t nearly enough.

Something happened as he whisked the material over her head, because suddenly the silken mass of her hair swept down around them. Her scent flooded the air. Luke’s heart raced, rivaling the speed of his favorite car.

His mouth migrated to the plump mounds now in reach. He squeezed with his hands, plumping them even more. Then he let go of his control, nibbling and sucking until she squirmed in his lap. Her nipples hardened. Her thighs tensed. Her cries filled his ears to the exclusion of all else.

She raised her arms, lifting her long hair up, then letting it sift through her fingers to cover her bare shoulders once more. Luke moaned. Avery’s gaze swept down to his, her gorgeous irises now darkened in the glow of the lamp.

For a brief moment, sanity returned. Alarm bells sounded, reminding him how vulnerable she was, how caring.

But then she lowered her mouth to his once more and he could only feel. Not think.

Luke wasn’t sure if it was five minutes or five hours later—all he knew was that some new sound had invaded their world of pounding rain, sighs and groans. It jangled along his nerves until he could no longer ignore its presence.

His phone.

Pulling back forced a protesting groan from deep in his throat, but his family might be worried. “Just a minute, baby,” he murmured.

Digging the phone out of his pants pocket proved a challenge—one he didn’t accomplish until the ring tone had silenced. But then it was too late.

The screen lit up in the dark with a missed-call message from “Aiden’s wife.”

The nickname he jokingly used to poke fun at Christina when she got too bossy cut through the haze of lust quicker than a hot knife through butter.

Luke’s brain sped from zero to sixty. His brother Aiden had come home…and found a wife. His twin had come home…and found a family.

Luke had come home…and found himself making out with Black Hill’s most eligible bachelorette.

This was not a pattern he wanted to follow.

He found himself acting on instinct rather than logic. The first part came easily: he lifted Avery from his lap and set her next to him on the couch. The second part, not so much. Not bothering to search for his cane, he forced himself upright by sheer will and limped to the door. Before slipping through, he turned back to the silent woman behind him.

“I’m sorry, Avery.”

* * *

“I thought you were taking Avery to the drive-in tonight.”

Luke turned from his solemn stare out the front parlor window to face Christina’s question. “I am. Maybe. At least, I hope so.”

Her dark, perfectly arched brows lifted. “Well,” she demanded, “are you or aren’t you?”

He wanted to tease her, but his nerves wouldn’t let him. “I guess I’ll find out when I get there.”

“So…what did you do?”

The teasing grin came more easily to his lips than a confession. “What makes you think I did anything?”

“The crack in your confident veneer was my first clue.”

Hmm…he should have known she was too smart for his own good. “I screwed up and she’s probably mad at me.”

“Let me guess—you aren’t gonna let that stand in your way?”

He probably should. Holding Avery close had been the best thing to happen to him in a long time…sweeter than he’d remembered from their first kiss. It was territory he shouldn’t explore. Indulging himself wasn’t fair to Avery when he wasn’t sticking around for anything permanent.

So why was he going back to the therapy center just two days later? He shook his head. “I promised Avery I would help her have fun. This is just a little pothole, that’s all.”

“Good.”

Now he raised a brow. Would she say the same thing if she knew what he’d really done? “Come again?”

“Avery needs someone who will help her get out of her own way. And you need someone who will demand a little more of you than looking pretty and driving fast.”

“But—”

“Just work with what you have and see where it leads. After all, surprises are fun, too. Right?”

Christina’s words rolled around in his brain as he made his way back to the kitchen. They made perfect sense. Except Luke still felt the dangerous desire to take his relationship with Avery further than friendship.

Surely they could go out on a public date without him giving in to temptation? They couldn’t get in too much trouble in a parked car surrounded by people. Well, teenagers did, but they were grown adults. He could control himself…right? He ignored his misgivings by focusing on the task at hand. “Mary, you’re a sweetheart for putting this together.”

Luke had jumped on the chance to take a picnic snack pack on his date with Avery, instead of having to stand in line at the concessions stand. The thought of all those people made him feel like he was breaking out in hives. Besides, Mary made the best food.

He wanted a quiet night—just him and Avery watching a movie together in the back of her SUV. If she would even let him in the therapy center after his behavior night before last.

He had no idea whether she would welcome him with a forgiving smile or slam the door in his face—which was why he’d decided to spring this date on her at the end of her workday. She’d be less likely to make a scene, which would give him a chance to at least argue his side. And he’d have Cindy there to help plead his case…if Avery hadn’t turned her against him yet.

He just wished he was picking her up instead of being driven there by Nolen. He hadn’t been cleared to drive yet. The emasculating feeling would have come to any take-charge male, but for Luke, it was multiplied by his extreme need to be behind the wheel.

“What made you choose the drive-in for your date, Lucas?” Mary asked.

Luke grinned, letting her chatter push aside the self-doubt. Mary called all the boys by their given names. No nicknames for her. He could remember many a rainy afternoon he’d spent down here having cookies, warm right out of the oven. Sometimes alone. Sometimes with one or both of his brothers. But every time Mary used the cookies to bribe them into talking. About school, girls, their dreams, life.

She was a good woman. One who deserved all Christina had gone through to ensure she and Nolen were taken care of for the rest of their lives.

“You remember how Avery’s mother was,” he said after swallowing.

Mary nodded. “Rumor was, she could be pretty strict.”

“Yes, ma’am. Avery didn’t get to do a lot of the normal hangout stuff the rest of us did. Formal events? Green light. Swimming in the creek or going bowling? Not so much. I thought this would be fun for her.” But he hadn’t thought the level of temptation through all the way.

“If anyone can show that girl how to have fun, it would be you. You always were off doing something more interesting than chores or schoolwork.”

Luke grinned. “I tried.”

“Y’all have fun.” Mary winked. “But not too much fun. You’ll be in public, after all.”

“Since when has that ever stopped me?” Luke teased, flashing his trademark wicked grin. But after their night flooded in, Luke needed to be very careful. He fully intended to get them back on friendly ground. He liked Avery…a lot more than he should. But it wasn’t fair to her to get sexually involved, then return to his normal life a whole state away.

They could still be friends, though, right?

So he lifted the basket, balancing it on the side opposite his cane, and walked out the back door to meet Nolen.

He distracted himself with thoughts of Avery. Too bad she was so darn cute when she got flustered. He couldn’t resist teasing her. Any other woman might smile in invitation, look at him through her lashes, even lick her lips in response. Not Avery. She tripped over her own feet and dropped things. It amused him, but not in a condescending way. Almost as if he had to smile. His heart filled with happiness every time she stumbled, because that was her reaction to
him
.