Free B00VQNYV1Y (R) by Maisey Yates Page B

arms.

Chapter Seven
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    I T HAD BEEN a week. A week of amazing, mind-blowing sex with Luke. A week since she’d come apart in her kitchen, realizing that while she might have been able to simply have sex with another man, it could never be that simple with Luke.
    She wanted it to be, though. More than wanted, she was determined. Determined.
    Determined that when they were having a conversation like they always had, she would see only Luke, her friend. Determined that when he took her into his arms and kissed her, that was when she would see Luke, her lover.
    Of course, her determination was for nothing because she couldn’t do either of those things. Hadn’t been able to censor epiphany up against the counter.
    The arrangement they had didn’t allow for that. Luke, unlike her, was keeping things seamlessly separate. He was visiting his family, and generally going about his business in Marietta, doing phone business for his garage, acting like things were normal between them. Until they had a few moments of free time. A few moments alone. And then the humorous glint in his eye would change, growing intense, hot. And that was when Luke, her lover would show up.
    Too bad she wasn’t able to make as clean of a distinction. She found herself wanting to touch him casually throughout the day. To brush his hair off his forehead when it fell into his eyes, to take his hand when they walked outside the house.
    Though, she imagined that since the rumor mill in Marietta said they were a couple, now that they were walking down the main street she could take his hand if she wanted to. But did he want her to? It would only be because of what he told his parents. But did he realize that? Or would he think that she was overstepping?
    The introduction of insecurity in her relationship with him was not her favorite part of this arrangement.
    This morning, Luke had discovered that her bathroom sink leaked. He had decided that it needed to be fixed. She wasn’t sure which Luke had decided that. Friend Luke or Lover Luke. Or if there was really a difference at all, and he was lying to himself.
    He’d checked out of the motel two days after they’d started sleeping together. It made more sense for him to stay with her. Really, even if they hadn’t been sleeping together it might have made more sense for him to stay with her. She had an extra bedroom. Though, they weren’t using the extra bedroom since he was sleeping with her. He claimed he was going to fix her plumbing as a thank you. For letting him stay with her, he’d hastened to add.
    A good thing. She didn’t want to feel like he was buying sexual favors with manual labor.
    He’d been very circumspect in his touching of her on the walk from her truck to the hardware store, then in the hardware store, and now, on the trek back to where they’d parked. And she felt like there might as well be a canyon between them, rather than a foot.
    She flexed her fingers, then stretched her arm out slightly, leaning in and she did, purposefully brushing up against the back of his hand.
    What are you twelve?
    No, she was not twelve. She was a grown-ass lady. Who was sleeping with a man who wouldn’t even hold her hand, because he was her best friend. That just seemed messed up.
    You said you didn’t want this. You said you didn’t want a relationship.
    She frowned at herself. It wasn’t like lacing fingers together would automatically push them through terror and the space-time continuum and into the relationship zone. They were sleeping together, for heaven’s sake. She let him inside her body more than once a day. Holding hands was not more intimate.
    And there was that word again. That annoying word that made everything feel heavy.
    Why did anything have to be intimate? Why couldn’t it just be sexy and fun?
    Why did she have to think about everything so hard?
    She stepped to the side while continuing to walk forward, bumping into him a little bit harder this time, her hand hitting