Free Bidding Wars (Love Strikes) by Lacey Wolfe

inside her house.
    She closed the door behind him and wondered if she should dart to the bathroom and splash some water on her face. “I stubbed my toe.”
    “You look like you’ve been sobbing. Go sit down, let me have a look at the toe. You might have broken it.” He took her hand and led her to the couch, promptly making her sit, and then lifted her foot.
    “I didn’t stub my toe.” She looked over his shoulder, not wanting to look him in the eyes.
    “I can see that. Why are you upset?” She could hear the concern in his voice.
    “I thought the ball was in my court. Why are you here?”
    Still holding her foot, he lightly rubbed her arch. Oh God, it felt really good. Pleasure traveled up her leg and right to her center. “I had to see you. It was driving me crazy that you hadn’t called. I had to come find out if you were thinking of me.”
    She tried to come up with a coherent response, but couldn’t. He laid her foot in his lap and then brought her other one up to rub it.
    “I bet your feet must ache, being on them all day, helping all those sick kids. I think it’s amazing what you do. You have a real knack with kids.”
    She nodded. It was all she could do. Her head rolled back, and she let the sensation take over. A moan escaped her lips. What he was doing to her felt too damn good.
    “You’re making it really hard not to climb on top of you and kiss you.” He glanced up at her.
    She giggled.
    “That’s much better. You’re laughing and smiling now. Now, tell me why you were crying when I got here.”
    “I don’t want to.”
    He stopped rubbing her feet. “If you open up to me, I’ll continue to massage your feet and ankles.”
    “Luke…”
    “You can trust me. Talk to me.”
    She took a deep breath. “I want you to have the house.”
     
    * * *
     
     
    Luke rubbed his temple. “What did you say?”
    “It would be only me there, and I don’t need such a big place. I only use one plate and one cup a day. I can barely fill up this place. And I’m lonely here. I could only imagine tripling my space. I’m a horrible person for taking that house from you and your son.” The tears started again. Luke didn’t do well with crying women. Even in the office, he hated it when they cried. No one was rational when the faucets were pouring.
    “I don’t understand. You love the house. You’ve been very passionate about how much you love it, in fact.”
    “I do. I really do love it.”
    “It’s yours.” He didn’t understand this woman or where this outburst was suddenly coming from.
    She shook her head. “It’s not. It would’ve been yours. I know it. It’s not meant to be mine. I don’t have a family to fill it and you do. Take the house, please. I’m going to call Diane right now.” She jumped up off the couch.
    She was definitely being irrational, just as he had expected. He grabbed a hold of her shoulders and held her in place. “Stop. Don’t call Diane.”
    “But you’re not going to get your son without the house.”
    “Not buying that house doesn’t mean I won’t get Sammy.”
    “But…”
    “Please sit down and calm down for a bit.” She listened, thank God! Now to find a way to talk sense into her. “You don’t need to call your agent. The house is yours.”
    “But…”
    He placed a finger over her lips. He wanted to find out what brought this on, but knew it was best to not talk about it anymore. Right now he’d love to know who had caused this pain and loneliness. She was a beautiful woman and he was dying to know what was causing her so much hurt. He had ways to find out because of his profession, but he wanted it to come from her. Because when she finally did, he would know she had opened her heart to him.
    “Let’s watch a movie.” He gestured toward the TV.
    She cocked an eyebrow at him and then leaned forward and grabbed the remote. He expected her to put something on, but instead, she handed the remote to him, giving him control of the TV. This was