Free Breaking Through (Atlanta #3) by Kemmie Michaels

 
    He considered the perfection of his time with her the whole ride home, but also the one thing which bothered him. Because of their common acquaintances, his anger was brought center stage under a big, ugly spotlight. She didn't seem to care, but still. His darkness wasn't a part of him he wanted her to see. If he was honest with himself, he had hoped to keep his darkness hidden forever, no matter how impossible.  
    And what to do about a relationship? He knew that's where things could head with Jenna. They both wanted more time together which was both obvious and unbelievable. His hold-back stemmed from his many issues. The worst issue was his anger, even if he was good at hiding it. Too much ugliness lived in his brain. Some of the darkness came from his wild days as a teenager when he hurt his family. Some of the darkness grew from recent months when he beat up strangers in bars to relieve stress. Most of the darkness, however, permeated his entire body from his time in Afghanistan. Two tours of duty in that country left him with far too much ugly shit in his head. He didn't want any of his internal nightmare touching Jenna, Sophie, or anyone else.  
    Luke was pretty sure, though, that his training with Marcus would keep those issues at bay. He had the physical stress release with fighting in addition to Marcus's version of therapy and lessons on control. Luke wished those issues didn't exist, but they were his to deal with alone. He could handle them.
    What he couldn't keep Jenna away from were his social issues. One, he was a father. Sophie and Jenna adored each other, so that wouldn't really be a problem…until Miranda entered the equation.  
    Miranda could make Jenna miserable for several reasons, including jealousy. CB didn't love Luke, but seemed to think she owned him anyway. She would resent Jenna simply for being in a relationship with him, and would resent Jenna even more for any time spent with Sophie. CB's bitterness would only get worse when she realized how much Sophie and Jenna had fun together.
    Luke couldn't protect Jenna unless they hid the relationship from CB. They'd have to hide completely. Sadly that would mean keeping the too-chatty Sophie away, too. She'd innocently clue Miranda in immediately. What a shame he had to protect both of them. Sophie would have to miss out on time with Jenna. Every child should feel adoration from as many people as possible.    
    Moments after considering those options, though, he realized something important. No matter how much he cared about Jenna already, he couldn't let Sophie get close, regardless of CB's involvement. Luke was sure he'd inevitably fuck up and lose Jenna, which would cause Sophie to lose her, too. He couldn't set his little girl up for that kind of devastation.  
    The best way to protect everyone involved was to keep the relationship a secret from everyone, even Marcus. The fewer people who knew, the better for Jenna. How insanely difficult would secrecy be with common friends? Would the group ever connect the dots? Frustrated, Luke gritted his teeth and tensed under the anger that filtered into his consciousness strongly. He hadn't realized how peaceful he had been with Jenna until all his darkness surfaced again.  
    Even if they were able to pull off a stealth relationship, how much would he hurt Jenna by suggesting such a thing? Would she think he was ashamed? Would she feel used? Dismissed? He hated the thought of hurting her in any way.  
    Suddenly he realized he was already such a fuck-up, simply by making a connection with her in the first place. He would inevitably hurt her, no matter how carefully he tried to avoid doing so. He brought way too much baggage along with him. He never should have asked her out in the first place. Selfish bastard. Even though he wanted to go home, he needed the gym again. Desperately.
    Hoping Marcus or Bill would be there to let him in, he bypassed his new apartment and went straight to the gym. He had