Free Learn to Fly by Heidi Hutchinson

know.” He arched an eyebrow
flirtatiously.
    “ Sure
thing, boss.” Lenny replied, seeing the slight tick in Luke's
jaw when she said the word 'boss.' He didn't like being reminded
that they had a working relationship but one of them had to right the
rocking ship. He was getting too familiar and she had to keep him at
a safer distance.
    Lenny flipped her
head over and shook out her hair, pulling the strands through her
fingers and releasing any tangles. She couldn't deny that it felt
good to have it free. Every follicle was rejoicing in triumph. Silly
follicles.
    When she righted
herself she saw Luke staring at her with hazy eyes. She knew what
that look meant, she'd seen it before, on other men looking at other
women. She didn't understand why Luke was directing that kind of a
look at her. She knew she wasn't ugly but she wasn't anything
beyond...ordinary. She chose to ignore it and pulled out her cell
phone to check for any messages.
    A couple texts from
Harrison in regards to Blake eating the last of his Crunch Berries, a
dirty joke from Sway and an ETA from Carl.
    “ We
should be in Virginia Beach soon.” Lenny informed Luke, hoping
the subject change would snap him back to reality.
    “ You
really going to the beach tomorrow?” Luke asked, shifting into
a casual slouch on the sofa. The setting sun cast shadows in the
cabin and darkened his face so she couldn't read his expression.
    “ Yep,”
Lenny lied. She hated that she had to lie.
    “ You
could come fishing with me and Mike,” he offered slowly.
    Lenny cleared her
throat. Honestly? She would much rather go fishing with Luke and
Mike then have to play party to Carl's paranoia. But that wasn't an
option. “No, I think I better work on my tan.”
    “ I've
just never seen you really talk to the merch girls; I didn't know you
guys hung out.” Luke suspected something. Probably not the
truth, but he definitely thought she was up to something else. Lenny
could feel him studying her and her pulse quickened.
    “ Just
say what you want to say, Luke,” Lenny replied in a low voice,
“Ask me the question that's really on your mind.” This
was a dangerous game, even for Lenny. If Luke guessed outright what
she was doing...she would admit it. And Carl would flip shit.
    The cabin was quiet
save for the hum of the wheels on the road. Lenny thought about
turning on the overhead light so she could read Luke's face.
    “ Are
you seeing someone on the road crew?” His voice was dark and
rough, as if the question was painful to ask.
    Lenny felt a small
smile play on her lips. “No, ” she let let out a relieved
sigh. “Nope, I'm as single as they come.”
    She connected his
suspicions and had to admit that it did indeed look like she was
sneaking off to meet a secret lover. She almost laughed at the idea
but Luke turned on the lights in the cabin and the serious look on
his face sobered her instantly.
    He returned to his
seat but continued to study her. She met his gaze without flinching.
    “ Are
you seeing Carl?” He asked, his mouth flat.
    Lenny's eyes widened
and her eyebrows raised at Luke. “Seriously?”
    He didn't respond,
watching her with that penetrating stare of his. As if he could
extract the truth from her by willing it from the depth of her soul.
    “ No,”
Lenny shook her head, incredulous, “I am not seeing Carl. That would be...” She couldn't think of the
correct word to finish with. Absurd, creepy, wrong, insane, all came
to mind.
    “ That
would be what?” Luke demanded an end to her sentence.
    “ Weird.”
Lenny finally vocalized. “And very, very wrong.” She
lifted her hair off of her now, hot neck and pulled it over one
shoulder. “Why would you even think that?”
    “ You
seem really comfortable with him,” Luke stated plainly.
    Apparently
Carl wasn't the only one Lenny was comfortable around. She still
couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she had been asleep in
Luke's lap. Her, the girl who can't sleep. Drooling in Luke