“Everything on the menu looks delicious,” she said cheerfully, glancing at Luke.
He examined the dishes listed on the plastic sheet and wrinkled his nose. She almost felt bad for bringing him here, knowing how much he disliked seafood.
But for showing up unannounced and making demands on her, he deserved to choke back a few clams.
“I guess I’ll go with the Caesar salad,” he muttered, setting down the menu.
Guilt tugged at her belly. Why did he have to look so appealing when he was dejected?
The waitress returned to take their meal orders, and after Ellie had ordered a lobster dinner, she hid a smile as Luke requested his salad.
The waitress seemed surprised. “That’s it? A big man like you will be satisfied with a small salad?”
Ellie’s spine stiffened at the flirtatious tone of the waitress’s voice. Now that she looked at the woman, she realized she was really pretty. Gorgeous, actually, with long blonde hair, wide blue eyes and a pair of enormous breasts that made Ellie glance down at her own chest ruefully.
This woman was flirting with Luke. The nerve of her. For all she knew, Ellie was his girlfriend. Maybe they were out on a date, celebrating their tenth anniversary.
“Salad’s the only thing on the menu I like,” Luke answered, his tone light, and damned if it wasn’t sexy.
The waitress glanced at Ellie as if to say,
How dare you bring him here when he doesn’t like seafood?
Then she returned her gaze to Luke.
“We have some burgers in the kitchen,” she said, her voice sounding breathy to Ellie’s ears. “Mostly for the staff, but I’m sure I can talk one of the cooks into grilling one up for you.”
“Are you sure it’s no trouble?”
The woman giggled. “Oh, it’s no trouble at all. I’ll run to the kitchen right now with your order.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart?
He winked at the waitress, who giggled again before rushing off like she was running the Boston marathon.
“Wasn’t that nice of her?” Luke said with a lazy grin.
Ellie shook her head. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Make every woman fall at your feet. I’ve been here dozens of times and no one’s ever offered to fix me something off the menu.”
She tried not to let her irritation show. She’d seen Luke in action before, how one smile from him made women swoon. She’d always known Luke was a ladies man, and it had never annoyed her before. So why now? Why had seeing Luke flirt with that waitress made her feel all…troubled?
“I bet if you showed up in your dance costume you’d get a thing or two. A free meal. Maybe more.”
She shot him a glare. “Would you stop implying that what I wear during the performance is trashy?”
“It isn’t?”
“No.”
She wanted to wipe that tiny little grin off his mouth. She wished Josh had never sent Luke to find her. She hadn’t minded her brother’s meddling growing up; she knew he was overprotective because he loved her, because he wanted to take care of her since their parents weren’t there to do it. Yet since the car accident, Josh had started to smother her.
The car accident. Everything always came back to that damn accident. She wished she’d never decided to surprise Scottie at his office that day. If she’d just stayed in their condo and waited to tell him the good news when he got home from work, she wouldn’t have been hit by that drunk driver. She wouldn’t have had a miscarriage. She wouldn’t have lost everything.
God, she didn’t even want to think about it anymore. She’d been doing fine in this little town, away from the memories. Until Josh had decided to run her life again.
“Will you just make it easy on the both of us and come home?”
Luke’s quiet voice snapped her from her thoughts. “This is my home now,” she answered.
“You belong in San Francisco.”
She wanted to scream. How did he know where she belonged?
“You should be thinking about settling down, having a family,” he added.
“I’m only twenty-four,” she protested.
“You were ready to settle down two years ago. With Scott.” Luke paused. “Did I ever tell you I was sorry he broke off the engagement?”
“No.”
His eyes softened. “Well, I am sorry.”
“I don’t want to talk about this.” She couldn’t hide the pain in her eyes, but Luke, thankfully, didn’t comment on it.
“What do you want to talk about then?”
“When are you leaving?”
“I’m not. Next question.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest.
She sighed. “Fine. What have you been up to these past couple of years?”
“Not much. Just working.”
“Still a bodyguard?”
He nodded, and she couldn’t control the rush of warmth that flooded her belly. Luke the bodyguard. She’d always thought his profession was so sexy. And it suited him. He was big and strong and masculine. It made sense that he earned his living protecting people.
“Any interesting assignments?” She suddenly smiled. “Taken a bullet for an actress lately?”
She was rewarded by a rumble of laughter from him. “Don’t remind me of that,” he said with a groan.
She laughed, almost as hard as the first time she’d learned that he’d thrown himself in front of Lucy Kincaid on the red carpet of a premiere. A man had darted out from the crowd, holding a gun, and Luke hadn’t hesitated to risk his own life for Kincaid. The weapon, however, had turned out to be nothing more than a paint gun, and Ellie still remembered seeing Luke on the evening news, covered in green paint.
“I was actually assigned to a senator last month,” he said. “Pretty tame. But the guy did have a few strange fetishes.”
“Like what?” she asked, curious.
“He liked feet. Used to drag me to a thousand shoe stores a day to watch people try on shoes.”
She made a face, but laughed again. “I always liked hearing your work stories,” she admitted.
“I always liked telling you.”
Their eyes locked, and for one brief moment Ellie thought she saw a flash of desire in his gray eyes. Then she quickly shrugged away the thought. Desire? No way. Luke had never seen her as anything more than Josh’s pesky kid sister.
“Here’s your burger.”
The waitress approached the table and placed Luke’s dinner in front of him as if she were presenting him with an elaborate Thanksgiving feast. Then, without even glancing in Ellie’s direction, she dropped the plate of lobster in front of her before smiling down at Luke again.
Trying not to roll her eyes, Ellie reached for her fork. The waitress lingered at the table as if she were waiting for Luke to say something more. Instead, he just thanked her and gave her another wink.
Once the waitress left, Ellie finally rolled her eyes.
“What was that for?” Luke said, glancing at her.
“That woman was practically undressing you with her eyes.”
He shrugged. “Yeah.”
“Yeah?” she echoed. “God, you’re still as conceited as ever.”
“And you’re still a pest.”
“But a cute pest,” she corrected.
Luke’s gaze briefly lowered to her breasts before returning to her face. “I’ll give you that,” he conceded.
Heat spilled over her cheeks. Had he just checked her out? Or had she imagined him looking at her breasts?
She speared some salad with her fork and chewed on a mouthful of lettuce. What on earth was happening here? Why was she having dinner with Luke?
After he’d left her dressing room last night, she’d been determined to find a way to make him leave. Luke was as stubborn as they came, but even he had his weak spots. She was well aware of the tight-knit friendship between Luke and her brother, and if Josh had called in a favor, Luke wouldn’t hesitate to help out. But she could work around Luke’s loyalty, if she just did something that would make him go running. Riling him up didn’t seem to be working, so she’d need to find another route.
What she couldn’t do was sit here in this restaurant and act like they were two old friends catching up. She didn’t want him to get too comfortable here. She wanted him to go away, plain and simple.
She watched as he took a bite of his burger and wondered what it would take to make him leave. She briefly considered paying him—she had plenty of money left over from her parents’ life insurance settlement—but she knew Luke wouldn’t take her money.
“So, how did you meet Vivian?” He reached for the beer he’d ordered and took a long swig.
“Viv? She’s Tanya’s mother.”
“Tanya…your roommate in college?”
She nodded. “I called Tanya after the—” she swallowed, “—accident. I told her I needed to find work. So she gave me her mom’s number and Viv offered me a job dancing at her club.”
A serious look crossed Luke’s rugged features, and she couldn’t help but admire his handsome face. God, why did he have to be so good-looking? She’d always loved his proud forehead, his strong, defined jaw and wide, sexy mouth. And that dimple in his chin. She’d spent too many nights, back when she was a teenager, thinking about that dimple.
“Are you okay?”
Her cheeks flushed. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
“I mean, since the accident. How are you…feeling?”
All the muscles in her body tensed. The way he’d said that, it was almost like he knew about the pregnancy. Anger coursed through her in waves. Had Josh told him about the baby? She’d asked her brother not to breathe a word of it to anyone. The only people who knew she’d been pregnant were Scottie and her brother. Since she’d miscarried, she hadn’t felt it was anyone’s business.
If Josh had told Luke…
“I’m feeling fine,” she snapped.
Luke looked taken aback. “No need to snap at me. I just wanted to know if your foot is all healed.”
Her foot. Relief thawed her anger. Of course, he was referring to the foot she’d broken.
“It’s fine. All better.”
“So why didn’t you return to the ballet company?” Luke said, his voice rough.
A lump of bitterness formed in the back of her throat, making it difficult to breathe. It had taken months for the reality of her situation to sink in, and even now, she still couldn’t believe that she’d never dance ballet again.
For two very smart men, neither Josh nor Luke had figured out that her broken foot had rendered her useless. She’d broken three toes in the accident, as well as her ankle and heel, and torn her Achilles tendon. She’d never be able to dance
en pointe
again. Sure, she could strut around the stage to jazz, but her ballet career had officially ended the second that drunk driver had collided into her car.
Tears pricked at her eyes, and it was all she could do not to burst into sobs. All she’d ever wanted was to be a ballerina. A prima ballerina. Getting a job as a corps member with the Hartford Ballet Company had been the proudest moment of her life. In a few years, she could have been dancing the lead in
Swan Lake
.
The Nutcracker
. She could have lived out her dreams, the dreams her mother had had for her.
But all those dreams had deflated after the accident. Each and every one of them.
“Ballet doesn’t interest me anymore,” she lied, blinking back her tears.
“Ellie.”
She met his gaze. “What?”
“Come back with me.”
The fork dropped out of her hands and landed on her plate with a loud clatter. “Please, Luke, just stop.”
“Ellie—”
“No, you don’t get it, do you? This is my life now. I’m happy here. I like this town. I like the people here. I’m not going back.”
“Why not?”
Because I have nothing to go back to.
“I just told you why. So please, leave me alone.”
“I can’t.” He sounded unhappy.
“What’ll it take to get you to go?” she demanded, challenging him with her eyes. “Money? The promise that I’ll be okay? How about—”
A thought flew into her head, making her stop mid-sentence.
There was only one thing that had ever made Luke Russell so uncomfortable he backed down.
Me.
He’d always been so determined to view her as nothing more than Josh’s little sister. Whenever he’d started to notice she was more than that, that she was a red-blooded woman, he’d shut her out.
She thought about her eighteenth birthday, when they’d danced together at her party, the way he’d barely looked at her. She’d worn her new strapless mini-dress, and it had been obvious that Luke was trying hard to remain unaffected. He’d left early that night, and it was months before she’d seen him again.
Then she remembered the way he’d looked at her in her dressing room last night, after he’d torn her robe open. He’d liked what he’d seen, she was sure of it.
And she could use that against him.
“I told you, Ellie. I’m not leaving without you. You might as well accept it.”
Accept it? No way. She was finally beginning to put the past behind her. She’d resigned herself to the fact that the future in store for her wasn’t the one she’d always imagined.
And nobody, not even Luke, would make her face the pain again.
As if a light bulb lit up over her head, Ellie glanced at Luke, her eyes taking on a glint of determination. Then, clearer than if it had been written in the sky, she knew what she had to do.
And boy, was it going to be fun.
Chapter Three
“So how is this going to work?” Vivian asked the next afternoon, sipping on her piña colada.
Ellie bit her lip. “I’m not really sure yet. But trust me, it’ll work.”
The two women sat in the backyard of Ellie’s small bungalow, though in this case, backyard actually meant beach. Situated a few yards from the shoreline, the quaint little house had found a place in her heart the second she’d seen it. So different from her San Francisco condo, a high-security, cookie-cutter apartment on the fifteenth floor, where breathing in fresh air meant facing her fear of heights and stepping onto the balcony. Here, all she had to do was open the back door and the scent of salt, ocean and coconut just drifted in.
After she’d moved in, she’d purchased a white wicker patio set that she positioned right on the sand. The legs of the chairs sank into the sand a little, but there was nothing more relaxing than sitting out here on her evenings off, eating dinner while listening to the sound of the waves lapping against the shore and the gulls squawking in the distance.
Vivian came over at least a couple times a week for lunch, since Ellie didn’t own a car and was not interested in doing so. She hadn’t driven since the accident that took her baby and ballet career and the thought of sitting behind the wheel again made the back of her neck break out in a cold sweat. Thankfully, Vivian understood, and stopping by Ellie’s bungalow had become a routine for her.
Despite the twenty-year age difference, Ellie had come to rely on Vivian’s friendship. Not only did she owe her big time for giving her a job, but she’d also grown to depend on Vivian’s gentle humor and practical advice.
Today, though, she didn’t like the advice being dished out.
“I think you’re going to get in over your head,” Vivian said.
“Why do you think that?”
“Let’s just say that Luke Russell is fire, and you’re playing with him.”
Ellie rolled her eyes as she reached for her glass of lemonade. “Playing with fire? Come on, I’ve known Luke for more than half my life. He’s harmless.”
Vivian shot her a wary glance. “Really?”
“Yes.”
No.
All right, so Luke Russell was most definitely
not
harmless. A part of her wondered if she’d ever really gotten over him. She’d always told herself her attraction for Luke was just a silly teenage crush, and when she’d fallen head over heels for Scott Whelan during her senior year of high school, she’d thought she’d gotten Luke out of her system for good.
But now that he’d stampeded back into her life like an angry bull, she wondered if maybe her desire for him had always been there, just waiting to rise up and break through the surface. She wasn’t in love with the man. She was just drawn to him. Physically drawn to him.
And no matter how many times she tried to convince herself that seducing Luke would be a piece of cake, she still didn’t buy it.
Viv was right. Luke was fire.
And when you played with fire, you got burned.
“Okay, let’s talk this through,” Vivian said in her usual, no-nonsense tone.
“Talk away,” Ellie answered with a grin.
“So you want Luke to leave town, but he won’t go unless you come with him.”
“We already know this part.”
“But the guy’s stubborn. He can’t be paid off, and he doesn’t listen to reason.”
“No, no, he doesn’t,” Ellie said, rueful.
“So the only way to make him go is to scare him away.”
“Yep.”
Vivian met her eyes. “How are you so sure seducing him will achieve that? What if he
wants
to be seduced?”
“Oh, believe me, Luke doesn’t want to be seduced. Especially by me.”
Because I’m nothing more than Josh’s kid sister.
“Do you plan on having sex with him?”
Ellie choked on her lemonade. “Viv!”
It was hard to believe that the gorgeous blonde sitting in front of her had an adult daughter. Vivian didn’t act or look like a forty-four year old, and Ellie still had a tough time accepting the woman she’d grown close to was the mother her college roommate Tanya had always complained about.
Talking about sex with someone’s mother seemed…wrong.
“It’s a valid question,” Vivian said in her defense. “Seduction and sex go hand in hand.”
Seduction and sex. The words brought a barrage of sensual visuals to Ellie’s brain. Images of Luke. Naked. Lying in a tangle of sheets. Looking at her with those smoldering eyes. Running his big hands up and down her—
Focus.
“I’m not going to sleep with him. I’m just going to…tease him,” she finally said. “Tease him until he gets so uncomfortable he can’t wait to be out of here.”
“And if it backfires?”
“How can it backfire?”
“He can give in to your teasing.”
“He won’t.” Her voice was firm.
“Really?” Vivian gave a sly grin. “I’ve never known a man to pass up what a pretty girl is offering.”
“That’s the thing,” Ellie insisted. “Luke doesn’t see me as a pretty girl. He sees me as Josh’s little sister.”
“And if his view changes? If he realizes how drop-dead gorgeous you are?”
Ellie flushed. “Thanks for the compliment. But he won’t.”
Vivian let out a long sigh. “I don’t want you to get hurt. You’ve been through enough these past six months.”
“I won’t get hurt.”
“I hope you’re right, kiddo.”
Luke stood in the center of room number eleven of the Lucky Strikes Motel, the one and only place to stay in town. He hung up the phone and stared at the receiver for a good two minutes, wondering what just happened.
See you in twenty minutes!
Ellie’s cheerful, melodic voice floated around in his head, bringing with it a spark of suspicion. No doubt about it, she was up to something.
When he’d dropped her back at the club after last night’s dinner, the farewell hug she’d given him was so full of warmth and affection that his guard instantly soared up. Ellie never hugged him, and no matter how good her lithe body felt in his arms, he’d been wary. Still was.
She’d just called and invited him to join her for an afternoon swim, her tone so light and breezy that the guard he’d briefly let down shot up another ten feet.
What was the little spitfire planning?
Luke walked over to the rickety wood dresser and rummaged around in the top drawer for his swim trunks. After he’d stripped off his boxers, he pulled the trunks up to his hips, his mind running.
She wanted a swim?
Or had she come up with a plan?
She has a plan.
Okay, so that was indisputable. Ellie Dawson always had an ace or two up her sleeve. Like in college, when Josh had refused to release funds from her trust fund to allow her to go on a coed singles cruise. Rather than giving in, Ellie took a month off from her classes and worked full-time at a frozen yogurt stand to save up the money. And the kicker—she’d convinced her professor to count the job as extra credit.
Oh, she definitely had a plan, and it obviously involved him. She’d made it clear she didn’t want him in this town, and if he knew Ellie, the wheels in her head were working overtime looking for a way to get rid of him.
He reached for the sunglasses sitting on the dresser and pushed them on top of his head. Then he sighed.
Damn, he wasn’t in the mood for games. He’d endured too many of Robin’s games these past few months, had suffered enough manipulation to last a lifetime. Why did women always feel the need to play games?
You won’t lose this time.
He thought about the last time he’d seen his ex-girlfriend, when Robin’s final lie floated to the surface and slapped him in the face like a splash of ice-cold water. The betrayal still resonated in his blood, slithered through his system like a hefty dose of arsenic. But hell, at least he’d learned his lesson. He’d strayed from his bachelor lifestyle, committed himself to one woman, only to have it all blow up in his face.
He wasn’t about to make that mistake again.
Luke grabbed the keys for the SUV he’d rented and headed for the door. No, he wouldn’t lose this time. He wasn’t going to let another woman play him for a fool.
Even if that woman was Ellie.
Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up in the driveway of her little pink bungalow. He stared at the house, noting just how
Ellie
it was. Pink and sweet and easy on the eyes.
He got out of the car and strode up the flower-lined front walk. There was no doorbell, so he rapped his knuckles against the sleek white door, waiting. When she didn’t answer after his first few knocks, he called out, “Ellie?”
“I’m out back!”
Her voice drifted in the wind, and he made his way around the bungalow toward the beachside backyard. When he spotted her, she was sprawled on a lounge chair, wearing a yellow halter top and denim shorts.
“Hi,” she called as he came near.
“Hi, yourself.” He sank on the beach chair next to hers and stretched out his legs.
He couldn’t stop himself from giving her a long once-over. Nobody could argue that Ellie wasn’t cute. A pair of oversized sunglasses sat perched on her dainty nose, and she’d tied her hair up in a messy ponytail. His eyes briefly rested on her bare legs, admiring the sleek, golden tone of her skin. She looked young, healthy and really, really good.
Josh’s sister.
Those two words were all it took, the same two words he’d used almost as a mantra each time he’d found his thoughts drifting into forbidden territory. Josh was the best friend he’d ever had, and he wasn’t about to mess around with his sister.
Of course, that didn’t mean he hadn’t wondered what it would be like to date Ellie. She was so different from the women he typically went out with. Sassy, sarcastic, the kind of woman who never backed down from a challenge. He’d been with all types of women. Strong CEO types, ditzy supermodel types, complacent yes types, but never someone like Ellie.
Truth was, there wasn’t anyone like her. She was one of a kind.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” she chirped, sliding up the chair so that she sat cross-legged.
Her feet were bare, and her shiny pink toenails made his groin stir. He pictured her wearing those dainty little ballet slippers and his groin stirred some more. He’d always thought ballerinas were extremely sexy.
Josh’s sister.
“It’s a very nice day.” He noticed his voice sounded hoarse.
“I’m glad you came over for a swim. Viv was here a while ago, but she hates the ocean. She’s terrified of it, actually.”
Luke lifted a brow. “Vivian, terrified? Seems like she has nerves of steel.”
“She does.” Ellie shrugged. “But ever since she watched a documentary on currents and riptides, she’s boycotted the ocean.”
“I’m actually surprised you called me.” He searched her big blue eyes for a reaction, hoping she’d reveal a hint of her true intentions, but her gaze remained innocent. Too innocent?
“I hate swimming alone,” she replied. “And since you’re refusing to get out of here, I figured we could spend some time together.”
He forced his eyebrows to stay in place and not shoot upwards. She wanted to spend time with him? Now he was certain she had something up her sleeve.
“That sounds terrific,” he said, matching her cheerful tone.
If she wanted to play games, he was more than ready to play back.
“So, ready to take a dip?”
No, he wasn’t. He wanted to sit here next to her and do some digging. Find out why she’d suddenly decided to welcome him with open arms. But the afternoon sun beating down on his head already caused beads of sweat to dot his forehead, and the blue-green water lapping against the white sand looked mighty inviting.
“Sure,” he finally said.
Luke stood up and unbuttoned his shirt, then dropped it on the chair. As he took a step forward, Ellie’s voice stopped him.
“Would you rub some suntan lotion on my back first?” she said, her big eyes focusing on his. “I burn easily.”
His throat went dry. “Uh…”
“Please, Luke? You don’t want me to get a sunburn, do you?”
He found his voice. “Of course I don’t.”
“Good.”
He thought he saw a whisper of a smile—a satisfied smile—sweep over her mouth, but he must have imagined it, because when he looked at her again her lush lips were closed in a straight line.
“Is that what you’re wearing in the water?” he asked, gesturing to her shorts and halter.
This time she did smile. “I’ve got my suit underneath.”
She jumped up from the chair and reached for the tie that held her halter together. Quickly, she undid the knot and pulled the top over her head. The second she did that, not only did thick cotton fill his entire mouth, but a rush of heat pooled in his groin.
A string bikini. She wore a fucking string bikini.
He tried not to stare, but his foolish eyes kept darting toward her chest. Small, perky breasts barely covered by the tiny green triangles of her bikini top. He was pleased to see that he’d been right—the corset
had
made her breasts appear larger.
But those small luscious mounds still looked just as inviting.
“Here.”
He unglued his gaze from her, wondering if she’d caught him staring. If she had, she didn’t comment on it, just handed him a tube of sunscreen and flopped down on the chair, offering her back to him.
He stared at the flimsy string at her back and noted that he could probably tear it off with his teeth with no trouble.
Josh’s sister.
“That’s the only thing I hate about living on the beach,” she said. “My skin is far too sensitive. Two minutes in the sun and I turn into a tomato.”
The sensitive comment stayed in his head. He wondered which parts of her were most sensitive. Her lips? Her nipples?
“Luke? The sunscreen?”
He forced his mind out of his swim trunks and unscrewed the cap of the tube. Squirting a glob of sunscreen into his hands, he rubbed his palms together and stared at her golden skin.
He took a breath.
Then he touched her.
The second he made contact with her delicate shoulder blades, a jolt of electricity coursed through his body and settled in his crotch. Damn, her skin felt like silk.