In Love by Design (The Adventures of Anabel Axelrod) (43 page)

“Mmm, smells wonderful, Mia
. Thanks.”

‘
Maybe this mentor idea wasn’t so bad, after all.’

Rosita smile
d broadly and pointed at the pans on the stove while pantomiming eating and sighing in bliss. I laughed, rubbing my belly and licking my lips at the scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and bacon. Toast popped up in the toaster and Rosita bustled off to butter it, adding these slices to the pile on a plate.

Luke
came up from behind me and twirled me around into his arms, to the delight of the giggling girls. He said something in Spanish that had them all laughing harder, as he pulled me into the dining room. I didn’t even ask what he said because his one heated kiss turns into three and made me forget.

“How are you feeling?” He ask
ed, leaning back while green eyes narrowed in concern and skimmed my face.

“Overall,
okay,” I answered, and then with a rueful smile admit, “Bummed. Pissed. Nervous. Vengeful. Did I say pissed?”

Dark brows me
t in a frown. “I wouldn’t have left you this morning, but I heard the girls wake up and you needed more sleep.” His hands flexed on my hips. “We’ll find this fuckhead, Anabel. He will pay.”

“
He will,” I echoed, firmly. “I missed you, but thanks for letting me sleep. I was wiped out.” I tightened my arms around his neck and hugged him close another millisecond before stepping away. “How about you? Did you get any sleep after being out all night doing…what were you doing?” I looked closely at him and saw the faint violet shadows of tiredness under his eyes. I asked softly, “Are you ever going to trust me enough to share what’s so important that you stay out all night? I could help, you know.”

“I’m fine. I got a couple hours
of sleep in,” He answered, evasively.

Luke stood still
then, not speaking, but looking down into my eyes. One hand rose to cradle my cheek and his thumb lightly stroked my face. I stared back up into his face and I didn’t hold back or mask my feelings. My loving gaze catalogued the strong features that I’ve come to cherish; the arrogant nose, the thick, shining black hair, the slanting eyebrows, the luscious lips, the one dimple I adored in his lean cheek, and of course, the beautiful green eyes that have set me on fire from their first cool, appraising glance.

I s
aw the tenderness unfurling in those glittering eyes and slowly infusing every harsh feature with a softness Luke rarely allowed. I watched his mouth open to speak. He was finally going to trust me, and I realized I was holding my breath in anticipation.

Mia st
uck her head around the doorway and called out with a laugh, “Okay, you two, enough kissing. Breakfast is ready and we’re all waiting!”

The spell
was broken. I watched, disappointed, as the truth within Luke’s eyes was veiled once again behind the camouflage of his lashes.

‘
Damn, I was so close!’

At
the kitchen doorway, he hugged me. “We trust each other and believe in each other. We
know
each other, Anabel, never forget that. That’s how you can help me.”

“Oh,
that’s just great, Genghis,” I hissed back, resisting his pull to go further into the room. “Throwing my own dirty sex words back at me is low.” I may have stamped my foot here, although I’ll always believe it was due to a pebble lodged inside my running shoe. “We know those things in a macrocosmic way, Mr. Tricky, but I want the everyday earthly details, too!”

Luke
repeated on a huff of laughter under his breath, “Macrocosmic way?”

H
e gave up trying to drag me into the kitchen and sat down at the head of the table. The girls fluttered around him to serve him breakfast. Luke looked over at me glaring from the doorway, cocked that black brow, and patted his knee.

“
Yeah right, I’m not sitting on your knee like some blasted puppet!” I exclaimed bitterly, as Mia rushed up and handed me a cup of coffee prepared just the way I like it, which means it was a light caramel color.

I
sipped the piping hot coffee at a frantic pace, not caring if I burnt my mouth, as Mia glanced over her shoulder at Luke and exclaimed, “Boy, you weren’t kidding when you said Anabel’s crabby if she doesn’t get her coffee!”

My protégé then obligingly translate
d this for our Mexican audience. The kitchen exploded with their laughter and giggles while I stared over the steam at my stubborn, secretive, shyster of a boyfriend. As I stewed and plotted, Luke’s fingers were somehow turning the simple peeling apart of an orange into an incredibly seductive act.

I look
ed up from his hands to see Luke’s white grin had grown to Torquemada proportions and his dimple flashed. Something he saw in my eyes had him raising that cocky brow in invitation once more, and patting his knee again.

“
Oh, fine,” I capitulated, “but only because I don’t feel like carrying a chair in from the dining room,” I do carry my coffee, purse, and hoodie with me across the room and sat on his thigh. “There! Are you happy now?”

H
is answer was to put an arm around my waist and feed me a section of orange. Maria Jr. said something that had the whole room cracking up and Luke reaching to give the little girl a chuck under her chin.

Before I ask
ed, Mia translated with a tilt of her head at the grinning child who was missing her two front teeth, “Maria says if you don’t want to sit on Mr. Luke’s lap and be fed like a baby, she will!”

I laugh
ed, too, and breakfast was a convivial half hour of the women talking away to an attentive Luke, as Mia swiftly translated for my benefit. I sipped my second cup of coffee, content to sit on Luke’s lap and listen.

After a quick clean up, we consult
ed with Mia on how we could help in the next step for the girls. She confirmed they needed to be at a drop off point by 12:30 PM. Mia gratefully agreed when Luke suggested he would drive them and then take Mia back to the grocery store in time for her next shift. I won’t go, since the truck will be packed.

We have
some time before they all had to leave, so Luke invited everyone to the barn. They were amazed at Luke’s man cave. He briefly gave them a tour and turned everybody loose to use the equipment or just relax in front of the TV at the bar. Luke and I got started on my next self defense lesson.

Today, Luke ha
d me concentrating on a fitness routine to build up the areas where I needed more strength and cardio. After I do this for thirty minutes, he brought me to the mats in the middle of the barn and began teaching me one Krav Maga move, the defensive back kick. We worked on this kick for the next half hour. Luke wouldn’t stop until he was happy with my consistency at positioning my body correctly and then distributing my weight during the kick for maximum force.

Soon
it was time for everyone to leave, and we exchanged group hugs and good wishes. Mia put her cell number in my phone, and unfortunately, got mine in return. She informed me that her next day off was Wednesday and she would come to Bel’s Books for our first official meeting. I thanked her for the warning, but relented to give her a big hug and a few whispered instructions if Trotter showed his face. I also whispered for her to bring her liquid eyeliner to give me some pointers.

I
was pretty sure fabulous girlfriends didn’t send their men off into danger without a word, so I took Luke aside and gave him a few whispered instructions as well. One was to please listen to his spidey sense if anything felt hinky. Another was to hurry back and join me for a nap. The last one was a complaint that his house was so warm, I’d have to nap with no clothes on. We had a live audience, so I reached up and gave him a circumspect kiss on the lips that involved only a tiny bite on his lower lip before I waved our truck off down the lane.

Luke d
idn’t want me and Rita target practicing until he returned, so after wandering around the house aimlessly, I stripped, showered, blew dry my hair, and started our nap without him.

At some point, I was
aware of Luke cuddling me, but that warm security blanket only encouraged me to give into my exhaustion. I felt as if I’d been drugged, I was so out of it.

W
hen I did wake up, I was disoriented and didn’t remember where I was for a microsecond. The room was filled with dusk’s shadowy approach which meant I’d slept through the entire sunny afternoon.

‘What the hell?
If I keep this up I’ll need vitamin d3 drops in my coffee to ward off SAD syndrome.’

I glanced
at the clock and my jaw dropped to see it was after 4:00 PM. I’d napped hard for over three hours. That put me on the borderline of another, scarier affliction called Worst Toddler Nightmare Nap syndrome, but so far so good.

Dutifully c
hecking my phone, I had no messages. I went searching the silent house for Luke. It seemed like all I did in this house was freak out over what time it was and search for people who were never where they should be.

In
the back parking area, Lady Liberty and the Ford-150 were snuggling in the gathering gloom. Horning in next to them was a silver Nissan sedan.

“Snake Man!”
Scowling out the back entry window, I wondered when John Smith had arrived, and more importantly, how long he’d be staying.

‘Women of Rice County beware,’
drawled the detective voice.

‘
Sound off the sirens and batten down the storm cellars!’
added the mean mommy voice.

‘Mmm, I think
John’s kind of cute,’
purred the sex kitten voice.

“What
?” ‘
What?’
Everyone yelled together.

I
was already not ecstatic about tonight’s double date, but if John was sleeping here across the hall, I couldn’t even look forward to sneaking out early for one normal evening at home alone with my boyfriend during this Godforsaken weekend.

Was
that too much to ask for?

I agree, this event has tipped the scales.
I felt my inner demon baby wanting to sit down and drum her tiny cloven hooves on the floor in a tantrum. I really wanted to scream when I remembered it was Luke’s fault we’re going out tonight in the first place.

‘Holy Hannah, did Luke invite John to visit this weekend, too?’

That thought stopped me in my tracks. Why would Luke choose this weekend to abduct me, if he has so many secret agendas going on?

‘Yeah, isn’t it supposed to be a My Turn training weekend?’
squeaked the sex kitten voice in outrage.

“Ha! I bet Snake Man’s not looking so cute now, is he?” I scoff
ed in reply, slipping my shoes on.

I zip
ped my hoodie, grabbed my purse, and headed out to the barn to investigate.

The door
was not latched and I entered with no intentions of being sneaky, but it kind of worked out naturally that way. Sometimes a girl just has to go with the flow.

Off to the right, t
he huge TV was blaring with a college football game. Due to my Bat Girl hearing and the barn’s acoustics, I could plainly hear the sound of men’s voices, along with fearsome grunts and slaps. Slowing down when I neared the metal gates, I squinted into the gloom. The barn lights weren’t all on, although to my left, spotlights suspended from the ceiling have bathed the entire boxing ring in bright light.

John and Luke
were stripped to the waist and between the two men; every muscle in their arms and chest was pumped and glistening with sweat, along with the Snake Man’s shaved head. They were trading bare fisted blows and kicks so fast that it was hard to see any individual moves.

I
t was riveting and I was experiencing Army Ranger-worship.

Luke
was a few inches taller, more muscular, and at the peak of physical fitness, but John was also in great shape and lightning fast. The men separated, bouncing on the balls of their feet, and I heard the tail end of Luke saying something about, “… glad you didn’t show up yesterday.”

Jab
s with elbows and more punches were traded that looked punishing to me, but didn’t noticeably faze either man before John answered, “Yeah, I barely got here in time, as it was.”

Snake man’s tone of voice
was belligerent. I had no idea if this was how it always was when they sparred, but I detected anger in the air. As they exchanged more kicks, strikes, and thumps, I could see the offensive aggression was emanating from John more than Luke.

Or maybe it
was emanating from me because now I was filled with confusion and experiencing Devil-worship. That statement from John confirmed Luke did expect John this weekend.

‘Why
, oh why, would Luke choose to abduct me if he was expecting John this weekend?’
Inviting me over or taking me on a date made sense, but going to all the trouble of abducting me? Not so much.

T
he fighting men in the ring were a magnet, and my attention focused on them again. Luke was defensively deflecting and dodging John’s blows, and to my untrained eye, seemed to be taunting him. In turn, John was throwing everything at him.