Last Chance: A Second Chances Novel (3 page)

“S
o you rode on his motorcycle?” Summer asked.

I had been my twin sister’s protector after her husband died in an illegal MMA fight, but now the roles had reversed. I could hear the disapproval in her voice through the phone. “Yeah, but he didn’t go too fast.” I grabbed a packet of popcorn out of the cabinet and put it in the microwave. “Believe me, I didn’t want to, but it was my only option.”

“Thank God you’re okay. I’ve seen that boy ride. What happened after that?” She knew Luke would be up to something.

I hesitated for a second before responding. “He invited me to a party tomorrow night.”

“Are you going with him?” she asked incredulously.

I sighed. “Hell no. I have no intention of letting him anywhere near my lady bits.”

“Are you sure, Lara? I know you’ve had a thing for him in the past.”

“Eww, did you have to bring that up?” The silence stretched on—she wasn’t convinced. “Just stop. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Okay, I believe you. So what are you doing tonight, since it’s the beginning of your weekend off?”

The microwave beeped, and I grabbed the bag of popcorn, carrying it into the living room. “I’m staying here and watching a movie. I didn’t feel like going to the bar with April. My social life isn’t fun anymore, now that Kate is married. Besides, Jake’s going to be there and I really don’t want to see him again. All he talks about is himself.”

“Isn’t that one of the guys from the gym?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yep, and definitely the last one. I might start working out from home. I’ve had it with roided-out freaks.”

She laughed. “I’ll do it with you, too. It’ll feel good to start running again. Maybe we can start next week.”

“It’s a date.” I heard piles of paperwork being shuffled around, accompanied by Summer’s groan.

“Speaking of dates, I have one with the bookkeeping tonight. Looks like I won’t be getting out of here anytime soon.”

“Do you need my help?”

She laughed. “You’ll only distract me.”

She was probably right. Every time I tried to help her, we ended up talking more than working. “All right, sis. Just be careful on your way home.”

“Will do.”

We hung up the phone, and just as I was about to sit down and turn on my movie, the doorbell rang. It was probably Kate, who wasn’t just my best friend, but my neighbor as well. It was nice living beside her.

I opened the door to the worst kind of surprise. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Luke stood before me, dressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a white T-shirt, holding out my checkbook. “I think this fell out of your purse when you were at my house. I figured you’d want it back.”

I snatched it out of his hand. “Thanks, I appreciate it. Have a good night.” I started to close the door, but he stuck his arm out, blocking it.

“That’s all you have to say? Why are you in such a rush?”

“I’m busy.”

“I thought you had a date tonight.” His heated gaze roamed over my pajama bottoms and tank top.

“I do. Now if you don’t mind, he’ll be here in a minute. So . . .”

He held up his hands. “Okay, I can see when I’m not wanted. Do you mind if I get a glass of water before I go?”

I really wanted to say no, but it was just water. Rolling my eyes, I stepped out of the way. “Fine, make it quick.” He followed me into the kitchen and I poured him a glass of water.

“Thank you,” he said, taking a sip. “Do I smell popcorn?”

I groaned internally. Of
course
he’d pick up on that. “Yes, but it’s not for you. I’m about to turn on a movie.”

He finished off the water and chuckled. “Like
Pitch Perfect,
or some girly-shit like that?”

Shaking my head, I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. “Actually, no. Although, there’s nothing wrong with those. It’s
North and South
. I doubt you’ve ever heard of it.” I grabbed the remote and sat down on the couch, pulling my popcorn into my lap.

Luke hopped over and sat down beside me, stealing a handful of my treat. He popped a few kernels into his mouth and smiled. “I didn’t know you liked war movies. Or is it Patrick Swayze you like?”

“How did you know he was in the movie?”

He grabbed another handful of popcorn. “Evan’s mother used to watch it all the time when we were kids. I think she had a celebrity crush on the man who played George Hazard.” The thought made me smile. “Do you mind if I watch it with you until your date gets here?”

“You really want to watch it?”

With a sly grin on his face, he ran a hand through his dirty blond hair and shrugged. “Why not?”

“I don’t know. I figured you’d be washing your crotch for whatever girl is on the menu for the evening. You’re always at the restaurant on Friday nights for someone new.”

“I guess I wasn’t feeling it tonight. I want to do something different.”

“Suit yourself,” I laughed, turning on the TV. “When you get bored, you know where the door is.”

“Don’t you want to wait for your date?”

Sighing, I pressed play and kept my gaze on the screen. “There’s no date, asswipe. I only said it so you’d leave me alone. I can see now that’s not going to happen.”

He moved closer and ate more of the popcorn. “Nope. You intrigued me today. I’ve missed spending time with you.”

I snorted. “You won’t be saying that for too much longer.”

“You’d be surprised. Oh, before I forget, you need to be at my house tomorrow by six o’clock. We’ll leave from there together.”

“Who said I was going with you to the party?”

“Oh, come on. It’s not like you have to touch me, or even like me. Live a little. Would it kill you to be my date?”

“I don’t know, it might.” I reached in the bag to get more popcorn, but he snatched it out of my hands. “You better give it back. Don’t mess with my damn popcorn.”

“I’ll give it back when you say you’ll go with me.”

Growling, I jumped over him to reach for it, but he grabbed me around the waist and brought me down on his lap. The popcorn fell to the floor, and I giggled as he tickled me under the arms. I squirmed so much, we fell to the floor and I banged my elbow on the coffee table.

“Shit, that hurt, you fucker.” I laughed, trying to catch my breath.

Luke’s face was incredibly close to mine, his body pressed against me. “Are you okay?”

I looked up into his eyes. Dammit, he was really hot. Too bad it was wasted on him. “I’m fine.”

He stared down at me, his gaze moving to my lips. They parted slightly and his head dipped lower.

Do girls actually fall for this shit?
“Are you ready to watch the movie?”

He looked at my lips again and sighed. “Sure.” Sliding away from me, he got up and extended his hand to help me up.

We watched two episodes of
North and South
, then started on the third one. Luke was really committing to the farce he was playing. But it wouldn’t work; I would never sleep with him.

“A
re you going to sleep all day, lazy?”

Groaning, I opened my eyes and all I could see was a blurry resemblance of myself. “Mornin’, sis.”

“Good morning to you, too. I thought you said Luke wasn’t going to see any of your lady bits?”

Jerking awake, I threw the blanket off and breathed a sigh of relief. I was fully clothed.

Summer sat there, trying hard to hold back her snicker, but failing.

“I didn’t sleep with him,” I replied honestly.

“Actually, you did. You were both asleep on the couch when I came to check on you. That technically implies you did indeed sleep together.”

“Fuck me.” I groaned. “When did he leave?”

She nodded toward the door. “Not too long ago. You weren’t answering my calls, so I got worried and thought I’d ride over to check on you.”

“Did he say anything when he left?”

“Not much. He just covered you up with the blanket, then said his goodbyes.” His scent was still on the soft fabric. “I thought you were watching a movie alone last night.”

I rubbed my eyes and yawned, trying my best to avoid her stare. “That was the plan, but then he showed up to return my checkbook. It fell out at his house.”

“You need to be more careful.”

I shrugged. “I’ve never had it happen before. I’m just grateful he returned it.”

“Me too.” She looked down at her phone. “All right, it’s time for me to go. Enjoy your day off, although, you’ve slept most of it away.”

Once she was gone, I got out of bed and took a shower. My phone beeped as I walked into the bedroom, and saw it was my best friend.

Kate: How could you not tell me about tonight? I had to find out from my brother!

Evan Townsend was her brother and also my sister’s boyfriend. He and Luke had been best friends ever since they were young. When I first moved to North Carolina, I was already around them because of Kate. We all used to have a lot of fun together.

Me: What did he say about it? For the record, I never said I would go anywhere with him.

Kate: I’m coming over!

Me: Good. Bring coffee. I need it.

I barely had time to get dressed and ready for the day, before she barreled through the front door. “Come on in,” I called out.

“I will, you little slut. Why didn’t you tell me about Luke?” She handed me the coffee, her gray eyes as wide and curious as could be. When she sat down beside me on the couch, I ruffled her wavy, blonde hair.

“It’s nothing, Kate. Luke wants me to go to this party at Chance’s house, as payment for helping me with my car yesterday. I never said I’d go, he’s taking liberties by telling Evan.”

She stared at me before she burst out laughing. “You expect me to believe this is nothing? You’ve been interested in him for a long time.”

I would never be rid of my old mistake. Who knew having a crush could haunt you for years? I sat back and drank a sip of the coffee. “That was before. I’m not into catching syphilis, or gonorrhea, or whatever the kids are sharing nowadays.”

“People change, Lara. He’ll get tired of the women falling at his feet, soon enough. Obviously, you did something yesterday for him to come back to you.”