Page 47

Her eyes dart to my mouth, and I lean in closer, desperate to taste her again.

“Thefuck?”

My head whips up to where the cutting voice came from, and I find Luke standing around twenty feet away. His hands are on his hips, and even in the dark and from this far away, I see the flames burning in his eyes. His chest heaves with anger. “I. Fucking. Knew. It.”

My hand is still on Luna’s cheek as we both stare at him, rooted to the spot and pressed together.

“You come back for the summer, and I barely see you. But now I know for sure— you’ve been too busy screwing the girl I…” His hands ball into fists at his sides. “Haven’t you got enough women on speed dial? You had to move in on her. Fuck her and then leave her.”

“I’m sorry butwhat the fuckareyoutalking about?” Luna lurches away from me, charging toward Luke as her tiny frame cuts through the water, parting as she goes. “Who the fuck do you think you are? You do NOT own me!” Her feet hit the sand, and she takes a couple of steps closer, and he takes a couple back. “Let me guess, next you’ll say he broke ‘bro code’ or something equally misogynistic and ridiculous.”

I can’t help it. A proud smile breaks out across my face.

That’s my Pocket Rocket.

“Why the fuck are you smiling?” Luke spits, pointing at me.

“Me?” I point to myself. “This isn’t about me. This is about Luna, and she’s right. She can be with whoever she wants.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

ZACH

Igot fuck all sleep. Tossing and turning all night, I knew this morning I had to go and straighten things out with my old school buddy.

I can’t fly back to Seattle and leave it like this. No way. He’s not only one of my oldest friends but also my dad’s employee.

Last night Luke was raging, and even though he’s out of order for thinking he has any sort of claim over Luna, I need to make sure things aren’t left in an awkward place for her. She lives here and will see him around town. This is my shit to clean up. Luke is, or possiblywas,my friend.

It’s early morning when I pull up outside his place, so I’m shocked to find him already in his garage, working on a piece of furniture.

The door of my truck slams shut, and Luke’s head shoots up to see who it is. He eyes me for a second, a cold look on his face, and then gets back to work on the table he’s sanding down—almost as if I weren’t here.

The walk up his drive feels long and uncomfortable, and as I get closer, he leans across and switches on a radio, turning the volume up high.

I reach over and turn it straight back down. “We don’t want to wake the neighbors. It’s barely seven.”

He scoffs. “I’ve got nothing to say to you, Zach.”

“Yeah, well I’ve got plenty.”

“Shame you didn’t have ‘plenty’ before last night, huh? Or maybe that wasn’t the first time.” He looks up at me, his eyes slightly narrowed and his lips pursed. “You could’ve had anyone, fuckinganyone.”

I shake my head in disbelief, he still can’t see the error in his ways. “But I stole your girl, right? Give me a break man. She hasn’t been your girl for over ten fucking years. Did you get pissy with all the other guys she’s slept with since you split?”

His eyes blow wide with rage, and he comes to a complete stop, dropping the sander. “You fucked her?”

I work to keep my tone calm. “We’ve slept together, yeah.” Saying I fucked her doesn’t fit with what we shared this summer. She wasn’t just a fuck. No way.

“How many times? How long?” he spits, his anger ready to boil over.

I scratch at the back of my neck. “That’s not really any of your business. Like I said, she’s not your girl.” I exhale a slow, deflating breath. “She’s not mine, either.”

“So, what, you hookup with her and then fuck off back to Seattle.” He shakes his head with disdain. “She’s worth more than that man. She’s not some cheap fuck you get after a game.”

I have no clue how I’m keeping it together. He’s way out of line and clearly knows nothing about me if he thinks I have a different woman in my bed each night. “I came here to talk to you about what you saw last ni?—”

“What I saw was you making out with Luna. I’m glad I didn’t arrive five minutes later.” He rounds the table and comes to stand opposite me. We’re only a couple of feet apart as I watch the anger pour off him in waves. “Why didn’t you just tell me that day I came to your door and her car was parked in your drive?”