Page 72 of Final Installment

He stood there for a moment, just looking at her.Fighting the urge to get into bed with her, to reach out and draw her into his arms.To kiss her.Touch her.To brand her body with his mouth and teeth and show her that he could be so, so good.

She hates me.

Or, at least, she disliked him.Distrusted him.

Not that he could blame her.

I cheated on her sister.

I am such a fuck up.

In everything.Relationships.Family.The business.

What the fuck am I doing with my life?

The question dogged him as he trudged to the bathroom.He peeled out of his clothing, all the way down to his boxer-briefs, and splashed water on his face.His stomach was surprisingly calm, but he worried it would erupt again in the middle of the night.He took a double dose of the antacid he’d picked up at the store earlier.

With his clothes in hand, he left the bathroom, shutting off the light and closing the door.He draped his clothing over a chair and walked to the empty side of the bed.Elona was perfectly still, breathing slowly, but he didn’t think she was asleep yet.She was pretending so she wouldn’t have to talk to him anymore.

Fair enough.

He carefully got into bed and stretched out under the covers.He rolled onto his left side, a position that seemed to keep his heartburn from spilling into his throat when he slept.Eyes closed, he tried to relax.Too soon, the sun would rise, and he would have to face all his problems.

One thing he couldn’t forget so easily.

The look on Elona’s face when he made that dig about her past.

That wasn’t the expression of someone who had made a little mistake.That was the terrified face of a woman who had done something awful, something shameful.

What are you hiding Elona Dushku?

Chapter Seventeen

Istaredatthedarkbalcony for so long, unable to sleep, unable to relax.I was hyper aware of Luka.He hadn’t tried to touch me, but I could feel his body heat radiating over me.He was on his side, facing my back, breathing slowly, but obviously still awake.

I gripped the thin blanket in my hand, squeezing it tightly as I tried to slow my heartbeat.I tried not to be affected by him, but it was impossible.I could smell him.His cologne.His sweat.A potent mix that had me pressing my knees together to assuage the uncomfortable throbbing at my core.

Adrenaline and other hormones saturated my bloodstream.I had been through it tonight.Anxiety.Fear.Panic.Terror.Desperation.

Fight or flight?I’d done both, but my body wasn’t ready to calm down yet.

Fuck.That was the third F, wasn’t it?And now my body was stuck in a loop of arousal and need I couldn’t escape, not with my enemy only inches away.

“I can’t sleep.”Luka’s deep voice shattered the silence.“And I know you’re awake, too.”

“So?”

“So maybe we should help each other?”

My voice cracked as I asked, “Help each other what?”

“You know what.”

“I really don’t,” I lied.

“You do.”

I did.God help me, I did, and I wanted it.I hated this man.I loathed everything about him, but I couldn’t deny what my body was telling me.