Page 37 of Forty, Flirty & Fall Inn

Technically, I work with him.Technically, I lured him here under ethically murky circumstances.

Technically, I should not want to lick his collarbone.

Casting the thought of collarbone-licking aside, I stumble towards him, a half-sob crawling up my throat as I scramble in his direction.

“Ugh, thank God!You came just in time.I can’t?—”

I rush forward, forgetting about the wheelchair ramp I had my handyman Tommy install last month.

My foot catches the edge, and suddenly I'm airborne, flashlight spinning away like a very dim shooting star.

Luke moves faster than anyone in expensive shoes has a right to.

One moment I'm facing certain death by concrete, the next I'm caught against a chest that's surprisingly solid for someone who spends his days typing.

"Hi," I breathe, looking up at him.The red emergency lights are doing something interesting to his blue eyes."Fancy meeting you here."

"You called me."His hands are on my waist, steady and warm."Said something about Skynet?"

"Right.Yes.The robot uprising."I'm still pressed against him, which seems like something I should address."I should probably...stand.On my own feet.Like an adult."

"Probably," he agrees, but doesn't let go immediately.

When he does, I miss the contact more than I should.

"Show me the problem," he says, all business again.

I lead him inside, where Buttercup has somehow freed herself from the charger cable and is now attempting to eat the emergency exit sign.

"Don't judge," I say, scooping her up."It's been a stressful evening."

Luke's already at the control panel, his fingers flying over the screen."When did this start?"

"About forty minutes ago.I was just sitting here, being happy about bookings, and then boom—robot apocalypse."

"You were happy about bookings?"He glances at me.

"Twelve for next weekend.The Johnson wedding photos went viral.Well, small-town viral.But still."

"That's great, Sage."He turns back to the panel."Okay, I see the problem.The system interpreted a power surge as an intrusion attempt.It's a known bug we're patching in the next update."

"A bug?"I stare at him."Your bug locked my guests in their rooms!"

"Technically, it locked potential threats out."He's doing something complicated with his phone now, connecting it to the panel."Very effectively, I might add."

"Luke Sterling, are you proud of your psychotic security system?"

"It's not psychotic.It's...enthusiastic."He types more commands."There.Emergency protocols disengaged.Your guests should be free-range again."

As if on cue, doors throughout the inn click open.

I hear Mr.Henderson's distinctive grumble from the second floor.

"Thank you," I breathe."I thought I was going to have to gnaw through doors like a beaver."

"That would have been interesting to watch."

Packing up his phone, he turns on his heel.As if preparing to leave.As if preparing to just walk away when I haven’t said thank you.