She stood in front of her room, with her hand braced on the door knob. She shook her head, dismissing the thought and stepped inside her room, closing the door behind her. She began to work the buttons of the cardigan she was wearing, and wondered where the thermostat was so she could turn down the heat. It hit her again, that feeling that she was reenacting a moment in her life.
She started to undo the buttons on her shirt. “Is this what you want?”
She said through gritted teeth. “Huh?”
Luke’s eyes widened as he took a step backward. The backs of his legs hit the front of the desk as he watched her unbutton the last button. “Cara…” He warned.
She pulled her shirt off vigorously. “Everyone can see it, you know… the way you look at me.” She reached behind her unclasping her bra. She cocked her head and brought her hands in front of her. She crossed her arms at her chest as her fingertips trailed over the straps of her bra. “Like I’m some forbidden fruit.”
She gasped and fumbled with the buttons, stopping her trembling hands from finishing the task of shedding the cardigan. Why was her mind playing tricks on her? Was this another side effect? She balled her hands into fists and walked to the bed. She sat on the edge and closed her eyes, willing the craziness to stop.
“I’ll never be yours, you know.” She whispered.
“I know.” He said as he lifted his hand to touch her cheek.
“Stop!” She reprimanded herself as she ran her fingers through her hair roughly, tugging at the strands. She shook her head vigorously trying to banish the thoughts that took over her mind. What had even provoked these images, she wondered? They were so vivid, so real. She could almost feel his calloused hand on her cheek. Her body shuddered and she decided she needed to sleep. She needed to dream. In her dreams she was safe and her mind didn’t haunt her. She pulled down the comforter and crawled beneath the sheets burying her face in the pillow, praying her mind would shut down and she could succumb to sleep.
*
Luke walked into the office he shared with Nick and stopped in his tracks when he saw Nick sitting behind the desk with legs propped up on a crate. He hadn’t even heard him step into the office. Nick was too engrossed in the book he was reading. Luke squinted to read the title and had to cover his mouth to hold back the laughter. The poor bastard was reading “Fifty Shades Of Grey.”
“Your manliness just declined a bit.” Luke said, interrupting his friend.
Nick peered up from the book with an unreadable expression on his face. “Holy shit! Did you read this thing?” He said before he folded down the page he was on and threw the book onto the desk.
“No, I haven’t.” Luke said and searched the rack on the wall for the keys to the Denali he was working on. “Glad to know I’m out there busting my ass and your reading romance novels.”
“It’s not really a romance novel is it? I think it’s the bible for women.” Nick said and stood up stretching out his back.
Luke grabbed the keys he was looking for and glanced over at his partner. “Mind taking a break from…” he picked up the book. “… E.L. James and maybe doing some work?”
“I will have you know I replaced the transmission on the Silverado parked in the lot.” Nick said crossing his arms against his chest.
“Wow. This place would crumble without you.” Luke said sarcastically as he skimmed the pages of the book, raising his eyebrows once or twice.
“Sam has Mallory and Phillip coming over tonight to hang window treatments.” He rolled his eyes and cringed at the thought of fabric samples. “Why don’t you and I grab a few beers at Rudy’s?” He paused and then grinned. “Maybe Helena will be there.”
“That was your conquest, not mine.” Luke said as he dropped the book back on the desk and looked at him evenly. “By the way, tell Sam I booked the flights. Cara is flying down with me and Ava.”
Nick raised an eyebrow. “You spoke with Cara?”
Luke met his gaze. “Yeah, she called last night.” He said as he shoved one hand into his pocket. “She sounds good, despite the circumstances.”
“That’s good.” Nick said and then cocked his head to the side as he peered at Luke some more.
“What?” Luke said, feeling his scrutiny.
Nick remained still for a moment before he shook his head. “Nothing.”
“Good, then you mind doing some work around here?” Luke answered quickly before turning around and heading out of the office.
*