Mr. Imperfect

chapter 28



Monday morning. That meant Kris had to make her way into work.

She’d managed to get up. Kris gave herself points for that. She’d also managed her third shower of the past twelve hours. But now that the steam of it had worn off, Kris was sore in places she’d never known possible. Not that she minded. Not even a little bit, but it was the kind of sore you that made you want to take the day off, and Kris couldn’t do that. She had some important appointments to keep.

She acted as casual as possible on the short walk from Luke’s place to her parents’. Kris had made the walk a thousand times. No one would take note of her crossing from one of the property’s to the other unless she gave them reason to. Once inside, she went about her morning routine as if she’d slept at home the night before.

In the shower Kris took note of all the new marks on her body. Bruises that might have made her frown any other day brought a smile to her lips as recalled how they had been formed.

Yeah, concentrating that day wasn’t going to be easy. Not at all. She missed Luke already. It hadn’t even been twenty minutes, and





she missed him—wanted to see him, touch him, taste him.

By the time she went down to the kitchen for her morning coffee, Kris was twitchy again and more turned on than a contributing member of society should be. Seriously. How did people function when they were in love?

It was Kris’s first true glimpse into how devastating it might be to break up with someone she truly cared about, making her think of Rori again.

Was Rori really as okay as she said she was? The whole situation just seemed so unfinished with her. Maybe because there hadn’t really been any goodbyes, or that she and Luke hadn’t really broken up officially. Sure, it was implied, but no one had said the words.

Rori had just left, leaving good wishes and an aura of indifference in her wake. Yet it couldn’t be that simple. Things were never that simple.

Kris nearly let out a squeak when Luke came up behind her while she was pouring her coffee, sliding his hands around her waist, and kissing the side of her neck.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, all but wiggling his eyebrows at her. They would have to tell her parents soon, because if there was one thing Luke wasn’t, it was discreet.

“Morning, handsome,” she said, turning and pressing her lips to his. She’d always wanted to do that. “I was thinking of Rori, actually.”

Luke smile froze, and his voice grew cautious. “Yeah? Why’s that?”

“Did it seem to you that she and Mike had a thing between them?”

He visibly relaxed. “Mike didn’t say anything.”

Kris leaned against the counter and took a sip of her coffee. “But let’s say they did have a thing. Would you have an issue with it? Would it be against your man code or something?”

Luke shrugged, pouring himself a cup of coffee. “Dunno. But I guess not. Rori and I never slept together, after all, and we only really made out once. We were engaged and stuff, but it was way different. I just thought she was hot and awesome.”

The flash of jealousy that flashed over Kris was astonishing in its intensity, and very nearly derailed her into an argument. But this conversation had a point: Mike. He liked Rori more than Kris had ever seen him like anyone. He’d kept his mouth shut about it, but Kris knew her brother. He was smitten. And Kris had been the main reason Rori had hopped on a plane and flown out of his life.

There had to be something she could do.

“So you’re okay if Mike thinks she’s hot and awesome?” Kris asked.

“Sure,” he said with a casual shrug. “He’d have to be dead not to like what he sees there. That girl was groomed from birth to be a hottie. It’s in her blood.”

Again, Kris didn’t know whether to slap or hug Luke for being so perpetually honest.

Kris sipped her coffee and considered this new angle. What if the reason for Rori’s haste in leaving really wasn’t related to Luke? What if it had everything to do with Mike? The two of them definitely shared a connection of some type. There had been a whole lot of eye contact going on there.

“Do you think they’ve kissed?” Kris wondered out loud.

Luke shook his head. “Nah.”

His confidence got her attention. “Why not?”

“Because Mike’s acting too normal,” he said, flashing a conspiring smile. “If he’d kissed her, we would see it on him. That girl can kiss like a professional.” He paused, brow furrowing. “Although I guess it’s not nice to say that a girl kisses like a professional, right?”

“Really, Luke? That’s the part of your statement you think you should retract?”

He blinked, and Kris could tell he was trying to figure out if it was a trick question. “Okay, so I get you’re pissed. Wait, is it because I know Rori’s a good kisser?”

“Ya’ think?” Kris snapped. “We just spent the last sixteen hours in bed, and now you’re standing here telling me that Rori is an off-the-charts kisser?”

“You asked!” he said, putting his mug aside and crossing over to her. “You can’t turn a request for information to help Mike into a girlfriend trap. It’s not fair.”

“Luke, everything is a girlfriend trap by default. You saying that Rori kisses like a professional is like me saying Caleb could have a career in porn based on the size of his penis.”

All the humor was immediately gone from his face. “How the hell would you know that?”

“I’m just saying that you might want to reserve your high praises for sexual prowess for me from now on. That’s all. In your book, no one should be a better kisser than me. Got it?”

For a few beats Luke simply looked her before crossing over to give her a light kiss.

“You know, I just realized that I have no idea if you’re a good kisser, because the second we touch everything becomes a blur.” He reached up and threaded his fingers through her hair. “And when I say Rori kisses like a professional, I’m saying it was like kissing someone who had great technique but absolutely no heart. It was why it was so easy to say no to her when she offered more. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but everything about how she was with me felt a bit like hiring an escort. Cold. Detached. It was just too weird, no matter how hot she was.”

Well, when he put it that way…

“Babe,” he said, pressing his forehead to hers. “I choose you. All day, every day. And if Mike can find a heart in Rori, well then, I wish them the best. Because I’ve already got my best, and it’s you.”

No one could stick his foot in his mouth and extract it with more finesse than Luke. Kris was certain of it.

“That’s more like it,” she said, offering him a quick peck before whispering in his ear. “And, fyi, I have no idea how big Caleb is. It never got that far, or even close. Promise.”

He pulled away scowling. “Still, you kissed him. Sick!”

“Actually, it wasn’t that bad,” Kris said, stepping away.

“Excuse me?” Luke said, grabbing her arm to stop her.

She turned to face him without blinking. “You know, he kind of kissed like a professional. Technically perfect, but I never felt like it came from the heart.”

Luke’s eyes narrowed. “Okay. Point taken. For real this time. I’ll never mention kissing Rori again if you never bring up Caleb. Deal?”

“Absolutely,” Kris said, holding out her hand.

For a moment he just looked at her hand, nose wrinkling as if he smelled something bad. Then he looked up at her and said, “Why would I seal a deal with you with a handshake when I could do it with a kiss?”

Then Luke dipped her down and laid a kiss on her just in time for Kris’s mom to walk into the kitchen.