Real Men Don't Quit(19)

Chapter Seven

Tyler squeezed her way into the crowded bookstore, cursing her tardiness. She’d run late because she’d had such trouble deciding what to wear. It wasn’t like her to worry what people might think of her appearance—being one of only six Goths in high school had made sure of that—but for some reason, she wanted to wear the right thing to Luke’s reading and book-signing. She felt stupid for caring, and when she saw the mishmash of clothing the crowd in the shop was wearing, she felt even sillier. Most people had turned up in jeans and casual shirts, whereas she had chosen a plain black dress in a stretchy fabric, unadorned except for a wide fringed belt in black leather. She’d been determined not to stand out; instead she came off too try-hard in this crowd.

Clearly, she had no idea how the “intelligentsia” dressed.

She spied Luke on the other side of the store, leaning against a table piled with books, Fiona fussing around him. Like the majority of the audience, Luke wore jeans and a shirt—it seemed he’d deliberately emphasized his casualness. His jeans were faded and well worn, his shirt was rumpled and missing a couple of buttons, and his chin was rough and stubbled. He looked different from his posters plastered on every wall. Different and, in Tyler’s opinion, a lot sexier.

Her pulse beat faster as she continued to gaze at Luke. It was the same reaction she got every time she caught a glimpse of him, and it had become even more pronounced ever since they’d exchanged those hot, steamy kisses two nights ago. Since then, they hadn’t repeated the experience. There hadn’t been much opportunity. Tonight, with Chloe dropped off at Aunt Daphne’s for a couple of hours, hope had lurked in Tyler that she might get Luke on his own, but now that hope slunk away. Seventy percent of the crowd was female, and practically each one was ogling Luke. To get to him she’d have to beat them off with a stick, and even then there was Fiona, flapping around him like a tipsy butterfly.

As she watched, the bookstore owner shooed away the people surrounding Luke. “Right, everyone,” she called out, clapping her hands like a schoolmarm. “If you all take a seat, we can get started.”

Chairs and stools had been set up haphazardly around the store, but there weren’t enough for the entire crowd, and Tyler found herself pushed to the back by the eager rush. Well, she didn’t really belong here anyway, she thought as she settled against a bookshelf. She knew nothing about Luke’s work and had no business pretending she was a fan. She saw Luke frowning in her direction, and her discomfort multiplied. She hadn’t told him she was coming, and he didn’t seem too happy to see her.

Luke perched on a stool in front of the crowd. He looked utterly serious as Fiona introduced him and gushed on for several minutes. Finally he took the mic and started reading from his book in a gruff, almost terse voice. The audience didn’t seem to mind. Motionless, they lapped it up with rapt attention. As the minutes wore on, Luke loosened, and his voice smoothed out and began to flow more easily.

At first Tyler had a hard time concentrating on his reading. She couldn’t get comfortable, the girl next to her was breathing heavily through her mouth, and some of the sentences Luke read were long and convoluted, requiring all her attention. But gradually the tenor and rhythm of his voice snuck up on her, and she began to enjoy his reading. She leaned her head against the bookshelf, her eyelids drooping. After another long day at the store, this was the first chance she’d had to relax.

Suddenly the strident chords of “Eye of the Tiger” began screeching out of her bag. She jack-knifed upright, aware of everyone looking daggers at her. “Sorry,” she mumbled, frantically scrambling through her bag to be sure her mobile phone wasn’t buzzing with an emergency call from Aunt Daphne. It wasn’t. She didn’t even recognize the caller’s number. Mortified, she shrunk back. Her cheeks throbbed with heat, and she didn’t dare glance in Luke’s direction.

A few minutes later, he was done reading. The crowd applauded and stood up. A few people slipped out of the store, but most stayed, chattering loudly as they surged toward the table to have their books signed. Lost behind the sea of eager fans, Tyler couldn’t see Luke. She contemplated skulking away, but she wanted to buy an autographed copy of Luke’s book, and she refused to let the incident with her phone put her off. Hitching her bag up, she shouldered her way through the crowd to the queue for the book signing.

When she reached the head of the line, she stepped forward. “Hi,” she said with determined cheerfulness, plunking her book down on the table.

He lifted his eyebrows. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”

“Why not? I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”

He spun the pen in his fingers several times. “You really didn’t need to give up your evening for this.”

She pursed her lips. “Why are you so ticked off with me?” she asked in a lowered tone. “Is it because I forgot to turn off my phone?”

“No, it’s not that.” He hesitated as if he wanted to say something more, but then he simply shrugged. “Author readings aren’t my thing at all.”

But it was more than that. Something else was bugging him, but she could tell he wasn’t about to confide in her. She pushed the book toward him. “Can you sign this, please?”

“You honestly want to buy my book?”

Why did he ask her that? Didn’t he think she’d be able to understand it? “Of course. I need something for my bedtime reading.”

Sighing, he pulled the book toward him. “It’s not a very good one,” he said as he dashed off something on the flyleaf.

“That’s no way to sell your book.”

“Maybe I don’t want to sell it.” He handed the hardcover back to her. “Here. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Boy, he sure was Mr. Crankypants tonight. Given how klutzy she’d felt ever since she’d arrived, it was probably best to leave now. Gripping the book to her chest, she backed away. “Thanks, I’ll, uh, see you around.”

He nodded, but the next woman in line was already pushing forward. Tyler turned away and flipped open the book to see what he’d written. To Tyler. May your bedtime reading be always pleasant. Hmm, that had a hint of sarcasm to it.

She shouldn’t have come tonight. Luke wasn’t pleased one bit to see her, despite all those hot kisses they’d exchanged. If it had been any other guy, she would have shrugged her shoulders and dusted her hands of him. But not this time. She cared what Luke thought of her, and that made it worse.

As if things weren’t depressing enough, Fiona was standing at the cash register, eyes narrowed, ready to harangue her about that phone call.



Luke eyed Tyler’s receding figure with some misgivings. That clingy black dress of hers did great things to an already amazing bottom, but seeing her in such conservative garb only compounded the mountain of irritation crushing him tonight. She’d deliberately dulled herself down, possibly because she felt she needed to blend in, and the thought annoyed the hell out of him. Tyler shouldn’t ever feel the need to hide her light under a bushel.

It wasn’t just her clothing that irked. Her presence at the reading made him all too aware that he was a fraud. She’d been awed by the occasion and the eager audience. Hell, she’d even bought his bloody book. But she didn’t realize how much he was beginning to hate that book, to hate Kingsley Jeffers. He’d written that book to impress, to show off his skills, to win the approval of his MFA mentors, and he’d succeeded, but it wasn’t what he wanted to write, and the more he struggled with the sequel, the more he was convinced that he’d never write another word about Kingsley Jeffers. But everyone else thought otherwise. Some even thought his book semiautobiographical, goddamn it.

But he shouldn’t have taken out his ill-humor on Tyler. None of this was her fault. Tomorrow, when he was in a better mood, he would go round and apologize. He signed the last few books and managed to exchange a few pleasantries with the buyers. Glancing up to see if there were any more customers, he froze when he saw his father walk up to him.

“Evening, son.” Patrick slid a copy of Luke’s book onto the table.

Luke couldn’t help glancing about him and wondering how many people could overhear them. Acknowledging his father in front of a roomful of strangers was the last thing he wanted. Fortunately no one was within earshot.

“You came in tonight just to get a book signed?” Impatiently he opened the book and scribbled his name in it, nothing more, no personal message. He didn’t have anything to say to this man tonight. He flicked the book shut, shoved it toward his father, and rose to his feet, making it clear that he was about to leave.

Patrick examined the signature for a few moments. “I’ve been hoping you’d call,” he said conversationally. “Saw your poster in the window and thought I’d pop in.”

Cold foreboding crawled down Luke’s spine. What the hell was his father up to?

“We’d better talk outside,” he said curtly before approaching Fiona to tell her he was leaving. She thanked him profusely and invited him for a drink, but he made his excuses and headed for the exit, Patrick following close on his heels.