“I don’t know.” Luke gave an impatient shrug. “An apartment or something.”
“A garage for the Mercedes would be good.”
So would a bit of humility and gratefulness. The thought snarled through his brain, but he pushed it away. One thing he knew for sure—his father was never going to change.
“If I do this for you,” Luke continued, “you have to obey my rules. Number one is that you don’t approach Helen or any of my sisters. I won’t have you badgering them. Number two is that you don’t go near Mum’s house. Got all that?”
“Fine, fine.” Patrick nodded quickly.
Luke grimaced at the speed with which his father agreed. Now that the guy had got what he wanted, he wasn’t interested in contacting his daughters or revisiting his old family home. He was only interested in himself, as always. Luke spun around and headed for the door. He had to get out of here before he changed his mind.
“You’ll hear from me in a week or so when I’ve organized something. In the meantime, I’ll take care of your motel bill at the front desk.”
“Luke”
Pausing in the doorway, Luke glanced back. “Yeah?”
His father’s cheeks grew slightly mottled. “Um, I don’t suppose you have any spare cash on you?”
Luke’s gut constricted. So much for hoping his father had something personal to say to him. He’d be waiting a long time for that. He rummaged in his wallet and slapped a couple of fifty-dollar notes on the side table. Then, feeling like he’d been royally screwed, he quit the motel room.
“Wishing you hadn’t let me drag you along?” Tyler asked Luke as they sat in the beer garden of the Red Possum while Ally and Nate went to place their orders at the bistro.
Luke turned to face her. “No, I’m glad you’re so bossy.” He ran the tip of his forefinger lightly down her arm. “And I’m glad not to be alone this evening. I’d just work myself up for nothing.”
Warmth spread through her, not only from the caress of his finger, but also from the knowledge that Luke had trusted her enough to confide in her. He’d told her about his horrible visit with his father that afternoon. He hadn’t exactly gushed, but from the stress lines pulling at his face and the darkness in his eyes, she’d filled in the blanks. She’d longed to hug him fiercely and take him to her bed so she could make him forget temporarily, but Chloe had been in the house, and she was due to meet Ally and Nate in half an hour. So she’d more or less ordered Luke to come along, and to her surprise, he’d agreed.
“You did the right thing about your father,” she said. “I don’t know if I could be that magnanimous, but you can.”
“So I simply accept that he’ll never change?” Luke’s eyes grew bleak. “That the only reason he sought me out was for what he could suck from me?”
“That’s his loss. He doesn’t know what he’s missing out on.” She paused, and his troubled expression made her lean into him, instinctively wanting to offer him physical comfort. “Luke, you’re doing your best. More than your best.”
He pulled her closer. “Am I? But what about Helen? She’ll accuse me of being disloyal to her and my mum.”
“You’ll have to tell her, of course.” Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder.
“Yeah.” His body relaxed against hers as he shifted to better accommodate her head. “This is nice. I thought we weren’t allowed to do this kind of thing in front of Chloe.”
Lifting her head, Tyler checked on Chloe, who had run to the play corner of the beer garden as soon as they had arrived. She and another young boy were busy drawing on the chalkboard. “She’s too preoccupied to notice,” Tyler said, wanting only to return to Luke. The angles of his body were made for her, the way they matched her shape so perfectly.
“Good, because I wouldn’t want her to see this.” His breath warmed her skin as he lifted her hair and nuzzled at her neck. Her pulse leaped, all her senses instantly ensnared by the lure of his lips.
“Um” She closed her eyes in sheer bliss as his mouth coasted over her earlobes.
“Harrumph.” Someone nearby cleared her throat ostentatiously.
Tyler blinked up at Ally and Nate standing at the table with amused expressions on their faces. Luke disentangled himself from her hair without the slightest embarrassment, offering the other two a wry smile.
“Didn’t realize the service here was so quick,” he said, keeping his arm around Tyler’s shoulders.
Nate slid the tray of drinks onto the table and pulled out a chair for Ally. “We could come back in five minutes if now’s inconvenient.” He winked at Tyler.
“After five minutes it could be even more inconvenient.” She grinned back at Nate.
Ally passed the drinks around before exclaiming, “Shoot, I left my phone at the counter!” and hurried off.
Nate waited until she was out of earshot before leaning toward Tyler. “Everything’s set for Sunday. Cake, flowers, food, rings.” He downed a quick gulp of beer. “It’s been bloody difficult keeping it secret. I keep fearing I’ll let something slip.” He fixed an anxious gaze on Tyler. “Do you think I’m doing the right thing, or is she gonna be furious with me?”
“She’s going to love you for doing this,” Tyler said straight away. “You didn’t hear this from me, but she’s still got the heebie-jeebies about weddings. You’re doing a wonderful thing, Nate.”
“Thanks.” He gave her a grateful nod before turning to Luke. “I hope you’ll come to the wedding. It’s at two this Sunday at Clifton Gardens, no need to dress too fancy.”
Luke raised his eyebrows, no doubt surprised by the invitation as he and Nate had just met. “Well, thanks for asking me.”
“How could I not? I know all about you, mate.” Nate grinned at Tyler. “Ally tells me everything, you know.”
Tyler chewed her lip. She had been blabbing on a bit to Ally about Luke, she supposed. More than a bit. Plus, she and Luke had just been caught in a rather intimate embrace. Little wonder both Ally and Nate considered her and Luke something of a couple. She cast a sideways glance at Luke, wondering if he was made uncomfortable by the assumption. As if to confirm her doubts, he removed his arm from around her shoulders, and her heart stuttered for a few numbing seconds, but then his hand glided onto her thigh, and the warm pressure of his fingers ratcheted up her heart rate.
“It’ll be a pleasure,” he said to Nate.
Before the wedding talk could continue, Ally returned to the table, and the conversation became more general as they drank and chatted and shared a few plates of appetizers. A while later Tyler and Ally were left alone at the table when the two guys went to the bar for another round.
“I love looking at his bum.” Ally sighed, propping up her chin on her hand as she stared after the two men.
“Mm, me too” Tyler murmured, her gaze fixed in the same direction.
“What!” Ally straightened for a second before relaxing again. “Oh, I see. You mean Luke.”
Tyler chortled. “It’s all in the eye of the beholder.”
“And I’m guessing your eye is fully taken up by Luke Maguire.” Her friend grinned teasingly.
No point in denying that. “We all have different tastes, but for me Luke’s the epitome of man candy.” She thought about what they’d been up to last night and shifted about in her seat as the memories heated her. This morning it had been especially hard to let go of him before Chloe woke up, and their lingering good-bye kisses had ended in a frantic, exciting coupling on the rumpled sheets that had left her panting and wild for more. She’d have to wait until later this evening for that
“You’d better close your mouth before you start drooling,” Ally teased her.
“Did you know he bought me a book? First guy ever to do that.” Other men bought her flowers, chocolates, or underwear; they never thought about her brain. But Luke did. And he’d been right about Fevre Dream. She’d devoured the book in record time.
“Sounds like he’s quite the catch.”
Sighing, Tyler straightened her shoulders. “It won’t last, of course,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Why not?”
“Because he’ll be leaving soon.” She shrugged. “And I don’t want anything permanent.”
“You’re always saying you don’t want a permanent relationship, but I think deep down you do.”
Tyler rolled her eyes. “Please. If I wanted a permanent relationship, I’d have one. You know I’m no shrinking violet.”
“Hmm.” Ally’s expression grew analytical. “If you ask me, I think you’re afraid to give up your independence. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I know why you value your independence, and I admire your strength, but sometimes you need to make yourself vulnerable. Especially when you’re in love, you need to put your trust in someone else.”
“Well, that’s where you’re wrong, see, because I’m not in love with Luke.” Tyler tossed back her hair to emphasize her point.
“You’re not? You could’ve fooled me. I’ve never seen you so”