Page 42 of Necessary Roughness

“Not helpful!” I shouted before realizing someone might hear me.

Namely, Luke.

“It’s different now,” I added.

Claire chuckled. “By different, do you mean because he saved your life on that boat and now, you’re so whipped it’s adorable?”

“No!” I shouted again. “Okay… maybe. But what do I say? I can’t just waltz over there and say thanks for saving my life, by the way, nice pecs.”

“I mean, you could. His pecsarenice. Look, Luke isn’t going to eat you,” she said, trying to help me calm my nerves. “Unless you want him to, but that’s an entirely different story.”

I paused.

“What if I say something stupid?” I asked. “What if I trip and fall? What if I?—”

“Accidentally confess your undying love while trying to ask for a glass of wine? God, I hope so.”

“If this is a disaster, I’m holding you personally responsible.”

“I accept full and total accountability as long as you give me all the details later. Now, go! You’ve got this.”

Finally, some genuine encouragement from her. This was why I kept her around.

“Just remember,” she added, “if you can survive being roasted on Twitter, you can survive dinner with a football player.”

I stoodin front of Luke’s front door, my heart racing faster than it had on my worst days under pressure from deadlines. Gripping my phone, I re-read Luke’s text for the millionth time, wondering if perhaps I had misunderstood.

For a moment, as I waited, I could picture him opening the door and seeing me standing there. Then telling me that he had accidentally sent the text to me when it was meant for someone else. And me feeling like a fool, all to be captured on his doorbell camera.

Yikes, I’m heading to a dark place.

Plus, I had gotten all dressed up for this. And by that I meant I had spent way too long obsessing over what to wear before deciding on jeans and a t-shirt just to make Luke think I hadn’t put any effort into my appearance.

My stomach twisted into knots as I raised a shaking hand to ring the doorbell. Before I could second-guess myself, the door swung open revealing Luke on the other side. He was casually barefoot in a fitted shirt and denim jeans that clung to his body in all the perfect places. His breezy smile made my mouth go dry.

Standing before Luke, I finally acknowledged and accepted that he had captivated me.

“Glad you could make it,” he said, stepping aside to allow me to enter.

His deep voice boomed and settled like warmth in my chest.

I entered cautiously, feeling slightly uncomfortable in the polished, perfect surroundings of Luke’s gorgeous house. My palms were clammy as I shoved my hands into my pockets.

“Thanks for having me. I… didn’t really know what to expect.”

Luke’s gaze was intent and focused on me, but soft and welcoming at the same time.

He closed the door. “I didn’t invite you over for an interview, Brett. Relax.”

I let out a laugh that ended up sounding more like a nervous bark. “Absolutely, relaxing is my specialty.”

Yikes. Smooth.

We walked into the living room, silence filling the space between us. But this time, it felt different. It was as if we were on the precipice of something big and the empty air was the only thing standing between us.

Luke stepped closer, closing the space between us in a way that made my pulse race.

“You’re tense,” Luke said gently, his eyes lingering on my lips.

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