Page 52 of Condemned By Secrets

She’d been lying in Luther’s arms, basking in the afterglow of sex, when she’d realized there were so many things she didn’t know about him—things she needed to know. Watching him now and seeing how happy he looked, she hoped broaching the subject didn’t make him close down on her. If they were going to be together . . . No, it was more than that. If he wanted her to trust him, she had to get to know him better.

“Luther?” Her voice came out unsure, and he opened his eyes, his grin fading.

“What is it?” Sitting up, he reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers.

Anna chewed her lip as she stared at the concern shining in his eyes.

Please, don’t let this be a mistake.

She took a deep breath and asked, “What happened to your dad?”

His eyes registered surprise before sadness crept in, dulling the silver to gray. She squeezed his hand and waited.

He closed his eyes for a second before squeezing her hand back. “He died when I was fifteen. Heart attack.”

“Oh, Luther. I’m so sorry.” Anna’s heart clenched for him. She may not be close to her parents, but she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose one of them.

“It’s been almost fifteen years, but I still miss him.”

His eyes were teary, and she cupped his cheek. “I can’t imagine how hard it must’ve been.”

Luther nodded. “More so for my mom. But she’s a strong woman.” He smiled softly. “We got through it.”

“I’m glad you had each other. I could tell you two were close. I just didn’t know why. Not that you can’t be close with your mom. It’s just . . ., um, I mean—” Anna dropped her hand as her face flushed with frustration at her inability to express this right.

Luther chuckled, and some of the tension gripping her released. “Relax, Anna.” He leaned back and pulled her with him. She settled into his side again as he told her, “He was a police officer too.” She smiled, but then his voice tightened. “Over twenty years on the force, but his health was what killed him.” She felt him sigh. “It made me aware of how important that is, and I’ve been into fitness ever since.”

Anna winced, glad Luther couldn’t see her expression. From their first meeting, she had jumped to conclusions about him based on his looks. If she’d known the reasons behind it . . ., she wouldn’t have been so quick to judge. But that was no one’s fault but her own. Kissing the spot where her cheek lay, she said quietly, “Thank you for telling me.”

He gave her a squeeze with the arm he had wrapped around her. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me, Anna.”

The admission made her smile because she was starting to believe he would. “Good,” she murmured against his chest.Because I want to know everything.

“So, what about your parents? The other night you said they were in politics, but what do they do exactly?”

Anna’s muscles tightened at the mention of her family. She’d brushed off Luther’s questions about them during their date, but now, it seemed only fair to tell him after he’d opened up about his dad. Luther’s hand rubbed up and down her back, and she focused on that to relax herself. He had a right to know. She just hoped it wouldn’t change how he felt about her.

Taking a calming breath, she prepared herself to divulge another secret. “My dad’s a senator. My mom runs his campaigns.”

At ‘senator’, Luther’s hand had stilled, but she was afraid to look at him. Anna squeezed her eyes closed and braced for his response.

“Oh.”

Oh? That’s all he has to say?Her stomach was doing cartwheels, and he was . . . nonplussed? Dying of curiosity, she sat up so she could see his expression. “Oh?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Luther grinned and his dimples distracted her. She desperately wanted to kiss him there, to lose herself in those creases and forget about her family. Forget all the pressure and expectation they’d leveraged on her for years until she’d felt like she was being crushed under the load.

“Yeah. Now ‘Haughty Anna’ makes sense.”

She blinked those thoughts away then her eyes narrowed at him. “You think I’m haughty?”

“Only sometimes.” He must’ve noticed the dangerous gleam in her eye because he quickly added. “But I like it.”

Anna shifted and reached for his backside.

“What are you—"

With a quick grab, she pinched Luther.

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