Page 57 of The Black Trilogy

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Luke asked.

“Just get on with it.”

So he did.

Despite the nickname given to me by one of the men in my life, I was no angel. I didn’t make a habit of hopping into bed with virtual strangers, but every so often, I met a guy who wormed his way past my defences. They’d varied from friends with benefits, to kind and gentle, to adventurous, to a brief foray over to the dark side during a phase when I didn’t like myself much. It was a long while since I’d had sweet.

Instead of leaving straight away, my usual modus operandi, I snuggled into Luke’s arms. His strength seeped into me and held my demons at bay. I could have curled up there for hours, but inevitably, my eyes started to close.

“Luke, I can’t stay here.” Even if for the first time in years, I wanted to.

“If it’s about the sleepwalking thing, I don’t mind.” He brushed it off as a triviality, but he’d never met the monster I became on my worst nights.

“But I mind. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m a big guy. I can look after myself.”

And the guy I’d hospitalised had been a Navy SEAL. Guilt gnawed at me, both for what I’d done to Nick all those years ago and what I was about to do to Luke.

“I can’t. Please, don’t do this.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

Oh, it could. A ride in an ambulance if he was lucky, the morgue if he wasn’t.

“Not tonight, okay?”

He nodded, still far from happy. I leaned in and kissed him again, an apology for being unable to give him what we both wanted.

“Are you up for round two before you go?” he asked.

“Sounds like a plan.” I giggled as he rolled me over. What on earth…? Giggled? I sounded like a vapid idiot. Had I lost my mind?

No, but I did when Luke kissed me again.

The sun hovered above the trees when I woke the next morning, and the clock on the guest-room wall showed I’d slept for eight hours.

Good grief, I was late for work!

I had a foot out of bed when I remembered I didn’t have a job anymore, at least, not at the stables. The jury was still out on my previous occupation.

Ah well, at least I had a bed and a duvet. At the moment, they seemed the better option, but I couldn’t succumb to the temptation. Had Luke overslept too?

I dashed through to his bedroom—empty. The smell of bacon wafted past me, making my mouth water. I threw on a robe I found on the back of the bathroom door then found Luke downstairs at the breakfast bar, drinking coffee while he scrolled through emails on his phone.

“Aren’t you late?”

“I’m taking the day off.”

“Seriously? I thought you never took time off.”

“A couple of weeks ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed of it. But you made me realise there’s more to life than making money.” He gave me a lopsided grin. “Especially when I don’t enjoy it.”

“Bravo. So you’re up for another go?” I eyed up his sandwich. “Well, after breakfast?”

“You want one?”

I nodded.

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