Page 99 of Beautiful Harmony

She studied him briefly before cupping his face and pressing a soft kiss against his mouth. “All right.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “Good. You hungry?”

“Not really.” She rubbed her hand along his chest. “Will you take me to bed, Lucas?”

His heart cracked wide open like the ground during an earthquake, Lucas kissed her and said, “I’ll do whatever you want, Emma.”

CHAPTER26

“Well, you look like shit.”

Lucas scowled at Nix as he sat down at the table. Connor and Nix had snagged one of the tables near the front window of Grind My Beans. “Thanks a lot.”

“Just being honest,” Nix said.

Connor slid a coffee across the table to Lucas. “Here, I got you your usual. From how you look, though, I should have asked for an extra shot of espresso. When was the last time you slept?”

Lucas sipped at his coffee. “I didn’t agree to have coffee with the two of you during my lunch hour so you could insult me. Mondays are hard enough without having both of you on my ass.”

Nix grinned at Connor. “Is he always this bitchy on Mondays?”

“No, he’s usually quite pleasant,” Connor said. “But I’ll cut him a break because he’s having a rough time. He didn’t even shave this morning, for God’s sake.”

He leaned in Lucas’s direction and sniffed. “Tell me you at least showered.”

“Yes, I showered, you jackass,” Lucas said.

“Just checking. Nathan got caught up in emergency surgery at the clinic, so he can’t make it, but we’re doing this without him because you can’t keep going like this.”

“Doing what without him?” Lucas said.

“Helping you get your head on straight,” Nix said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lucas asked.

“It means that we’re your friends, and we’re worried about you. It’s painfully obvious to everyone that you’re in love with Emma. So, why the hell are you pretending you aren’t?” Connor said.

“You know why.” Lucas let go of his coffee cup so he wouldn’t crush it. “I’ll get bored and hurt her.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Nix asked.

“Lucas doesn’t do relationships because he’s gotten bored in past relationships after only a few months. He ends the relationship, there are hurt feelings, and Lucas drives himself crazy with guilt. There isn’t anything Lucas hates more than upsetting a woman,” Connor said.

“It’s more than that,” Lucas said. “It’s knowing that there’s something wrong with me and not having a fucking clue how to fix it.”

“You’re not broken,” Connor said. “I don’t care how often I have to fucking say that to you. I will say it until you believe me, okay?”

“I appreciate that, but I am. I take my normal, healthy relationship with a woman and turn it upside down in less than two months.”

“You haven’t done that with Emma,” Connor said. ‘

“Emma’s different,” Lucas said in exasperation. “She’s smart and funny and calls me on my bullshit, and -”

“You’re in love with her,” Connor said. “I know you think you’ve been in love before, but can you honestly tell yourself that how you felt about previous women is how you feel about Emma?”

“I … I mean… shit,” Lucas said. “No. What I feel for Emma is…”

“Twuuuue wove,” Nix said in a high-pitched wavering voice before doing jazz hands.

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