Page 63 of This Loving Feeling (Mirror Lake)

“I’lltake her back,” Lukas said quickly.

Effie clutched her heart, and a sly smile lit up Alethea’s face. Sam shot both of them a scowl. They should be home watching romantic comedies instead of pretending life was one.

“You can’t carry her all the way back,” Ben said.

Lukas tucked Sam’s sock into her hiking boot and placed the boot into his backpack.

Then he bent down, his dark, shiny hair catching rays of sun, tugged her up to her good foot, and slung her over his back, fireman-style. “Does she need an X-ray?” he asked Ben.

“Yeah. And an Aircast.”

“Will do,” Lukas said.

“You can’t carry me for a mile,” Sam said, pounding on his upper arm, which was very, very solid. “Put me down. Are you crazy?” But her words didn’t come out clearly, being as she was wrapped around his upper back like a mink stole.

“Probably. But if it gets me some alone time with you, I’ll take it.”

“Wait!” Stevie said. He ran up to them. Sam couldn’t see him well, slung over Lukas like a potato sack and all, but she was able to tousle his hair. Big, worried eyes looked up at her.

“What is it, babe?”

He pressed his blanket into her hand. “Take Bobby.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Tears pooled in her eyes. She smoothed his cheek and blew him a kiss with her free hand. “Thank you, hon. It will help me so much.” Then she managed a quick wave to everyone as Lukas carried her off into the sunset. Or into the woods, anyway.

“Blood is rushing to my head. We may have to change positions after a while,” she said.

“I’d love to change positions anytime,” he said with a laugh. “And blood’s rushing to certain parts of my anatomy too.”

“Don’t try to be cheeky. Your head’s in the sewer.”

“Yeah, well, you have that effect on me.” He reached an arm around and wrapped it gently over the backs of her thighs, his fingers loosely holding on above her left knee. His hands were warm. And strong. She could feel the callouses on the pads of his fingers from his guitar playing.

“And don’t think about getting fresh, either, Mr.Caveman.”

He remained a gentleman. Until he unceremoniously plopped her into her car. And on the way down he took full advantage of the situation to cop a feel of her ass.

“I didn’t have a choice about that, in case you’re wondering,” he said, hitching up a corner of his mouth in a grin.

His face was very near as he reached over her to buckle her seatbelt. She examined the contour of his lips. They were nice lips, full but manly. His nose was Greek and a little large, but it suited him. He hadn’t shaved this morning, and a light shadow of stubble graced his swarthy cheeks. When he smiled, his teeth were white and oh my, that smile would have knocked her on her butt if she weren’t already sitting.

He gazed at her long and hard with those fathomless brown eyes, so Greek and so warm. But he didn’t kiss her.

Then he got behind the wheel of her car, started it, and drove them out of the MetroParks parking lot.

Samantha squeezed Stevie’s ripped, tattered blanket and wished she was five again and could be easily reassured that everything was going to be fine, just fine. Because what a mess everything had become in a few short weeks. All those rogue feelings she’d felt for Lukas at nineteen had returned. Tenfold. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise.

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