Page 22 of Dirty Doctor
I quickly button my shirt and adjust my pants. “I’ll go down and tell them you’ll be down in a second,” I say quickly. When I look up at her, she looks panicked. “Hey,” I whisper, kissing her on the forehead. “We don’t have to tell them anything.”
“No shit,” she mumbles, scurrying out of my bedroom.
I follow her, watching as she quickly runs into her room and shuts the door. There’s another knock, and I sigh before heading downstairs.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
LANGLEY
Oh my god,oh my god.
I quickly pull on my underwear, jeans, and shirt, walking to my mirror and fixing my hair. They won’t notice anything amiss as long as I can keep it together—as long as I can keep my cool. Mom will know ifanythingis bothering me, which is why I spend the next couple of minutes exercising deep breathing and trying to calm my nerves. I get back into the mindset of hating Luke, of resenting him, of being annoyed that I have to stay with him. She will believe that, because it’s just how we roll as a family.
When I’ve calmed down enough to make it believable, I slowly walk downstairs and wince at the sound of Howard’s booming voice. I feel guilty—like we did something wrong. Like we did somethingtaboo.Even though Luke was right earlier about us being two consenting adults, the four of us are a family unit. I grew up with these three people, and I just fucked a pillow in front of one of them. Suddenly, I can’t breathe, so I stop on the stairs and take another minute to calm myself down before facing our parents.
I walk into the dining room, and Mom and Howard are already seated with glasses of wine. I swallow and look for Luke before they notice me, and his eyes find mine from the kitchen. I don’t know what I expected, but it’s not the burning intensity that meets my gaze. My whole body begins to tingle under that gaze, so I widen my eyes and give him a look that saysknock it offbefore I walk up to our parents.
“Oh, honey!” my mom squeals, hopping up and enveloping me into a bear hug. “I was so worried. And then Luke said you had the flu”—she looks me over, her brows knitting together— “but you’re better now, right? You feel okay?”
I nod. “I’m okay.”
She smiles, hugging me again. I close my eyes as she holds me tightly. “I’m sure Luke has been taking very good care of you.”
You could say that again.
I pull away, but I don’t answer her; instead giving Howard a quick hug. For as much as I worry about what my mom would think of Luke and I being in a romantic relationship, I worry more about Howard and how he would take it. After all, he became my father figure, and I wouldn’t want to risk that for anything. What if something happens between Luke and I, and Howard takes Luke’s side? What if we completely tear our family apart because we can’t control ourselves?
“I’m glad you’re feeling better, honey,” he says sweetly, gripping the sides of my arms and looking at me.
I never realized how much Howard and Luke resembled each other. Dark eyes, dark hair, and an olive complexion thanks to Howard’s Italian parents. I slide my eyes over to Luke, and something passes over his face—a moment of hesitation.
He realizes what’s at stake, too.
Luke whips up a quick dinner, and I distract myself by telling my mom all about Kellan Smith and my upcoming interview. I see Luke look at us every few minutes, and our eyes meet briefly before I break eye contact with him. If he keeps looking at me like that—all vulnerable and heated—my mom is going to see everything written all over my face.
“How is the hospital, sweetie?” my mom asks Luke.
Sweetie.
Not only is Howard like a father to me, my mom is like a mother to Luke.
What the hell are we doing?
I don’t look at Luke for the rest of the evening. He and Howard talk about Cabo, and my mom tells me all about their suite at the resort and how it overlooks the water. I nod and respond, listening but not really present. My mind and my body only want one thing, and it’s the thing that should’ve been out of reach for me. For us. Instead, we crossed the line.
I eat dinner quietly, listening to Luke talk with them, but not participating. I can feel my mom’s gaze on me a few times, but I play it off by saying I have a slight headache. Luke’s eyes are on me as well, and I don’t dare meet his gaze again.
I’m afraid of what I’ll see.
“So, how are things going with Noelle?” Howard asks Luke, and I nearly spit my wine out.
When I glance up at him, his expression is a mix of pain and regret. His eyes are pleading with me, but all I feel is anger. “Um, things are okay,” he says slowly.
“Who is Noelle?” I ask, trying so damn hard to keep my voice even and my tone casual.
“Your mother and I set Luke up with a nice woman who just moved in a few houses down from us,” Howard explains.
I grip the sides of the dining chair, trying to calm the blazing fire burning inside of me.
