Page 93 of The Switch: A Friends To Lovers Romance

Man, he adored her.

As Luke leaned up to kiss her, he felt a fire sweep through his body. Their touches turned frantic, rushed, as if the moment would slip away if they didn’t fight to keep it.

He carried Ashanti to the couch and gently lowered her, all without separating their lips once. His pulse quickened, drowning out every thought that didn’t revolve around the softness of her skin, the texture of her lips or the pulsing, quaking need to be closer to her.

Ashanti accepted him, doing nothing to slow his finger’s slow perusal of her body.

Then a key rattled in the background.

And the front door swung open.

Luke froze, suspended over Ashanti’s body, and glanced up. Through the fringe of hair that had fallen over his forehead thanks to Ashanti’s frisky fingers, he saw a pair of familiar brown eyes.

Mr. Lane had come home.

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Dad!” Ashanti shrieked, smoothing her shirt down. “You’re home!”

Randal Lane stepped deeper into the room and slammed the door behind him. “Ashanti, what’s going on?”

She jumped at the bang the door made and nudged Luke off her. He scrambled to his feet and she soon joined him, holding her hands nervously together and staring at the ground.

Ashanti felt like a little kid again, one who’d been caught stealing a delicious cookie from the jar.

The adrenaline that had pumped through her veins thanks to Luke’s kisses now burned like fire because of her shame. If her dad had walked in a few minutes later…

She shuddered at the thought.

“Mr. Lane,” Luke’s voice trembled, “how have you been?”

Ashanti’s dad slanted him a look. “Obviously not as good as you.”

Luke’s cheeks turned pink.

Ashanti jumped in front of him. “Dad, you weren’t supposed to be home for another few weeks. Why did you cut your cruise short?”

“I read an article about my baby girl being attacked by a lunatic drug dealer. Did you think I wouldn’t drop everything and run right over?”

Ashanti winced. “You heard about that?”

“Yes.” Her dad took one step forward. “And it wasn’t even from my daughter. I had to read it online like a stranger. Ashanti, how could you keep something like that from me?”

“I’m sorry.” Her gaze wafted to the floor again.

Luke glanced between them. “I’ll give you two some privacy.”

“Hold it!”

Luke froze, one leg drawn far in front of the other. She saw his Adam’s apple bob before he said, “Yes, sir?”

“You’re not getting away that easy. Both of you, sit down.”

Ashanti automatically lowered herself to the couch. Luke joined her. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest.

Would her dad disapprove of their relationship too? She knew he trusted Luke, but that was because—in his mind—they were nothing but good friends.

She was so tired of fighting. Ashanti had to earn his approval.

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