work together and live together now, so this is all probably a moot point anyway.”
Luke didn’t seem too happy either way, but she could see in his eyes that he wasn’t going to argue. If she wanted her car, then she would have her car, and she didn’t know why she had ever doubted him.
Twisting the knob, Terri let herself inside the garage. The sight before her had her stumbling backward, her cry muffled by her hand over her own mouth.
“What is it?” Luke demanded, rushing forward to brace her against his chest. Then he saw it.
“Damn it!”
The garage was a total mess, shelves turned on their sides, buckets of paint spilled onto the concrete. The worst made her want to scream, the pain of having her home and everything she had worked so hard for, destroyed.
“We need to go, Terri.” Luke’s voice was a distant command. But Terri wasn’t hearing anything he said. Her car had been demolished, its windows shattered, its doors smashed in, the lights non-existent. And as if that hadn’t been enough, black spray paint covered nearly every exposed inch of metal. Bitch. Whore. A few choice names she knew she would never get out of her head. But there was one that had her shaking so violently her knees threatened to give out.
Soon.
That one word said it all. She had run out of time. Randy was going to kill her. Crumpling to the cold, hard ground, Terri was glad Luke had her, because she was falling apart.
“I wish he had killed me,” she cried into his chest, dampening his shirt with a torrent of unstoppable tears.
“Shh,” Luke said, petting her hair as he held her closer still. “Don’t say that.”
“Why not?” she sobbed. “I always knew he was going to kill me someday, and he almost did. If they’d just let me die then, none of this would be happening now.”
Leaning back, Luke grabbed her chin and wrenched her face up to meet his eyes. “If there is one thing I have learned in my life,” he said fiercely, “it’s that everything happens for a reason. Someone wanted you to live that day, Terri. You were given a second chance. Don’t throw it away. Fight. Randy isn’t invincible. He’s a man who has lost his mind. Stand up to him and fight . Take back your life.” “What life?” she huffed, trying to pull out of his grip, but his hold was firm.
“Any life you want,” he rasped, then lowered his head to seal his mouth over hers.
***
Terri touched her fingers to her lips, still feeling the pleasurable sensation of Luke’s kiss. She had been so floored by what he had done that she had broken the kiss and scrambled to her feet. Luke didn’t apologize, and neither did she. That one shared kiss had sparked something between them and she now wondered if it had always been there and not just a one-sided attraction on her part.
Cold beer splashed her hand and Terri jumped back, flipping the taps off to prevent any more spillage. “Damn,” she muttered, cursing her drifting thoughts. It was still early, and the club wouldn’t be in full swing for another couple hours, but Terri had been distracted since she stepped foot through the door. She needed to get her act together because tonight was going to be a long night.
Luke had asked that all the wait staff be on hand to cover tables and help get things set up for the coming St. Patrick’s Day celebration they had been planning. And it should be good, because Luke wasn’t sparing any expense. Balloons and party favors had been ordered already, but they still had to track down a caterer and someone to DJ the event, since Luke normally used a professional track list played through the many speakers set into the walls and hanging from the ceiling rather than a live person.
They probably wouldn’t get out of there until the very early morning hours, if they were lucky. Terri was already feeling the pinch of her shoes, which threatened to make her more irritable than she already was. Having your husband break into your house
Luke didn’t seem too happy either way, but she could see in his eyes that he wasn’t going to argue. If she wanted her car, then she would have her car, and she didn’t know why she had ever doubted him.
Twisting the knob, Terri let herself inside the garage. The sight before her had her stumbling backward, her cry muffled by her hand over her own mouth.
“What is it?” Luke demanded, rushing forward to brace her against his chest. Then he saw it.
“Damn it!”
The garage was a total mess, shelves turned on their sides, buckets of paint spilled onto the concrete. The worst made her want to scream, the pain of having her home and everything she had worked so hard for, destroyed.
“We need to go, Terri.” Luke’s voice was a distant command. But Terri wasn’t hearing anything he said. Her car had been demolished, its windows shattered, its doors smashed in, the lights non-existent. And as if that hadn’t been enough, black spray paint covered nearly every exposed inch of metal. Bitch. Whore. A few choice names she knew she would never get out of her head. But there was one that had her shaking so violently her knees threatened to give out.
Soon.
That one word said it all. She had run out of time. Randy was going to kill her. Crumpling to the cold, hard ground, Terri was glad Luke had her, because she was falling apart.
“I wish he had killed me,” she cried into his chest, dampening his shirt with a torrent of unstoppable tears.
“Shh,” Luke said, petting her hair as he held her closer still. “Don’t say that.”
“Why not?” she sobbed. “I always knew he was going to kill me someday, and he almost did. If they’d just let me die then, none of this would be happening now.”
Leaning back, Luke grabbed her chin and wrenched her face up to meet his eyes. “If there is one thing I have learned in my life,” he said fiercely, “it’s that everything happens for a reason. Someone wanted you to live that day, Terri. You were given a second chance. Don’t throw it away. Fight. Randy isn’t invincible. He’s a man who has lost his mind. Stand up to him and fight . Take back your life.” “What life?” she huffed, trying to pull out of his grip, but his hold was firm.
“Any life you want,” he rasped, then lowered his head to seal his mouth over hers.
***
Terri touched her fingers to her lips, still feeling the pleasurable sensation of Luke’s kiss. She had been so floored by what he had done that she had broken the kiss and scrambled to her feet. Luke didn’t apologize, and neither did she. That one shared kiss had sparked something between them and she now wondered if it had always been there and not just a one-sided attraction on her part.
Cold beer splashed her hand and Terri jumped back, flipping the taps off to prevent any more spillage. “Damn,” she muttered, cursing her drifting thoughts. It was still early, and the club wouldn’t be in full swing for another couple hours, but Terri had been distracted since she stepped foot through the door. She needed to get her act together because tonight was going to be a long night.
Luke had asked that all the wait staff be on hand to cover tables and help get things set up for the coming St. Patrick’s Day celebration they had been planning. And it should be good, because Luke wasn’t sparing any expense. Balloons and party favors had been ordered already, but they still had to track down a caterer and someone to DJ the event, since Luke normally used a professional track list played through the many speakers set into the walls and hanging from the ceiling rather than a live person.
They probably wouldn’t get out of there until the very early morning hours, if they were lucky. Terri was already feeling the pinch of her shoes, which threatened to make her more irritable than she already was. Having your husband break into your house
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