Jaded by Ember Leigh Page B

deep, deciding she’d wait until their next encounter before she figured out how to respond. She grabbed her laptop from the office, setting up in the front living room in case Luke happened to wander by. As the words stared back at her from her computer screen, she realized she wasn’t seeing anything in front of her. Work might be useless today until she addressed the letter. Alternately sighing and gnawing on her nails, Isabella had never been more acutely aware of the shifting footsteps of the workers throughout the house. Each time someone neared the front room, she snapped into a feigned look of intense concentration.
    Hours passed and Isabella finally managed to sink into productivity. In the back of her mind, she was desperate for him to approach her, or say something about the letter, but he didn’t. He remained at his job, and she remained solidly in front of her computer until lunchtime. When she heard the workers gathering by the patio door and clinking lunch pails, she slammed her laptop shut. Her curiosity was roaring and she couldn’t ignore it any longer.
    The workers were lounging in the backyard, most of them shirtless, munching on chips or sandwiches. She saw Luke in the center of them all, throwing chips in the air and catching them in his mouth. And he was shirtless. Bless his heart.
    She entered the backyard cautiously, feeling out as out of place as a child interrupting an important business meeting. All eyes landed on her.
    “Hey...uh, Luke? Can you come here for a second?” She tried to block the intoxicating scent of manliness he oozed, but it was almost impossible with the presence of his bare chest boasting tiny droplets of sweat that had formed between his hard, gleaming pectorals. She blinked, trying to keep the image of his half-naked body from making its way to the part of her brain that would cloud her judgment.
    He smiled at her. “Sure.” He stepped past some guys, clapped them on their backs, and followed her inside.
    “Whatcha need?”
    “Um...nothing, really.” He stood with his hands on hips, eyes intent on her. Her brain stopped working for a moment. “I—I wanted to just...chat.”
    “Oh.” He waited for her to continue.
    “Actually...well...I got your letter last night.” She watched him for a reaction, but he gave none. “It was really sweet. It was a lot better than any other letter I’ve ever gotten.” She smiled.
    He nodded, a smile creeping onto his face. “Good. I’m glad.”
    She watched him for a moment. “I think that was really nice of you.”
    “I can be a nice guy sometimes, huh?” He winked at her. “It’s no problem, Bella. But hey, we’ll talk later, okay? I’m gonna go back with the guys.”
    He turned to leave and she panicked. Something felt weird between them. Their usual spark was missing. He wasn’t trying to put his hands on her and she was confused.
    “Um—hey. Wait.”
    He turned to her expectantly.
    “It’s Friday, you know. And, well, I probably won’t see you again till Monday.”
    “That’s right.”
    Suddenly, she realized what was wrong. She looked him up and down: he was standing a safe distance away, a harmless, friendly smile on his face. He wasn’t hitting on her; he wasn’t making every comment some variation of a come-on. He was having a normal, civilized conversation with her. It was driving her nuts. She felt desperate for their fast-paced sexual energy, despite how angry it made her.
    “Well...maybe you can stop by over the weekend. I wouldn’t mind if you just popped over sometime.”
    He nodded, mulling it over in his head. “That might work.”
    Might work. Her mind was spinning. Did he even like her anymore? And what about that letter? What had happened to him?
    “Are you okay?” she asked.
    “Yeah, I’m great.” He offered a smile. “I’ll talk to you later.” He waved and went outside.
    She stared after him, open-mouthed. It was like some essential Luke wire had been removed from his brain