by Olivia James
The wrapping paper was discarded onto her foyer table, leaving a plain black box. She opened the lid and folded back the delicate tissue paper...
A sweater. But not just any sweater. It was a beautiful cream-colored cardigan that she'd been eyeing when shopping with Melissa and Taylor. She'd talked herself out of it because technically she didn't need another cardigan, no matter how soft and pretty.
"You asked Melissa."
"I checked with her," he confirmed. "I didn't want to get you something you hated and we haven't known each other that long. Frankly, for all I knew you were allergic to flowers and hated chocolate."
"I like flowers and I love chocolate." Her cheeks were pink with warmth and she tugged at his sleeve to pull him down for a kiss. He tasted like toothpaste so he must have just brushed his teeth. Another point in his favor. "And I love this sweater. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome, birthday girl."
Their gazes locked for a long moment and the whole world seemed to melt away as she lost herself in his blue-gray eyes. An awareness shimmered between them almost palpable enough to see and feel. She had a terrible urge to forget all about her friends waiting at the restaurant. She could drag Luke back to her bedroom and have her wicked way with him. But she wasn't the type to blow off her friends...
But I might be the type to drag him into a bedroom. Later.
Straightening, he cleared his throat and tugged at the collar of his sweater as if overheated. She was feeling rather toasty at the moment as well. There was definitely some heat between them. Perhaps tonight would be the night to explore it?
Let's see where the evening takes us.
A delicious dinner had been consumed, Shaw had blown the candles out on her birthday cake, and she'd opened her gifts from Melissa and Taylor. After dinner they'd moved the party to a small nightclub that wasn't too loud or rowdy, mostly filled with an older crowd who wanted to dance and enjoy a few cocktails.
"You and Shaw look very cozy tonight," Melissa observed when Shaw, Taylor, and Taylor's new boyfriend Austin were talking about the state of social media and its influence on young people. "I take it things are going well? You're welcome."
Luke rolled his eyes. "If I haven't thanked you then...thank you. It is going well so far."
"I was right."
"And you were right," he sighed. "Happy now?"
"Incredibly. Seriously though, I'm glad to see you two together. After that loser Shaw dated a few months ago, she deserved someone more stable in her life that would appreciate her."
Warning bells went off in Luke's head. "You never mentioned an ex-boyfriend."
"She's a young woman, bro. Did you think she hadn't dated anyone before you?"
"Of course not, but you make him sound a little unstable."
Melissa blew out a long breath. "He kind of was. He was so controlling and needy. He didn't like her to hang out with her friends and he had to know where she was all the time. He'd text her like twenty times while we'd be in the movie theater even though she'd told him that we were going to a movie. We'd be having a cocktail, you know, just the girls, and all of the sudden he'd show up acting like he was just in the neighborhood. He thought every guy in the universe was after her and he didn't like her talking to anyone. He was also whiny and if she didn't give him enough attention he'd throw a tantrum like a toddler, trying to guilt her into doing whatever it was he wanted her to do. That went on for about two months and then she dumped him."
Those warning bells were practically exploding in Luke's ears.
"How did he take the breakup?"
She shrugged. "Not well at first. He hounded her until he realized that she wasn't going to change her mind."
"And it never occurred to you that her ex-boyfriend could be one and the same with her online troll?"
His sister's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in surprise. "Shit, no. I mean, I didn't put the two together. He seemed to go quiet, so I didn't think. Aw, fuck."
Luke patted his sister's hand. "It's not a big deal. There's probably not a connection but I think I should check it out."
"Did you check out her neighbor? James, I think? He's a strange one. Whenever Taylor and I are there he sort of hangs out in his yard until we walk outside. Then he runs over and tries to talk to Shaw. He gives me the creeps."
Hornsby gave Luke the creeps as well.
"I have and he has an interesting background. I'm keeping my eye on him. I want Shaw to upgrade the security of her home."
Melissa didn't have the chance to reply as Shaw turned back to him when a new song started to play. "I love this song. Will you dance with me?"
A beautiful woman wanted him to hold her in his arms to the beat of a slow ballad?
Fuck, yes.
The beat was soft and sensual, and they melded together as if they'd been partners their whole lives. Luke wasn't the most graceful of men, considering his size and all, but he had enough rhythm not to embarrass himself. Shaw, on the other hand, moved effortlessly, her body brushing his over and over again until he was almost crazy with want. From the mischievous smile playing on her lips, he had a pretty good idea that she knew exactly what she was doing.
Two could play at that game.
He glided his hand from the middle of her back to her hip, his fingers insinuating themselves in the gap between the waistband of her jeans and her sweater, just slightly brushing the warm flesh. He didn't imagine her quick indrawn breath or the way her pink tongue darted out and licked her full lips.
His own heart was pounding against his ribs and he had to fight every instinct that was swelling up inside of him not to lift her into his arms and carry her out of this nightclub, going straight to her home and ravishing her for the better part of the night. Although he'd gladly do it if she gave him any indication that she wanted him to. But he'd need more than a few sweet sighs to be sure.
Experimentally, he slid his hand up her spine to the fragrant spot beneath her ear and stroked the satin skin. As he'd hoped, she shuddered and her forehead nestled against his chest more closely. If they'd been alone, he would have pressed a kiss to her neck but they had an audience. He didn't mind a little PDA but this was practically foreplay. That was private.
Sadly, the song ended and he had to take a step back, instantly missing the warmth of her body close to his. Holding her hand, they joined the rest of the group at the table. With a grimace, Melissa held up Shaw's phone.
"It's been going off for the last five minutes," she said, brows pulled together. "We didn't want to bother you but they keep calling back."
Shaw accepted the cell and then sighed. "It's my mother. I should call her back."
Luke wasn't sure what was going on but a look passed between Melissa and Shaw, one that he couldn't quite decipher. He only knew that it wasn't a happy one. Shaw didn't appear to be happy that her mother had called, which seemed strange to him. He would have loved talking to his mom on his birthday, but he was old enough to realize that not everyone had a good relationship with their family.
He wanted to give her the space to deal with this. Perhaps she'd tell him later what was going on.
"Why don't I go up to the bar and get us another round?" he suggested. "Austin, want to give me a hand?"
Taylor's boyfriend grinned and jumped up from the booth. "That's a great idea. What would you ladies like?"
They all gave their orders and the men headed to the bar, shouldering their way through the milling crowd.
"So you're a cop?"
Luke chuckled at Austin's question. He got this one all the time, so he had his answer down pat by now.
"I used to be. Now I'm a law enforcement consultant. We work with small police offices that may not have the manpower for difficult cases."
"Like murder?"
"Like murder." Luke leaned over the bar and gave the bartender their order. "What about you?"
"I'm in finance. Mergers and acquisitions. Tons of hours but it pays great."
&nbs
p; The conversation lagged at that point. They really didn't know each other and while they might have a lot in common, they weren't going to find out standing at a crowded bar waiting for cocktails to be made.
Glancing over his shoulder, Luke saw that Shaw was off the phone but now two guys were standing at the booth. Standing close. Too close. Melissa was frowning and trying to lean back as one of the men leaned down so that his face was only inches from hers. Knowing his sister - and he did - the guy might want to be careful. Melissa had a mean right hook. He'd taught it to her and he was damn proud of how well she'd learned.
"Grab those two drinks," Luke said, taking three of them in his hands. "Looks like the ladies have company."
At first it seemed like Austin didn't understand, but then his confused expression cleared and he groaned. "We'd barely even stepped away. They must have been watching for an opening."
Luke shrugged. "They're beautiful women."
As a big guy, he didn't get into many altercations with other people. Usually all he had to do was stand next to someone and that was enough to make them go away. So he wasn't planning on being an asshole to these guys tonight. Hopefully once they realized that the ladies weren't interested, they'd get the message and go.
"Here you are," he said, placing Shaw's soda down, then Melissa's and Taylor's. It wasn't easy because the two guys didn't budge an inch and Luke had to step around them. He didn't give them any attention, simply pretending that they weren't there.
"Hey, we were talking to the girls," one of them said before turning around to face Luke. His eyes widened as he looked up - way up. He was easily eight or nine inches shorter. "Man, we didn't realize they were here with anyone. Sorry."
He grabbed his friend who smelled like a brewery, and they stumbled away, lost in the crowd near the bar. Luke slid in next to Shaw and Austin sat down next to Taylor.
Melissa rolled her eyes. "Thanks, big brother. They were becoming obnoxious."
Austin chuckled and took a drink of his soda. "I helped too, you know. They were clearly intimidated by Luke's size and my scorching intellect."
Taylor placed her arm around Austin and gave him a peck on the cheek. "My hero."
Shaw, however, was strangely quiet. She was scowling and still holding her phone.
"You okay?" He glanced down at the cell phone in her hand. "Bad news?"
"No."
"Why don't we all go out and dance again?" Melissa asked loudly, clasping her hands together. "I like this song."
Luke flicked a glance at his sister, whose gaze was darting back and forth between himself and Shaw. What had happened while he'd been gone?
"That sounds like a great idea," Luke agreed. "How about it, Shaw?"
She shook her head. "I don't want to dance."
That was fine too.
"I'm tired," Shaw announced. "I just want to go home."
"I can drive you home. If you're sure."
"I'm sure. Let's go. I'm getting a nasty headache."
The birthday party was clearly over. Austin and Taylor quickly left as he had to be up early in the morning. Luke waited while Melissa and Shaw went to the ladies’ room and then walked them out to his vehicle. His sister had left her car at the restaurant, so he drove the three of them there. No one said much other than to remark about how much the temperature had dropped in the last few hours. Shaw and Melissa hugged, and Luke was sure he heard an I'm sorry whispered between them.
"Text me when you get home?" he asked his sister as she unlocked the car doors. "So I know you're okay."
"Of course, big brother. I'll shoot you a text the minute I get home." Melissa glanced over to where Shaw was standing. "Good luck."
"I'm going to need it."
"It will be fine. We'll talk tomorrow."
He waited until his sister drove away, the red taillights fading into the distance.
Luke had a feeling that this was going to be an extremely quiet and tense drive home.
10
Shaw fiddled with the straps of her purse as she and Luke drove toward her home. She was miserable and it was her birthday. Those two things shouldn't be allowed together but here she was.
She only had herself to blame. She'd let her mother get under her skin. Again. She talked a big game about boundaries to her subscribers but in the end, she was a gigantic wuss. To make it worse, she'd ruined Luke's night too. He didn't deserve this. He'd gone out of his way to make the evening special.
"I'm sorry about tonight."
"I am too, honey. I just wanted you to have a nice birthday."
"I did. It was. I just...I'm really sorry."
"It's fine. No worries. It's you I'm worried about. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Do I? Not really, but you deserve an explanation."
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." He paused, as if wondering whether to keep talking. He must have decided the answer was yes. "I did notice that your demeanor changed after your mother called."
"My mother is...difficult at the best of times."
"Family can be that way."
From what Melissa had said describing her upbringing, Luke really didn't get what she was saying. The Brewsters were practically The Brady Bunch.
"Let's just say that my mother has made an art out of trying to control everything and everyone around her. Including me."
He whistled under his breath. "That sounds exhausting for her. She must be frustrated pretty much all the damn time, I would imagine."
Luke had summed up Shaw's mother perfectly.
"She is but that hasn't stopped her. She still tries to control me and that makes our relationship harder than it needs to be."
"So when she called it wasn't to wish you a happy birthday?"
Shaw sighed and rolled her eyes. "She's already done that three times today. Call number one was at midnight so she could be the first person to wish me a happy birthday. Then she called me in the morning and then in the early evening when I was getting ready. She's upset that she won't see me until tomorrow, completely ignoring the fact that I'm planning to spend the whole day with her."
The sentence had come out in a testy tone that Shaw wasn't happy about. She shouldn't let her mother get to her like this.
"Midnight?" Luke chuckled. "Does she do that every year?"
"Not every year, but when I disappoint her she will. She's upset that I'm spending my birthday with my friends instead of her. And yes, I realize how ironic this entire situation is because I don't take my own advice."
"What would your advice be to someone else?"
"The usual. Set boundaries. Don't back down. Be calm and matter of fact and don't rise to the bait."
"You rise to the bait?"
"Almost every damn time. I don't know what it is, but I find myself falling into her guilt traps constantly. It doesn't help that she was a single mother raising me. My dad ran off with his assistant when my mom was pregnant and I've never met him, so it was just me and her for my entire childhood. She remarried last year though, and I thought it might mean that she'd step out of my life a little bit."
"But that didn't happen?"
Shaw shook her head in frustration. "Not at all. If anything, she's got Oliver on her side too. They're looking for condos and they want to get a three bedroom in case I want to move home. That's what he said. I was like why would I want to move home when I have my own house? It doesn't make any sense at all except to them."
"They want you to move in with them? And they're newlyweds? That's...interesting."
"It's insane."
"My parents love us, but I think they were really thrilled to get their house and privacy back when we all moved out. They turned my old room into an office for my dad."
"I can only dream of a parent like that."
"It could be worse."
Really?
"How could it be worse?"
"You might not have the introspection to realize that you're being manipulated."
&nb
sp; "I realize it but I don't push back."
"It sounds like you do, but your mother doesn't like it. She may never change how she reacts. You know as well as I do that you can only change how you react. But cut yourself some slack. It's not easy to put up boundaries with people we love. She's your mother and that has its own emotional stakes built in. I think you're doing fine."
He did? He was being nicer than she was to herself.
"You haven't known me long."
"True," he conceded. "But I think you may be too hard on yourself. Your mother has had thirty years to learn exactly what buttons to push. By now, she's an expert."
"I think it comes naturally to her."
"At this point in her life, it probably does. She may not even be aware she's doing it. It's just become the way you two communicate."
"I don't want it to be like this, but when I try to talk to her she cries and gets upset. She says I don't love her."
"You said it yourself. She's manipulating you. Do you truly think that she believes that you don't love her?"
Sometimes...I don't. Wait. I do love her, but I don't always like her.
"She's convincing."
Luke pulled into Shaw's driveway and killed the engine. "I'll walk you to your door and make sure you get inside okay."
She liked his protective instincts. She wasn't of the opinion that she needed them, but it was nice that he cared.
"Why don't you come in for some hot chocolate? I feel like I cut our evening short at the club. It's still early. We could play a game and maybe I'll even let you win this time."
"Fighting words," he chuckled. "And I'll take that challenge. Prepare to be vanquished."
"You'll be crying to your mama before the night is done," Shaw taunted as she gave him her hand so he could help her out of the car. It was a chilly evening and she pulled her coat more closely around her neck before glancing over her shoulder. More specifically, across the street. The house was dark. "He must be asleep or out with friends. I haven't seen him all day."
"Good. Maybe he's found another hobby besides watching you. But I doubt it. This is probably just a short reprieve. Perhaps he has the flu."
