Love, Chocolate, and Beer (Cactus Creek #1)(58)

And hurt.

Her eyes widened in confusion. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“No.”

She shot up and went over to him, shutting the door. “What happened?”

“I saw the woman I’m falling in love with give more of herself to another man than she’s ever given me.”

She flinched at the stark pain tearing through her chest...until her emotions boomeranged back and changed to shock when she realized he was talking about her. “Me?”

“Of course you.” His expression turned exasperated. “Who else?”

“I j-just wasn’t sure that you...I mean, you’ve never said...” Her face went blank. “Wait, what exactly do you think I gave to another man?” Now she was the one annoyed. In fact, she became outright pissed. “What the hell are you accusing me of, Luke?”

His sad, dark laugh clouded the air. “Nothing as simple as betrayal. Nope, you’ve been perfectly clear about what you want, and you’ve stuck to those expectations of us exactly.”

“Luke, seriously, you aren’t making any sense.”

“I came by earlier. I saw you and Rylan here together.”

“And?” Her arms flew up in the air at his stony expression. “You’re jealous? Because you saw us talking?!” She was nearly shouting in frustration now. “Rylan and I are just friends.”

He stepped forward, crowding her. “I saw it.”

“Saw what? We were talking!”

“It was more and you damn well know it.”

“It was not! Nothing else happened. I can’t believe you don’t trust me!”

“Unfortunately, I do trust you, more than I’ve ever trusted any woman in my whole life. I’m not under the misguided impression that you were cheating on me.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Confused weariness quieted her tone.

“The problem is that you were confiding in him, sharing parts of yourself with him that you’ve never once shared with me. Not once. I’m crazy about you, sweetheart. And as strong as my feelings for you are already, being kept out like that is damn lonely.” His voice lowered. “And hurtful as hell.”

Shocked, she didn’t know what to say.

His eyes softened. “Why, sweetheart? Why won’t you let me in? You’re willing to give Rylan, Xoey, hell most of your workers a place in your heart. But not me. Why?”

“We just met,” she reasoned quietly.

“Bullshit answer. Try again.”

He was pushing her, and she knew he wouldn’t back down this time. She couldn’t look at him as she shook her head in a silent no.

“I need to know.” He brushed the side of her face with his fingertips. “Please.”

An impossibly long minute passed and Luke just stood there with the most caring look in his eyes, comforting her unconditionally for reasons he didn’t even understand yet.

“Because none of them will leave,” she whispered finally.

He stared at her, silently demanding more.

“I know none of them will suddenly decide they don’t want to be a part of my life, tear the foundation out from under me, and leave me unable to stand back up again.” She stopped, her breathing broken, her eyes no longer hiding anything as they met his. “None of them will steal back the place in my heart I’ve entrusted to them and leave it so it can’t become whole again.”

“And you think I will?” Luke looked at her incredulously as he hauled her into his arms.

“No...I don’t know. But you’re the first person who’s gotten close enough to be able to.”

He said nothing more, just held her patiently. Waiting...

His silence eventually rattled her nerves to its boiling point. “I never used to have any hang-ups like this. I never once saw the need to look beyond the present with the guys I dated before you. Then you come barging into my life, being so freakin’ perfect and turning my wonderfully comfortable life on its ass— Stop smiling, dammit! I can feel you smiling!”

As he looked down into her scowling face, his eyes glittered brighter. He bent down and kissed the snarl from her lips. “Can’t help it. I’m happy.”

“About turning me into a basket case?!”

He shrugged, blithely unapologetic. “You turned me into one.”

“I think you’ve always been crazy and you’ve now infected me with it,” she muttered.

“Sweetheart, that’s why they call it being crazy in love.”

She harrumphed and remained stubbornly silent.

His face turned serious then. “Dani, I’m not going anywhere. You can trust—”

“NO,” she cut him off in rough denial, her voice firm, distant. “Don’t promise me anything. Just don’t.”

Luke frowned, and she could see him struggling not to pry. She hadn’t told him anything about her past relationships. And she wasn’t going to.

“Dani,” he said quietly, “look at the universe’s track record with my life.” He shrugged self-deprecatingly. “Trust me, I know there are no guarantees in life. While I can’t make any guarantees, I can tell you what I do know. I know how I feel about you. And my not knowing what the future holds isn’t going to stop me from wanting you in my life.” He turned her face up to his. “What I need to know is if that’s enough for you to let me be a real part of your life too.”