Deceived (16 page)

Sarah lay in bed listening to Luke's deep voice through the bedroom wall, trying to hear what he was talking about but not having any luck. She heard her name and Eli's more than once, but didn't know what he was saying. The call had been going on for three hours. Chances were, the parts she'd wanted to hear had been before she'd even gone to bed anyway.

She tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable but not having any luck. Finally, she heard Luke leave the office, his boots pounding the floor in furious strides. Before she could second-guess herself, she threw off her covers and padded softly to the doorway and into the hall, hoping to catch him. But his bedroom was empty.

Frowning, she made her way down the stairs and searched each of the rooms, but still nothing. Finally, she headed toward the one room Luke hadn't shown her during the tour of the house. The door was ajar, lamplight spilling out into the dark hallway.

She put a hand on the door to push it open, but hesitated when she heard the first few notes of music. They were soft, quiet at first, gentle. Someone was playing the piano—and beautifully. She listened intently but didn't recognize the piece.

She eased the door open just a little further. Luke sat at the baby grand piano with his profile to the door, his head down, his eyes closed as he played. Sarah watched in utter fascination, wondering if she would ever have the chance to truly know the man before her, wondering if
anyone
had ever had the chance to truly know him. The way he'd fought the man who'd attempted to abduct Eli had told her he was fierce, deadly. And his reaction to the man in town had been swift.

And in spite of the few moments he'd shared more than she imagined he had intended about his past, he'd been stoic, closed off. But then there were the moments of gentleness that spoke of a soul far more intricate and beautiful than what he seemed willing to admit.

And then there were the kisses they'd shared ... passionate and demanding, and yet tender.

As he played, her lids grew heavy and she slid down the wall to sit in front of the doorway, determined to hear more but suddenly too tired to stand. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her....

“Hey.”

Sarah started awake, disoriented for a moment, wondering why in the world she was sitting on the floor in a T-shirt and pajama pants. But then she saw Luke crouched down in front of her and she realized she must've dozed off while listening to him play.

“Sorry,” she whispered, not sure why she felt the need to keep her voice low. “I couldn't sleep.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Clearly.”

She laughed sleepily. “Okay, I couldn't sleep
before
now. I heard you come downstairs and didn't want to disturb you while you were playing. It was too beautiful. So I just thought I'd sit here and listen for a moment and must've dozed off.”

“So, you're saying my playing is a cure for insomnia?” he teased.

She liked this teasing, playful side of Luke. And she had a feeling people didn't get to see it very often. “Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying,” she said with a grin. “So where did you study?”

He laughed—deep, smooth. Like velvet, the sultry sound of his laughter slid across her skin. “I didn't study anywhere. My mom played a little and taught me what she knew. The rest I just . . . learned.”

This brought Sarah fully awake. “You taught yourself how to play like that? Luke, I studied for years growing up and can't play that well. That's incredible.”

He stood and extended his hand. “Nah, it was just something to do. And then, when I joined the Alliance, we were encouraged to do something to relax and ‘improve the mind,' keep balanced. Finn meditates or surfs, depending on where he is at the time. Jack fences. The commander—hell, I'm honestly not sure what Will does. Some of the guys do martial arts, woodwork, whatever. I play the piano. It was something I knew I enjoyed. I used to spend a lot of hours doing nothing on some missions, so I played music in my head sometimes, running through the notes. You know.”

Sarah shook her head as she took his hand and rose to her feet. “No, I don't. Will you show me?”

His brows lifted. “What, right now? It's late.”

“Just a short piece,” Sarah prompted.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “All right. But only if you play as well. I'm sure you're better than you think.”

She shrugged. “Okay, if you want to put yourself through that torture . . .”

They took a seat next to one another on the piano bench, but Luke's broad shoulders made it difficult for them both to comfortably get situated. “Here,” Luke said, sliding his arm around her back to reach around to the keys to her right. “How's that?”

Sarah slid a little closer until she was pressed against his side. Every nerve came alive with awareness. She cleared her throat, trying to focus on the sheet music in front of her. Then her eyes went wide with surprise as she realized why she hadn't recognized the piece he'd been playing. “
You
composed this.”

She felt him shrug. “It's not great. I've had a tune in my head the last couple of days and needed to get it down on paper.”

She reached out to let her fingers skim over the notes on the page. It was a fairly straightforward composition, but it was beautiful in its simplicity. “What's it called?”

He hesitated, but then said, “It doesn't have a title.”

She gave it one last perusal, getting a feel for the notes, and then began to play. But the heat of Luke's body seeped through the thin material of her T-shirt, making her stumble over the keys, striking notes as clumsily as she had when she'd been forced to perform in her recitals as a child.

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest, vibrating into her. “Here,” he said, his fingers sliding over hers. “Like this. Gently, softly . . . like a lover's caress.”

Sarah let her lids drift shut for a brief moment as his fingers stroked over hers, guiding her gently through the piece. When they played the final note of the first movement, she turned her head to offer him a smile and found his face just a breath away.

It would've taken just the slightest movement by either of them to complete the kiss that hovered in that moment between them. But then Luke pulled back and shifted on the bench so that he was straddling it.

“That wasn't so bad, was it?” he asked softly.

Sarah smiled. “No. Not bad at all.” She cocked her head to one side, studying him, trying to figure out the man who was turning out to be far more complicated than he'd at first seemed. “You have a gentle soul, Luke.”

His dark brows twitched together in a frown. “No. I don't. I wish I did.” He brought his hand up, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. “If for no other reason than I hate the thought of disappointing you. I like the way you see me—even if it's untrue.”

Sarah shook her head. “How could you possibly—”

“I was a mercenary, Sarah,” he blurted, letting his hand fall away. “You asked what I was doing when I was recruited into the Alliance. That was it. I'd left Special Forces to work for a special black-ops team run by the government. The shit I did during those two years . . . if you knew the half of it, you wouldn't look at me like I'm some kind of fucking hero.”

Sarah recoiled, unable to believe what he was saying. “That's not true. I'm sure there's more to it than that.”

“I like to think I never took out anyone who didn't deserve it,” he admitted. “But most of the time, I didn't really question my orders. Not until one particular job. That's when Jack's path crossed mine. Thank God he kicked my ass and knocked some sense into me. But there's still something cold inside me, Sarah.”

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked. “Are you trying to make me dislike you?”

“I just don't want you thinking I'm something I'm not,” he told her.

She turned and straddled the bench as well so that she was facing him. “And what
are
you, Luke Rogan? Because you seem like a pretty damned remarkable man to me. And if not for you, my son and I might not be alive. So you can tell me whatever you want, keep me at arm's length if that's your intent. But I know what I've witnessed. I know what I've felt. And I believe there's more to you than you care to admit.”

Luke stared at her for a long moment, then allowed a smile to curve his lips. “You're one stubborn woman, you know that?”

“So I've been told.” She stifled a yawn and stretched, belatedly realizing that she was braless and that her nipples were hard and growing harder by the second.

But instead of being embarrassed, her breath grew shallow when she noticed Luke's gaze snap up from her chest. “I should get you to bed,” he said, his voice rough as he rose and extended a hand. He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head a little as if realizing what he'd said. “Shit. That sounded like a really lousy come-on.”

She laughed and let him pull her to her feet. “Oh, it's not so bad as come-ons go,” she teased.

“I'll need to step up my game,” he said leading her toward the stairs. “No one's going to keep buying that you're my girlfriend if I act like an idiot every time I open my mouth around you.”

“It's been quite a while since I've dated anyone,” she said around another yawn, “but as I recall, acting like an idiot around the object of your desire is pretty much standard operating procedure.”

His thumb smoothed over her skin. “Well, then maybe I'm doing better than I thought.” He glanced her way, looking suddenly sheepish as they reached her bedroom door. His gaze locked with hers and she could feel the tension in the air. He bent forward as if he was going to kiss her again, but then cursed under his breath and straightened.

But Sarah grabbed his hand before he could pull away. “It's not okay.”

* * *

Luke frowned, too distracted by the hard peaks of her breasts beneath her shirt to understand exactly what she was talking about. “Sorry?”

“When we were in the kitchen,” she explained. “You said that putting the brakes on like I did was okay. But it's not.” She edged a little closer, cautiously. “It wasn't fair for me to come on to you and then push you away. I'm just . . . confused. I haven't wanted to be with anyone since Greg died. But things are different with you, Luke. Because I do. Want to be with you.”

Luke wasn't sure what to do or say. He peered down at her for a long moment, wanting desperately to kiss her again, to touch her, to hold her close and smooth her hair—if for no other reason than to soothe away the frown of confusion she wore. But he kept his arms at his sides, refusing to give in to his urges.

“If you just want a warm body, Sarah,” he finally said, “I'll give you whatever you need. Hell, a man would have to be a total dumb-ass to walk away from an offer like that. But not until you're ready.”

“And you don't think I'm ready?” she asked.

“I know you're not,” he said. “Not at this very moment. You admitted you're confused. But even if you hadn't said a word, I could've seen it in your face.”

She drew back a little at this, looking slightly offended. “And you know me so well after just a couple of days together?”

God, had it only been a few days? It seemed as if she'd been in his life longer than that.

“Yeah, I think I do,” he told her. “And I know that you're not the kind of woman to just fuck and run, Sarah.” When her brows lifted in surprise, he quickly amended, “But
I've
never been with any woman more than one night. I don't get attached. I can't afford to.”

“I'm not asking you to change that,” Sarah assured him. “I don't
expect
anything from you. I just don't want you thinking that I'm a tease or that I'm toying with you or that I'm using you. It's not like that.”

He felt like a total asshole for making her think he'd ever feel that way about her. “Jesus, Sarah, are you shitting me? I'd be even more of a bastard if I could blame you for being confused right now.” Against his better judgment, he smoothed along the curve of her lovely face with the back of his fingers, his balls going tight when her eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted slightly on a gasp at his touch.

When she opened her eyes again, her gaze holding his in a heated stare, he almost forgot that he was trying to be a gentleman. And when she pulled him down to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, his self-control completely deserted him.

His arms went around her, and he returned her kiss with a languid sweep of his mouth against hers. But he forced himself to end the kiss far sooner than he would've liked and released her with a sigh, wondering where in the hell all this fucking chivalry was coming from anyway....

“Good night, Sarah,” he said softly, backing away toward his own bedroom. He paused in his doorway and sent a glance her way, holding her gaze a long moment before entering his room and shutting the door.

* * *

Sarah let her head fall back against the wall and closed her eyes, focusing on the lingering warmth of Luke's lips upon hers, the feel of his arms around her. Finally, with a disappointed sigh, she slipped into her own room.

But sleep evaded her. She lay awake, waiting, hoping that any moment now he'd return and knock on her door. But no knock came. She could hear him tossing and turning in the room next to hers. And then she heard him pacing. But he never took the extra steps that would lead him to her bed.