JAX: MC Biker Romance (New Adult Contemporary Bad Boy Romance) (23 page)

“I’m so sorry Christina, but I can’t. I am just so busy at the moment.” I said apologetically.

“Oh” Christina said, disappointment evident in her voice, “I guess it was rather last minute, but I did try and call you earlier.” I hated hurting my oldest friend, but I couldn’t risk Christina finding out that I was still living here and working the same job I did in high school. But most of all, how could I face Luke again, knowing how I had left things and the secrets I kept from him.

Chapter 4

Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the doors to the house that I technically owned. I hadn’t been here before, but I could see why it had cost almost a quarter of my signing bonus. It was lavish with ornate marble and wood finishing, and the very opposite to the house that I had grown up in. There was a steady buzz coming from the crowds of people that filled it, none that I knew.

“There he is!” Looking up, I could see my dad standing at the top of the stairs, and I instantly smiled. I hadn’t seen my parents for the best part of the year and I hadn’t come home in almost four. Every time I saw them, I realized how much I had missed them. At the sound of my dad’s voice, the buzz quietened and people turned around to stare. I didn’t have more than a moment to think about this before I was swept into my dad’s arms and given a firm hug.

“It’s good to have you home,” he said, as he pulled away from me.

“It’s not really my home anymore dad. This is certainly not where I grew up,” I said, looking around.

“No, no it isn’t boy, and I am thankful for that!” The buzz returned, as people drifted back to their conversations, forgetting about my arrival.

“Who are all these people?” I asked, letting my dad lead me from the foyer into the kitchen, his arms draped around my shoulders. He shrugged, letting me go so he could retrieve two cans of beer from the fridge.

“I don’t know who half of them are. Wedding planners, T.V crews, who knows.” He took a sip of his beer, “and who cares,” he whispered carefully as if being afraid of being overheard.

“Look who it is!” Turning around, I could see my dad’s boss, Bill WilLukes, cross the lounge and make a beeline in my direction.

My dad gave a rueful shake of his head before turning his attention back to his beer can. Behind Bill, I could see several other local’s heading in my direction.

“Hey Mr. WilLukes,” I said, reaching out my hand, giving Bill’s hand a firm shake.

“The town hero,” Bill said, a wide grin on his face. The people behind him all laughed and smiled in my direction. I smiled. I would be lying if I said I didn’t love the attention, but here in my home town, it seemed pretentious and out of place. I had known these people my whole life. They all fired a million questions my way, and I tried to answer as many of them as I could, all the while searching for a way out. Over the head of Mrs. Beasley, my high school English teacher, I could see my sister standing and watching, a wide grin on her face. Pushing herself off the wall, she slipped through the crowd and grabbed onto my arm firmly.

“Give me a moment with my brother,” she said kindly, before pushing me through the crowd and out the patio doors onto the deck, which overlooked a large garden. All around gardeners and laborers worked, intent on transforming the garden and putting up numerous marquees.

“I can’t believe your getting married,” I said, turning toward my sister. She raised a glass of champagne to her lips before turning back to me.

“I can’t believe I’m getting married
here,
and that you came back,” she said with a smile.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’s going to be… a spectacle,” I concluded, as I watched the workers frantically trying to set up for the wedding of the century.

“You wouldn’t believe who I had lunch with yesterday,” Christina teased.

“Who?”

“Skye.” Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. All the emotion that I had kept under lock and key started to bubble in the pit of the stomach. That was twice in one day that I had thought about Skye.

“Oh yeah?” I said, trying to sound casual. “What’s she up to these days?” Christina paused for a moment before turning to look at me.

“You know, she was so damn mysterious about it all. I wouldn’t have a damn clue.” Why hadn’t I thought about this before? Of course, Skye would have been invited to Christina’s wedding. The pair of them were inseparable growing up and had only talked about their wedding day nonstop for nearly a decade.

“Is she coming to the wedding?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Now that I knew she was in town, I was going to find Skye Flynn, and finally, get the answers that I damn well needed. Why had she broken it off with me, and why didn’t she have the guts to say it to my face.

“Well, that’s the damn strangest thing. I asked her to come and she said she was busy!”

“You know Skye, she’s always got a hair in the wind, but she wouldn’t miss it for the world. So, is she staying in town?” Christina shrugged.

“Why the sudden interest in Skye? Actually, she didn’t say where she lived or if she was even livin’ back here.”

“No interest at all. I just find it strange that your high school best friend wouldn’t want to come to your wedding. It is the wedding of the decade,” I teased, trying to deflect Christina from my questioning.

“Your right, she’s like that, she’ll come anyway…” Christina chatted away excitedly about all her plans for the wedding, but her voice faded into the distance. There was only one thing on my mind and that was Skye. This was a small town, and there were only so many places to hide.

Chapter 5

I scrubbed the table furiously, my hand flying across its surface trying to scrub the stains of some unknown sauce in preparation for the next set of customers. I didn’t hear the quiet hush that came over Mitchell’s, my thoughts once again anywhere but here. It was only when I felt a presence over me that I looked up to realize that a hush had fallen over the diner. Turning slowly, I was not prepared for who I saw standing behind me.

“Hello Skye,” Luke said with a wolfish grin. I felt the blood drain from my face, and I felt like I was going to pass out. “They told me you still worked here.”

“Who?” I managed to stammer.

“Just about everybody, and your folks, though they were none too happy to see me. Just muttered something about being a sinner and slammed the door right in my face.”

“Sounds about right,” I whispered, looking straight at the floor. I couldn’t meet his gaze. All the feelings and emotions that I had pushed down deep inside me bounded toward the surface, clambering over one another to be the first to emerge.

“Can we sit for a minute?” He was standing so close to me now that I could feel the heat of his breath on my neck.

“I can’t. I’m at work, Luke” I bit back furiously, anger being the first to emerge. How dare he turn up like this. I could feel the stares of the customers, as they watched big shot Luke Wallace talking to a small town girl like me.

“I’m sure you have time for a break,” he took the choice away from me. Taking the cloth gently out of my hand and throwing it onto the counter, he slid into the booth and looked at me expectantly.

“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth, as I sat down opposite him. He hadn’t changed a bit. His blonde hair was now slightly longer, but he still had the same piercing blue eyes that could read me like a book.

“How have you been, Skye?” He asked warmly. The sight of his smile made my heart beat faster. I had always loved his smile. It made his eyes dance and he had the most amazing set of dimples.

“I’ve been good, real good.” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to relax.

“I gotta say I’m surprised to find you back here. You were always on a path outta here.”

“Yeah, well the music thing didn’t quite work out. Turns out I kinda missed this place when I was gone. Thought I would come home for a little while and figure out what comes next.”

“Don’t stay here too long Skye. You're too talented for that.” I shrugged in response.

“Look at you, Luke Wallace, big shot running back playing in the NFL. Looks like at least one of us is living our dreams” I said lightheartedly. Luke scoffed.

“Yeah, it is pretty great.” If there was one thing I remembered about Luke, it was that he was born without a bone of modesty. “You’re looking good, Skye,” Luke said appraisingly. I felt myself blush. I had always been slim, but since Emmy was born, I had developed some serious curves.

“And, you’re looking much the same.”

“Can’t change perfection” Luke teased. I found myself smiling. I had known Luke most of my life and there was a large part of me that missed him terribly. His eyes darkened, “are you seeing anyone?” he asked. I shook my head.

“Nope, just going solo these days. It’s easier and less complicated, but I bet you can’t beat off the ladies fast enough.”

“Something like that, but you know me, Skye, I’d rather be a one woman man.” There was no doubting his tone, and I hesitated for a minute. Was Luke flirting with me or was I imagining it? “It would be good to catch up properly while we are both in town, maybe over dinner.” It wasn’t a question, but more of a statement. I shook my head.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Luke.”

“Were still friends, aren’t we Skye?” Luke frowned, and my stomach turned summersaults.

“Luke, of course we are,” I whispered. “But, if we are seen together, it will be all over the papers by the morning,” Luke shrugged.

“I don’t care.”

“I do, Luke. You might be used to it, but I’m not.” The last thing that I needed was whirlwind Luke to come back into my life only to leave again. His reputation with the ladies hadn’t escaped me. Every magazine and tabloid delighted in spilling the gossip of Luke’s playboy lifestyle. I had to protect my heart this time. It had taken too long to pick up the pieces the last time. “I have to get back to work,” I said, excusing myself and rising from the table. “Goodbye Luke,” I added, before turning my back and walking toward the storeroom, tears threatening to spill.

His hands trailed across my naked body, his fingers tracing light circles on my skin. Luke lowered his lips onto mine, his lips soft and salty, the taste of whiskey lingering on them. I giggled, reaching up and pulling him closer to me. “I could get used to this, Luke Wallace” I whispered into his ear before returning his kiss.

The sound of the door opening and closing brought me out of my daydreams and back into reality. Looking up, I saw Maria come rushing up to me.

“Was that
the
Luke Wallace!” Maria exclaimed. I couldn’t help but smile at my friend’s enthusiasm.

“Yes, that was
the
Luke Wallace” I teased.

“What’s he doing back in town?”

“He’s back for Christina’s wedding.” I looked out past Maria back into the diner to see that the table was empty. What did Luke want? What did I want? It wasn’t simple, but there was one thing I knew and that was that nobody would ever understand me the way Luke did, and I knew he felt the same. But, Luke was famous now with a reputation that couldn’t be ignored. Fame changes people, and Luke had definitely had more than his fair share.

Chapter 6

The bell above the door of the diner tinkled, and I looked up. A few questions to the right person revealed that Skye finished her shift every day at 7 PM sharp. She was so busy looking at her phone that she didn’t see me standing there waiting for her until she was right on top of me.

“Kinda like old times,” I said, as she walked into my waiting arms, her head jerked back and her cheeks reddened.

“Sorry Luke. Wait, what are you doing here?” Skye stepped back, pulling her arms away from mine.

“I thought we could talk some more. I missed you.”

“What would you like to know, Luke” Skye sighed. I cocked my head to the side. This was not the Skye I once knew.

“I want to know all about you, Skye. What have you been up to the last few years?”

“Working mainly. Really, my life is not that exciting, as compared to the life of a football player.” Skye smiled. It was the first genuine smile that I had seen from her since coming back to town. She was still beautiful with gorgeous long black hair and stunning green eyes and a killer smile.

“It’s pretty great,” I admitted, “the fame, the fortune, life on the road… and I get paid to do what I love.” Skye considered this for a second.

“I am real happy for you, Luke. I am so glad that you have everything you ever wanted.”

“Not everything,” I murmured. The intent behind my words was not lost on Skye who diverted her gaze.

“I have to go, Luke, but it was really good to see you again.” I could have kicked myself. Here I was trying to win back a woman that clearly still didn’t feel the same way.

“Yeah, you too, Skye.” I couldn’t hide in the bitterness of my voice and Skye jerked back, as if I had slapped her. She hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to say something, but choose not to. Turning her back on me once more, she headed down the road and out of my sight.
You’re a fool, Luke,
I told myself. She
ended it with you, she’s clearly not into you, and; of course, you want the one woman in the world that doesn’t want you.