Overheard (8 page)

Before he could knock, Jeremy opened the door and motioned for him to be quiet. He followed Jeremy inside and saw Gracie sound asleep on the couch.

“She’s wiped out,” Jeremy whispered. “She was pretty upset when she got here.”

Luke raked a hand through his hair and swore under his breath. What a mess. His gaze drifted back to Gracie, drinking in her appearance. He’d been so goddamn worried when she’d tore off in his truck. He and Wes had driven the entire way home afraid they’d find her wrecked on the side of the road.

“I’m going back to bed with my wife,” Jeremy said. “I don’t know what all is going on between you and Gracie, but I know she’s hurting.”

“Thanks for calling me,” Luke said softly.

“No problem. I know how worried you were about her.”

Luke watched as Jeremy left the room and then he went to kneel beside the couch where Gracie lay. His chest tightened when he saw the evidence of her tears. Tenderly, he stroked her hair away from her cheek then he leaned forward and kissed her lips.

God, he didn’t like to see her hurting. He never had. She had a way of twisting him up on the inside that no other woman had ever managed to do.

He hated to wake her up. God knew she could use the sleep. So could he. But they had to talk. He had to make her understand.

“Gracie,” he whispered. “Gracie, sweetheart, wake up.”

She stirred, twisting her head slightly, a frown marring her face. Then she opened her gorgeous eyes and looked at him in confusion. Hurt filled her gaze, and he felt like someone sucker-punched him.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered.

He stroked his hand over her face, wanting to touch her, reassure himself that she was really okay.

“We need to talk, Gracie.”

She nibbled at her bottom lip then slowly nodded. “I know,” she said quietly.

“Will you come with me?” he asked. “I don’t want to hash everything out here with Jeremy and Michelle in the next room, and I don’t imagine you want to either.”

She pushed herself up on her elbow and struggled to sit up. He curled his hands around her waist and helped her upright.

“Okay,” she agreed.

He breathed a sigh of relief. He’d overcome the first obstacle. Getting her to listen. Now he just hoped he’d be successful in all he had to convince her of.

She stood up, a little shaky on her feet, and he reached out to steady her, but she stepped away. He collected her jacket and held it open for her.

She walked ahead of him out the door, and he carefully closed it behind them. He hurried for his truck, knowing she’d be cold.

He started the engine and turned the heat on high before backing out of the driveway. They didn’t speak as he drove toward his house. He didn’t know whether to be grateful she wasn’t yelling at him or worried that she was so quiet.

A few minutes later, he parked in his garage and looked over at her. “Come in so we can talk?”

Gracie stared at Luke for a long moment. He did look worried about her, and she hated that she’d acted so stupidly. She was still embarrassed as hell, but she’d just made things worse by running.

She finally nodded and opened the truck door to climb out. Luke waited for her in front of the truck and ushered her inside.

He had a gorgeous house. He’d moved into a spec house he’d built when he started developing the neighborhood. She’d always thought it too big for him, but it would be perfect for a family.

She sighed and directed her thoughts away from a family Luke may or may not have in the future.

Luke guided her into the living room and gestured for her to sit down on the couch. She perched on the edge, just wishing they could get the awkwardness over. She needed to beg forgiveness for being such a dipshit, and maybe, just maybe, they could one day go back to being friends again.

He stood a few feet away, looking uncomfortable. Poor guy probably didn’t know what the hell to say in the face of her assumptions. He was probably trying to figure out a way to let her down easy.

She sighed again. “Look, Luke, I’m sorry.”

He looked startled by her apology. He started to speak but she held a hand up. “Let me finish please.

She looked down at her hands and sucked in a few steadying breaths. Then she looked back up at him.

“I overreacted. I know that. And I made some assumptions I had no business making. It’s just that I wish you’d been level with me from the get-go. Just told me what you’d planned. You didn’t have to go through the whole charade of getting close to me. I thought…” She took another deep breath, willing herself not to crack. “I thought you were coming to care for me as more than a friend and that this weekend was a natural progression of that relationship. Silly, I know, but not knowing that you’d overheard my conversation and made plans to surprise me, well, it’s the only conclusion I could draw.”

He stared at her, mouth open. Then his eyes sparked. He was angry. Hell.

He strode over to where she sat on the couch and knelt down in front of her.

“Luke, I—”

“Gracie, shut up,” he said fiercely.

She blinked in surprise.

He blew out his breath in an angry puff then he yanked her to him, kissing her roughly, passionately. She had no time to react, and she was too shocked to do so.

He pulled away from her and collected her hands in his. “Gracie, I love you.”

Her mouth fell open. “But—”

“Not a word,” he said, his eyes still flashing angrily. “I swear I don’t know where you get some of those fool-headed notions of yours. I’m so tempted to turn you over my knee and spank your ass.”

Her cheeks warmed as she remembered him doing precisely that.

“This week has been the best week of my life, Gracie. And you’re the reason for that. Yeah, I overheard your conversation with Michelle. And yeah, it made me see you in a new light. It made me realize how much we had in common and how stupid I was for never seeing it, for never asking you out.

“Yes, I wanted to give you a weekend you’d never forget, but I also want to give you a lifetime of those weekends. You and me, tearing up the sheets, eating each other alive. Gracie, when I’m with you, I swear I don’t even think straight. The chemistry between us is off the charts. But more than that, you’re my best friend. I love you. I think I’ve always loved you, and I want to spend my life with you. There’s no one I have a better time with. No one who understands me like you do.

“I fucked up. I should have told you I heard you and Michelle talking, but honest to God, it never even occurred to me that things could go so terribly wrong. I planned to spend the weekend making all your fantasies come true and then I was going to get down on my knees and beg you to make
mine
come true by marrying me.”

Gracie stared at him in shock. Her mouth fell open and tears spilled over onto her cheeks.

“You love me?” she whispered.

“After a speech like that, can you doubt it?” he asked.

She laughed and put her hand up to cup his cheek. “Oh, Luke, I was such an idiot. I was so afraid. I’d fallen so hard for you, and in that moment, I was so afraid you didn’t feel the same.”

He gathered her in his arms and held on tight. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Gracie. I’d never do anything to hurt you on purpose.”

She hugged him back, trying to blink away the tears that streaked down her cheeks. Relief and euphoria like she’d never known rolled through her system.

He pulled slightly away and kissed her. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her so tenderly, so full of love that it was hard to hold the tears at bay.

“Will you marry me, Gracie?”

“Yes. Yes!”

She threw her arms around him again and peppered his cheek and neck with kisses.

The door leading from the garage to the kitchen slammed and Luke whirled around. Gracie saw Wes standing in the doorway to the living room, concern etched on his face.

“Gracie, are you all right?” he asked anxiously.

She looked at Luke and, at his nod, stood up and walked over to Wes.

“I’m fine, Wes. I’m sorry for blowing up like I did.”

“Ah hell, Gracie, no need to apologize.”

He walked forward and wrapped his arms around her. He squeezed her tight and stroked a hand through her hair.

“I’m sorry if we hurt you, girl. I’d cut off my right arm before doing anything to hurt you.”

He drew away and kissed her warmly on the lips. He let his tongue mingle with hers as his hands stroked up and down her back.

“I hope you don’t regret the weekend,” he said huskily. “You’re one special woman. Luke is a lucky man.”

She hugged him again. “He’s asked me to marry him.”

Wes pulled away from her and grinned. “And you said?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Well, hot damn. Congratulations. To both of you.”

He put his hand out to Luke then pulled him into a bear hug. “I’m gonna get on out of here and leave you two to sort things out.”

He ruffled Gracie’s hair. “Love you, girl.”

She smiled. “Love you, too, Wes. And I don’t regret this weekend.”

Fire blazed in his eyes. “I’m glad.”

He turned and walked back out to the garage, leaving Luke and Gracie standing there.

Luke pulled her into his arms and rested his cheek on top of her head. “Did you mean it? You’ll marry me?”

She smiled into his chest. “Just as soon as I can drag you to the altar.”

He loosened his hold on her and stuck his hand into his pocket. “I didn’t get you flowers for Valentine’s Day, but I hope this will make up for it.”

He pulled a small ring box from his pants and held it out to her.

She couldn’t breathe.

She opened it with shaky hands and saw a diamond ring nestled against black velvet.

“Oh, Luke, it’s beautiful!”

He tugged the ring from its perch and slid it onto her finger. “I love you, Gracie.”

She admired her ring for a moment then she looked into his eyes. Brilliant blue eyes that burned with love. Love for her.

“I love you, too,” she whispered.

In a heated Valentine weekend, Caleb and Jacqueline explore just how far their friendship can go.

Caleb and Jacqueline have been friends for nearly two years since he was engaged to her best friend. But now the engagement is over and Jack wonders where they stand. Jacqueline wants to maintain their friendship, but would prefer so much more.

Caleb invites her to spend Valentine weekend with him at a bed & breakfast since he had made the reservations long before he and Claire broke up. Though the breakup with Claire was only a month ago, the relationship between them had been over long before that. Caleb wants Jacqueline and is prepared to do anything to get her.

And he doesn’t just want her for the weekend, he wants her forever. Caleb uses every strategy in his erotic arsenal to convince her she is more than just his friend—she is the woman he loves.

Warning, this title contains explicit sex and graphic language.

A Valentine’s date gone wrong marks the beginning of a love that will last for all time.

Jena knows about vampires, particularly about the one who watches her every step, lest she somehow reveal her knowledge to the mortal world. Ian Sinclair would be her executioner should she even try to share her knowledge, but she doesn’t fear him. No, Ian bothers her on an even more elemental level. He's just too sexy for his own good—and hers.

Ian finds himself attracted to the all-too-mortal lady doctor, though he knows better. He’s been assigned to watch her, not seduce her, but seduction seems to be all he can think of when he looks at the gorgeous woman who works entirely too hard and has such sad eyes. He feels things he hasn’t felt in centuries when she’s around, including an unreasonable jealousy when he follows her on a Valentine’s date with one of her colleagues.

After the disastrous date, will they both be able to resist temptation when Jena invites the vampire in?

Warning, this title contains explicit sex and graphic language.