Page 94 of The Duke's Virgin
I put the book on the table next to where I’d been sitting and headed to the kitchen, slipping out the double french doors to the covered back porch. The fresh, clean scent of the air filled my head, and I crossed over to stand by the railing. The wind had the rain blowing at an angle away from me, but still, a few raindrops hit.
I didn’t care.
Lightning split the sky, and the scent of ozone filled the air.
An afterimage of the jagged streak left an imprint on my eyelids even after the bolt had disappeared. Had it hit something, I wondered? Destroyed it?
Implacably, I thought of Luka.
Hewas lightning. He’d struck me, right in the heart and destroyed me.
I shoved the thought aside immediately, pissed off by the idea. No, he hadn’t destroyed me, and I wouldn’tlethim. He might have left me feeling scorched and burned, but that stuff could heal. Covering my belly protectively, I said, “It’s going to be all right, tidbit. You and I can do this.”
I didn’t need anybody else.
There was another blast of lightning, and the wind kicked up, shifting and sending a wall of rain at me.
It was cold and bracing, and I jumped back, gasping.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow and whirled, panic lurching into my throat as I caught sight of the tall, looming form at the far edge of the deck.
Amber eyes connected with mine, and the strength drained out of me until I had to slap a hand against the column near me just to stay upright. I locked my knees for good measure.
He took a step toward me, and I shook my head, blinking the water out of my eyes. I had to be imagining things. Had to.
But Luka kept coming.
When he was five feet away, the weird paralysis snapped, and I backed up.
He froze.
Throat tight and scratchy, I said, “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.” His eyes roamed all over me, searching my face then moving lower.
It wasn’t a sexual look, but it was intimate, and I crossed my arms protectively over my chest.
“Why?” I asked sourly. “Are you here to slap legal papers at me, threatening to sue me if I say a fucking thing about you or your family? If I come near you in public? Relax. That willnotbe an issue. I don’t even plan on stepping foot in Europe any time in the foreseeable future. I’ll just Skype with Aeric and the rest of my family, or they can visit me here.”
His mouth spasmed as he looked away.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was embarrassed.
I didn’t care.
I wanted himoutof there.
“Come on, give me whatever it is you want me to sign.” I snapped my fingers impatiently. “Although, whyyoubrought them, I don’t know. Surely you have an assistant who would have been happy to spare you the indignity of dealing with a barracuda like me.”
“Stop it,” Luka said, looking back at me, hollow-eyed.
“Stop what?” I gave him an innocent look. “I’m just trying to expedite things. I’mtired, I have a headache, and I want to go lay down.”
Instantly, his expression changed, eyes widening in alarm. “Are you well?” His eyes dropped to my belly, and his mouth parted slightly.
My cheeks flushed as he stared at me. Turning away, I marched back over to the waist-high railing and stared back over the lake.Get home, Emmett. I didn’t know how to deal with this.
Why in thehellhadn’t I gone with them to Lexington?
