It won’t last, that quiet, familiar voice in my head insists. Things like this never do.
Maybe not.
But it can last for as long as I’m here, and that’s something. Even if it’s only a few more days before reality pulls me back.
I exhale slowly. It hurt like hell the first time I left. I don’t even want to think about what it’s going to feel like to do it again. Luke’s already moving around the back for my bags, when Reid clears his throat.
“Guys,” he says, his tone edged with something more serious. “There’s something we should discuss.”
“Relax,” Luke replies easily, pulling back from me. “I already know what you’re going to say.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. We keep it under wraps in front of the clients and try not to be obnoxious about the fact that we’re all fucking.”
Reid gives him a look that could cut glass but doesn’t argue. Instead, he steps in closer and presses a soft kiss to my forehead, his hand briefly brushing my cheek.
“I’ll see you later,” he says quietly, holding my gaze. “I need to check in with Amanda.”
“Okay,” I reply. He leans in again, brushing his lips against mine, lingering just long enough that it feels like more than a goodbye. His eyes stay on mine for a few seconds after, something unspoken passing between us, before he finally stepsback and turns away. I watch him go, that same strange mix of warmth and uncertainty settling low in my chest.
“So he can be romantic when he wants to be,” Luke comments, and I glance at him. He smiles, easy and knowing. “I always wondered what he’d be like when he met a woman he actually wanted. I’ve never seen him like that with anyone else. Not once. Except you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“How long have you known him?”
“It’ll be… almost five years now. I met him when he was in a pretty dark place. Then again, so was I.”
Five years. That lands heavier than it should.
If they met around then, it means they came into each other’s lives right after Reid and I broke up. Which means Luke hasn’t seen him with anyone in all that time. Not once.
That’s… insane.
I didn’t quite believe it when Reid said it. It sounded like something people say to make a point. But Talon confirmed it. Now Luke has too.
He really has been alone this whole time.
Or at least… without anyone that mattered.
How? Why?
Reid always had women around him. Always. Back when we were together, and even before that, there was never a shortage. Someone laughing too loudly at his jokes, someone touching his arm a little too often, someone waiting for their turn.
And yet, he never cheated. Not once.
That had been the one solid thing between us. The one thing I never questioned.
But before me… he’d been different. Looser. Less contained.
So what changed?
“Penny for your thoughts,” Luke murmurs, brushing his lips lightly against my forehead. The contact sends a small, unexpected shiver down my spine.
“Just thinking about what you said.”