“You may be taking this a little too far, Leeni…”
Luke tried not to stare at his best friend’s tits, but with the combination of the tight shirt she wore and the new push-up bra she bragged about, they beckoned him.
“It’s all about the presentation. I’m not one of those stick-thin beauty queens, so I have to utilize my assets. It’s no different than staging your house before putting it on sale.”
“You’re not for sale.” Luke made a mental note to call his dentist. He had been grinding his teeth way too often lately.
“Obviously not. But I’m on the pursuit. I thought I’d have longer before my biological clock started chiming, but since I don’t, I have to buckle down.”
“I’ve never seen you wear so much make-up.” He didn’t like it, but he didn’t want to hurt her feelings, especially since she seemed so excited about the date she was preparing for.
She looked too damned sexy for his own good.
“Cosmo says gold is in. Too much?”
She closed her eyes and tilted her head up, then moved it side to side to give him a better look.
Her eyelids shined like glittering stars, but he was most enamored by the the way she bared her neck to him.
Would the guy she met tonight want to kiss her pulse? To touch her cheek and capture her lips? To bury his face between her generously endowed breasts?
“So what do you think?”
He suppressed the urge to groan and shifted to alleviate the discomfort in his jeans.
“You look great. He’ll be blown away.”
“I’d settle for him not being disgusted.”
Luke growled. “Why the hell would he be disgusted? You’re gorgeous.”
“You have to say that. You’re my best friend.” She reached into her make-up pouch and pulled out her lip gloss. “But believe me, I love you more for it.”
He caught himself watching her apply her lip gloss. Clearing his throat, he attempted to break the hypnotic spell.
He tried to remind himself why he couldn’t act upon his attraction.
They were best friends. He didn’t want to lose that. And she didn’t take him seriously as a potential partner, anyway.
She knew all his deep, dark secrets and his deeper, darker flaws. Yes, she accepted him, but a relationship would mean embracing all of those flaws. He couldn’t ask her to do that.
He didn’t even want a relationship. Probably never would. His veterinary practice took everything out of him, and he lost interest in women too quickly. She wanted a husband, kids, a marriage. A life.
Screwing her—no matter how good he imagined it could be—would only screw up their relationship.
He couldn’t risk it.
Not that she’d go along, anyway. She had made her feelings toward him clear from the very beginning.
“Whoa, deep thinker over there.”
He shook his head and rapidly blinked, attempting to tune back in.
“Sorry, I remembered something I forgot to do at work today. Did you ask me something?”
“Do you need to go back to the clinic?”
The clinic? No. Her bed? Yes.
“No, I can take care of it myself.” That didn’t answer her question… but yeah, he’d be taking care of it himself, that was for certain. This whole damn thing was probably because he hadn’t been with a woman in weeks. Not since catching his ex in the act. “In the morning, I mean. I don’t have to go back.”
“Do you think this shirt is too tight?”
Yes. Take it off.
“It’s perfect.”
“Is the flair at my waist enough to hide my muffin top? Ugh. What does it matter? He can take me or leave me. If he cares more about my chubby waist than he does about my personality, he can screw himself.”
Luke nodded his agreement, but he was still hanging on the words, “take me.”
He needed a cold shower. And a run. And a slap on the head, which she would happily deliver if she could read his mind.
She needed her best friend right now, so he’d better step up to the plate and be the guy she needed. She shouldn’t go into a date feeling vulnerable.
“All you have to do is be yourself, Leeni. He’d be crazy not to be wild about you.” He stepped forward and grabbed her upper arms. “You are stunning. I know you’re concerned about your weight, but when men look at you, they aren’t wondering what the number on your scale says. Your bra size, maybe. But you fill out those jeans too nicely to have a guy wondering if they’re a size three or a size twelve. Besides, none of the guys I know would even know the difference. When you walk into a room, you command it. You are regal. Your confidence is mesmerizing.”
He felt her muscles tighten under his palms. Loved the way her eyes fired up at his words.
“Why do you think I’m always acting like your bodyguard when we go out?”
She laughed.
“I figured it’s just that alpha dog thing you do so well. The reason all the dogs obey you so easily.”
She sucked in her lower lip, and he lost his train of thought.
“So you think I should put out tonight?”
“Hell no!”
Her laugh sounded more like a giggle, and if he didn’t get out of the room, she’d soon realize that he hadn’t left his erection behind at the bar the other night.
“Thanks for the pep talk, bestie.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him before he could stop her. She pushed her hips back as soon as she came in contact with his blazing erection. He closed his eyes, ashamed at the way he reacted.
He was supposed to be above this. He was supposed to be in control of his impulses and reactions. He didn’t want her to have to wonder if he’d start humping her leg at any given moment.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered, wanting to turn away, but needing to face this situation like a man. Even if he had become a teenager all over again.
“For the amazing words of wisdom? Don’t be.”
He wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or offended that she pretended not to notice.
He knew she had felt it. The damn thing practically tried to slink its way through his jeans to attack her. She had jumped back, and now she distracted herself in every way possible to avoid making eye contact.
“If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late. Thanks again, Lukey.”
“Good luck tonight. And do not let him make you feel like anything less than a goddess.”
She rolled her eyes. “As long as he doesn’t make me feel like a fat, ugly cow like some of the other guys on the website, I’ll be blown away.”
“What?” He hadn’t meant for his tone to be so aggressive, but how could anyone make her feel that way?
She waved a hand in the air, jangling her keys in the process.
“No biggie. Just some internet trolls being ugly.”
“You’d better go so I can saddle up my white horse and dig out my sword.”
“Leave it to my Lukey to defend my honor.” She playfully batted her eyelashes and clutched her hands together, positioning them under her chin.
“I’ll see you tonight.” He kissed her on the cheek, careful to keep his little enemy in check. “Be good.”
“Don’t wait up for me.” She paused at the door to wink at him, stirring his little fucker all over again.
Doomed. That was his new name.
***
Luke started his own account on the dating site specifically so he could spend the next hour tracking down the trolls and sending threatening messages to the ones whose contact information he could locate. He then spent another half hour posting links to articles about how to treat a woman, how to appreciate a woman for her entire being, and links to feminist organizations for women themselves to check out.
Disgusted with the way men treated women on these sites, he felt a little better when he was done.
Within minutes, he started getting requests from women who asked him to set up his profile so they could determine if they’d be a potential love match.
So hokey.
He logged off, feeling like his job there was done.
He tried to settle in to watch TV with Dagger. Dagger, old and worn down, fell asleep with his head on Luke’s lap before the show went to the first commercial break.
“You’re even lamer than me.” Luke scratched behind Dagger’s furry ears. Dagger moaned. “What do you think Mommy is up to now?”
Dagger had been a middle-aged pup when he had been tied up outside Luke’s clinic, desperately in need of medical care. The owners never came back. Luke had been living in an apartment building where pets weren’t allowed, but he had taken to the dog and knew he’d need ongoing health care to manage his problems. Aleen had just bought her house, and though she wasn’t ready to commit to having a dog of her own, she was more than happy to share custody with Luke. For years, Luke brought the dog to his clinic during the day and Dagger spent the nights at Aleen’s house. They coparented beautifully together, and the dog had bonded with both of them equally.
Now that he was older, Dagger preferred to stay home most of the time. They had employed a dog walker to visit him and take him out regularly since they both worked long hours and crazy shifts.
Luke checked his cell to see if Aleen had texted him yet. He had made her promise to check in when she arrived, even though she thought his theory of serial killers coming to Healing Springs to kill off the citizens one by one was a bit far-fetched. An hour had passed, and she hadn’t texted.
Luke reached for Aleen’s laptop from the table beside him, careful not to disturb the snoring golden retriever on his lap. Balancing the computer on the arm of the couch, he logged on and smiled when he realized Aleen had saved her sign in info for the dating site.
He didn’t read her messages—if she wanted to share them, she would—but he skimmed the subject lines until he found the confirmation of tonight’s date. He clicked on the guy’s face and read his profile.
Single. Six feet two inches tall. One hundred eighty pounds. Never married. No kids. Wants kids with the right woman. Dislikes seafood. Likes fine dining with the right woman. Works as an insurance executive in Boston. Lives in southern New Hampshire. Owns a two bedroom condo—desperately in need of a woman’s touch.
Something about the guy’s eyes seemed disingenuous. His profile sounded too good to be true. Carefully cultivated to lure hopeful women.
Luke copied his name and searched public records.
He found two men in New Hampshire with that name, and both were listed as married. Luke paid for the detailed profiles. One had three kids and a four bedroom home. Neither of the men owned a condo in their name.
Luke lifted Dagger’s head and held it in place until he could slip the couch pillow under it. Dagger opened his eyes for a brief moment, but quickly resumed his snoring. His paw twitched when Luke closed the cover of the laptop, but he didn’t stir.
Luke tried to resist the urge to drive to the restaurant, but Aleen hadn’t responded to the urgent text he sent.
He had no way of knowing what the guy’s intentions were, but since he clearly wasn’t who he said he was in his profile, he wasn’t up to any good.
“What would you do, Dagger?”
Dagger opened one eye. He waved a paw and settled back in for his nap.
“That’s what I thought. Go find her. Thanks for the advice, buddy.”
He’d keep a low profile and try to get her attention when the time was right. He’d explain what he had found, and she’d be grateful for his intervention.
He’d be sure to avoid making a scene so she could maintain her dignity.