Chapter Two

The sly look narrowing in the woman’s eyes backed Emma up a few steps. She blinked and then peeked at the silent, controlled man near her. “Luke and I—”

“Look Rebecca,” the man said at the same time, stealing an apologetic look her way. “Emma and I are…friends.”

Friends? What is the man talking about? All Luke was to her was the lawyer who represented the asshole who got her pregnant, and all she was to him was someone to force out of his brother’s life. It didn’t matter if she had no intention of making the man do the right thing. The lawyer thought it necessary to make her sign a stupid agreement—two agreements—so his brother would be free of his responsibility.

“So how long have you known each other?” Luke’s friend asked. “I don’t remember Mark mentioning you were dating—”

“I’m not dating him.” Emma stepped closer to her. “I was dating his—”

“Hey, Emmie, give it up.” His stiff arm wrapped around her waist, his hand settling light into the curve of her hip. “Rebecca found out, so…”

She froze in place, yet he didn’t drop his arm from her. Instead he bumped her hip in a gentle way, sending a hot rush of fire through her system. She lost her breath for a second before gasping one in loud, fighting the unexpected shivers traveling over her arms. What was wrong with her? Why was she allowing this man to manhandle her like his brother used to do? Why wasn’t she jerking away from him?

“Wow, I’m glad you found someone, Luke.” Rebecca stepped in front of her. “Even though I’ve no idea what her name is.” She mocked glared at Luke. “I’m a bit hurt you didn’t tell me.”

Before she could stop the words, Emma said, “My name is Emma Cook.”

“Emma is such a pretty—” Her bright blue eyes widened at the same time as her mouth spread opened in astonishment. “Cook? Are you a part of the catering company?”

She glanced at Luke and then nodded. “My family owns it. I manage the office. My mother and younger sister take care of the cooking and baking.”

“Oh, wow.”

The woman’s reaction shook her. “Why?”

“My wedding planner, Meg, just called to tell me she secured my wedding date in August with your company.”

“Emma is your caterer?”

Something in the man’s voice tore her eyes off the other woman and onto him. He looked worried, upset. But why?

“Yes,” Rebecca said. “Meg told me they—” She pointed toward her. “That they were the best in the area.”

Emma was proud of that.

“Yet for some reason Mark wasn’t happy about it,” she said, placing her hand on the top of the chair. “I got him to change his mind, though.”

“Mark?” The arm around her waist tightened, fingers spreading over the left side of her stomach. She pushed away from him. “Your brother?”

Luke nodded.

“No.” Now she understood why he was holding her this way. Once again he was protecting his asshole of a brother. “No.”

Joyful laughter rang through the room. “Oh, looks like your lady knows my man.”

“Oh, you can say that?” Long, smooth fingers pressed hard into her stomach, stopping her from voicing what she thought of her man. She twisted her head toward Luke, catching a pleading look in his eyes. “Oh, I can’t talk about him.”

A musical sound rang in the room. Rebecca pulled a cell from her open coat pocket and grinned. “Oops, speaking of Mark.” She twisted away from them and answered it. “Hey, honey.”

Luke shook his head, a cross between remorse and imploring burning in his eyes. Emma leaned as far from him as his still tight hold would allow and studied his conflicting expression. Her temper flared hot inside at his action, burning up into her throat. “Still fixing things for him?”

The blue of his eyes darkened almost black before he sighed and gentled his fingers down her cheek, pressing a lock of her shoulder-length hair away from her face. Her skin tingled under his touch. The corner of his mouth lowered into a slight frown, eyes widening in stunned disbelief. He traced his finger lightly to her chin.

“Yeah, you two are just…friends.”

It took everything in her to pull her gaze from the man, yet she finally managed it. Rebecca stepped into her line of sight, friendly look focused on her. “Luke has been alone for two and a half years, did he tell you that?”

She shook her head.

Her smile widened. “I was about ready to start introducing him to some of my friends.”

“Oh?”

“Looks like I won’t need to now.” She placed her phone into her pocket and zipped her coat. “Mark is waiting for me in his office so I’ll leave you two alone.”

“Rebecca, Emma and I are only friends,” Luke said, an urgent plea deepening his tone. “Maybe someday we’ll be more, but not yet.”

Only friends? Someday maybe we’ll be more? Panic shook her at the wrongness of this whole situation. Emma pulled away from his loosening arms and slide past the surprised shorter woman. Luke called her name. She ignored him.

Ice-cold wetness dampened her blouse when she raced from the building to her car, forcing her to tighten her arms around her middle. Beating rain flowed down her cheeks, chilling her face in a blast of bitter October wind. She wiped hard at her eyes and looked at her tiny car, sitting alone in the empty parking lot. Alone like she felt now, alone and foolish for thinking this man was any different than his asshole brother. Emptiness erupted deep into her. Pain.

“Emma?”

She wiped the raindrops away. Or were they tears? “Leave me alone.”

“Here’s your coat,” he said, opening it for her. “You’ll freeze.”

As if out of her control, she raised her arms and allowed him to slip it onto her body. She grabbed the edges and tightened it around her. “Thank you.”

“You need to get in your car.”

“Yes,” she said, seeing no reason to deny the obvious. “But it’s not your problem.”

“I…had to do it.”

“Yes.” She jerked the few steps to her door, found her keys and unlocked it. Slipping inside, she shut the door on the now crouching man. Rain dinged hard on the rooftop. “You had your say. Now just leave me be.”

His coat opened in the rainy wind, plastering the pristine white dress shirt tight to his chest. Emma tore her look from it to his face, clamping her hands into fist. Even wet this man looked too fine.

“Wait here.”

Emma shook her head, but didn’t place the key into the ignition.

“The weather is crazy,” he said, tapping on the window to get her attention. He pointed in the direction of the other cars. “I’ll get my car and follow you home.”

“No.”

“Emma, please.”

The pleading was back in his voice, the guilt. A blurry vision wavered near her window a second as her eyes filled with tears again. She needed to start her car and drive away, yet her hands refused to move the key to the ignition. He was the enemy, even though he acted as if he truly wanted to be a friend.

“Give me a minute, Emma.”

He disappeared out of view. She closed her eyes, taking in a couple of deep breaths. A powerful engine roared in the sudden silence of the wind, and then a horn blared. She jerked her head up and her key into the ignition, starting her vehicle and following the dark car to the main road. He pulled to the side and slowed, allowing her to drive past.

Rain pounded the windshield with a ferocity that matched her troubled emotions. She clamped her hands around the wheel at the two and the ten positions, keeping her tear-filled eyes focused on the brake lights of the car in front of her. Sooner than she thought possible considering the weather and her turmoil, she reached the exit and turned off the freeway. The wheels hydroplaned slightly off the road, startling out a breath. She righted the vehicle and sped up.

Minutes later, Emma turned into the driveway of her one-story home. Her tears had stopped falling, eyesight was clearer, yet she still only saw that paper she’d signed. That paper that was now void because of Luke’s action.

“Emma, you’re going to freeze.”

If she froze out here, wouldn’t that solve her problem? No baby, no fake boyfriend, no catering job for the fiancé of—

“No.”

“Emma?”

What was wrong with her? She clutched the keys tight in her hands and gripped at the door knob, opening it so quickly Luke had to step back. She slipped out of the car, locked it and moved toward her front door. She left it open for Luke. It closed with a click behind her and then silence filled the room.

“You just messed everything up.” His continued quiet caused her to face him. “Uncle George isn’t going to be pleased.”

A lop-sided grin broke over his sullen face. “Neither is my brother.”

Shouldn’t she be angry with him? Yet, instead of a heated response, her shoulders sagged in defeat. Rarely in her life, had she been so unsure of what to do. “All I wanted was to be free of your brother. That’s all.”

“You are free, Emma.”

“Am I?” She studied him for a quick moment. “I don’t think so. Not now. How can I be free of him if I’m catering his wedding?” She glared at him, shoulders squared in a brief burst of anger. It left as quickly as it’d arrived. “How can I be free when you just implied to that same woman that we are more than friends?”