asks when I return to his side, leaning into the unused pool table next to him. The warmth of his gaze setting my skin ablaze as I turn to face him.

"Yeah, Zane just got called into work."

He nods. "What does Zane do?"

"He's a paramedic," I say with a smile. "And my personal doctor."

"Are you clumsy, 4A?" he asks with a laugh.

I shrug my shoulders as I look at him. I don't know if clumsy is the right word for what I am, more like hurt by association. "I don't know about that, but we did meet in a hospital."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, I broke my ankle at a bar actually," I admit as I look down at my feet. It hadn't been a full break, but a fracture that landed me in a boot for nearly six weeks. "I went to the emergency room by myself and Zane was there dropping off a patient. The ER was overcrowded, as usual, so I was in a hospital bed in the hallway and he stayed with me."

"You were by yourself?"

I laugh. "You have met Charlie, right?"

"He seriously let you go to the hospital by yourself with a broken ankle?"

Suddenly uncomfortable under his gaze, I stand and turn to the empty pool table. "You want to play a round?" I ask, hoping the distraction will be enough to get the topic off me.

I should have left Charlie the second he let me go to the hospital on my own, the accident in the bar being his fault, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I wasn't as strong as I am now, and maybe it took longer than it should have, but eventually I found my strength. Strength I made a promise to myself never to lose again.

"That depends," Luke says as he rounds the table, setting his beer on the edge of the nearby table before grabbing two cue sticks. "Are you prepared to lose?"

"Oh, I don't know about that," I say as I rest my coat on the stool and set my beer down next to his. "There's one thing you need to know about me. I'm crazy competitive."

"I believe you," he says with a smile as he extends a cue out to me. "I'm up for the challenge, but I have to warn you. I spend more time in this bar than I do my apartment, so I'm kind of a master."

"Bring it on, rockstar," I tell him as he leans across the table to set up the balls. "I'll let you break."

"You will, huh?" he hums as he gets into position, lining up his shot. When he pulls back, throwing momentum into the white ball it hits the rack with a loud crack and scatters the balls across the table. The nine ball falling into the corner pocket, determining our games.

"Very nice."

"Easily impressed?" he questions as he lines up his next short. "Fifteen ball, corner pocket," he says, calling out his next shot as I walk the length of the table and scout out his shot.

Pausing briefly before the pocket, I rest my elbow against the table as I rest my chin in the palm of my hand. "Are you sure? Seems kind of tricky."

He narrows his eyes, watching me carefully before effortlessly sinking the shot. "You know, you have a look of your own," he says as he straightens.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

He wags his finger at me. "That stupid cute smile on your face," he tells me. "You can't look at me like that, 4A."

"Why not?"

He lifts a brow as he looks me over. "It makes me want to do things to you, 4A."

I hum softly as I walk around the table, inching close to him with each step. "I'm intrigued," I tell him, leaning my head back to meet his eyes. "What kinds of things?"

"Things I'm not used to," he tells me quietly, leaning so close that I think he's going to kiss me again, but instead he takes another shot and sinks another ball.

The proximity leaving me cold when he puts space between us, my thoughts suddenly erratic as I take a step back. I take a few more steps until I'm back at the table, reaching for my beer and downing the rest of it as I fold my arm over the edge of the table. My stomach in knots as I lean onto my hand, wondering how I could have possibly ended up with wanting more of him.

• • •

"You know, you never actually told me what you thought," Luke says when we step outside, heading in the direction of our apartment building. After two games, both won by Luke, I decided to call it a night and when he asked if he could walk me home, I couldn't deny the offer.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, turning so I can see him as I walk backwards. "I told you I liked the song!"

"Yeah, you told me you liked the song," he says. "You never said if you liked the band."

My lips curl up as I fall into sync with him, walking straight again. "Definitely not a Led Zeppelin cover band," I say in a teasing tone.

He rolls his eyes as he gives me a playfully shove, grabbing my arm before I can get too far away. "Tell me about work."

"You don't actually want to hear about work."

"Sure I do," he argues. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know."

Pressing my lips together, I give him a steady look. "Are you sure?"

"Tell me everything."

"We may be here for a while if I tell you everything," I say with a laugh, tucking my hands into my coat pockets. "Work is good. I'm working on a book right now that I'm really hoping will make it to market. It's a unique case because I picked it off the discard pile."

"Discard pile?"

I nod. "Yeah, most bodies of work are submitted through agents and when they aren't they often get discarded and never see the light of day. I pick one up every so often, sometimes it's something and sometimes it's nothing," I explain. "But this one... it's special. I've read so many books, but I've never felt this connected to one before and my boss gave me the go ahead to reach out to the author. They only sent it in with an email, no name, no phone number. No nothing, so I'm really hoping they get back to me."

I continue to ramble about the story and the plot, only stopping when I realize Luke's fallen silent next to me. I turn my gaze to him, taking in the look on his face. My fear that it might me the same look Charlie always gave me sinking in.

"I'm sorry," I say. "I know I'm a nerd."

"Why do you do that?" he asks, ignoring my comment as he comes to a stop outside our apartment steps. When my lips part to ask what he means, he continues, almost like he's read my mind. "Why do you always get down on yourself about being smart?"

"I–"

"You do," he says, already knowing I'm about to argue. "Emery, you have no idea how incredibly sexy your intelligence is. You should never be sorry about that."

Chewing on my bottom lip, I tuck my hands into my pockets. "Sorry."

"4A!"

I hide the sheepish look on my face as we step in the lobby, heading for the elevator. "Thank you for saying that," I tell him, stepping onto the elevator. "I think... Charlie may have broken me a bit."

"I don't think you're broken."

"Not even a little?" I ask as I lean into the elevator wall.

He shakes his head. "Not even a little."

The elevator doors ding open, and we step into the hall outside our apartment doors. "Tonight was fun," I say as I approach my door. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Come by anytime," he says. "I wouldn't be opposed to seeing you in the crowd."

"I bet," I say as he opens his apartment door. With a quick pat, I feel around my pockets for my keys and come up short as the realization dawns on me. "Oh God," I mumble as I lean my head against the locked door.

"Let me guess..." Luke trails off as he leans into the doorframe. "Forgotten keys?"

"I swear I'm not doing this on purpose."

"You sure you don't just like my company?" he asks as he widens the door, stepping inside the apartment and gesturing for me to come in to.

"I'm not! I put them in Zane's glove box..." I trail off as I look at him. "Just to prove my point, I'm going to sleep on the couch."

His laugh is rich as he shuts the door behind him, turning the lock before tossing me over his shoulder. "Not a chance in hell."

"Luke!" I laugh, swatting at his back as he carries me toward his bedroom. He leans down until my feet rest against the bench at the end of his bed, helping me stand up before he takes a step back.

"Long sleeve or short sleeve?" he asks as he approaches his dresser.

"Long sleeve," I tell him, gripping the ends of my jacket coat. He digs through his dresser drawer and offers me one of his shirts to sleep in, turning his back to me as I reach for my jean button after kicking my shoes off. "Really?" I ask. "You're not going to try and sleep with me?"

"Nope," he says, staying faced away from me as I pull his shirt on over my underwear. "I don't want you to think all I care about is sex."

"I don't think that," I say as I step down from the bench. I take a few steps towards him until I rest my fingers on the small of his back, holding my breath as he turns around to face me. An excitement I've missed filling my chest, because for the first time, I realize that Luke makes me feel good.

His fingers move into my hair as he leans in, pressing his lips softly to mine. A hum of relief falling from my lips like I'm coming home as I step into him. His hands moving down my waist, moving over the small of my back as we take a few small steps backward. The kiss slower than it's ever been and a warmth flutters in my chest.

I feel whole as I lose myself in him.