Page 59

You need to give men like me a wide berth.

He’d put it in a nutshell. Then gone and ruined all her carefully constructed defense by actually talking to her. Some of the things he’d said had been wildly complimentary, like the stuff about her hair. Some of it sexy. Yet the hardest of all to ignore was the earnest way he’d asked if they were friends.

How was she supposed to give a wide berth to a man who made her feel so good about herself?

A tap on the door. “Anna?” Luke’s voice sounded gruff, like there was an edge of frustration to it. “Are you asleep or avoiding me?”

“Asleep.”

A beat of silence. She imaged him taking a calming breath, those wide shoulders shifting up and down. “Well when you wake up, there’s a note on the kitchen table telling you I’ve gone to the gym.”

“Right. My awake self will appreciate you letting her know. When she finally stirs.”

“Can you get your awake self to open today’s window and message me with what it says?”

Yep, definitely frustration. “Roger that.”

She thought he’d gone, but a moment later his voice came through again. “I’ve put a coffee outside your room. If you give me a two-minute head start, you can grab it while it’s still hot and avoid seeing me.”

Okay, that made her sound bad.

With a sigh she dragged herself out of bed and darted to the door, opening it just enough that she could peek out.

Luke was stood there in grey athletic jogging bottoms, a navy Outward Bound hoodie, and a scowl on his face.

“Morning.” She eased the door further open and spotted the thermos on the floor. “Thanks for the coffee.”

He crossed his arms over his burly chest. “I thought we were okay. That we agreed we were friends?”

“We are.”

It wasn’t so much a scowl, she realized, as a mix of hurt and confusion. “Then why are you not bouncing round the kitchen in your crazy pj’s and talking to me ten to the dozen like you usually do?”

“I’m giving you a wide berth?”

He heaved out a sigh and dragged his hand through his hair. “Is this how it’s going to be now? Avoid each other until we have to spend an uncomfortable few hours doing whatever Colin asked us to do?”

She gave herself a shake. She was being ridiculous. Slowly she bent to pick up the thermos. “I’m sorry. I had a wobble, but I’m fine. No more hiding.”

“A wobble.” His brow scrunched. “Am I supposed to know what that means? Is it some code for part of the female menstrual cycle?”

“Holy shit, Luke. No!” Acutely embarrassed she shoved the thermos under her arm. “Not every female emotional state is down to her period. Sometimes we can just need an hour extra in bed for no damn reason but that we want to.”

“Okay.” He held up his hands. Those big, strong, climber’s hands. “So, we’re good?”

“Yes.” She flapped her hand at him. “Go and build some muscles. I noticed your biceps are looking a bit flabby.”

He chuckled. “Sure, flabby is the first word that came to you when you stared at my arms last night.”

“You stared at my legs,” she countered.

He gave her an ironic smile. “Busted. Catch you later.”

When she heard the door bang shut she exhaled the breath she’d been holding and padded out of her room to the kitchen. She spotted his note on the table, bearing the same almost illegible bold scrawl.

“Okay brother, what have you got planned for us today?” She mused as she picked up the advent. “It had better be something less couple-y than last night.”

She opened the window and swore her heart missed a beat. Oh no, no. No.