Page 100 of When the Smoke Clears

“She didn’t? How is that possible?”

“It seems that Nathaniel has been deceiving everyone, including my mom. Tests were done after my birth, and he assured my mom that the results confirmed he was my father.” He stabs a hand through his hair. “Yet, we know now that’s a lie.”

“And she believed him.”

“Why wouldn’t she?” He scoffs. “She’s always been fiercely loyal to him.”

My jaw drops open. “Did you confront him?”

“Not yet,” he replies, shaking his head. “I decided to do some digging first.”

I lean back, eyebrows arching. “What sort of digging?”

Luke reaches into his pocket and retrieves a sleek black cell phone, placing it on the kitchen counter.

I examine the small device, then lift my eyes to meet his gaze. “What is that?”

“That’s a ‘business’ phone,” he explains, using air quotes for emphasis. “It’s the one that my father uses exclusively for work contacts. I found it hidden at the rear of his desk, locked away in a drawer.”

“What do you think is on there?”

“I’m not sure,” he admits, a frown forming on his brow. “But I have a gut feeling it’s nothing good. I’m not even sure why I grabbed it, but something tells me my father’s hiding more than just my paternity.”

“Do you think he’s involved in something illegal?” I whisper the word illegal like it’s just too wild to say out loud.

“It’s not out of the realm of possibility,” Luke replies, picking at the label of his beer absentmindedly. “Especially with how effortlessly he lies, like he’s practiced it for years.”

“Gabe will be over in a little while. I invited him for dinner. Do you think he can hack into the phone?”

“He’ll definitely be able to get in,” he replies. “I just hope there’s something on there that will help clear up some of the questions I have about him right now.”

I walk towards him with purpose. As I reach him, his arms open wide, and I step into his embrace. I rest my head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat through the fabric of his shirt.

My heart aches for him. Everything is spinning out of control, and he doesn’t like situations that he can’t control. He and I are alike in that way.

“Want me to grab you another beer?”

He shakes his head slowly as his fingers weave through my hair, tilting my head back. “I want to get lost in you.”

“I want that, too.”

His lips crash onto mine in an eclectic, searing kiss that sends shivers down my spine. Our tongues entwine and dance together, as Luke’s hand glides down the curve of my jaw. His fingers trail lower, tracing the outline of my body, until they cup my breast possessively.

He exhales, and I pull back slightly, my lips glistening with the shared warmth of our kiss. “What?”

“I’m getting tired of only having the use of one arm,” he murmurs. “I can’t worship you the way I want to.”

I place a gentle kiss on his jaw, the rough stubble brushing my lips, and then nestle my face into the warm curve of his neck, breathing him in. “I have a better idea.”

His eyebrow arches. “And what’s that?”

The answer thrums through my body before it reaches my lips. “Come with me.”

I curl my fingers in the collar of his uniform and tug lightly, guiding him toward the bedroom. His steps follow mine, slow and sure, like he’s already surrendered to whatever this is becoming.

When I turn, he’s already watching me with that look—open, wanting, unsure. His hand slips to my hip, anchoring me, and I lift my mouth to his. The second our lips touch, a soft moan escapes me, quiet but impossibly loud in the stillness between us.

I’m breathless by the time I break away, my mouth swollen and wet as I begin to ease my way down Luke’s body.