The Renegade Returns. Dani Wade
ignored the shake of her hands as she removed electrode pads from Luke’s legs and lower back. Thank goodness she didn’t have to do anything complicated. Otherwise she’d surely have made an idiot of herself. The sight of his body in nothing but athletic shorts was a test to her professionalism.
She cleared her throat, trying to ease the constriction. “I’ll let you get dressed and then meet you up front.”
Except thoughts of Luke and clothes only reminded her of their earlier conversation, and her immature offer to help him dress. Ah, there are those stomach-twisting nerves again. She hurried out the door with only a small bump against the frame.
Luke was so much like she remembered—only ten times more dangerous. Obviously, he’d figured out that these joking innuendos were the way to get beneath her guard. She needed a way to counteract them.
Her current method wasn’t working very well.
Teasing from any man under sixty flustered her, but her reactions to Luke were too strong—a tempest compared to a sprinkle of rain when it came to other men. The fact that she found him amazingly attractive only made her nerves worse. Her interest had nothing to do with him being a local celebrity and everything to do with him being, well, Luke.
His charm and ready smile had drawn her from the moment she’d met him. Whenever they’d seen each other as teenagers at country club dinners or various gatherings, Avery would follow him around, subtly watching him. Unlike his brother Jacob, who had surrounded himself with a businesslike wall, Luke knew how to make himself comfortable in any social situation.
A skill Avery had never developed.
Oh, she could chat with people in town, people she’d known all her life. Her genuine interest in and sympathy for her patients made interacting with them easy. And she had a few girlfriends, like Christina, whom she could turn to when she really needed to talk.
But drop her into a bunch of strangers and Avery simply froze. She reverted back to her high school speech class, with all those eyes staring at her, waiting for her to say something brilliant—and all she could do was squeak.
“So how often do I need to be here?”
As Luke approached, Avery looked up from the chart she wasn’t really reading. Even with the cane, she could have sworn a sexy male model had invaded her territory. Her breath caught in her throat once more, before she released it on a sigh.
Who was she kidding? She’d tried to ride that train once, and Luke had made it plain she wasn’t his type. If he never brought that night up again, it would be too soon. Besides, Luke wouldn’t be sticking around for long. He’d made that perfectly plain during their discussion.
Why risk more humiliation by reading into his teasing more than he could possibly mean? She knew from countless hours of observation that, for Luke, flirting was a way of life.
She forced herself to erase any mooning, wistful tendencies from her voice. She kept it short and, okay, maybe a little stiff. “Let’s get you set up for Wednesday, shall we? I won’t have an exact plan until I’ve looked over my notes from today.”
Avery’s receptionist was flirtier than usual, giving Luke a run for his money. Cindy had all the outgoing personality that had passed Avery by. She chatted and giggled with Luke as she scheduled his next appointment. Normally Avery appreciated that Cindy made their patients smile, but today their laughter left her feeling like an outsider—though she’d never admit that to anyone.
“And what’s this?”
Avery barely quelled the instinctive grab for what she didn’t want him to see. She narrowed her eyes at Cindy. They’d been looking at the brochure earlier and Avery was pretty sure she’d asked Cindy to put it away. Yet there it was, sitting on the checkout counter, as pretty as you please.
“Cindy...” Avery warned. That innocent expression didn’t fool Avery.
She tried a glare, but Cindy just laughed it off. “Rock climbing and rappelling—not far from here,” the receptionist said. “Can you believe it? Avery’s been on a search for ‘adventure’ lately.” The air quotes didn’t help Avery feel better.
“Really?”
Luke’s drawl should not send shivers down her spine. And his slow perusal over her body should not make her mouth water. As if satisfied with what he saw, he broke out a wicked grin. “Lucky for you, adventure just walked through your door.”
“I’m doing just fine on my own, thankyouverymuch,” Avery said, embarrassed by the childish huff that ended her words.
Luke’s glance across the counter at Cindy was answered with a sad shake of the woman’s head. As Avery flushed from head to toe, she vowed to murder her receptionist—as soon as she got Luke out the door.
Those amber eyes swung back to study her. “You sure about that?” he asked.
The intensity of his gaze caught her, held her. His expression was still amused, but gone from his eyes was the teasing, smiling Luke. In the amber depths she saw darkness simmering beneath the surface.
“I keep telling you,” Cindy said, “what you need is a nice man who will give you lots of fun without having to resort to stunts like this.” She waved the recovered brochure in the air.
With a single lift of his brow, Luke added, “What are the men in this town thinking?”
“They sure don’t know what they’re missing,” Cindy teased.
Had Avery’s blush reached lobster levels yet? “I don’t need sex to have fun.” Oh dear, had she really just said that out loud?
“Nobody said you did, sugar,” Luke said. His teeth bit into his full lower lip, but that didn’t stop his grin. “But why don’t you tell me exactly what kind of adventure you’re looking for? I might be able to help.”
The ring of the door chime saved her from answering. “Gotta go,” she mumbled as she moved, only to stumble over her own feet.
Luke was quick to catch her arm, helping her upright again. “Why don’t we talk about it over dinner?” he asked, too soft for anyone else to hear.
Or maybe not. Cindy’s happy dance in the background had Avery’s face burning once more.
“Nope,” she said. “I’m good.”
Again his husky voice played along her nerves. “I’m sure you are, but with me it would be better.”
Oh, Lordy. Avery almost choked. She wanted nothing more than to get out of here. Forget whoever had come through the door.
Twisting out of Luke’s grasp, she chose the other direction and the safety of the therapy room. She threw an “I’m sure you have better things to do,” over her shoulder as she escaped, praying she didn’t damage her dignity by falling flat on her face.
Heaven help her, Luke Blackstone was gonna be a handful.
* * *
“Has she made you cry like a girl yet?”
Luke quelled his sudden urge to smack his twin. After all, they weren’t twelve anymore. “No. There’s been no crying.” Though his control had been shaky sometimes, he’d held it together. Jacob was teasing, but thankfully he didn’t know how close to home his statement hit.
As the oldest brother, Aiden obviously thought he had a say, too. “I thought for sure she’d pulverize you after what you said at the country club.”
Of course, someone had to bring that up. “I’m too cute for her not to forgive me.”
Aiden smirked, then made a quick retreat behind his desk before Luke’s swing could connect. So his restraint hadn’t lasted long. He’d always been a big kid.
Unlike Aiden, who looked perfectly at home behind the heavy desk in the study at Blackstone Manor—though the studious furniture and shelves