What’s also making me jumpy as a flea?

Luke has his arm across

the back of my seat, and he keeps playing with my hair. His
fingers brush against my neck, and I nearly spring away from him
in alarm.

“So, Luke, where do you live now?” Aunt Susan asks. She’s sitting
in the recliner which almost swallows her thin frame up. Her
color’s great, though, and she’s wearing a sparkly blouse that
looks pretty on her. Her eyes are trained on Luke with warm
interest. “Do you have a house in L.A.?”

“No, actually, I’m homeless,” Luke admits with a chuckle. He

rubs his cheek absently. “I’ve been traveling so much that I just
never bothered looking for anything permanent to live in. When
I’m in Cali, I stay with a friend who lives in Santa Barbara. I love it
there, so when I decide to go house-hunting I’m probably going to
look in that area.”

“What, you don’t want something closer to your honey?” Connie

asks with a laugh, pointing at me.

Yes, Connie is here, too. She hasn’t stopped blatantly flirting with
Luke since we got here. I’ve noticed that she’s a very physical
person. She keeps poking and prodding Luke’s abs, chest, and
arms and shivering ecstatically. Luke just laughs good-naturedly.
He’s used to it by now, of course. I wonder if I’m supposed to do
anything about her—like, am I supposed to yank Connie back by
her hair, and threaten to cut her? I just don’t know.

I feel a warm hand on my back, and immediately stiffen up.

“Relax,” Luke murmurs in my ear. I nod my head spastically.
 Bran pokes his head out of the kitchen to announce that dinner is
ready. Megan and I get up quickly to help him. Luke tries to get
up, too, but I gesture for him stay seated. I notice him glancing
over at Bran with an unfriendly look.

Megan looks extra stunning tonight. She’s wearing a pale pink

sundress that shows off her perfect figure and her golden tan. Her
makeup is expertly applied and subtle, and her long blonde hair is
loose down her back. She trembles noticeably each time she looks
at or talks to Luke. He’s being great with her, answering all her
tentative questions about his character, Sam Langelier, in the My
Soul for You series, and humbly accepting her breathless
compliments on his acting skill. He’s nice, but not flirtatious—I
am monitoring their interactions very closely.

“Oh, my god,” she mumbles, her hands shaking as she carries a

plate of sourdough baguettes to the table. “He is so gorgeous in
real life. His eyes! Oh, my god. He’s so…I can’t even! You are soo
lucky, Andi!”

“I can hear you, you know?” Bran says good-naturedly. He

accidentally drops a crutch when he leans over the sink. I pick it
up for him, and he shoots me a grateful smile. “He seems like a
nice guy,” he says to me.

I just nod, hurrying to take the food to the table. Damn, I hope
no one says anything to Luke about the time I saved him from
drunk drowning.

To my relief, Luke comes to the table talking to Talon about

video games. He promises to play Talon’s favorite game with him
after dinner, which of course thrills Talon to no end. He was shy
with Luke until he realized that Luke was in a movie with his
favorite WWE wrestler; then he peppers him with question after
question about how it was to work with his idol. Luke seems
amused that Talon isn’t very impressed by his role in the movie.

Dinner is good. Conversation flows easily, with the A-list actor

being the center of everything. He manages to find something to
talk about with everyone. He discusses football with Uncle
Charlie, cars with Bran, and his life as a celebrity in demand with
the women at the table. He is especially nice and attentive to Aunt
Susan, constantly flashing her smile Number Seven, and being
absolutely adorable. Not that I find him adorable. Throughout the
meal, he nudges me with his foot, or leans over to steal food off
my plate. He does give me all the olives from his salad, though.

After dinner, we retire back to the living room. Luke, Bran, and
Talon play video games. I offer to do the dishes by myself, because
I need the time alone, and also because I know everyone else
wants to be in the same space as Luke. Stupid as it sounds; he
seems to fill the room with magic. Aunt Susan and Megan sit
together on the couch, giggling and whispering to each other.
Aunt Susan has been beaming the whole time—even when a
running Talon tripped over her tubing and the cannula is
painfully ripped off her face. I watch them all with an eagle eye,
making sure no one is recording a video of Luke on the sly. I
already caught Connie with her iPhone surreptitiously aimed at
him.

The guys have been at it for a while now. They’re playing a racing
game and I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, or if Luke is
being especially competitive against Bran. Luke and Talon work
together to knock Bran’s car off the road, and bump fists in
triumph. Bran just laughs, since he’s all about the fun and not the
competition. He also doesn’t hold grudges. We never had much in
common.

Finally, at almost eleven, Connie announces that Aunt Susan

needs to get her butt in bed. She protests weakly, but then when
everyone gangs up on her, she laughingly agrees. She urges me
and Luke to stay, but I quickly decline.

“It was so nice to meet you, Lucas,” Aunt Susan tells him with a
tired smile. “And thank you again for the beautiful roses! I hope
we’ll be seeing a lot of you around here while you’re in town.”

“Count on it,” Luke replies smoothly. He leans down to give her a

kiss on her cheek, making her blush madly. Of course, Connie
takes the opportunity to get a hug and a quick feel on him before
she helps Aunt Susan to her room. The woman is a lech.

Uncle Charlie says goodnight and follows Talon upstairs to make

sure he gets ready for bed. Megan, looking a little green, excuses
herself as well.

That leaves Bran with me and Luke. We stand awkwardly in the

foyer, making the requisite small-talk-before-you-leave.

“So, what time does Megan want me to pick her up tomorrow?” I

ask Bran.
 “Uh, I think about nine-thirty? Is that okay with you?”

“That’s fine.”

Bran’s expression turns warm. He takes a clumsy step forward.

“Thanks again for doing this Andi. It means a lot to me.”

It feels like he wants to have a moment. Suddenly, I feel hands

on my hips, and I’m enveloped in Luke’s sun and sea scent as he
pulls me back against his tall strong body. “Ready to go, Tiger?”
he asks, hunching over so he can rest his chin on my shoulder.

I freeze; my body is so tense that my neck muscles hurt. Chills

run up and down my spine, and my pulse goes into hyper drive.
What the hell does Luke think he’s doing?!

“Hey, bro, it was nice meeting you,” Bran says, thrusting out his
hand to do the manly slap/handshake thing. “I really hope you
can make it to the wedding. We’d love to have you.”

“Thanks, man. Wouldn’t miss it.” Luke follows the handshake

with a kind of forceful slap on Bran’s back, causing Bran to
stumble forward a step.

I take the opportunity to move out of his arms. “We really should
go,” I say, opening the door. “Bye.”

I quickly pull Luke outside. Bran is terrible at doing the goodbye

thing. He never knows when to stop talking, even when people
continue to inch away from him, trying to escape.
 “What the hell did you ever see in that guy?” Luke wonders as we
get into my car. “He’s a midget.”

“He’s not a midget,” I say distractedly, starting the car. “He’s

normal sized.”

“Dude’s got no balls. He’s so not your type.” Luke shakes his
head, turning to look at me. “I bet you walked all over him when
you were together.”

“Yeah. He liked it.” I glare at him. “What was with all the
touching and lovey-dovey shit?”

“What, I’m a method actor. I always give a hundred percent in

every performance.” He grins at my scowl. “Your family’s great. I
like them.”

For some reason, I’m embarrassed. “Yeah. Sorry about all the
questions, though. They were really excited to meet you.”

“No, it’s fine.” Luke is silent for a few moments. Then he says, “I
like knowing more about you. You don’t really talk about yourself
much.”

I’m surprised at that. “What do you mean? We talk all the time.
You know everything about me.”

Luke shakes his head, looking frustrated. “No, I know certain

facts and events, but you don't talk about how they affected you."

I’m confused. “Huh?”

 He sighs. “I know my life story is out there on the internet for
everyone to see. But most of it is bullshit. Aside from you and a
few others, no one knows the real me, not really. You know I’m
from a broke down trailer park in Cornfuck, Texas. And that my
dad was a crazy asshole—and my mom left me when I was ten.
You know things about me that I’ve never told anyone about
before…”

He trails off, staring moodily out the windshield. I study at him

out of the corner of my eye. “What’s up with you? Are you having
withdrawals, or something?”

He laughs incredulously. “From what? I’m not addicted to

anything.”

“Sex, danger, alcohol.” I tick them off on my fingers. “When was

the last time you did any of those things?”

“I had a couple of beers this morning; my life is in danger every

time you drive. As for sex—” Luke leans back in his seat, resting a
hand an arm along his window. “It’s been a while.”

“How long is ‘a while’?” I ask curiously. “Three days?”

He throws me a sideways look, a corner of his mouth lifting up.

“You asking me about my sex life, Andi?”

“Kind of,” I admit.

His chuckle is low and rusty. “Uhhh…let’s see…it’s actually been

a couple of weeks.”

“Really? That’s a long time. For you.”

“Yeah, I guess. So, what about you, huh? How long has it been
for you?”

I don’t bother being insulted that he assumes I’m not getting any.
“Two years."

“What—for real? That long?” Luke sounds horrified.

“Yes,” I say defiantly.

“You mean that guy, Bran—he was the last one you were with?”

“The first and the last, yes.” I decide to turn on the radio to
discourage this line of questioning. A male announcer is extolling
the virtues of Viagra. I turn it up.

“Damn,” Luke murmurs under his breath. Then in a louder voice

he asks, "Do you miss it?"

I don't even have to think about it. "I don't."

"Then he was doing it wrong." He shakes his head. “Hey, what

about when we were in Maui last year? You never hooked up with
Ryan Costas? You two were getting pretty friendly at the bar.”

“Um, no.” I roll my eyes. “I wasn’t interested in him like that.

And don’t you remember? You threw him against a wall 'cause
you thought he grabbed my ass."

“I did? Was I drunk?”

“Extremely.” I decide to change the subject. “So, did you want to

go to the gym tonight?”

“Huh? Oh, hell, yeah.” He pats his flat tummy. “Gotta work off
dinner somehow.”

“Me, too.” I notice that I’ve just run a red light. “Luke?”

“Yeah?”

I stare straight ahead. “Maybe the public doesn't know all your
dirty secrets—but they know your smile is real. They know that
your humbleness and your gratitude towards your fans are
genuine. That’s all a part of who you really are, and that’s why
they love you."

Luke is quiet for a few seconds. “Thanks, Andi," he says at last,

sounding taken aback.

"Uh-huh."

Okay, that’s a heartwarming speech for me. And now I feel

emotionally exhausted. It’s been a stressful night.

Fortunately Luke stays quiet after that. We go back to Ellen’s to

grab our workout stuff, and then head to the gym. Luke unlocks
the front door with no problem, and we are in. The entire front of
the place is lightly tinted glass, so we only turn on the light in the
back so we’re less visible should anyone happen to wander by.
Though I warn Luke to take it easy, he goes straight to the
weights. I shrug and head for the elliptical. I don’t really have a
workout routine. I just choose whichever equipment I feel like
working out on at the time, and I stay for however long I feel like.
I pop my ear buds in and crank up my iPod. I’m in my zone, and I
totally don’t notice when Luke takes his shirt off, and the way his
muscles ripple as he pumps iron. Or the focused intense
expression he gets on his face when he works out. It’s pretty sexy,
though.

Not that I notice.

Chapter 10

Luke comes in from his morning run while Ellen and I are eating
breakfast. He’s sweaty and shirtless, and poor Ellen can’t stop
staring at him. That kind of annoys me. What if he really was my
boyfriend? I’d have to slap her. Seriously, she’s acting like a
hormone-crazed teenager. Look at her watching that glistening
bead of sweat run down the defined ridges of Luke’s abs.
Shameful.

“Good morning, ladies,” he says cheerfully, leaning down to steal

a slice of bacon from my plate.

I swipe at him, and my hand hits air. Damn his reflexes. And why
does he always take food from my plate? Can’t he just get his own?
Damn actors.
 “Good morning, Lucas! So, what are you up to today?” Ellen
asks, beaming as she watches him grab a bottled water from the
fridge.

“Well, that’s up to Andi,” he replies, leaning against the counter.

He takes a drink from his water, swallowing half the bottle in one
long gulp.

“What?” I say. “You know I’m going dress-shopping with

Megan.”

“Uh-huh. Mind if I tag along?”

“You want to go dress-shopping with us?” I reiterate slowly, like

I’m talking to a three year old. Luke hates to shop, especially for
clothes. He considers it a special kind of torture. And for clothes
that’s not even for him? Forget it.

“Yeah,” He shrugs at me. “I get to spend more time with you, and
I get to watch beautiful girls try on dresses. Sounds like a fun
day.”

Ellen goes, “aww!” while I narrow my eyes at him. He wants to

come so he can ogle Megan in her wedding dress! What a dick.
He’s seen some of the most beautiful women in the world naked—
why does he have to…grr. If he hits on her, I’m quitting. Wait, I’ll
kick his ass first, then I’ll quit.

Luke raises his eyebrows at me as I continue to glare at him.

“Whatever,” I snap at him. I push my plate away, suddenly not
hungry. “But if you’re not ready in twenty minutes, I’m leaving
without you!”

Ellen is looking at me with wide eyes. Damn, I keep forgetting

I’m supposed to like Luke. I force a laugh that sounds jagged as
hell, even to my own ears.

“I’ll hurry,” Luke assures me, his bright eyes crinkling in

amusement.

“Eat some breakfast first,” Ellen urges him as he starts to walk

out.

He quickly backtracks and grabs a couple more pieces of bacon.

He mumbles his thanks at her before he lopes out the kitchen.

As soon as he’s gone, I expect Ellen to scold me for being so

mean to my boyfriend. But she turns to me with a puzzled little
frown. “Andi—quick!” she says quietly. “What was the name of the
movie where he was nominated for best actor? It was based on a
true story. The one where his parents abandoned him on the
streets of Hong Kong, and he grew up to become an infamous
drug lord? I keep wanting to compliment him on it, but I can’t
remember the name of the movie!”

“Um…Run to Black,” I reply. I remember because I illegally

downloaded that movie when I caught a trailer with Luke in it. I
thought he was the most gorgeous guy I’d ever seen. This was
before the My Soul for You series, when Megan became so
obsessed with him. I never told Luke about it. I also never told
him what an incredible actor I think he is. He gets enough of that.
 “That’s it,” Ellen is saying, snapping her fingers. “That was such a
good movie. Very touching. I think I’ll watch it again.”

“Uh huh,” I say. “Not because of the shower scene or anything,

right?”

Ellen’s rosy cheeks flame an even brighter red. She claps her
hands over them. “Oh, I forgot about that part!” she lies.

“Right.”

“Andi! He was just a kid in it!” Ellen shakes her head, and stands
up to take her dishes to the counter. She starts filling the sink with
soapy water, glancing at me over her shoulder and raising her
voice so I can hear her over the clinking of the dishes. “I
remember buying all those movie posters of Lucas for Megan that
one year. The girl was obsessed! I bet she was tickled pink
meeting him last night.”

“You could say that,” I mumble, trying to keep the annoyance out
of my voice.

I don’t want to just sit there glaring at nothing, so I get up and

start to clear the table. I have to save all the leftovers in Ziploc
bags, or Ellen will throw a fit. She’s weird about her leftovers.
Nothing gets thrown out on her watch—and it must be saved in a
Ziploc bag, because Ziploc bags are gifts from God.

I stack the plates on the counter next to the sink, and Ellen turns
to me, splashing me with soapy water from her hands. Some of it
gets in my eye, blinding me.
 “You and Lucas are good together,” she blurts out. “Your
personalities mesh very well, I think. And it’s obvious that he’s
crazy about you!”

“Son of a bitch,” I gasp out. My eye is stinging like it’s on fire. I

blink it rapidly, tearing up.

Ellen continues on, sounding both hesitant and serious. “I hope

you don’t my saying this, but you and Bran—I never thought you
two were a good match. I think you were much better as friends,
where your different temperaments complemented each other.
Now, I’m in no way excusing what happened in the past. I just…
sometimes things work out for the best. You know?”

“Ow.”

“I always thought it was funny—you and Bran together. Like a

tiger dating a golden retriever. You and Lucas, though. You’re like
two beautiful predators, prowling through the jungle.”

I peer at her through red bleary eyes. “I think you’ve been

watching the nature channel too much,” I say finally.

“I’m just sayin’.” She winks at me. “How gorgeous would your
children be?”

“Okay, Ellen. No more drinking on the job.”