Chapter 2

2

LUKA

M y eyes flick over to the stairs once more. When is she going to come back down? My little kitten took off on me. One second she's fierce and feisty, the next she is avoiding me and making as much space between the two of us as she can.

I've been in Cottonwood for a few days now, and I've yet to run into her again. Trust me, I've tried. I can't stay away from her, and if I'm honest, I don't want to. It's part of why I'm sticking around this small, Podunk town. I could fly in and right back out for my sister's wedding if I wanted. I don't understand what my sister sees in this place, but I've never witnessed her this happy before. If she wants to stay, I'm not going to stop that. She's had enough of people trying to run her life.

At this point, I'm not sure I could even if I wanted to. She has an ex-Seal for a fiancé. He has deep ties with the government too. We just both do different things for them. The way they met wasn't very conventional. Actually, he was the same man tasked with tracking Paisley down after she took off on my parents. That blew up in their faces. They're still panicking that Jackson Graysen might show the world the kind of people my parents truly are. I've been doing my best to ignore their pleadings. They made this bed for themselves.

Their namesake means more to them than money, I think. Not that we'll ever find out. Money isn't something they'll ever run out of. They have generational wealth. We could all bleed it, and it would still never run dry. Not that I touch it. Once I grew up, I realized how dirty old money can be. Decided that I would make my own way. I didn't want them controlling my life.

"I thought you might want something stronger." June's father, Wyatt, hands me a tumbler with brown liquid in it.

"Thanks." I shoot it back, not bothering to savor the expensive scotch.

I'm not one to drink. I prefer to keep my mind clear, but I could use this right now. God knows, since June Graysen came into my life, my thoughts are no longer my own. She dominates them all. No matter how hard I try to fight it, she's always there, making herself known. I'm intrigued by the pull I have to her. Never in my life have I experienced anything like this.

I savor the burn of the alcohol, focusing on it and trying to not think about the fact that June is naked upstairs in the shower. I know tonight, when I lie down, it will be all I think about. It's not hard to imagine what she might look like underneath those tight jeans and snug shirts she wears. I didn't know jeans and a shirt could be so damn sexy, but here we are.

Then again, I wasn't one to chase after women or pay attention to what they wore. They tended to chase after me. June, however, runs away from me. I should be thankful. I wish everyone would do the same, but the one I want to stay, of course, wants nothing to do with me.

I don't know what to make of her. It doesn't help that I'm shit with people. Reading them is no problem, but interacting with them presents a different challenge. I am adept with numbers and technology. I spend most of my time in my office behind a wall of screens. So small talk is really not my forte.

I set the tumbler down on the coffee table. The family pictures lining the living room's walls now capture my attention. They have so many of them through the years. In all the homes my parents own, I don't think there is one picture of any of us. If there is one, it's one of those creepy paintings. I remember having to remove and hide a few when I was younger. They scared the shit out of Paisley.

"You own Luka Technology," Wyatt says. I can feel him watching me. He has been since I got here.

"I do." I'm surprised he knows of it. Most of my stuff is used by the government or large companies. I have some patents, too, but you'd have to be deep into the tech world to know and understand that.

"You're smart." I shrug. What can I say? I can't deny it. "With technology," he adds, taking me off guard. I don't miss what he's implying. "My June bug is smart. She's got the sense of a horse."

"Sense of a horse?" I repeat.

"Right, you're city, I forgot." I'm not sure if Wyatt means that as a dig or only a statement of fact. "Sense of a horse," he says again. "Smart and practical. Can get a feel for someone in a few seconds. It's their way of things. You're born with it."

"She can be rash," I counter. June didn't know who I was from a hole in the wall, and she was willing to throw herself in front of Paisley. She was about to board a plane that could go anywhere without much care for her own well-being.

"What you might perceive as rash, others perceive as quick thinking." His serious expression falters when he speaks of June. A small smile breaks through. "All I'm saying is to be careful." Interesting. That wasn't what I thought he was going to say.

"Are you warning me for myself or her?"

"Both." We stare at each other for a long time. "How about I get you another drink?" His whole demeanor changes, going back to the relaxed man I'd been introduced to when I first arrived. Wyatt doesn't wait for a response to his question. He grabs my tumbler off the coffee table, leaving me alone in the living room.

"Hey!" Paisley comes bouncing into the room. "Are you doing okay?" She gives me a skeptical look.

"I'm good."

"Really?" A laugh bubbles free. "I'm still kind of shocked you've stuck around."

"I told you I'd walk you down the aisle." Her request surprised me. I didn't deserve that honor. I've been a shit brother to her a big chunk of years.

When I hit eighteen, I took off. I got out of our family's life without looking back. No matter how hard our parents tried to pull me back into it.

I knew Paisley was off to boarding school and then college. She was so much younger than me. Eight years separated us, but when we were young and actually home, I always watched out for her.

I kept tabs on her, but not close enough. It wasn't until she took off that I was aware she was out of college and back stateside. My sense of time can blur. When you work in an office with no windows, it happens. I slept when I was tired. I didn't keep track of those kinds of things. There was no need. I didn't have anyone to explain myself to or answer to.

"Things can be different, you know."

"They will be." I didn't want us to be like the rest of our family. I'm just not sure how great of a brother I could be. I wasn't one to offer a hug, small talk, or call to check up. This is all new to me.

I came to Cottonwood to find my sister because I knew she was in trouble. Sure, I could fix a problem. That was easy. Beyond that, I have no clue. I'm really not good at relationships. I've never needed to be.

When I hear the click of boots coming, my eyes go to the stairs. This time, June has on jean shorts, showing off her toned legs. She has on a simple black shirt that might as well be a second skin. The curves on this woman are endless. What I wouldn't do to grab on to that hem. So many dirty thoughts flash through my mind, but I somehow maintain my composure.

"You two are still not getting along?" Paisley asks, a small pout forming on her lips.

"It's she who doesn't get along with me." June doesn't spare me a glance. She passes by, heading toward the kitchen, where everyone always disappears.

"June! That pie is still cooling. We're about to eat," I hear her mom yell at her.

"June could eat the whole pie and still have room for a whole meal," Paisley informs me. "I don't know where she puts it all."

June is a tiny thing, but she has an ass on her.

"She doesn't like me." I change the subject back, not wanting to touch that one. I'm sure my sister doesn't want to know what I think of June's body. I'm still reeling from it. I've heard some men are ass or tit men. I guess I'm an ass man because June's is the first I've ever noticed.

"I'm sure she's over that now." Paisley waves her hand dismissively. "She thought you were taking me away from Cottonwood, but now she knows you were trying to help." She beams up at me with a giant smile. "June loves everyone, unless you're rude. Then she'll give you a taste of your own medicine."

There is something I want to give her a taste of, but I don't think June would have any part of that.

"I'll talk to her."

"Don't," I quickly say. The last thing I need is for my baby sister to come to my defense.

"Maybe if we all hang out or something," Paisley suggests.

"Dinner!" June shouts through the house.

"Got you another one." Wyatt hands me the scotch. I shoot it back again before I follow them into the dining room, where the whole table is covered in food. You'd think it was Thanksgiving and not a Sunday afternoon.

I take the chair across from June. This all might be strange and foreign to me, but at least I'll enjoy the view.