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tonight had I not shown up looking for my father. Would she have slept with him? Would she have willing entered into his bed after everything I told her yesterday?
    It just doesn’t make any sense. She seems completely uninterested in Ryan and yet, she continues to go out with him. I can tell by the way she looks at him that her hearts not in it. She doesn’t look at him with the same intensity that I see in her eyes when she looks at me. He doesn’t evoke the rush of blood to her cheeks the way I do or cause the nervous ticks that in just two short weeks have proven capable of bringing me to my fucking knees.
    I know there’s more to this, though I am fearful that a part of me is just looking for a way to justify her actions. Maybe Ryan is truly who she wants and I am so blinded by my own lust for her that I am just seeing what I want to see.
    Either way, one thing couldn’t be clearer; I have got to get Allie Reynolds out from under my skin.

Chapter
Ten
    ––––––––
    S amantha
    “Miss Reynolds.” I hear Luke’s voice behind me and turn just in time to see him step inside the small employee break room that sits at the end of the hall.
    “Mr. Scott.” I nod, turning back around to finish making my cup of hot tea.
    Dropping a teaspoon of sweetener into the small white cup, I try to seem completely unaffected by his presence. It’s only awkward if I make it so, right?
    “I didn’t know you were a tea drinker.” He steps up next to me, giving me no choice but to look in his direction.
    Like so many times before, the moment those crystal blues hit me a jolt of electricity shoots down my spine, causing me to shiver slightly.
    “I find it soothing.” I answer weakly, looking back down to my cup of tea as I stir it.
    “Is there something you need soothing from?” He asks his question laced with an underlying statement.
    I know without a doubt he’s referring to Ryan even though his tone remains smooth and unaffected by emotion.
    While neither of us has spoken about what he witnessed Saturday night, I can tell that it is very much at the forefront of his mind, even if he doesn’t say so. I can feel the tension between us, a heaviness that has always been there but has grown steadily more apparent throughout the course of the day.
    “Just a long day.” I sigh, not sure how else to respond.
    “Monday tends to be that way around here.” He agrees, waiting until I turn towards him, cup in hand, before continuing. “I wanted to let you know that I will be going out of town for the next couple of days.” He starts.
    “Oh.” The word falls from my lips unintentionally and I can’t help the disappointment that seems to settle over me at the thought of being here without him.
    I know it sounds weird that I would feel this way after such a short period of time but Luke is somewhat of a safety blanket for me. He has this way of grounding me and keeping me calm, even when everything else seems to be spinning out of control. And he does it without doing anything. Just being near him seems to give me peace. It’s the oddest feeling for someone like me who has found very little peace over the past eight years.
    “I was hoping that you would be able to accompany me.” He adds on, pulling my gaze back to his face.
    “What?” I blurt, not sure how to react.
    “We are trying to close a deal with a small tech business on the East Coast. The CEO and primary stock holder is proving rather difficult to sway due to other competitors advances. I could use someone with your talents to help me make sure when it’s all said and done, he ends up on our side of the playing field.”
    “Talents?” I question, not sure what to make of the comment.
    “Sometimes it takes a woman’s touch.” He gives me a sweet smile which immediately brings one to my own face as well.
    “Is that so?” I laugh lightly.
    “It is. Grumpy old men tend to have a hell of a lot harder time saying no to a pretty woman then to someone