Lex and Lu by J. Santiago Read Free Book Online

she and Pete had left the bar. Looking around the kitchen, he located Pete but not Lu. Headed on a direct path to his brother, Lex was only waylaid once. He watched, fascinated as he saw Pete attempt to avoid him. He couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on, but he let Pete do his dance because he had spotted Willa engaged in a conversation across the room with her mother. Figuring Lu had fled the scene, he changed directions and headed for the garage.
    He knew exactly where she would be—which struck him as odd. When he rounded the corner of the deck, on the opposite side of the house Lex marveled that it didn’t seem like anything had changed. What was it about coming home that made you feel like you were still the child you were when you left?
    Spotting Lu in the rocking chair, he paused, taking her in. She looked tense, completely upright and stiff in the chair, not moving a muscle, with her eyes closed as if she wanted to shut out the world. But then a smile raced across her face. He wanted to know what brought that smile. So he crept, not really wanting to startle her, to the spot directly in front of her. As he sat down on the hard porch, he studied her. Luminous but guarded, her face caught the moonlight directly, almost an ethereal glow. And even though she smiled, she appeared stressed. He could have watched her forever, but his desire to talk with her overpowered him. So he moved, knowing that it would bring her around.
    Which is how he sneaked up on her. And how she suddenly felt the planks creak and her chair move with the vibration. And how she opened her eyes to find Lex sitting directly in front of her, leaning back on his elbows, with his legs outstretched.
    He cocked his head to the side, his laughing green eyes boring directly into her startled blue ones, smiling that smile. Left eyebrow raised, another Pellitteri trait, he said, “Louisa May Knight, I get the feeling that you are avoiding me.”

6
     
    Caught off guard by his appearance and that smile, Lu sat up too quickly, right as the chair rocked back. In an effort to counterbalance the movement, she shifted forward at the wrong moment and found herself thrust upward in the air. Overcompensating, she leaned back. The chair was moving forward and nailed her in the back of the head. She grabbed her head and leaned forward again. But this time there was too much momentum and she found herself landing with a thump, on her knees, between Lex’s legs.
    Head hurting, knees smarting, pride wounded, and nerves fraying, Lu glared at Lex as if he had gotten up and bodily thrown her out of the chair. He looked at her, and although she could see him struggling, trying not to, he burst out laughing. He couldn’t help it. And maybe it was the release he’d needed, because he couldn’t seem to stop. His elbows came out from under him and he fell onto his back, flat and hysterical.
    “Ugh, Alexander James, why do I always manage to have embarrassing moments in front of you?” she couldn’t help but ask, indignantly.
    “Sweetheart, I’ve had a couple of women throw themselves at me, but not nearly as graceful as that,” he managed before the laughter overtook him again.
    Frustrated, and unwilling to give in to the desire to join him in his amusement, Lu smacked his leg. Attempting to disengage herself from him, she started to stand up and move away. But Lex’s long arm shot out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her down on top of him. For one blissful moment, Lu let herself lie there, one leg on the outside, one leg trapped between his. Her hair splayed over his chest, his right hand finding its way underneath to rest lightly on her back. The heat of his hand on her, him between her legs, his left hand still grasping her wrist—she let it all wash over her. She could have combusted. She felt the heat creep through her body. Then he released her wrist and wrapped his other arm around her. She followed. The deck impeded her arms from fully engulfing