Spent - Part Two (Bad Boy Fighter Book 2) by Elise Holland Read Free Book Online

as I catch myself glancing over towards the table with the photos of Luke and his family. My thoughts trail off as I wonder whether or not the photo in the gold frame might still be hiding under the table.
    “Whatcha got?” I call back, as curiosity gets the better of me and I decide to inspect.
    “Um…” I can hear Luke rummaging through the cupboards as I head towards the table.
    “I’ve got some Twizzlers.”
    The reminder of our shared favorite candy makes me giggle, “Maybe we can have those for dessert.”
    I need to get a little lower to see better...
    “There’s some protein shakes. They’re kind of chalky, though,” I can hear him rummaging through the fridge now.  
    Suddenly, I catch myself.
    What the hell am I doing?
    Jealousy over Claire is what brought on complications between Luke and I in the first place. Why am I willingly trying to create more feelings of jealousy and resentment?  
    Hearing Luke move things around in the kitchen brings a smile to my lips. At one point in time, he might have been with the woman in the photo with the golden frame, but now he’s my man and I’m not about to mess that up.
    “So,” I start, as I make my way into the kitchen, “Protein shakes and Twizzlers are our options?”
    Luke jumps up, startled by my sudden entrance. He quickly shuts the fridge, barricading himself between me and the appliance.
    I arch an eyebrow, “Something the matter?”
    I might have enough control to not go snooping around his place for pictures of ex-girlfriends, but the fridge is fairly open territory in my book.
    “The fridge… it’s a little dirty...” Luke’s voice trails off. I can’t help but notice the cute way his lips curl when he’s embarrassed.
    “Do you need some help cleaning it out?”  
    Luke grimaces, “I should probably hire someone to do it, actually.”  
    I cross my arms, “Why?”  
    Now I’m curious.
    “Because,” Luke draws out his reply, “I’m a bit embarrassed by it.”  
    The goofy grimace expression he has right now makes me want to jump him so badly, but I hold back. I’m enjoying our little banter, but most importantly, I need Luke to realize that I want to know about the things in his life, both the good and the potentially very stinky.
    “I worked as a waitress in high school at a sleazy diner,” I smile sweetly, “I think I can handle whatever science experiments you have going on in your fridge. Besides, we need to find something to eat.”  
    I push my way past him. Luke doesn’t resist, but I can sense his hesitation from the sheer rigidness of his body as he moves away from the fridge to let me see inside. An odor far worse than the dirty gym shorts hits me in an intense wave as soon as I open the door. I quickly close up the crime scene and stifle a gag.
    I was no match for this fridge.
    “Was that… butter chicken?”
    “Once upon a time,” Luke mutters, “I picked it up for dinner the day you left,” his voice trails off.
    Once my stomach settles from the wave of nausea, I try to look directly at him with as calm and serene of an expression as I can possibly muster.
    “You have two week old Indian food in your refrigerator?” It nearly hurts just uttering the words.
    Luke closes his eyes tightly, bracing himself for some potential ridicule he’s anticipating, “Maybe.”
    “And… the blue stuff, in the little container?”
    “I couldn’t tell you. I… I know it looks bad.”
    I don’t want him to feel any worse so I take in a deep breath, “I have a solution for your fridge situation.”  
    Luke crosses his arms, a soft grin begins to curl along his lips, “Oh?”
    “Quarantine this entire kitchen. We’ll probably need long poles, fire and hazmat suits. And it’s definitely time to buy a new fridge,” I joke and smile broadly.
    Luke rolls his eyes, “I’ll clean it later. In the mean time,” he leans in, wrapping his arms around my waist, “Lets order something and get you out of those