How to Not Fall for My Boss ✔

20. Guard Down

"Because I fought him?" Luke asks.

Cobie frowns. "What?"

"You're disappointed in me because I took the bait and punched your ex-boyfriend?"

Cobie frowns deeper. Do they still speak the same language? "No!"

Luke takes a few steps toward her, his eyes boring into her eyes. "It's because of the kiss?" His question sounds more like a conclusion than an answer.

"Yes." Cobie glances at the door. "Can you please close the door? I don't want to have an uninvited audience for this."

Luke obliges. He then saunters back to her bed, putting one hand on his waist while the other hand rubs the back of his neck. "I knew it was going to create some friction between us even though you said it was no biggie. Still, it felt like we still needed to talk more about it, but you've been dodging me for a week."

"I've been dodging you because I'm upset, Luke."

He drops his head and sighs before carefully sitting down on the edge of her bed. "I felt bad about it and I still do. I was carried away, Cobie, I didn't think about the consequences of my action and how it would affect you."

"So...by saying you regret kissing me in the next fifteen hours would affect me any less?"

Luke snaps his head at her. "Huh? I didn't say that. I said I shouldn't have done it that night but I listened more to my urges. It was a reckless move."

Cobie tilts her head, trying to make sense of his reply. "I don't see the difference. To me, you just wanted to get rid of me the next day after you...we had fun."

"I didn't want to get rid of you. I wanted us to rethink carefully what we were getting into," Luke says. He gets up and walks back and forth on the other side of her bedroom. "But I'm confused now. You were the one who said it was not a big deal, and that you wanted to go ahead with the guy from the dating site."

"I..." Did she say that? Right, she did. But in her defense, it was the first thing she could think of to hold her self-esteem in place.

"I was trying to tell you how sorry I was for taking advantage of the situation but you made it like it was nothing, and I thought I was just overthinking it." Luke stops pacing, and leans against her desk, hands crossing his arms over his chest. "And you became distant. I wasn't sure what was going on but I thought it was because you were also having a lot to deal with at home. I honestly didn't know you were upset with me."

"Wait. Taking advantage of the situation you said?"

"Your situation, yeah. You were having a lot on your plate, and the last thing you needed was a complicated situation with someone at work. I swear I genuinely wanted to help and be your friend that night when you cried." Luke flinches and glances at her. "Until my self-control went down the drain."

"Oh." That's all Cobie can say for a good thirty seconds. "That's why you said it was a mistake?"

Luke nods. "I like you. A lot. But it felt like we were starting this at the wrong point. I wanted to talk about it with you further but then you told me about that freaking breadhead." Luke almost growls when he mentions Peter's online name.

"Oh." Cobie closes her eyes, inwardly smacking herself for being so immature. "I...um...I didn't mean that. Let me rephrase it." Cobie pinches the bridge of her nose. "When you said it was a mistake, I thought you were trying to get rid of me. I thought you were just playing with my feelings like a typical playboy. And I use Breadpitt to dodge the misery of being ditched by someone who wasn't even my boyfriend."

Luke doesn't move on his spot. Cobie is almost sure he doesn't breathe, either. Like a statue, his eyes are fixed on the cream rugs on her bedroom floor for a good ten seconds.