When Darkness Falls (Book 1, the Darkness Falls Series)

Chapter Four

Luke lifted one dark eyebrow as I gaped at him, and his lips twitched. 

"No . . . um . . . that seat's free." My words tripped over themselves.  

Luke folded his lean body into the chair opposite me. He stared at me for a moment, that half-smile still playing around his mouth. He had a good mouth, I noticed, his lips soft and kissable. 

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?" 

I started, realising I'd been staring at him like a brain-dead moron. "Kiara Morrow." 

"I'm Luke." 

"Luke . . .?" I drew out his name, waiting for the elusive surname to follow. 

He shook his head. "Just Luke." 

"I see." Okay, that was weird. 

"Did you enjoy the party the other night?" 

Not until you showed up, I thought. Out loud, I said, "It was okay." 

Luke's eyes were dark grey, like steel and storm-clouds, and wherever they touched my skin it felt like sweet fire had brushed me. "I heard you went into Greylark." 

I casually flicked my hand the way I'd seen Riley do. "It was nothing." 

"You know people say it's haunted." 

"I don't believe in ghosts." 

He leaned forward and suddenly I felt like a bird, flying through the clouds of his eyes. "What would you have done if there had been a ghost there?" 

The vampire flashed through my head but I firmly pushed it away. I didn't want to think about vampires, didn't want to think about my bizarre secret life. I just wanted to savour this moment. 

"I don't know." It came out a whisper.  

"Who are you here with tonight?" Luke asked, scanning Bar 64's top floor. 

"Riley brought me to -" I paused, swallowing back the words I'd been about to say. I didn't want Luke to know I was here on a date. I wasn't interested in Joel, but if Luke knew why I was here, he'd probably walk away and that would be the last I'd see of him. I didn't want that to happen.  

I swallowed the dryness in my throat. Why did he make me so nervous? It wasn't like this was the first crush I'd ever had. I'd even sneaked a couple of kisses without Noah being any the wiser, but Luke make me feel warm all over in a way I'd never experienced before. The butterflies weren't just fluttering inside me, their metaphorical wings were whipping up a hurricane. This must be what people meant when they talked about chemistry. 

Luke studied me with those storm-cloud eyes and I studied him right back. He was still dressed in black, the sleeves of his t-shirt taut across his muscled arms. There was no logo on his t-shirt, no message or whimsical saying, as if he knew his natural male beauty didn't need decoration.  

"This is a new look for you," Luke said, drinking in my Riley-altered appearance. 

I bit my lip. "Riley wanted to pretty me up." 

"You looked beautiful before." Luke blinked and abruptly closed his mouth as if he hadn't meant that to slip out. 

I could only gape at him. Did that mean he'd been thinking about me? Something soft and warm blossomed inside me and I fought to tamp it down, remembering who I was and what kind of life I led. It didn't matter if Luke was the most gorgeous boy I'd ever met in my life and it didn't matter that he might actually be interested in me. Having friends was one thing, but there was no way I'd ever be able to fit a boyfriend into my life. There were some lines I could never cross.