Loving Lucas Read Online Free Page A

side of the property. The park is pretty basic compared to others I’ve seen: a three-eighths-of-a-mile dirt oval, rickety grandstands along the start/finish straightaway, tires and bales of hay skirting the inside, and the pits along the back straightaway.
    The last RV belongs to Connor. He’s outside with a group of friends, music blaring over his outdoor system. I smell marijuana and observe a guy sitting at a table snort a line of coke off a mirror. I frown at Karlie, wondering if she’s the type to party too.
    “No,” she states flatly before I have a chance to ask. “And if I was ever tempted, living with Connor quickly changed my mind.”
    “Good,” I comment, tight-lipped.
    Connor meets us at her bike. “What the fuck are you doing here, Karlie?”
    “I need to get my bike and equipment.”
    He laughs. “Or what?”
    I clench my jaw, already inclined to beat the shit out of him. “Where’s your key, darlin’?”
    “In the ignition.”
    I step forward. “Let the lady get her things.”
    “Lady?” Connor looks around. “Where?”
    I count to three inside my head. “Back the fuck off.”
    “You’d better listen to him,” Marie adds.
    Connor is a smug bastard and doesn’t seem to care about anything but his own pride, but he’s underestimated my determination. He blocks our way. “Consider it payment for back rent.”
    “Rent?” Karlie pipes in. “I’ve never . . .”  
    “Now you have.”
    “Connor.” Karlie advances on him. “That’s all I have in the world.”
    “You had me.”
    “No,” she shoots back. “I didn’t.”
    I’ll let this play out for a few more minutes; she may need to express herself a little more to find closure.
    “I offered you a second chance, Karlie.”
    “Only after you knocked me down and nearly broke my foot.”
    “What?” I clutch Karlie’s arm and drag her back a few feet. She spins around, her shoulders sagging. “He physically assaulted you?”
    “Please,” she whispers. “Don’t make me relive it.”
    Rage swells inside me. It has nothing to do with the overwhelming attraction I feel for her. I fist my hands at my sides. “All right,” I concede against my better judgment.
    She nods, then faces the asshole again. “The trailer is open, Connor. Please grab my equipment bag and let us get out of here without any trouble.”
    He crosses his arms over his chest. “And if I don’t?” he slurs.
    “I’ll break your face.” Someone touches me from behind and I gaze over my shoulder, ready to land a punch. It’s Brandon. I take a deep breath.  
    “He’s posturing,” he says to me.
    I nod and concentrate on Karlie again. She tries to walk around Connor, but he snatches her arm, squeezing so hard she yelps. Son of a bitch . . . I grab his T-shirt, giving him a violent shake. I notice he reeks of pot and alcohol, and then our eyes meet. “Touch her again . . .”  
    “Gonna call the cops?” he spits.
    Marie takes up a position next to me. “He is a cop, jackass.” She jabs him in the chest with two fingers. “Now maybe you’ll listen.”
    Connor goes limp in my grasp and the music stops—everyone freezes.
    A smile tics at the corners of my mouth. Karlie has a formidable friend. “Grab your bike, Karlie.”
    I watch as she drags her feet, disappears inside the enclosed trailer, comes out with a large bag draped over her left shoulder, then quickly shifts her RM-Z250 to neutral and starts wheeling it away. Brandon takes her bag for her, then gestures with his head, indicating we all move on.
    Time to go.
    I tug Connor closer, so only he can hear me. “If you ever touch Karlie again, I’ll forget I wear a badge.” Then I give him a shove and he stumbles backward, catching himself on a nearby table.
    “Can you believe that asshole?” Marie asks, trying to keep pace with me.
    I stop and look down at her. “I deal with his type every day. I just can’t believe she’s stayed with him this long.”
    “Karlie doesn’t have any