Read Relentless for Free Online Page B

and plowed directly into her legs.
    The collision knocked Lily back.  Luckily, she righted herself before she tipped over.  The little girl didn't fare so well.  She crashed backward into a display of cereal boxes, the colorful tower tumbling down on top of her.
    The little girl with a mass of wild curls had to be close to three, she guessed.  She looked up at Lily, her big brown eyes wide.  "Uh-oh."
    Her mother rounded the corner.  "Emma?  What have you done?"  The woman hugged a newborn baby to her as she quickly surveyed the disaster.  She glanced at Lily.  "I'm so sorry."  Then turned to Emma.  "You are in big trouble, young lady.  You clean up this cereal right now."
    Emma scrambled to her feet and started picking up boxes. 
    "It's okay."  Lily smiled at the dark-haired mom sporting a ponytail and very little makeup.  "I can help her."
    "She's such a handful sometimes.  Thanks for helping.  I'm Caroline, by the way."
    Lily introduced herself before kneeling down next to Emma.  The little girl gave her a conspiratorial look that melted her heart.
    They'd managed to stack two levels of boxes when a pair of cowboy boots stepped into Lily's peripheral vision.  She glanced up to find Luke hovering.  She swore he was checking out her rear end.  He flicked his attention to Caroline. 
    "Need some help?"
    Lily prayed interest and excitement didn't show on her face.  He was sweet temptation all wrapped up in ripped jeans, a blue cotton shirt and a khaki ballcap.  She had to withhold a sigh of appreciation.
    "Luke!" Emma squealed and abandoned her boxes in order to throw her arms around his legs.
    He laughed and scooped her up.  "What have you done now, squirt?"
    Caroline groaned as her daughter laughed and hugged Luke.  "Don't ask."
    Luke tucked a wild curl behind the girl's ear, reminding Lily of the day they'd met and he'd done a similar thing for her.  "Emma, you've gotta quit giving your momma such a hard time.  She needs you to be a big girl and help her now."
    Emma put her chubby little hands on the sides of his face.  "Okay.  I will 'cause you asked nice," she answered with all seriousness.  "Can I have a sucker?"
    He laughed and set her down.  "If you do a good job cleaning up these boxes and if your momma says so, I'll buy you a sucker."
    Her cheeks pushed out as she grinned.  "Okay."  She started gathering the cereal boxes with renewed fervor, and Lily had a hard time keeping them straight.
    Luke knelt down and relieved the stress of her trying to keep up with the haphazard stacking of a little three-year-old.  "Hey Lily."  He nodded. 
    She tried to force a normal breath and pretend he hadn't been her fantasy every night since she'd met him, but she caught the scent of leather and spice, and her resistance slipped a notch.  "Hi Luke.  How have you been?" 
    "I'm good."  He shifted his gaze to Emma's mom.  "You doing okay, Caroline?  I stopped by to check on you earlier, but you weren't home."
    "Oh, sure."  The mom shifted her baby to her shoulder.  "You know it's been a little crazy without Richard, but I've had a lot of help, and he'll be home tomorrow."
    "I'm happy to hear that."  Luke stacked the final box and stood, holding out a hand for Lily.  She placed her fingers in his, unable to resist noting how warm and strong he felt.  She caught his gaze, his green eyes probing hers.  Interest?  Desire?  She wasn't quite sure what she'd found smoldering there, but he broke the connection as soon as she was on her feet.
    "You let me know if you need anything else, okay?"  He directed his conversation at Caroline.
    "Thanks, Luke.  You know you've been a lifesaver." 
    "No problem.  Come on, Emma.  Let's go get that sucker."  He took hold of little Emma's hand and walked away without another word, leaving an uncertain and unfulfilled void inside Lily. 
    She wanted to call foul, but she had been the one who'd turned him away the other night.  Somehow, though, she'd