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disguise.”
    “Whatevs. Gotta run. You owe me.” Lucy hung up before Luke could reply.
    He felt like a total ass. First for stalking the woman. When she’d joked about the restraining order, it was like an old roll of film playing through his head of all the lawyer and courtroom visits his parents had over the years. Each foster child who entered the Riley home, whether it was for a few weeks, months, years, or forever, came with his or her share of baggage. And then there was the current restraining order Rachael had out on Dylan. If he made Sage feel uncomfortable, he’d leave her alone, no matter how much it pained him.
    Second for walking out on her at dinner. Sage hadn’t done anything wrong and he probably hurt her feelings. He wasn’t usually that kind of guy. Knowing an apology was in order, he dialed her number and waited for her voicemail to pick up.
    “Hi…It’s ah…Luke Riley. Look, I wanted to apologize for the other night.” Luke paced his living room. “I don’t want you to think I’m…well, I don’t want to um, hound you or make you feel uncomfortable. So if you don’t want to see me again, I get it. No hard feelings. I’m sorry. Really. I never meant to…I just…yeah. Anyway. Thanks for listening.” He hung up and tossed his phone on the couch. What an idiot.
    Could he sound any more immature? Sage Wilde was an educated, sophisticated woman and Luke was…well, he barely got his high school diploma and signed up for the military because he had no other career aspirations. After one long tour, he realized he was more a hometown boy than a soldier. Thankfully firefighting seemed to fill his need for adrenaline and kept him busy. He’d never be of Sage’s caliber.
    Not that he was scum. No one was as low down and dirty as Rachael’s ex-boyfriend, Dylan White. The restraining order seemed to be working, and, according to his sister, the past few months had been better.
    The last thing Luke wanted to do was make a woman feel unsafe. If he’d freaked Sage out, it would be something he could never forgive himself for.
    Luke’s job was to protect people. Rescue them from harm, not make them run from him. Needing to get some frustration out, he changed into his workout gear and headed for the gym. A few rounds in the boxing ring at The Warehouse would loosen him up.
     
    ***
     
    Sage
     
    God, she hated telephone tag. She hung up before leaving a message. Hearing Luke’s voice made her smile. The man was nervous. Not that she cared. Much. She wasn’t looking to date the guy. Go a few rounds playing mattress gymnastics, yes. So Luke thought he was coming on too strong. Well, in a way he was.
    His charm and witty personality were not something Sage was accustomed to. Sage dated dignified men who brought her to nice restaurants, ordered bottles of wine, discussed business, spreadsheets, Wall Street, brought her back to their places so they could have sex and then she went home. No harm. No foul. She didn’t do emotions and feelings.
    Luke, however, was different. He talked about family with a warmth in his voice that nearly touched Sage. The man was relationship material. House, two kids. Family dog.
    Sage wanted nothing of the sort. A house would require maintenance and yard work, which would take time away from work. A house had multiple bedrooms that should be filled up with children. Sage definitely didn’t want kids. She didn’t mind carrying one for a few months for her sister, but sleepless nights? Disgusting diapers? Toys in every nook and cranny? No. Not her thing.
    And a dog? Gross. Hair. Smell. Poop in the yard. Nope. Not her thing either. And she’d bet her next contract that Luke Riley had a dog, a house, and a dream for a few brats running around.
    Sage absently rubbed her belly. Not because of any maternal instinct. Nope. Definitely not her thing. She only hoped she was pregnant so her sister and brother-in-law could have their dream. That’s what Sage did. She planned