“Good to know, big guy,” Addison said between laughs.
I observed the scene unfolding in front of me, and laughed at my best friend and boyfriend.
“Lex, you look gorgeous.” His eyes slowly descended, taking in every inch and curve. When he reached my feet, he said, “Girl, can you walk in those things? They’re just shy of stilts.”
“Yes, handsome, I can walk in them. I may beg for a foot massage later, though.” My eyes scanned his body. A sexy pair of dark jeans hugged his muscular thighs, and a crisp baby blue, collared, button down shirt made his eyes look a softer bluer than normal. On top was a brown blazer, making him look sharp and sexy as sin. What took me by surprise were the glasses I hadn’t seen before. The thin wire frames only intensified his sex appeal. He looked good enough to eat.
We said goodnight to Addison and headed out. He led me down the stairs with a hand on the small of my back. The pressure was perfect enough to make me feel desired and protected. Luke was double-parked in front of my building, driving the neighbors crazy, but that was the Boston way. Once we hit the sidewalk, he opened the passenger side door for me. I slid in, but before he closed the door, he bent down into my space. “You take my breath away every single time I see you.” And with that, he shut the door and climbed in the driver side, leaving me stunned with his honesty. I loved that there were no games with him. He told me how he felt.
Once we arrived at the Ritz, Luke handed his keys to the valet. The doorman stepped forward, blew a whistle, and seconds later, a cab pulled up to the curb. I knew the service in buildings like the Ritz was good, but that move was impressive. Luke held the car door open to let me climb in first. Always the gentleman.
“Seaport District, please,” Luke said to the cabbie, and turned to me. “What do you think of going to Legal Test Kitchen? Have you been there before?”
“Legal sounds great.”
Luke drew me close, his arm resting behind my head. I marveled in the instant comfort he provided me. Even though we had been in each other’s company for only a few weeks, I had never felt so safe, calm, and content than I was in his presence.
Luke’s eyes drifted to my lips. I took the opportunity to push up, and captured his with mine. I ran my tongue along the seam, requesting access, and he opened up for me. His hand wrapped around my neck, and his fingers entwined in the hair Addison had carefully curled for me. Luke took the kiss deeper, our tongues dancing. I raised my free hand to his smoothly shaven cheek as I broke our connection.
“We can skip dinner to do this all night.”
“As incredibly tempting as that is, we’re going on this date. I want to wine and dine you. You deserve it.”
“How do you know? Maybe I’m a dirty girl who just wants to fuck your brains out.”
The cab driver looked at me in his rearview mirror as if I was the best thing since sliced bread. I tried to keep the laughter at bay, but failed miserably.
“You know how I know? Because you couldn’t say that with a straight face. I now know you want to fuck my brains out, but that isn’t happening tonight, so you have to curb your undeniable desire for me.” Luke’s lips tipped into a devilish grin, showing his cavernous dimples to tease me. I was happy he couldn’t keep a straight face either.
As we entered the Seaport District, Luke asked the driver to drop us off at LTK. Minutes later, we arrived at the restaurant. Luke paid the driver, took my hand, and laced our fingers together as we entered the stylish restaurant. The Saturday night crowd packed the place, but we didn’t care. Two seats at the bar opened up, and we ordered drinks while we waited for our buzzer to light up. Luke ordered a Tito’s vodka martini up with two olives. Not three, not one, but two. My cranberry and soda was easy.
“Are you running tomorrow morning?” Luke asked, taking a sip of his very full beverage.
“Yes, we’re doing eighteen. Then the rest of the week, I’m going on shorter runs. You going to run with me in the morning?” I asked, knowing his answer already.
“As much as I would love to be unable to walk all week, I think I’ll leave that distance to you and Jeff, since he’s back. You’ve seen me struggle through fifteen.” He shook his head, laughing at himself. “However, I would love to join you for one of your shorter runs during the week. That way, I won’t die trying to keep up.”
Luke made it sound like he was out of shape. Even though I hadn’t seen him without clothes on, I could tell he was built. His spa t-shirt showed off his toned arms, and when he held me, it was easy to feel his rock hard abs and broad, muscular shoulders.
“Deal. What are we going to do about my last few appointments? I have one on Tuesday and Friday.”
“I’m not sure. Part of me wants you to come to my house for them, but that wouldn’t lead to your running muscles being massaged. Other aches would be tended to.” Luke’s exaggerated wink was hilarious. One side of his mouth curled up when he winked like the corner of his lips was connected to his eyelid.
“And that would be a problem, how?” I gave him a cheeky grin.
“You don’t run with your pussy, Lex,” Luke whispered so no one else heard him.
My pussy heard him, though, and begged for what he promised.
“No, I still want you to come to the spa next week. We’ll behave. Today threw me for a loop, but I’ll be better next time. But after the marathon, all bets are off.”
I respected Luke for sticking to the decision he made years ago. Yes, he was bending it for me, for which I was grateful. A man who stuck to his morals and decisions showed professionalism and class, and that was sexy.
“Okay, how about I don’t shave, and wear granny panties? Would that help?”
“I don’t think there’s a single thing you could do to make me not want you.” He placed a soft, chaste kiss on my lips.
Our buzzer sounded, letting us know our table was ready. The hostess led us to a small, two-person setup near the windows. Luke seated me on the cushy banquette, and took the funky metal chair for himself. Chivalrous, too. After he sat, Luke reached across the space to grab my hand, and we looked over the choices. Because the menus were large, one-handed was a challenge for me, but the feel of his palm against mine, the constant connection, was worth the struggle.
Discussing the food options led us to decide on appetizers for dinner. We placed our order with the server, starting with a plate of Wellfleet oysters. And of course, I couldn’t eat at Legal without a cup of their award winning clam chowder.
“So, tell me about your family,” Luke said.
“Well, I’m an only child. They tried for more children, but after a few years, my parents realized I was so fabulous, they didn’t need any more kids. I wish I had siblings though.”
“My sisters and I weren’t always close. I’m pretty sure I beat the crap out of them more than I should have when we were little. We didn’t start hanging out until high school because we argued so much.” His eyes lit up with amusement. “One Sunday, in church, while the preacher was praying, Jess’s arm brushed mine, and I pinched the crap out of her. When she yelped and punched my leg as hard as she could, all these heads popped up to see who dared interrupt the service. Needless to say, my mom grounded me for disturbing prayer time and hurting my poor, helpless sister.” His love for his sisters was written all over his face.
“When Elle was in college, she had some pretty hard stuff to deal with, but she came to me for help.” He glanced over my shoulder, and his expression softened. “The fact she came to me was so humbling, but I’m glad she knew I would be there for her.” His voice cracked with his emotions. “That was a real turning point for us. I would do anything for them. Anything.”
He made me wish I had a big brother to protect me, to fight with me, and for me.
“Yes, and now you’re best friends.” My thumb traced the back of his hand. “I only have Addison. But I’m very close with my mom, too. She was the best when I was growing up.” I smiled, thinking about all the great times we had together. “My house was the hangout for all my friends. We had sleepovers every weekend in my basement.”