“Hey, I just wanted to see what you were making,” she complained.
“Don’t worry about it.” He gave her a sly smile.
Embry planted her hands on her hips, challenging him. “I don’t like surprises, you know.”
“Then whoever was trying to surprise you wasn’t doing it right.” Luke gave her a cute smile that caused his dimple to pop. Then his face turned serious. “Didn’t you say you have work to do? I don’t want to keep you from it.”
“Yeah, I should probably try to get some reading done for crim law. I’ll be right here.” Embry motioned toward the couch. “Just holler if you need me.”
“Got it.”
Morgan was right; Embry couldn’t concentrate. There was a gorgeous man in her kitchen. When she wasn’t watching Luke, Embry was reliving the feel of his lips on hers. After reading the same sentence for about the tenth time, she put down her textbook and headed into the kitchen. She peered over Luke’s shoulder.
He sensed her and looked back. “Need something?”
“Nope. Just making sure things are running smoothly.”
“Is that so?”
“Yep. Quality control check.”
He chuckled. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got it covered.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Yes, go finish your work.”
Embry chewed her lip and tried her best to look innocent. “I can’t.”
“What do you mean? Do you need help with one of the cases?”
She shook her head and looked down. “I can’t concentrate.”
Luke grabbed her chin and brought her eyes to his. “What’s got you distracted, beautiful?”
A mischievous grin formed on her face. “Well, he’s about 6’3”, dark hair, blue eyes …”
“I’m distracting you, am I?”
“Mmmhmmm.” Embry nodded.
Luke pulled her in for a kiss. “Okay fine, you can help. Dinner’s almost ready, but why don’t you pour us some wine and grab some plates and silverware.”
Embry set the small glass table in her dining room, poured them each a glass of the chardonnay she had chilled, and plopped down on one of the stools in the kitchen to watch Luke.
His back was to her as he dished out the food and arranged their plates. He scooted past her to the table and called over his shoulder, “Grab the salad, will you?”
Embry brought the salad bowl over and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw an impressive meal laid out in front of her. “Luke, is that—”
“Spinach and feta stuffed chicken breast,” he said.
“And mixed greens with baked goat cheese? This is one of my faves. How did you know?”
“I might have run into Morgan today, and she might have given me a few ideas.”
“I can’t believe you did this. That was unbelievably thoughtful. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, beautiful. Come on, dig in.” Luke gestured to the table, and they both sat down to eat.
Embry groaned with pleasure at her first bite of chicken.
“You like?” Luke asked.
“More than like. This is delicious!”
“I’m glad. Enjoy it,” he said with a small, satisfied smile.
“Where did you learn to cook?” Embry asked between bites.
“My mom is an amazing cook. I used to avoid other chores by following her around and helping in the kitchen. I guess I picked up a few things along the way.”
Embry nodded and sipped her wine. Before she could ask more about his family, Luke changed the subject.
“So who was that Reggie guy? A friend of yours?”
Embry snorted. “Not really. More like the neighborhood welcoming committee.”
Luke gave Embry a curious look.
“He’s my upstairs neighbor. He stopped by to welcome me to the community when he saw me moving in. Now he drops in all the time to try to get me to go out with him. I’ve told him repeatedly that I’m not interested.”
“Is he bothering you?”
“Eh, he’s a little creepy but probably harmless.”
“Just be careful. Let me know if he makes you uncomfortable.”
“Thank you. And thanks for earlier. Maybe he’ll back off a bit now.” Not wanting to continue talking about her creeper, Embry shot questions at Luke. “So tell me more about you. Brothers? Sisters? Mom and dad? I don’t even know what kind of law you practice. Or how old you are.”
Luke laughed and raised an eyebrow. “One, none, alive and well in Georgia, general practice, and thirty-one.”
Embry smirked. “Smart ass. I was looking for a little more than that.”
Luke shrugged and gave her an evil smile. “Your turn.”
“Fine. What do you want to know?”
“The same. Parents, siblings … age, sex, Social Security Number,” he joked.
Embry chuckled. “I grew up in Westhampton Beach. My parents still live there. Only child. And I’m twenty-five.”
“Only child, huh? Did it get lonely?”
“No, never. I grew up with Morgan. She has a busload of siblings. I was never bored or lonely. I kind of hightailed it out of town when I graduated high school. Other than short holiday visits, this is the first time I’ve really been back since I left five years ago.”
“Anxious to get away and experience life, huh?”
“Yeah, something like that,” Embry mumbled. Desperate for a change of subject, she decided to try again to get more information out of Luke. “Tell me about your brother. Older or younger?”
“Camden, Cam. He’s four years older than me. Married; my sister-in-law, Lori, is pretty amazing.” Luke’s face lit up with a huge smile. “I have a niece, Mac. Mackayla. She’ll be three in a few months. They’re all in Georgia, near my parents. I don’t see Mac as often as I’d like since I moved up north, but we have Skype dates.”
“Awww, Uncle Luke,” Embry said, smiling sweetly.
“That’s me.”
Embry eyed Luke’s empty plate. “Are you finished?”
“Yup.” Luke patted his stomach, drawing Embry’s eyes to that area and leaving her thinking about what he’d look like without the shirt. “That was pretty damn good if I say so myself.”
Embry stood and cleared the dishes, bumping Luke with her hip as she walked by. “Pretty damn good indeed, Chef Luke.”
After cleaning up the kitchen, Embry grabbed the bottle of wine and their glasses and headed to the couch. She pulled her legs beneath her, sitting sideways on the couch. “So …”
“So,” Luke responded, settling next to her. He eyed the law book on the coffee table and glanced at Embry, his eyes darkening. “Do you have a lot more work to do for tomorrow? I don’t know how much longer I should continue to distract you.”
“Actually, I’m all set for tomorrow,” Embry admitted. “I’m ahead; I just like to keep up with the workload so it stays that way.”
Luke nodded and shifted toward her, stretching his arm out along the back of the couch. Suddenly shy, Embry played with the hem of her shirt. Luke’s fingers grazed her cheek, and she looked up into his intense blue eyes. With no more small talk to distract them, the desire between them was palpable.
Before she could react to her own impulses, Luke’s hand wrapped around Embry’s nape, pulling her in for a searing kiss. He started gentle, his tongue making slow, lazy passes through her mouth. She felt her need grow as the passion between them took over. She came up on her knees, her hands traveling up his chest and gripping his biceps. He paused to look at her. She was sure the desire in his eyes matched her own. His arms came around her as his mouth connected with hers.
“Mmm,” he hummed against her lips. “You taste so good.”
Luke’s raspy words were Embry’s undoing. She tugged him closer, deepening the kiss.