After rushing to get ready, she still had a good twenty minutes until Luke showed up. She paced the apartment until she wound up in front of her mirror fussing with her hair and makeup. She sat on the couch, legs crossed, foot shaking in anticipation. She hadn’t been alone with Luke since he’d stayed over Monday night.
He’d been busy with new clients all week, and her workload seemed to be increasing. All of her free time had been spent in the library with Jeremy and Tessa, who were attached at the hip. Sitting in Luke’s class had been nothing short of torture. By Friday’s class, she was sure she would rip her clothes off and throw herself at him in the middle of the room. Her only saving grace was the text messages he sent her throughout the day. He missed her as bad as she did him.
Her phone rang, and she jumped to grab it. As she got closer, she saw “blocked” on the screen. She tensed for a moment before hitting ignore. Jack had been calling on and off all week, but she’d become numb to it. He hadn’t sent another text message, and she was too caught up in studying and Luke to worry much. She figured if she continued to ignore him, he would get tired of calling and give up. Hopefully. She knew Luke needed to know about him, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to let Jack into her new relationship. They had enough to deal with; they didn’t need more stress.
A knock sounded on the door a few minutes later, and she opened it up. Luke wore black pants, a white dress shirt, and a black skinny tie. His blue eyes sparkled as a gorgeous smile spread across his face.
“Hi, beautiful,” he said.
“Hi.” She dragged him into the apartment.
Pushing him against the door, she crushed her lips to his before he could say another word. Her arms wrapped around him, fingers digging into the hair at the nape of his neck. Luke’s hands traveled down Embry’s body and cupped her ass as he pulled her into him and deepened the kiss.
She pulled her mouth from his and took a deep breath, her lips swollen and pink. “Sorry.”
“Do I look like I mind?” Luke leaned in for another kiss. “Are you ready to go?”
Embry nodded. “Yep, all set.”
“Great, I’ll grab your bags.” Luke put Embry’s bags in the back of his Rover and helped her into the car. As they pulled out of her development, he scooped up her hand and brought it to his lips. “I missed you, baby.”
“Me too,” she said, feeling relaxed and calm in his presence. Maybe calm wasn’t the right word. Being near him, being able to kiss and touch him, did nothing to calm her. Liquid fire ran through her veins whenever he was close. But for the next two nights, she wouldn’t have to pretend that every look, every touch, didn’t affect her. He was hers.
“I thought about cooking for you,” he said, his eyes mirroring her desire, “but I figured if we were going to get any eating or talking done, we should probably be in a public place.”
“Probably a good idea.” She squeezed his hand. “But what if someone sees us?”
“It’s off the beaten path. We won’t have a problem,” he assured her.
A while later, they pulled up to a quaint restaurant off the main road. Luke hopped out of the SUV and helped Embry from the car. She loved how much of a gentleman he was. It was ingrained, natural, as though he didn’t even have to think about it. If she parted his hair, added some gel, and dressed him up in a tailored three-piece suit, he could be an actor in one of the old movies she used to watch with her grandmother—laying his coat over a puddle and helping her across. The thought amused her as they walked toward the restaurant entrance. It looked more like a cottage. The sign, La Belle, glowed above the entryway, and decorative white lights twinkled all over the exterior of the building.
“This place is beautiful,” Embry said, turning to Luke with a broad smile.
“Wait until you see the inside. A client recommended it, and from the pictures I saw online, it looks pretty great.”
Luke reached for the front door, but Embry tugged on his hand. “Thank you. For doing this. I know we haven’t gone inside yet, but I just want you to know it’s perfect,” she said.
Luke’s lips brushed the corner of her mouth. “I’m just getting started, baby.”
He tugged her to his side and led her into the restaurant. After notifying the maître d’ of their reservation, they were led to a cozy corner booth. It was private, intimate. Embry slid into the rounded booth, Luke following after. Her eyes roamed the interior of the restaurant. Authentic wooden beams ran the length of the ceiling, and a stone fireplace sat in the center of the room, the mantle glowing with more lights. Embry’s gaze returned to Luke.
He was studying her, a content look on his face. “Do you like it?”
“I love it. It’s gorgeous.” She picked up the menu and flipped through it.
She ordered duck breast with goat cheese croquettes over a salad, and Luke ordered some kind of veal. He also ordered a delicious bottle of Bordeaux. While they waited for their meals, they chatted about the kinds of things a new couple should, instead of discussing how to hide their affair.
“We should’ve done this a long time ago,” Luke said, running his hand down Embry’s arm and clasping her fingers. “I can’t believe I’ve never taken you for a nice dinner.”
Embry smiled sweetly and rubbed her thumb over the back of Luke’s hand. “We were a bit preoccupied. Besides, you did cook me an amazing dinner.”
“I did.”
“That was pretty smooth too, Professor.”
Luke winced and shook his head. “Don’t, Bree.”
“I was just playing.”
“I know.” He dragged her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips lightly across her skin. “But that’s not who I am with you, not tonight. I don’t want to think about it.”
“Okay. Well, let’s revisit our first date then, shall we?” she suggested.
“And how do you suggest we do that?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Rapid-fire question round.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Oh no, here we go.”
“What?”
“Nothing, beautiful. You’re up. Shoot.”
Embry rubbed her chin, thinking about where to start. “Okay. Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“We’re doing favorites. Number, season, band. Go!”
Luke smirked. “Why do I feel like you’re just warming up?”
“Go!”
He held up his hands, chuckling. “Okay, okay. Fourteen. Summer. Kings of Leon. You?”
Embry shook her head. “Nope. We’re not finished with you yet.”
“Oh, I see how this works. You pry all the information you can from me and then leave me in the dark, huh?”
“Something like that.” She leaned in, and lightly swept her lips across his jaw. It was sweet and simple, but it gave her pause. Showing him affection came so easily, but for the most part, she would never be able to do that in public. The thought made her sad.
Luke picked up on the shift in her mood. As if reading her mind, he slipped his fingers under her chin, tilted her head up, and kissed the ever-loving shit out of her. He pulled away, his bold blue eyes fixed on her. “I know what you’re thinking, baby. But tonight, don’t think. You can kiss me wherever and whenever you like. Okay?”
Embry nodded and realized she wasn’t good at hiding her emotions with Luke. She was breathless and didn’t trust herself to speak. The waiter appeared at their table, presenting their meals and pouring more wine. As Luke chatted idly with the man, Embry touched a finger to her lips. She still felt the caress of his tongue, his soft, warm mouth against hers. No matter how many times she kissed him, it always felt like the first time. Always new, exciting … erotic.
“Eat up, baby.”
Embry looked up to find Luke staring at her. Her finger was still pressed to her lips. She dropped her hand into her lap.