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“I’ll say this. He likes it a little rough and”—I shrugged—“turns out I do too.”
“How rough?”
“What did he do?”
The questions kept coming. Some I answered, most I didn’t. If they kept this up, I’d be jumping Lucas’s bones the second he walked in. So instead, I changed the subject to the most non-Lucas topic I could think of.
“Did you hear,” I asked Zoe, “that the Southpoint property is getting a dining room refresh?”
“You are not talking work right now,” Natalie accused. “Especially as a deflection.”
But it worked. Zoe had been trying to get the dining room of the property she managed on the docket for a refresh since she’d gotten the job.
“I was not happy,” she admitted. “Did you know about it?”
“As much as I knew about my father’s announcement,” I said. Natalie had been filled in on that one too. Last night, my father hadn’t mentioned work once, which told me he knew he was wrong by springing the possibility of me taking over on the whole management staff.
“I figured,” she said. “Sucks though. I don’t see how Southpoint needed it more than we did.”
After ten or so minutes of work talk, the conversation effectively diverted, we chatted about the VP position. I’d wanted to mention it to Lucas this week but never quite got the gumption to do it. I already knew what his opinion would be, and I couldn’t count on him to be objective about it. But I really did have to tell him. Even if it would be more ammunition in his arsenal against my father.
“Sometimes I really don’t get my father’s decisions,” I admitted. And then, so as not to totally bore Natalie, I changed the subject again. “Speaking of boyfriends, what’s going on with you and Erik?”
Zoe’s boyfriend was a doctor in a local hospital. He worked more often than not, and seemed to have a ton of time to hang out with his doctor friends but not as much for Zoe. No one was sure why she put up with it, but she seemed to really like him.
“You know.” She shrugged. “Busy. He picked up two extra shifts this week, so I hardly saw him.”
Neither Natalie nor I said anything. That was pretty typical of him. But then again, until a week ago, I’d agreed to fake date Lucas just to be able to stay in his life, so if anyone wanted to talk about bad relationship decisions, it probably shouldn’t be me.
Just as I lifted my drink, an awareness washed over me. Maybe it was the look on the girls’ faces. Or maybe I smelled him before I could see him. But there was no doubt in my mind Lucas was behind me.
Confirming it, his strong hand slid behind my neck. I loved his hands, so firm and capable. He massaged my neck for a second or two, and then in his low, sexy voice said, “Evening Natalie. Zoe.”
The hairs on my arm rose, in a good way. My core clenched. Every nerve ending in my body suddenly became electrified.
Lucas.
I turned my head to look up at him.
Dear Lord.
“Buenos noches, señorita bonita.”
Melt.
“Hi there,” I managed to say lamely.
But Lucas didn’t seem to mind. He leaned down and kissed me, much too briefly, which I understood given our audience. And then asked if anyone wanted a drink.
“I could use a refill,” Zoe said. “Vodka soda.”
“Anyone else?” he asked Natalie and me.
“I’m good,” Natalie said.
Lucas, his hand still rubbing my neck, watched me. “What about you? Need anything, baby?”
His suggestive tone didn’t leave a ton of room for interpretation. The answer, of course, was yes. I needed all of him. But now didn’t seem to be the best time to answer. So instead, I pretended we were still talking about a drink. I raised mine up. “Still good, but thanks.”
