Page 49 of My December Darling

His lips quirk at the corners. “Let’s pick back up on the speech tomorrow?”

“I’m not working.”

“I know.” His smirk turns into a full-blown smile.

Meeting up somewhere outside of work without Gabriela or Aiden feels serious in a way. Like Luke and I are making a conscious effort to spend time together without our friends or my family serving as a buffer.

He just wants to help you.

Yeah, all while simultaneously trying to get closer to me in any way he can.

He rubs the back of his neck again—a nervous tic I’m starting to easily recognize, and one I’m beginning to enjoy drawing out from him. Even the pink flush in his cheeks returns with a vengeance, although this time from nervousness rather than being caught in a little white lie.

Damn him for making me think his self-consciousness is endearing. I, of all people, should be turned off by the idea of someone being vulnerable, but Luke going from confident and flirtatious to nervous and uncertain draws me in, especially when compared to how confident he was only a few moments ago with the nurse.

“Where are you thinking?” I ask.

“We could meet at Nightcap?”

“The new bar in the Historic District?” It was heavily inspired by the roaring twenties and speakeasies, with cocktails they serve in tiny bathtubs and a hidden door in the back leading to a secret bar and menu, and I’ve wanted to go there ever since they opened a few months ago.

“Yeah. You mentioned something about it at dinner the other night.”

My brows rise. All I remember saying was that Gabriela betrayed me by going to the grand opening while I was out of town, so the fact that he is offering to take me makes my head swim with possibilities I can no longer ignore.

If I had a sense of self-preservation, I would come up with a reason to say no. Thisthingbetween us can’t go anywhere, but Luke seems intent on trying anyway, so if he ends up getting hurt once I have to leave, that’s on him.

Him? What about you?

There is no way I will get attached to someone in two short weeks. I’ve always been cautious to a fault, and I’m not about to lose myself in some whirlwind romance better suited for a holiday made-for-TV movie than real life.

The thought alone makes me want to snort.

“So?” His question hangs in the air.

“You know what? Sure. I’ve been wanting to go there, and this speech isn’t going to write itself.”

“Perfect. It’s a date.” He winks before turning to leave.

I don’t correct him on the fact that it isn’t a date.

I don’t remind him that we are working on a speech, not spending time getting to know each other.

I don’t do anything but smile and wave as he exits the break room, taking the smallest, thinnest sliver of my heart along with him.

15

LUKE

I’ve been on plenty of dates, but I don’t remember any of them making me this nervous. At least not since my very first one.

For the third time in ten minutes, I check my text thread with Catalina, making sure I told her the right time to meet up at Nightcap. I had offered to pick her up, but she was determined to order a ride through an app, so I dropped the idea. Part of me wanted to insist, but I let her be, knowing that pushing her on the subject might make her uncomfortable.

Catalina doesn’t seem like the type to respond well to an overbearing alpha type, and luckily, I don’t fall into that category. I’m not sure if that makes me a progressive male or a stupid one because she is already twenty minutes late—and counting.

Maybe she decided to ditch your sorry ass.

I wouldn’t blame her, seeing as I’m the one who labeled us meeting up outside of work “a date” in the first place. If she backed out of our plan while claiming food poisoning or something else, I’d be disappointed but not surprised.

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