Page 23 of Loving Luna

“Apology accepted. I just wanted to swing by and see that all was as it should be. I can see that it is. Enjoy the book club everyone.” He wasn’t upset in the slightest. If anything, he was entertained if the smirk on his face was anything to go by.

I nudged Luna a few steps forward so I could get past her and try to cut through the awkwardness.

“On that note… welcome to the Rawhide University Romance Book Club. Those who don’t know me, I’m Drake and yes I actually do love reading romance. Most of you probably know Luna, and we will be your co-hosts. We were told to choose our first book, but Luna thought it would be more fun if we chose it together so everyone take a book, check it out, read the blurb, see if anything sticks out to you and by the end of this meeting we will know what book we are all going to spend this next week enjoying.”

I looked at Luna as I was handing out the books and that seemed to get her feet moving. I could tell by the blush on her cheeks that she was still super flustered, but I hoped it would dissipate if we just continued like nothing had happened.

After all the books were handed out, we took the last two empty seats that happened to be beside each other.

“All right, who wants to start?” I asked.

As soon as we got the ball rolling, the conversation flowed smoothly and before we knew it, everyone was leaving with a smile on their faces and a book in their hands. Even Luna loosened up after a couple of minutes.

“That went great!” I announced happily as I picked up the books that had not been chosen and took them back to the table for Emily or whoever to deal with later.

“It really did. I think everyone had a lot of fun. I know I did,” Luna agreed.

“Let’s celebrate. Ice cream?”

Luna would never in her life turn down ice cream. It was her biggest weakness and I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt wielding it because I was not ready to call it a night. I wanted more time with her. Lots more, but I would take what I could get at the moment.

“Are you going to be gross and get pistachio and mint?”

“You bet I am.”

She loved to tease me about my weird flavor pairing.

“Just because they’re both green doesn’t mean you should eat them together!” she exclaimed. It was her favorite argument and, funny enough, it was why I had tried them together in the first place.

“Whatever. Do you want to get ice cream with me or not?”

“Fiiine.” She sighed.

We headed down to the tunnels in a companionable silence. I would have preferred to walk outside, but it was dark andway too cold this time of year so I was actually thankful for the tunnels and the golf carts.

LUNA

The trip to the cafe where we were going to get our ice cream was a quiet one which I was happy with. The whole book club thing had been a trip from the second Drake walked in. It was crazy how easily we just fell into our same bantering selves and while I would be lying if I said I hadn’t missed him, I really didn’t realize just how much I’d missed the big oaf until we were forced to interact.

The neutral ground took all of the pressure off and had been a lot of fun. Listening to him lead the discussions about fictional romance characters did something to me. I didn’t just miss him. I longed for him. What was I doing to myself? Why couldn’t I woman the fuck up and just give us a try? What did I really have to be afraid of? I glanced over at him from the corner of my eye as he navigated the underground tunnels with a practiced ease. When I drove the golf carts, I was like a toddler in a Power Wheel for the first time. It wasn’t pretty. But not Drake. He was in complete control. It was hot as fuck.

What I wouldn’t give to feel his hands on me, but I knew I couldn’t do that to him unless I was really ready to pull my head out of my ass. He didn’t deserve to have his heart trampled on because I was a commitment-phobe. And I wasn’t going to give up my beliefs just because my body was a horny bitch. I’d just have to spend some extra time with my special toys tonight before bed.

Just the thought frustrated me though because I knew they were nothing in comparison to the real thing. At least the real thing with Drake. He was fucking fantastic. My toys just barely took the edge off. We walked from the cart to the cafe while my body and brain warred.

“You good?” Drake asked when we got into the elevator.

“Yep.” I lied.

“You sure?”

Nope.“It's nothing some ice cream can’t fix,” I lied again.

The look on his face told me he didn’t believe a word I was saying, but thankfully he kept it to himself. For now anyway. If I didn’t snap out of it, he was eventually going to keep prying. He really couldn’t help it. It was the Daddy in him.

The cafe was pretty quiet at the late hour which was both good and bad. If it had been busy, then there would be noise and distractions to keep my mind off of jumping Drake’s bones. Then again, the quiet was peaceful and serene. If it wasn’t so cold, I would have wanted to sit out on the deck.

“What can I get you guys?” Julie, the service submissive who seemed to always be in the cafe, asked.

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