Page 18 of Legends Luke

Melody raised her head. “But you ordered the sandwich. You should eat it.”

“I’d rather you eat whichever one you want. It doesn’t matter to me.”

She smiled. “I’ll eat the salad and pot pie, but...”

Her cheeks tinged with pink, and she dropped her eyes. He studied her curiously and tried not to get distracted by the way her shiny hair curled to frame her face.

“But what?”

She snagged her bottom lip between her teeth as if trying to decide what to say. Then the words tumbled out as if she couldn’t hold them in a second longer. “Can I have a bite of yours?”

He wasn’t sure what he expected her to say, but her question wasn’t it. Not many people took him by surprise. He’d seen too much in his life to be caught off guard. But there wasn’t much about Melody Douglas that didn’t surprise him, including his reaction to her.

“I’m sorry. It’s silly of me to ask. I’m not much of a meatloaf fan, but yours looks really good. I don’t know. I thought I could have a taste to see if I might like it better than I think. Never mind.”

Luke started to hand her one half but figured she wasn’t the type to take a big bite of a large sandwich. He took his knife and fork and cut a small corner, making sure to get a sampling of the meatloaf and the special glaze Jed spread on the bread. He speared the piece with his fork and held it out to her. She looked sheepish as she leaned forward. Her lips closed over the fork and pulled back, using her lips to slide the morsel off the tines. She closed her eyes as she chewed slowly, her expression neutral, but his reaction was far from it.

Luke felt a tightening in his belly, and his eyes narrowed as he watched her jaw move and her throat constrict as she swallowed. When she finally opened her eyes, he hoped he schooled his features well enough for her to miss the desire brewing inside him.

“Wow. It’s like being wrapped in a cozy blanket in front of a fire with a good book and a glass of wine.”

He barked out a laugh. “Okay. I take it that means it’s good.”

She grinned. “Yes, it’s good. It’s the ultimate comfort food. It could make me fall in love with meatloaf.”

He raised a brow. “Sure you don’t want this and let me have the pot pie?”

“Tempting, but no. This pot pie smells amazing, so I want to give it a try. Do you want a bite though?”

He considered it, but the idea of Melody feeding him had his heart racing. “No, I’m good.”

They ate in silence for several minutes. Luke wished Jed would play music or something to drown out the noises of pure pleasure Melody made as she ate. He doubted she realized she was doing it, but he hadn’t missed a single one. They sent all the blood rushing straight to his groin.

“So, are there any other hot spots around Fire Creek I should know about? I found your family’s bar, and now I know about Jed’s. Where else should I visit?”

He shoved a fry in his mouth to buy himself time to answer her question. He was glad she started making conversation, but his thoughts were too distracted to answer her right away.

“I don’t know if I’d call Jed’s a hot spot.”

She laughed, bringing out a small grin on his face. “Okay. But I’m new to town and haven’t had a lot of time to explore. This place is home for the unforeseeable future, and I want to know more about it. I want to know what there is to do so I’m prepared for when my sister visits.”

“You said she’s in school?”

“She’s earning her degree this summer at Franklin University. She’s had a couple of job offers in Louisiana and South Carolina, but she promised to visit before graduation once she completes some of her exams. She’s the one who convinced me to move here. She called it an adventure.”

Luke snorted. “I don’t know if I’d call Fire Creek an adventurous destination.”

She shrugged. “I like it so far. It must not be all bad if you grew up here and decided to settle here.”

He wondered if she’d still say that if she knew his history. If she knew about his abusive upbringing, about how he survived by escaping to a cramped apartment above a bar, about how he went into the army because he was too dumb for college, and about how he came home because he saw no other purpose for himself than to continue what his mentor had started, would she still consider this a nice town?

Somehow, he didn’t think so.

“What about Saturday?”

He wasn’t sure who was more surprised and confused by his question – Melody or him.

“Saturday?”

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