Page 57 of So Right
But sex opened up the potential for new feelings and a deeper connection. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that. Even if she wanted it.
Which she did. She was tired of being alone, she realized. And wasn’t that a revelation?
She turned off the water and grabbed a towel to dry off. Wrapping it around herself, she padded from the bathroom to the living room where she’d left her dress draped over the back of the couch.
She didn’t make it that far, however, because Luke was standing there staring at her. His gaze snapped to her face, but not before checking out her barely covered, still-damp body.
“I, uh, left my dress there.” She inclined her head toward the couch, but Luke didn’t follow her gaze.
“Yeah, you might need that.” His gaze dipped again. He abruptly took a step back, as if to give her ample space to grab the dress.
She snapped her free hand out—the other was holding the towel in place because she didn’t trust it to not fall away—and plucked her dress up. “I thought you were at the winery already.”
“I was, but I had to come home to change.” He was holding a garment bag, so she was confused.
“Those aren’t your clothes?”
He looked momentarily dumfounded, then nodded. “Yes. I forgot my shoes. Work boots wouldn’t look so great with my suit.”
She couldn’t wait to see him in a suit. Or in nothing. She swallowed.
“I was going to shower real quick,” he said, finally averting his gaze. It seemed to take a great deal of effort. “Are you done in the bathroom?”
Now it was her turn to stare and say nothing. What had he said? All she could seem to process right now was that if he’d been a few minutes earlier, he could’ve joined her in the shower.
Oh, man, this was not good.
She jerked herself back to their pathetic attempt at a conversation. “Bathroom, yeah, I’m done.” She turned and forced herself to walk to her bedroom. Her body didn’t really want to move.
“So, uh, we can ride up to the winery together, then. Can you be ready in a half hour?”
That didn’t give her a lot of time, but she hadn’t needed to wash her hair again, thank goodness. She glanced back over her shoulder and took in his tousled hair, rugged jaw, and intensely dark eyes. “Sure. I’ll hurry.” Yep, couldn’t wait to see him in that suit.
She took off for the bedroom and got ready as quickly as possible. She heard him shower and tried not to imagine him wet and hard and…Never mind. She let her imagination run rampant, and by the time she went to get her heels from the living room, she was ready to ask him to be late to the damn dinner. But of course he couldn’t be. It was their first wine club event, was being catered by Hayden’s brother and celebrity chef Kyle Archer, and would be attended by the customers who were putting their winery on the map.
Luke came out of the bathroom wearing crisp navy slacks and a white tee with his dress shirt thrown over it, still unbuttoned. Even though he wasn’t “done,” he looked so different out of his more casual clothes. “You, uh, left your clothes in the bathroom.”
She blinked as she realized he was holding the clothing she was wearing before she’d showered. She’d completely forgotten about it. Wow, she had it bad. As she took the bundle from him, she thought of him collecting the various pieces, which included her bra and undies. Heat flamed her face. “Thanks.”
He only nodded and then went into his room. She spun around and went to hers. Rather, his. She stood there and stared at his bed, which she’d made up very nicely that morning. But it needed a few throw pillows. And him. Lying across the throw pillows.
She put her clothes away and sat on the bed to put on her strappy heels. Then she stood and went to the mirror to finish her makeup. A few minutes later, Luke came to the open doorway.
He gave her a weak smile. “I don’t suppose you can help me with my tie? I really suck at them.”
“Of course.” She’d tied plenty of Noah’s. Not that she wanted to think about that just now. Or ever.
He stepped closer. He’d buttoned his white shirt to the collar, and the vibrant red-and-purple tie lay against the stiff cotton.
She couldn’t help but get a huge whiff of his freshly showered scent, and the effect was a burst of heat that spread through her belly and much lower. It suddenly seemed as if she had fifty thumbs as she tried to grasp his tie.
“Looks like we planned our outfits,” he said, keeping his chin up. “You look amazing.”
Her dress was purple, so yeah, it did look like they’d coordinated. “We can pretend we’re going to homecoming.”
He laughed. “I don’t have a corsage.”
“We can stop and get one.”
