Love, Chocolate, and Beer (Cactus Creek) (22 page)

She was startled. They hadn’t had a ‘night in’ yet. On top of that, he wanted to cook for her? Besides her workers, no one had made a meal for her since...she couldn’t even recall when.

His smile was gentle, patient. A dozen reasons why she should say no to such a romantic gesture ran through her head. Half of them were warnings from her heart while the rest were reminders from her guilty conscience—Luke probably wouldn’t be so eager to slave over a meal if he knew it was for a woman who’d tried to put him out of business not too long ago.

But
the one reason to say yes was right in front of her. “Deal,” she agreed almost shyly.

“Okay, so we’ll have dinner and just veg after. TV, video games, whatever you want. We don’t even have to call it a date. I just want you to kick back and relax.”

Aw, that was sweet. “Oh, it’ll count as a date,” she assured him softly. Suddenly, the air was no longer playful, and his expression was decidedly hungry now as she slid her arms around him and asked, “So this ten-minute break. What did you have in mind?”

His lips answered without saying a word.

They did eventually get back to work as planned…about thirty minutes later.

* * * * *

“
OHMIGOD, THAT WAS
the best ribeye ever.”

Luke grinned at Dani’s moaned declaration as she fell onto her couch, stuffed.

“It’s all in the beer marinade,” winked Luke, loving this lazy, languid Dani. “Luckily, I have an in with a hot brewmaster who was able to sneak me some of the really good stuff.”

“Which you made absolute magic with in the dessert too.” She sighed in bliss. “I ate so much I can’t move. I think you might have to be my servant for the rest of the night.”

“Works for me.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Traditional servants help mistresses into their night clothes before bed, right?”

A couch pillow went airborne and landed limply at his feet.

He shook his head. “That’s just sad. Poor baby. You don’t even have the strength to throw this tiny little cushion at me. Alright, since you clearly need it, I’ll help undress before your shower too.” His belabored expression turned teasingly predatory as he advanced on her.

It didn’t register until he was within arm’s length of her that she wasn’t trying to escape.

“Okay,” she murmured softly after a beat.

He froze. Shit, he should’ve known better than to play this game with Dani. Who was he kidding? She’d win every time. “You are one cruel, cruel woman.” He backpedaled ruefully. “Wave food in front of a starving man, why don’t you.”

“Okay,” she replied again, her voice now bedroom soft, and when he checked, more asleep than not.

Damn.

He grimaced as he adjusted his jeans and leaned down to slide her hair back from her face. Pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, he suggested softly, “Honey, why don’t you go on and shower so you can get to bed. You’re not used to waking up as early as I am; I should’ve thought about that before planning this dinner. You brewed all day today and you’ve got the dayshift tomorrow; you need to rest. So get going. I’ll clean up out here.”

With a groan, she dragged herself up off the couch. “But that’s not fair,” she managed around a stifled yawn. “You cooked, I should do the dishes.”

“Next time. Go on. I’ll let myself out when I’m done.”

“Nooo,” she protested even as she was slowly shuffling toward the hallway. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye. Promise? Even if I’m out cold?”

His own reply was muted out by the blood rushing in his ears—a reaction he was helpless to stop at the sound of her words getting muffled behind clothing.

Clothing she was taking
off
.

Without him.

No amount of adjusting could stop the zipper tattoo that was forming behind his jeans. Quickly turning on the faucet to mute out any more stripping noises, he started scrubbing the cast iron pan in the sink like it owed him money, damn near making it shine until finally, finally, he heard the bathroom door close and the shower turn on.

But then his imagination got the best of him. The hot water, the dish soap bubbles, hell even the damn rubber dish gloves next to the sink all made him think of sex. And wet, naked woman.

His
wet, naked woman.

Not twenty-five feet away.

What was it about a woman in a shower that could make the male brain turn to mush?

His hands gripped the edge of the sink unsteadily as he counted backward from a hundred, willing his mind to focus on something else.

He was in the single digits when he heard the shower shut-off and quiet, feminine footsteps padding across the hallway. The sound of a door opening, but not closing shut all the way made him almost drop to his knees in surrender right there. He started his silent counting back at a hundred.

It wasn’t until complete silence echoed back at him that he leaned way the hell over and finished the rest of the dishes, surprised he hadn’t managed to drill a hole in the cabinet paneling in the process. When he felt at least partially sane, but still not at all under control, he headed down the hall to Dani’s bedroom to say goodnight.

No dallying, no thinking. Definitely no touching. Just get in and out—

Freak-in-
A
.

Definitely none of
that
.

Knocking gently before he pushed the partially ajar door open, he came to a full standstill and just stared. He’d expected Dani to be asleep.

He hadn’t expected to find her asleep in her towel.

Hair still damp from the shower, tiny goosebumps across her skin from the cold, and her expression wholly relaxed in sleep, she was the sexiest thing he’d ever laid eyes on. A beautiful sleeping angel.

Wrapped in a towel that was two, maybe three breaths away from falling open.

His legs were moving him closer before her lungs filled again.

He grabbed the right side of her comforter and draped it over her so she was encased from neck to toe.

Statues of his sainthood would be built in honor of him in this moment years from now, he was sure.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. “Luke?” she murmured sleepily.

“Hey, sweetie. I’m going to take off. Just wanted to say goodnight.”

She shuffled up a bit toward the left side of the bed.

Thank God he’d covered her up. That didn’t stop his eyes from roaming over the comforter as if he’d suddenly developed x-ray vision, however.

“It’s late. Don’t drive. Sleep here tonight,” she offered drowsily, but firmly, one tiny hand reemerging from under the covers to reach out and intertwine their fingers together.

And just like that, he lost the battle before even putting up a fight.

Meanwhile, Dani slipped right back into sleep with a soft smile on her face, her hand holding his.

With a sigh—and a prayer—he laid down on the bed beside her, not even bothering to get under the sheet, what with his entire body running the equivalent of a fever. One hot, aroused fever. He was going to hurt for days after this one.

Smothering another grimace, he undid his jeans to get some strangled blood flow moving back up to his brain. But he left them on. No way in hell was he strong enough to get this close to Dani in bed without at least a layer of denim between them. Throwing his free arm over his eyes, instead of sheep, he counted his throbbing heartbeats down south until he somehow managed to fall into a restless sleep.

His hand still held securely in hers.

And a contented smile on his face to match hers as well.

* * * * *

“
HEY, DANI.
Why isn’t the coffee started? Breakfast is getting—
OH!”
Xoey dropped the box of bakery fresh doughnuts in shock at the foot of Dani’s bed.

Dani estimated the level of Xoey’s shock was pretty high up there. Not just because she was still in bed this late in the morning, but more so because she wasn’t in said bed alone.
“Get out!”
Dani launched a pillow at her.

Xoey shot out of the bedroom. “I’m so sorry!” she shouted as she closed the door behind her. “I figured it was safe! I thought you two were waiting till your fifth date to...hey, wait a sec, did I
count
wrong?”

“Just stop talking and go wait outside! Or better yet, wait down in the brewpub!” Dani jumped out of bed, and instantly dropped flat as a pancake onto the carpet.

Good lord, she was
naked
.

And, criminy, she totally just gave herself a carpet burn on her belly.

Where the heck did her towel from last night go?

At the soft whoosh of falling terry cloth landing inches from her face, she muttered, “Thanks.”

“No problem,” came Luke’s amused reply.

Dani tucked the now dry bath towel around herself securely before peeking just her eyes and the bridge of her nose up from behind the tangle of goose down comforter lined-up like a trench barricade on her edge of the bed.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

She popped her head up fully like a prairie dog, and asked the first burning question that swirled around in her head. “Did we—ˮ

The look he shot her stopped her from finishing that sentence.

“Honey, if we
had
, the trench barricade my soldier is failing to hide behind wouldn’t be taller than yours right now.”

Oh my. A quick glance toward the center of her bed had her rising to her feet quicker than the sound of the national anthem had ever inspired. Furthermore,
she
wasn’t the one saluting the flag in this case.

Before she could do so much as gape, however, he dragged the comforter over himself, and pulled her back up onto the bed beside him in one easy swoop.

With a sleepy morning growl, he gathered her into his arms and laid warm, rumbly kisses down the side of her neck. “Believe me Dani, the next time you wake up next to me in bed, you won’t be
wondering
if we did, you’ll damn well know it, remember it, and want more of it.”

All evidence in front of her would certainly suggest so.

He nipped at her earlobe. “I can practically see your thoughts, sweetheart. Before you slaughter my control even more than you already have, put some clothes back on me in that pretty little head of yours and go take care of Xoey. I’m going to see how cold I can get your shower to run.”

As she rushed out of the room to go demand her spare key back from Xoey, it registered belatedly that Luke had spent the entire night lying next to her, fully clothed and on
top
of her bed spread, just holding her hand.

A total gentleman.

With whom she fully intended to renegotiate the intolerable terms of their pesky five-date waiting period. Seriously, whose crazy-ass idea had that been anyhow?

CHAPTER EIGHT

IT WAS ONLY
seven p.m. and there was already a line at the entrance to Ocotillos for tonight’s festivities. Impressed, Luke followed Dani as she headed up to the roof deck. After a no-holds-barred game of strip rock-paper-scissors, not only had Luke won his choice of afternoon activities earlier today, but he had also gotten Dani to agree to let him nosily tag along to see what was going on in enemy camp this evening.

He had absolutely no idea what to make of what he was seeing.

It wasn’t just the vastly different set-up on the roof deck that was puzzling. There were games of every variety laid out all over as well. He did a double take. “Is that a
Twister
mat?!”

Dani nodded proudly. “Welcome to our second singles mixer.” He’d heard about their inaugural mixer last Sunday; by all accounts around town, it had been a rip-roaring success.

According to his various spies who’d been in attendance, the night had kicked off with beer tastings where everyone sampled various beers and beer-food pairings. From there, folks got to chat and hang out via cooking stations set up all around where they each chose unique beer-based recipes to prepare together. Nothing fancy—more casual and fun than anything else.

“Some of them were great cooks, others comically disastrous,” Dani had detailed joyously the next day. “But really, none of it mattered. It was just a means to get the singles to have fun, connect, and take pleasure in the other’s company, along with the fruits of their labor.”

Remembering her excitement, Luke smiled and looked around at yet another showing of Dani’s creativity. “So instead of cooking stations, you’ve set out board games this week?”

“Yep!” Dani led him around the deck eagerly. “Seeing a few of the couples get a little competitive with the cooking last week gave me the inspiration. Aside from the beer tastings again, we set up buffet food along with different games all around the deck so the feel was like game night at a house party. There are a bunch of games to choose from, all of which require pairing as a couple.” Her eyes danced. “This way, they’ll get acquainted faster.”