Summer Lovin' (2 page)

Luckily she was looking up at him, so she couldn't see the effect she had on him, but her big blue eyes made his reaction go up a notch or fifteen. He turned, stepping slightly behind the door to hide the blatant evidence the best he could. He didn't want this fling to be over before it even started. And she definitely looked nervous, even though she was the one moving things along.

It felt like he'd won some cosmic lottery or something.

"Why don't you come in?" he said. "It's hot out there, and I've got the a/c going."

"Okay," she finally said. "I won't be long though."

Luke kept his disappointment in check. Usually women couldn't get to him fast enough, not that he had any time for them lately. It was something he planned to change, and soon.

She walked past him, and a coconut scent followed her, mingling with the sunshine smell in her hair. It instantly reminded him of summers he'd spent here at the beach house, and freedom, and having fun, something he hadn't had too much of recently. He glanced down, to see just how much his groin was giving away as he skipped down memory lane, and that's when he saw her bare feet.

With the sexy hot pink polish on her toes.

He nearly groaned. The puppy barked, pulling Luke's thoughts away from the bedroom and back into his entryway.

"Stop it," she said, frowning at the puppy. "You've gotten us in enough trouble already."

"Him?" Luke asked. "He's too cute to be trouble."

Something close to guilt flickered in her eyes. "You may change your mind about that in a minute," she said.

"Let's sit down," Luke suggested, "and you can tell me just what this little guy is guilty of."

She hesitated and then sat down on the nearest chair, a white wicker thing with flowered cushions that was a perfect backdrop for her. She glanced down at the little dog tucked in her arms. "Well, he's a devil hound, one of Satan's minions," she said.

The dog licked her cheek once, as if it would prove his innocence. He stared at Luke with the most solemn expression.

Luke chuckled. "He looks like he was rolled in adorable, and then dusted with cute."

She smiled, banishing the frown that had been hovering there since he'd opened his front door. "That's the problem. It's disguising his true nature."

Luke knelt down next to her and scratched under the dog's chin. "Do you hear what she's saying about you, buddy? Is any of that true?"

The dog whimpered, putting his paw over his nose.

"See?" she said, her eyes lighting up with triumph. "He can't pretend anymore."

Luke stayed where he was, enjoying the view. Everything he'd thought was perfection at a distance was ten times better up close. He took a quick sip of his beer. Hopefully that would keep him from having a coronary just by being next to so much sexiness.

"Okay, let's hear it," he finally said. "What did the hellhound do?"

"He broke your car," she blurted.

Luke laughed. "How did he manage that? He's awful small."

"Well," she said, taking a deep breath, and he knew there was going to be a bit of a story. Usually that would make him tune out, but her expression was so animated, he couldn't take his eyes off her. She could have been reciting the periodical table right then and he would have asked her to start over and do it again.

"Hellboy here took a shine to one of my favorite shoes—it had to be the most expensive ones, of course."

"Of course," Luke said, his lips twitching. Women and their shoes. If you could come between them, it was a miracle. Kinda like men and the remote control.

"And I did everything I could to get it away, before it ended up looking like one of his chew toys." She swallowed, as if she'd just tasted something unpleasant. "Do you know how much drool puppies produce?"

He covered his mouth to keep from laughing, nodding as if considering how to answer.

"I had to show him who's boss—"

"But he thinks he's boss."

"Exactly! Do you have dogs?"

He shook his head. "Not at the moment. But I did as a kid."

"I'm not really a dog person. Or a cat person," she added.

"Me neither," he said. "They're just so sneaky."

She laughed, and Luke knew he'd do anything to make her do it again. It was such a joyous sound, and seeing her face lit up with genuine happiness made him feel like he'd won a prize.

"If this little thing gets the best of me, you can only imagine what a cat can do."

"So you got the shoe away," he prompted.

Her cheeks flushed slightly. "Not exactly. I decided I could distract him, so I went inside the house, and found one of Jim's balls."

Luke's eyebrows shot up.

"Softball. One of his softballs." Her eyes widened with horror. She gazed at him while he made a choking sound, and then she soldiered on, though her cheeks turned a delicious shade of pink. "Unfortunately it was harder than I realized—"

Luke cleared his throat. She had no idea. No idea at all.

"I'll be happy to pay for it," she said. "After all, I'm the reason for all this."

He blinked, trying to imagine what she was talking about. Pay for it? He'd pay her, just so she would keep talking, working her magic on him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so enthralled.

"I'm kinda confused," he admitted, rubbing his hand across his chest. Her eyes darted that direction and then slid away. He could see the interest there, though, even if she was trying not to show it. "What do you want to pay for?"

"Your car. Actually the headlight."

"Ahhh," he said, remembering she'd mentioned how the dog had broken his car. He shook his head. "Don’t worry about it. I'll take care of it."

"But I feel responsible. It's my fault. I threw the ball, hoping he'd chase it and I could grab my shoe and that would be the end of the debacle. But apparently my workouts have been better than I realized."

He smiled to put her at ease. A tentative smile graced her lips. A broken headlight was worth it. Heck, he'd bash out the other one if it made her happy.

"How about this? Why don't you and Hellboy join me for dinner? I'm grilling some steaks, and it would be a lot more fun to do it with company. What do you say?"

She bit the corner of her lip. "You're being too nice."

"I could snarl and stomp around if you'd like." He clenched his teeth and did his best imitation of a growl.

She chuckled, apparently convinced he was not concerned about a broken headlight. How could he be when it was the reason a sexy woman was sitting in his living room, the very woman he'd fantasized about earlier?

"You're sure then. I mean about the headlight?"

"Positive. About the headlight. And the steak."

Her stomach grumbled, and the puppy answered with a menacing noise of his own. "Okay. That sounds great." She stood and held out her hand. "I'm Mia, by the way."

Luke clasped her hand, marveling at the silky skin against his while his heart rate shot to about three hundred beats per minute. "I'm dazzled," he almost said.

"I'm Luke," he managed instead.

***

Mia couldn't help herself. She had to look back at Luke as she returned home. He was standing at his door, holding on to the top of the doorframe with both hands. It made his arm muscles flex, and his still-bare pecs were vying for her attention, too. How had she managed to carry on a conversation with him when he had been so gloriously naked?

She turned back toward the house. If she wasn't careful, she might stumble and fall. Fall for somebody who was just a fling. She didn't do flings. She did relationships. It just didn't make any sense to get involved with someone she would only see for two weeks. Granted, she could see him again if she wanted to, since he lived next door to her best friend.

But that was what could make things uncomfortable. She nearly shuddered at the thought of coming over to see Sondra in the future. There would be that whole awkward, "Do I wave or don't wave" thing with Luke, with her blushing up a storm because she knew
he
knew what she looked like naked.

No. That just wouldn't work.

Luke was sexy and irresistible and cute and funny, but she wouldn't let him get in the way of her future plans. For the next two weeks, he was off-limits. How tough could that be?

She twisted around for another quick peek.

He was still looking
.

Mia giggled and pulled the puppy closer. "Now I understand how you felt about that shoe."

Chapter 3

"This is a great wine," Luke said, taking another sip. "Thanks for bringing it."

"I'm glad you like it. I've always preferred the fruitier wines, even though they're not always the experts' favorite."

Luke adjusted the steaks on the grill, flames flaring up as the fat dripped onto the coals. "I'm usually a beer kind of guy, but having the same thing, day after day?" He shook his head. "Sometimes you need to change things up."

"I agree," she said.

Her cheeks were flushed, probably from the wine, but he hoped she was experiencing some of the same sensations he was. He was tempted to lean down and brush her full lips with his, but the night was just getting started. It made more sense to wait, even if the anticipation killed him.

The breeze pulled at her hair, sending her summery scent his direction again. She grabbed at the gold strands, holding them in a ponytail behind her with one hand, smiling at him.

He bit back a groan. Yes, waiting was going to kill him. He just had to remember how delicious this stage could be.

He heard a growl, and looked down at his stomach. No, it wasn't him. He glanced at Mia. "Was that you? These should be ready in a few more minutes."

She laughed and set her wineglass on the nearby table. "No, it was the hellhound. He feels the need to demonstrate his ferocity every hour or so." She clapped her hands. "What are you chewing on now?"

The dog ran around the corner, with his little puppy grin in place. He'd managed to find one of Luke's old flip flops. Which actually made Luke happy. He'd put it there for the little guy to play with, to keep him busy while Luke entertained Mia.

"Looks like he's got a shoe fetish," Luke said.

Mia grinned. "Isn't he just the worst?" She slapped her hands on her thighs, trying to get the dog's attention. "Sondra never told me what a handful he would be. Thank goodness it's only for two weeks."

She patted her legs again, and Luke couldn't keep his eyes away. He almost wished she was still wearing shorts instead of the yellow sundress she'd changed into. It was a shame to keep those lovely legs covered up. But he was rewarded when the puppy came galloping over to her, and she bent down, her breasts seeming to spill out of the top of the dress.

Luke brushed the hair off his forehead. Boy could he use a cold brew right then. He needed to hold the icy bottle against his face, so he could try to get his internal temperature down to a safe level while Mia was making it skyrocket.

The puppy put his front paws on Mia's knees, his tail wagging so gleefully he nearly knocked himself over.

I know how you feel, buddy
.

Luke gripped the deck railing, leaning in as casual a pose as he could manage. He watched Mia and Hellboy play tug-of-war with his flip flop, and he was completely enchanted, by both of them.

"That really smells good," Mia said.

For a minute, Luke didn't know what she meant. He just enjoyed seeing her inhaling deeply, her eyes closed, a very blissful smile on her lips.

"The steaks," he said. He yanked on the lid of the gas grill. Smoke and steam poured out, and he waved at it. He was so distracted, he was acting like a rank amateur. He grabbed one of the steaks with the tongs and placed it on a plate.

There was a lot to be said for anticipation, but he was going to have to adjust his timetable, move things up a little faster. Mia was making him hotter and lustier than he'd been for way too long.

And since he only had two weeks, he wasn't about to waste a single minute.

***

She had to slow things down. She wanted to savor every minute of these two weeks. Several times she had seen Luke looking at her, and he was obviously feeling something similar to what she was experiencing.

What would it be like to press up against him, to feel his muscled arms slowly wrap around her? His mouth looked delicious, always quirked up in a smile, promising something that she was positive would leave her breathless.

She had missed out on a lot more in life than she'd realized.

Her heart pounded, and then her brain got all fuzzy. Why didn't she do flings again?

Mia gulped her wine, nearly emptying the glass.

"You like yours medium well, right?"

"What? Oh, yes, that's perfect."

Her stomach was bouncing around so much, how would she even be able to eat anything? She took another sip of wine, then set the glass down. Too much wine wasn't going to help her resolve any, that's for sure.