With Me in Seattle Bundle One (29 page)

Just then the doorbell rings.

“He’ll be here right now.  I’ll get it.”  She smiles and saunters to the front door.

“Who’s the guy?” Luke asks.

“A guy she works with,” I respond, and Luke’s eyebrows shoot up.

“Really?”

“Yeah.  Could be interesting.”

“Come on in and meet them.”  Jules walks into the kitchen ahead of a very attractive man wearing dark jeans and a black long-sleeved button-down shirt.  He’s tall like Luke, with broad shoulders and slender hips. He has long dark, dark hair pulled back in a short ponytail at the nape of his neck, gray eyes and a nice, square jaw.  Yes, he’s swoon-worthy, like Jules said before.  He also has kind eyes, and he can’t take them off of Jules’ face as she introduces him to us.

He’s smitten.

“Nate, this is my roommate, Natalie, and her boyfriend, Luke Williams.”

Nate shakes both our hands and smiles at Luke.  “It’s a pleasure.  I can’t say I was a fan of the movies you acted in years ago, but I do love the ones you produce now.  I’ve been waiting for
Rough Shot
to come out for months.”  He smiles at us both and then steps back to drop his arm around Jules’ shoulders.

“Here’s hoping you like it.”  Luke seems relaxed, and I breathe an internal sigh of relief.

“Shall we go?  I’m starving.” 

“Let’s go.”  Luke takes my hand, and we all climb into his Mercedes SUV, me in the front with Luke, and Jules and Nate in the back. 

“Where would you like to eat?” Luke asks us.

I turn my head to answer and see Nate kiss Jules’ hand.  Just friends, my ass.  I’ll drill her later.

“How about that little Mexican place you took me to last week?” I suggest.  “It’s quiet, and they have delicious margaritas.”

Both Jules and Nate nod in agreement.

“Mexican it is.”  Luke picks up my hand and kisses my knuckles, and I smile shyly at him.

The restaurant is relatively slow for a Friday night.  The owners know Luke, so they escort us to a private booth near the back where we won’t be noticed.

After chips and salsa have been delivered and we’ve all ordered, we sit back to sip margaritas and get to know Nate.

“So, Nate, what is it that you do?” Luke asks.

“I work at the same investment firm as Julianne,” he responds and smiles down at Jules. 

My eyebrows climb into my hairline, and I meet Jules’ gaze with my own.

Julianne? No one calls her that.

Jules narrows her eyes at me, telepathically telling me to shut up.

“How long have you been doing that?” Luke asks, oblivious to our silent conversation.

“About eight years.”

We make small talk for the better part of our meal.  Nate is polite, attentive, and clearly completely taken with Jules. 

And it’s completely mutual. 

Luke lays his hand on my thigh and squeezes, and I link my fingers through his. 

“Do you sail?” Nate asks out of the blue.

“I’ve been a few times, but I haven’t in a while,” Luke says.  “You?”

“Yes, actually, I have a catamaran docked in Seattle.  Would you two like to join us one afternoon for a tour around the sound?”

Luke looks down at me to get my take, and I nod and smile, catching Jules’ slight nod.

“Sounds fun,” Luke replies.

The check arrives, but I pluck it off the table before anyone else can.

“You’re not paying for this.”  Luke digs for his wallet but I hold the check away from him.

“Yes, I am.  We’re celebrating your movie premiere, so I get to pay.”

“Fuck no, give me that check.”

“Mine.”  I hold it against my chest as I pull my card out of my wallet.

“Goddammit, Nat…”

I pull his face down to mine and kiss him, long and slow.  When I pull back, we’re both out of breath.  “Let me do this.  I’m proud of you, damn it.”

“I can’t argue with you when you do that,” he mutters and looks disgusted, but I see the gleam of humor in his impossibly blue eyes, and I smile smugly as I pass the check and my card to the waitress.

Nate watches our exchange with curiosity and then breaks out in a wide grin.

“Dude, you’ve got it bad,” he says to Luke.

“You have no idea,” Luke grumbles.

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Four for
Rough Shot
, please.”  I pass my card through to the ticket girl at the movie theater and smile at her.  We’re quite early, but we want to get seats in the back so we can be inconspicuous and leave after everyone else when it’s over.

“This is the last damn time you pay for me to go anywhere,” Luke grumbles behind me.

Jules and Nate laugh at him, and I just smile serenely.

We buy two extra-large tubs of popcorn and buckets of soda to share and find our seats.  Even though we’re more than thirty minutes early, I’m surprised to see a handful of people already seated in the theater.

We climb up to the very top row of the stadium-style seats and sit in the middle, Jules and I between the boys.

Luke runs both his hands down his thighs and takes a deep breath.

“Are you nervous?” I whisper in his ear.

He smiles down at me and kisses my forehead.  “A little.”

“Do you watch your movies?” I ask.

“Yeah, but I usually wait until after opening weekend to see what audiences are saying.  Opening weekend is nerve-racking, and usually busy.”

“I’m glad we’re here.  It’s exciting.” 

He laughs and takes a handful of popcorn out of the tub.  “Me, too.  I hope you like it.”

“I’m gonna love it.”

The theater fills up quickly, and finally the lights dim and the previews start.

I’m shocked to see that two of the five movies previewed are billed as being produced by Luke E. Williams.  I look up at him, stunned, and he smiles shyly down at me.  I shake my head and push some popcorn in his mouth, making him laugh.

I’m excited as
Rough Shot
begins and want to stand up and cheer when Luke’s name flashes on the screen during the opening credits.  Instead, I kiss him soundly and give him a ridiculously proud smile.

It’s hard to tell, but I think he actually blushes.

The movie is fantastic.  When a mostly naked Channing Tatum walks across the screen, Jules and I look at each other and start laughing.  We can’t resist.  Luke throws popcorn at me in disgust.

It’s a fast-paced two-hour film that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end to find out “whodunit.”  There is indeed lots of action and stuff blowing up.  There is also an intense love scene between Channing and his co-star, and I can’t help but watch it in a very clinical way, knowing that Channing is married in real life, wondering how his wife deals with scenes like these.

I’m also incredibly happy that Luke has chosen to assume a different role in the movie business.

One particularly bloody scene makes both Jules and I squirm in our seats.

“Oh God, really?” I clasp my hand over my mouth as I realize I said that out loud, and both Nate and Luke laugh at us.

As the closing credits roll, I can’t stop smiling.  I do clap, inconspicuously, when Luke’s name appears again, and he grins at me.  We wait until all the other customers have left and the lights come up to leave the theater.  As we stand, I wrap my arms around Luke and hold him tight, burying my face in his chest and inhaling his sexy Luke scent.  I lean my head back and look up into his shining blue eyes.

“I loved it.  I’m so proud of you.  We are doing this for every movie.  I want a schedule.” 

He runs his fingers down my face and smiles sweetly.  “I’ll get you one.”  He kisses me gently.

“Um, Nat?  This is a double date.  Stop making out with your super-cool, famous boyfriend, please.” 

I laugh and glance back at Jules. “I’m just appreciating his art,” I say primly.

“Appreciate it in private.  Come on, let’s go.”  Jules and Nate walk ahead of us out of the theater.  I move to follow, but Luke holds my elbow, keeping me back.

I turn back to him, and he kisses me again, passionately this time, lovingly.  He pulls back and leans his forehead against mine.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Thank you for tonight.  I love you, baby.”

“I love you, too.”

***

We all decide to continue the celebration and go out for drinks.  We end up near our place at the Celtic Swell, and I have to smile as I remember the first time Luke and I had drinks together here.  It feels like a lifetime ago.

The bar is pretty busy with locals, and no one is really paying attention to us as we snag a booth near the back. 

“They make a pretty good margarita here,” Luke comments and smiles down at me.  He remembers, too!

I grin and nod, and we all decide to continue with margaritas.

Luke orders mine just the way I like it.

“So Nate”—I take a sip of my margarita.  Delicious—“What did you think of the movie?”

“It was excellent, as I knew it would be.  You?”

“Obviously, I’m biased, but I really liked it.  Except that really bloody part.”

“Yeah, what the hell is it with boys and blood?”  Jules squishes up her nose prettily. 

“I am man.  I like blood.”  Nate beats his fist on his chest, and we break out into laughter.

“Mostly naked Channing Tatum is always pleasing on the eyes.” I catch Jules’ eye, and we wink at each other.

Luke nudges me with his elbow as Nate glares down at Jules, and I giggle.

“I do believe you have a hit on your hands, sir.”  I kiss Luke’s smooth cheek, and he gives me his sexy half grin.  Swoon!

“I’m glad you all liked it.”

“What did you think of it?” Jules asks.

“I’m happy with how it turned out.  I think the cast and crew did a good job, and the movie was entertaining.  The audience seemed to like it.”

I know I have a stupid grin on my face as he talks, but I can’t help it.

“What?” he asks me.

“I just think you’re cool.”  I shrug.

“You’re pretty cool, too.”

“Oh, I know.”  I take a sip of my drink and wink at Nate, who laughs at us.

“What are you working on now?” I ask.

“I’ve just started talking with a studio about another Marvel comic movie that will come out next summer.  The movie I wrapped before Tahiti is a romantic comedy with Anne Hathaway that will release in the spring.” 

Hearing him talk about his work is just so…
sexy.
  I run my fingertips up and down his thigh as he talks.  He grips my hand and brings it to his mouth, kissing my knuckles, then lays our hands in his lap.

 “Before I forget”—Luke takes a big sip of his drink—“My dad is throwing a big surprise anniversary party for my mom next Saturday night.  Jules, you and your family are all welcome to come.”

I smile at him, delighted that he wants my family at his parents’ party.

“Oh, how fun!  I’ll let them know.  Is it formal?” Jules asks.

“Yeah, Dad’s going all-out.  It’s their thirty-fifth anniversary.”

“Wow.”  I take a sip of my drink. Thirty-five years.

“What?”  Luke gazes down at me, and I swallow.

“That’s just a long time.”  I shrug.

“My parents have been married for forty years,” Jules adds.

“Are your parents still together, Nate?” I ask.

“No, my dad raised me.  He’s always been a bachelor.”

“Can I help out with the party?” I ask Luke. 

He smiles down at me warmly and kisses my forehead.  “No, I think Dad and Sam have it covered.  Just come with me.”

“So I’m just a piece of arm candy, is that it?” I frown as if I’m offended, and Luke laughs.

“Oh, you’re much more than arm candy, baby.”  He kisses me gently, and Jules makes gagging sounds as Nate laughs.

“We’d better go while we can still pull them apart,” Jules says and waves at the waitress for the check.

***

I wake Saturday morning to an empty bed.  I sit up and stretch, the soft white sheet sliding down my naked torso and pooling in my lap.  I listen to Luke’s house, trying to decipher if I can tell where he might be, but all is quiet.

I run my hands over my face and then notice the Starbucks to-go mug and red rose on the night table, along with a note.

Oh, he does spoil me.

I take a sip of the coffee.  It’s still hot, so it hasn’t been here long.  I sniff the beautiful rose and open the note.

Working this morning.  In the office downstairs.  I love you.
—
Luke

Office?  I don’t remember seeing an office.  There was one room downstairs that he said was storage on my initial tour.  I wonder if that’s it.

And, if so, why did he say it was storage?

I shrug and drink more coffee in his beautiful big bed.  It’s raining today, and his large windows are covered in drops, making the choppy water on the sound look blurry.

I pull on the blue button-down shirt Luke wore last night and go look for him.

Sure enough, when I get downstairs and head down the hall, the room Luke said was for storage is open, and I can hear him talking on the phone.

“Yes, I saw the numbers this morning.  It’s great news.  I’m glad you’re happy with it.  No, we’ll wait for Monday’s numbers before we make that decision.  Okay, we’ll talk then.”  He hangs up as I walk in the room.

“So, not so much for storage.”  I look around his office and can’t help but feel like I’m in a movie of my own.

This is where he keeps his movie memorabilia.  The movie posters from his
Nightwalker
movies, with him on them, are framed and on the walls.  There are awards and certificates, photos of him with celebrities and important people scattered throughout the room.  He looks impossibly young in most of the photos.

I gaze back down at my man, sitting at his impressive desk.  He’s leaning back, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, watching me apprehensively.

“What?” I ask and tilt my head to the side.

“Are you mad?”

“That you lied about this room?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Oh.”  His eyebrows rise, and he looks a bit thrown off-kilter.

“I know why you did.  Any more surprises around here?” I ask as I come around his desk.

“No.”