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That was better than nothing. His heart lifted, and a smile crept onto his lips. Maybe she did feel the same way he did.
***
CHAPTER TWENTY
Kassie
Kassie pulled the plastic curlers out of her hair and brushed out the loose, bouncy curls. She dusted on a little blush and applied eyeliner, then topped it all off with a little glittery lip gloss. She wasn’t a big makeup wearer, but something made her want to look nice for the dinner with Luc that she had won fair and square.
She still regretted that their almost kiss hadn’t happened, that she hadn’t let herself give in to the moment, and she hoped there’d be another opportunity. There was bound to be more flirting tonight, and actually, she was counting on it. But how far would she let things go? That was the question.
Their dinner wasn’t a true date, but she still chose to wear a comfortable short-sleeved dress and flat sandals anyway. She didn’t go out often, so why not make the most of the night?
The lobby buzzer rang, and the video feed showed it was Luc. He looked handsome in snug blue jeans and a leather jacket. Kassie buzzed him in and took a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare herself for seeing him again. Her mom’s words kept going through her mind. But it was ultimately up to her.
“Hey.” Kassie opened the door just as he reached her apartment.
Luc’s eyes moved over her, and a small smirk slid across his lips. He slowly swiped his hand across his chin as he spoke. “Wow, you look nice. I’m afraid that I’m highly under dressed. Kassie… you… Wow.”
She laughed at his reaction. “You already said that. But thanks.” She swept a glance over him, and couldn’t help thinking he looked hot in his jeans and fitted t-shirt. “You look nice, too.”
“I guess you’re ready to go to dinner?” Luc held out his hand to her.
“I can’t wait to try this place.” Kassie had explored a lot around Pittsburgh since she’d moved here and had found some great restaurants and nightclubs.
“Sounds good to me. Shall we go?” This time Luc held out his elbow for her to loop her arm around.
Her mind was reluctant for such physical contact with him, but her body was quick to loop her arm in his. The bodily connection made her feel like she was on an official date instead of just taking the victory spoils from a bet. This level of closeness had her knees buckling and her breath shallow.
The waiter brought their food to the table. The aroma of steak and potatoes infiltrated her senses and made her stomach growl. “Yeah, this was a good choice.”
Luc nodded in agreement as he took a bite of steak. “Absolutely.”
“I talked to my brother this morning. They’re having a party.” She felt silly mentioning it. Kaden always invited the whole team, so obviously Luc had also gotten an invite. She was mainly just trying to make conversation, but she also had another reason for mentioning it.
“Yeah. I got the invite, too. You going?” He gazed long at her, as he took a bite of food and waited for her answer.
A heavy sigh preceded her words. “I’m supposed to. Yeah. Kaden wants me to bring a date. Ali agreed and offered to set me up with someone.” Kassie shrugged her shoulders and mindlessly moved her food around her plate. “I wish they didn’t worry about me so much. Can’t they put that energy into Kaleb? I’m a big girl, and I can find my own dates.” She was looking at the table, trying hard not to meet Luc’s stare.
There was a long pause before either of them spoke. They both concentrated on their food, the tension between them obvious now. Kassie knew who she’d want to take as her date, but getting the courage to ask was a different story.
Luc finally broke the silence, with a smirk. “Well, isn’t this awkward?”
“Okay, maybe a little.” The nervous laugh crept up on her again. This time she couldn’t mask it.
Luc tilted his head and scrunched up his face. “I know I’m normally pretty amusing, but even I didn’t think my comment was that funny.”
“Yeah, well…” Her face filled with heat at his remark. What else can I do, other than explain it to him? She was already embarrassed, so she had nothing else to lose. “I have this weird reflex. When I get nervous, I tend to laugh. Sometimes I can hide it, other times, I just look like a weirdo.” Like right now.
The left half of Luc’s mouth curled up into a smile. “I wouldn’t say it’s weird. Cute, maybe. But not weird.”
Her face still burned, but this time it wasn’t from embarrassment. Well, not the bad kind, anyway. This was caused by him and his flirtatious comments. “Oh. Thank you.”
“You were at the last party Kaden had, weren’t you?”
His change of subject threw her off. “Yes. I probably spent most of my time with Ali and my nephew.”
“Yeah, you did. I saw you. I didn’t know you were Kaden’s sister, though. Because I… yeah. Found out you were Kaden’s sister.” He stopped himself as if he was going to or wanted to say something more. He cleared his throat then took a drink, ending whatever it was he was going to say.
