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“Sorry, I forgot to mention my dad was here. You know, for the Dads’ Trip and all.” He should’ve put that in his invite. Assuming she remembered the Dads’ Trip was poor judgement, because her and Kaden’s dad was no longer with them, so it wasn’t like they were planning their week around the special event.
Luc wrapped his arm around her waist and ushered her into the living room of his loft. “Kassie, this is my dad, Joe. Dad, this is my—my friend, Kassie.”
He hated how the words sounded as they exited his mouth. My friend. But she didn’t even flinch at them. Instead, she stuck her hand out to his dad.
“Mr. Marcella. Nice to meet you.”
“You too, young lady.” He shook her hand. “If my son had any brains in his head, you wouldn’t be just his friend.”
“Dad!” Heat filled Luc’s face. He threw his dad a look to cut it out, before he offered Kassie a seat on the couch beside him. “The pizza just got here; we should eat while it’s hot.”
But Kassie just grinned at the comment from his father.
They hadn’t talked labels. Were they friends? Were they more? After yesterday, he hoped they were more than just friends. But he wasn’t used to having that discussion.
“Did I hear that you run?” his dad asked.
Kassie nodded with pride. “I try to run almost every day. I ran track in school. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing.”
“Here Dad, eat.” Luc handed him a plate with a slice, hoping it would shut him up. Not having the time to talk about Kassie yet, he was now thinking this little meeting was a bad idea.
His dad graciously accepted and nodded as if he had read Luc’s mind. He never brought it up again as they ate pizza and enjoyed the cold alcohol. Well, his dad enjoyed bottled water. The conversation stayed far away from Kassie being Kaden’s sister.
Luc did his best to guide what they talked about, but it was unnecessary. The food and the drinking filled the gaps, and it turned out to be a nice evening.
The one thing he didn’t enjoy was how far away Kassie felt. He couldn’t flirt like he usually did; his dad would see right through that. He tried to keep his hands full with a drink to make sure he didn’t slip up and move a rogue hair behind her ear or put his hand on her thigh. All things he desperately wanted to do. But the way his dad watched them with a smile on his face, it was obvious that he already knew.
The pizza was gone and it was getting late. Taking her hand in his, and folding his fingers in hers, Luc walked Kassie to the door. A quick check over his shoulder told him that his dad was within ear shot. The older version of Luc turned on the television and flipped through the channels, but Luc knew from experience that he was listening.
At the closed door, Luc held onto the doorjamb with one hand and her hand in the other, doing his best to keep his cool. It had been a long night of too much space between them. He wanted to be back where they were yesterday. His dad being there hadn’t given them a chance to really talk about where they stood, or what came next.
“Let me walk you to your car.” Luc grabbed for his jacket.
Kassie shook her head. “No, you have company. Stay and visit with your dad. I’ll be fine.”
“It’s no problem. I’d feel better if I walked you out.”
Kassie shyly chuckled. She looked over her shoulder at the parking lot. “Luc, my car is right over there. You can watch me walk to it, but it’s a safe neighborhood.”
He felt like he was being rude not walking her out, plus it was the perfect opportunity to grab a kiss.
Looking at her car, it wasn’t but a few yards away. Kassie was right; she’d be fine. Luc bent his head down close to Kassie’s ear, his voice low. “Sweets, we have practice early afternoon tomorrow. The dads will all be there, but do you think you can make it? I’d love for you to be there, too.”
He didn’t mean for their faces to be so close, his lips only inches from hers. His heart thudded in his chest, and his pulse raced. Her brown eyes were trained on his, and eventually she nibbled at her lower lip. She obviously felt the same warmth that he did; it showed all over her blushing face.
“Um, I work tomorrow, but if I can get away early, I’ll be there,” she said, looking into his eyes.
Luc’s grip tightened on the doorjamb. He ran his thumb along the palm of her hand. It was all he could do to not tip her chin up and kiss those luscious lips. “I hope to see you there.”
“Maybe coffee after?” Her eyes met his again. They sparkled with what he thought was desire.
This was the first time in his life that he didn’t know what move to make next with a woman. She wasn’t just any girl, and a simple roll in the hay wasn’t fit for a girl like Kassie. After yesterday, he certainly wanted the alone time with her, but he didn’t want to treat her as if she was just a piece of ass, because she was far from it. If he made the wrong move, he could lose her forever. She deserved the moon and the stars, and anything else he could give her.
“Bye Kassie. Nice meeting you!” Luc’s dad called from the living room.
Luc sighed. The small interruption sliced through the sexual tension, making her giggle and pull away. He should just kiss her. His dad would know about her soon enough. He wasn’t a kid anymore and really didn’t know why he was being so shy about it. Not letting her get too far from him, he lowered his mouth to hers, dropping a light, teasing kiss on her lips.
There was no way he could let her leave without at least tasting her lips.
