I don’t trust myself.
Instead of saying this, I blather. “I-it’s Thanksgiving. I… I should be with them.”
The corner of Luc’s mouth twitches. “You’re always with them. I’m paying attention, so I know.”
The arc of electricity grows hotter.
He’s paying attention? Why is that so sexy?
His eyelids lower to slits, but I feel his focus intensify. “Other than for work, when was the last time you left them for more than an hour or two?”
I blink. “I…” But my words dry up. The last time I left for any length of time was June 11th. The day I lost the baby. I was at the hospital for about six hours.
Somehow, I don’t think this example will help my cause, so I say nothing.
“You need a break, Millie.”
The urge to tell him I’m fine rises in my throat, but I stop this too. My go-to phrase is beginning to sound ridiculous even to me.
“I want to take you to my place. Just for a few hours. Will you let me do that?”
I sigh. I don’t want to say no, but saying yes would be disastrous. “It’s too risky.”
“Risky?” Luc eyes me like I’m making no sense. “How could it be risky?”
I give him my best stink-eye. “I just told you. And if you don’t believe me, that’s not my problem.”
One side of his mouth tucks back, the look of amusement and heat in his gaze a disarming combination.
“I didn’t say I don’t believe you,” he says, evenly. “I’m just saying it won’t be an issue.”
I shake my head. “It’s always an issue—”
He cuts me off. “But only if we have sex, right?”
The question stops me short. “Yes…” I say cautiously.
Luc’s dimples emerge. “What makes you think we’re going to have sex?”
My cheeks prickle and then ignite with heat. Why isn’t there a convenient hole in the ground when you need one?
“I…” Am I going crazy? Weren’t we talking about sex just a little while ago? About wanting each other? And, not unrelatedly, can someone actually die from embarrassment?
Luc’s hand closes over my forearm. His eyes have gone earnest. “Don’t get me wrong. I want that. But it’s not happening tonight.”
“It’s not?” The words are out in the air between us before I can stop them. I’ve never sounded more stupid in my life.
Somehow immune or at least ignoring my stupidity, Luc leans in and brushes his lips to mine. My flaming face seems to diffuse throughout the rest of my body. If he’s trying to reassure me that there will be no sex, this tender kiss probably isn’t the best method.
“It’s not,” he whispers. “Will you come home with me?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
LUC
I pullinto my driveway and kill the engine, glancing over at Millie. I still can’t believe she said yes.
“Is that your house?” she asks, pointing to my landlord’s twenty-five-hundred-square-foot home.
