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Liv
Gah,heissohandsome.Navybluebutton-downshirtwiththesleevesrolleduphismuscularforearms,darkjeans,andhairstyledinthattousled,Ijustgotoutofbedbutstilllooklikeamillionbucks,kindofway.Mylungsseizedwhenoureyesmet.Myhearthasn’tcalmeddownsince.
I take a deep breath, prepared to start up conversation again and turn to find him holding his hand out to me. “Would you like to dance?”
I set my beer on the bar counter next to his and take his hand. His grip is firm, and I love the way my hand fits in his large palm. They’re playing a slower two-step so Luke turns to me when he finds us a space and soon we’re moving around the dancefloor, one hand on his shoulder, the other wrapped up against his chest. He rests his other hand on my hip, and the warmth of it spreads through my body. I’m too nervous to meet his eyes, scared that I’ll get lost, and even more terrified that I want to.
It doesn’t take long to learn Luke is an excellent dancer. He keeps a respectable amount of space between us. The song ends, but we keep dancing into the next as he guides me in slow circles. I glance over and Vera catches my eye. She nudges her chin towards Luke and gives me a thumbs up before returning her attention to Brando.
Luke’s heavenly scent invades my brain. It’s masculine and combined with the man in front of me, my lady parts are all kinds of worked up.
I just need to buck up and put on my big girl panties. I like Luke. He won’t bite. I take a deep breath and our gazes lock. His smile widens.
I step in closer to him and he adjusts his grip, moving his hand from my hip to my lower back. There’s a hopeful hesitance in his eyes. Maybe we’re more alike than I realized.
“So, this whole dating thing. Pretty scary, huh?” he says like he’s reading my mind.
I laugh and nod. “You could say that. Has it been a while for you?”
“A few years, you?”
I bite back a curse. I didn’t want to reveal this little tidbit so soon, but as he waits for me to answer, I realize it doesn’t matter. He’ll either not care or he will. I have no control over it.
“I’m divorced.” His eyes widen for a second, then soften.
“Has it been a while? You seem young.”
“I’m 29. It ended over a year ago.”
“Well I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” he says. I raise an eyebrow and he laughs. “Ok, not that sorry. Can I ask how it ended? If you don’t mind sharing.”
“He cheated.” I shrug, but his face falls.
“Now that I am truly sorry about. I can’t imagine how painful that must have been."
I stare at him for a few seconds as we continue to move around the dancefloor. Nobody ever talks about the pain. They just mumble a sorry and change the subject. Nobody likes to feel uncomfortable, but he jumped right in.
“Thank you,” I say.
He smiles and the song ends. “Want to get another drink?”
I nod and he guides me to the bar by the hand. He looks at his watch a few times, seeming uncomfortable. Austin sets shots in front of us with a grin and a wink before helping the next customer.
I take the shot, trying to mask my disappointment. Luke is ready to bail. I guess I’m not that surprised. Who would want an already divorced 29-year-old? I should have known.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” he asks.
Wait, what?
“Oh.” I blink in surprise. He wants to be alone with me? My heart picks up an even more frantic beat.
“Just to talk. It’s loud in here,” he says.
I nod and he takes my hand again. He catches Jackson’s eye as we make our way to the front, and he nods and winks at us.
We get outside and walk a few steps before Luke drops my hand. The alcohol is making me feel brave, so I slip mine back into his. He doesn’t look at me, but wraps his fingers around mine and heads for the bay. It’s past ten on a Saturday night, so the streets are still crowded.
“So tell me something else about you.” He looks over at me as he speaks, then faces straight ahead as we pass by a crowd of college kids.
