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This had to stop. As much as part of me didn’t want to ignore what happened, I had to, or I’d never get any work done again.
I waved back and joined him at the edge of the gate waiting area.
The corners of his eyes crinkled when his smile grew. Did they always do that? God, I was screwed if he was even cuter than I’d realized. “Smart thinking, grabbing coffee here,” I nodded at his cup.
“You could do the same,” he said.
“Probably not a good idea. Lyn hooked me up, but I couldn’t bring it past security so I chugged it.”
Luke winced. “I don’t know if I should be sympathetic or impressed.”
He knew my friends. Both Sadie and Lyn had been my dates for various company functions and parties. I didn’t care for the big gatherings, so they made sure I put in my time.
Silence lulled between us. That was normal. We’d known each other for years. So why was I staring at my shoes and thinking of excuses to walk away?
“What kind of a seat did you get? On the plane?” Luke asked.
I hadn’t checked. Where did I put my phone?
Luke laughed lightly. “Stop, Anne. Front pocket?”
“Oh, right.” I angled said pocket toward him. When his fingers brushed my hip through denim, I sucked in a sharp breath through my teeth.
His lip twitched, but he didn’t pause, extracting my phone and unlocking it.
This wasn’t normal, was it? Most people didn’t let their friends and significant others have their phone lock screen codes, let alone their bosses. Why had that never occurred to me before now?
He raised his brows as he stared at the screen. “5A.”
“Are we next to each other?” Could I spend an hour and a half next to him on a plane? Of course I could. Best time to practice acting normal. And sitting in cramped seats, arms pressed together, fingers itching to intertwine—
“No. Someone”—he gave me a curious look—“got an upgrade to business class.”
Oh. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Your assistant made the reservations?” Speaking of which—Luke could have told me he’d gotten me the upgrade, rather than going through all this... whatever it was.
“Then she likes you more than me. I didn’t tell her to do that.” He slipped my phone back in my pocket. “I kind of wish I’d thought of it, but enjoy the seat. Think of it as a spot of good luck, which you deserve.”
“Thanks.” And now there was going to be awkward silence again. “So I’ve been thinking about the configuration of the inventory call stack.” Technical work-talk—guaranteed to make any lull in conversation that much more boring.
He placed a finger under my chin and tilted my head up.
My breath caught. My mind froze. A tingle raced across my lips, and I resisted the urge to lick it away.
“We’re not going to fix the game today. When was the last time you had a chance to read or watch something new? Take advantage of the next few hours of freedom,” Luke said.
My tongue flicked across my bottom lip before I realized what I was doing. Could he hear my heart hammering against my ribs?
“Okay.” I couldn’t pull my gaze from his. Would he kiss me again? Bad idea anyway, but in the middle of the airport, when Chase could show up any minute? “I’ll pretend to relax.” I tried to act natural about moving out of arm’s reach.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re ready to begin boarding.” A voice came over the loudspeaker and announced that they were now boarding Business Class rows.
Luke waved a hand toward the boarding ramp. “Go. Enjoy the leg room and amenities.”
“If I have to.” I gave an exaggerated sigh, accompanied by a smile.
