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I know he’s making a bit of a joke out of it, but a part of me thinks he is also fishing for more information. He obviously doesn’t know the real reason we broke up, and I don’t really wish to divulge to his dad that he’s a goddamn cheater. If he wants to take it up with the douchebag himself, then he can go right ahead.
“No, he hasn’t. If anything, he’s reminded me of what I really want, and what I truly deserve in a man.” I don’t care how I sound, it’s the truth.
“Maybe my son just doesn’t like hard-headed women,” Lukas suggests, pulling on the end of his beard. I stare at his fingers as he looks down the pool again, avoiding my gaze.
I get a fully-fledged gander at his toned body.
The man is a machine, and it should be illegal.
He has a large American Indian in full headdress covering one peck on his chest and a dream catcher on the other, then there’s writing close to his neck, but not so much that you can see it with his collared shirts on; it just dances at the edge of decency. I’m still so shocked at his full sleeves and body tatts that I can barely take my eyes off them.
“That’s something we can both agree on,” I say.
“Enjoy this time,” he tells me. “When you get to my age, you start to realize that time doesn’t go on forever. I may work a lot, but I’m starting to feel a little relaxed, and not having my damn phone ringing in my ear a thousand times a day is pretty nice. Switching off for a while is actually very good for your psyche and overall well-being. I recommend it.”
“It is really good not having my alarm go off at five am every day,” I admit. “Especially in winter, on those cold Seattle mornings.”
He winces, his eyes coming back to meet mine. They’re like blue diamonds, full of promise and secrets, and very bad things. I have no doubt at all that Lukas Bentley is a player in his normaleveryday life. There is no woman on earth that couldn’t find him attractive.
“One thing I never get used to is the cold,” he agrees. “What’s your favorite season?”
Nobody has ever asked me that question. I like how he’s so badass but also endearing. “I like summer. I like the heat. What about you?”
“Fall,” he says. “I like the trees changing color, the smell in the air, the cozy fires. I don’t like those horrible pumpkin smelling candles, weird drinks and stupid shit they’ve got for sale on every street corner shop, though. That’s damn annoying.”
I laugh. “That’s the best part. A pumpkin spiced latte and a pumpkin pie candle burning throughout my apartment is the thing I live for each fall season.”
“You need to get out more,” he mutters. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those Halloween obsessed types as well?”
“I love Halloween!”
He sighs. “Ariana, I had such high hopes for you.”
The way he says my name…
“Do you scare all the trick-or-treaters away with a broomstick?” I laugh.
He grunts. “No, sweetheart, they can’t get inside the gates to my home.”
Wow. Gates to his home. He probably lives somewhere stately. I should have known.
“That’s so mean! But kind of understandable, kids can be annoying.”
“Little kids eating candy and other sugary shit? They should thank me for not letting their teeth rot.”
“You’ve got a point, but it is kind of fun dressing up like a monster and scaring other kids. I used to love it,” I say.
He shakes his head. “What was your favorite monster?”
“Aside from my stepmother?” I say. He laughs as I take another sip. “I had an obsession with cats when I was a kid, so I had a cat suit with a squiggly tail and pointy ears, and my dad would draw whiskers on my face and color the end of my nose black. It wasn’t really a monster, but I had a pretty mean scowl.”
He turns and faces the wall and holds onto the edge of the pool. “You scowling? Now that I can’t imagine.”
I lean up on the edge and his eyes follow my body. “I’m not always a ray of sunshine, you know,” I tease.
“Well, you look better when you’re smiling, Ariana, all pretty girls do.”
My heart lurches at his words, and I know I shouldn’t be reacting to him like this.
