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Smile, dance, flirt a little.
Just because there was an attraction there didn’t mean it had to be acted on. They were both adults, for crying out loud—not some hormone-riddled teenagers. Surely they could merely enjoy the buzz?
The fact they were both aware of it, the fact that it was taboo, ramped up the buzz even further. It felt like some delicious, unspoken secret between them. Made it sexier, somehow. Made her insides quiver and her outsides hyperaware of the way velvet felt against her skin—soft but abrasive at the same time. How it rubbed at her nipples, tickled her belly, smoothed over her hips.
Things shifted inside her and Claudia squeezed her thighs together to suppress the sudden tingle that had started between her legs. She squirmed against the bed to relieve it.
It didn’t help.
If anything it reminded her how damn long it had been since anyone had been between her legs and she wished she were someone who could just go out and find anyone to scratch an itch. If she were, she’d march down to that ballroom right now and drag Raoul back to her room.
And he’d come willingly.
But she couldn’t lie down with Raoul while Luke was on her mind. It wouldn’t be right. And probably not very conducive to a satisfying sexual experience.
But, God help her, if she didn’t have a satisfying sexual experience soon she was going to have to invest some serious cash in a latex boyfriend—the best one on the market.
The phone rang and she groped for it in the semi-dark, snatching it up, pleased to be relieved from having to think about the depressing state of her sex life.
Her non-existent sex life.
‘Avery, if this is you I hope Jonah is there to protect you because I swear to God I’m going to throttle you. The red dress? Bad idea.’
‘It’s not Avery.’
Claudia shut her eyes as the deep tones, made even sexier by the touch of English class, undulated directly into her ear.
Damn.
‘The red dress wasn’t a bad idea.’
She opened her eyes. ‘Luke...don’t...’
‘You looked hot in the red dress.’
Claudia’s belly flopped over inside her. ‘Luke.’
There was silence for a few moments. ‘I’m sorry I was a giant arse,’ he said.
‘No,’ Claudia sighed. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone on about stuff that was none of my business.’
More silence until Claudia began to wonder if he hadn’t hung up or nodded off.
‘There’s a Love Boat marathon on cable.’
Claudia rolled her eyes. ‘You’re just screwing with me now, right?’
He chuckled and goose bumps marched down the side of her neck and the length of her arm. ‘Hand on heart, pinky swear, I’m not. Turn on your TV.’
Claudia reached for the remote, which sat beside the phone. ‘Which channel?’ she asked as she pushed the power button.
‘Two six three.’
Claudia scrolled through until she found the channel and there, before her eyes, was Julie with her clipboard. The electronic guide told her they were running back-to-back episodes until six in the morning.
‘I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,’ she murmured.
Luke laughed. ‘Tell you what, I have a bottle of wine. How about I come to yours and we watch it together?’
‘You hate The Love Boat.’
‘Consider it my penance.’
‘Lying on a pillow-top mattress in a five-star hotel, drinking wine and watching television is penance?’
‘I know, right?’ he said and Claudia could hear the laughter in his voice. ‘I don’t know how I’ll bear it.’
Lost in the sheer sexiness of his voice all low and smiley in her ear, Claudia didn’t say anything for a few moments.
‘Oh, come on,’ he cajoled. ‘For old times’ sake?’
Claudia knew that could be dangerous. Wine and nostalgia. Not a good mix. But if he was willing to try and put the strange dance-floor incident behind them and get back to where they had been—lifelong friends—then she could at least meet him halfway.
‘Okay, a couple of episodes but I’m coming to yours.’ At least that way she was in control of the situation. She said how long she stayed and what time she left. And she could leave if things got weird again.
Or if her libido demanded she throw caution to the wind and jump Luke’s bones.
* * *
‘You had to wear the dress?’ Luke said as he opened the door to her five minutes later. Was she trying to kill him?
‘You’re still in your clothes,’ she pointed out.
‘Yes.’ But he didn’t look like that in his clothes. ‘I thought you’d be more...casual.’
