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Holly stared at him in shock. Was she losing her hearing? Imagining things? “Was that a compliment?” she ventured.
“I can give them,” he said gruffly.
“Not to me.”
His mouth twisted. “Don’t let it go to your head.” Now he sounded more like the Lukas she’d always known, but perhaps just a little bit kinder. Then, like the gentleman he had never been until that night, Lukas opened the car door for her, then shut it once she got in.
“You know, one of the things I hated most about you—” she said when Lukas got in and shut the car door.
He had been about to put the key in the ignition. Instead, he stopped and looked at her, startled. Then a corner of his mouth quirked up. “Just one? I’m sure you have a whole long list.”
She did, but this was one she felt compelled to share. “Yes, but listening to you guys talking back there reminded me of this one.”
Lukas raised a brow, waiting for her to speak.
“I hated that you wouldn’t let me go sailing with you. You used to take Matt out with your dad and your brothers, but you wouldn’t take me.” She probably shouldn’t even be admitting that it had mattered.
Lukas looked thoughtful, then he nodded, put the key in the ignition and turned it. The car hummed to life, but he didn’t put it in gear immediately. Instead, he stared straight ahead in the dimly lit parking lot as if making up his mind about something. Deciding if he should apologize? That would definitely be un-Lukas-like.
Finally, he turned to her. “You want to go sailing? I could take you sailing.”
“When you and Matt get your boat finished?” Holly said with a tiny smile. “The twelfth of never?”
“No. Now.” There was a rough edge to his voice. And though it was dark in the car, Holly could feel his gaze on her as if he were touching her.
“Now?” she said doubtfully. “Tonight?”
“Don’t want to take the boat out in the dark. But when it starts to get light... How about that? We’ll end the night with a sail.” And he gave her one of those amazing Lukas Antonides grins that would have caused a saint to cave in to temptation.
Holly was no saint. Besides, it was just sailing, she told her sensible self, the one that was telling her to say no. He was, for once, being kind. It was Lukas’s way of making up for years of thwarting her. Was she supposed to throw it back in his face?
Besides, she did want to go sailing.
And with Lukas? Well, this had been Matt’s idea. Not hers.
* * *
He was playing with fire. Lukas knew it.
But he’d never been one to play it safe. And he hadn’t started this. It had been Matt insisting that he take Holly to the prom. What should he have done? Said no?
So he’d done it. He’d done everything Matt would have done—taken her to dinner, danced every dance with her, put his arm around her in a crowded restaurant to make more room for her friends. And if he had heightened his own desire with every touch, well, he could see desire in Holly, too.
He had seen the way she’d looked at him tonight. Her cheeks had been flushed, her nipples had become hard pebbles beneath the midnight silk she wore. Lukas was twenty years old, not a virgin. He knew something about the response of women’s bodies when they were aroused. Holly had been aroused. By him. And God knew he was aroused by her.
He should take her home. She was Matt’s girl. Not his. He had no right. But what if she was making a mistake marrying Matt? What if she wasn’t as in love with Matt—as committed—as she believed she was?
Don’t go there, Lukas told himself.
But he couldn’t bring himself to take her home. He’d offered her a sail. It wasn’t betraying Matt to take her for a sail. Lukas put the car in gear and headed toward the marina.
Halfway down the dark, narrow highway, Holly said, “I can’t.”
Lukas, shoulders tense, turned his head sharply. “Can’t what?”
“Go sailing! How can I in this dress?”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “No problem. There’s stuff on board. Shorts, T-shirts. Jackets. You can wear something of Martha’s. It’ll be fine.”
She swallowed. “Oh. Well, good.” She didn’t sound wholly convinced.
Lukas expected she would find another reason to call a halt to things. But as he kept driving, Holly was silent. She sat very still the rest of the way.
The marina parking lot was virtually deserted, allowing him to park next to the ramp leading to the dock. Some cars were still there because people had taken their boats out for the weekend. But no one was around. Lukas started to lead the way down the ramp, then realized that Holly had to pick her way carefully because she was wearing high heels.
