For some reason, she felt a tiny sense of relief at knowing he wouldn’t be out and about, hooking up with the latest flavor of the week. He’d be here, just down the hall.
She grabbed the golf clubs and slung the bag over her shoulder. “Okay. I’ll see you Sunday.”
“See you.” She was out the door and halfway down the hall when Henry called out, “And remember. Keep your eye on your target, follow through on your swing, and for heaven’s sake, whatever happens, don’t let yourself get distracted.” He touched the top of his head where she’d whacked him and grinned.
She lifted her hand in a weak wave.
Distracted? It seemed these days the only time that happened was when she was in the presence of one man. Luke should be safe.
Chapter Sixteen
“How did things go on your date with the esteemed Dr. Seeley?” Henry asked her early Sunday morning as they whizzed down the freeway at a healthy clip. Benny had tried to coerce him into letting her drive, but considering she looked still half asleep, he wasn’t about to risk it. “And by how did things go, I mean did you manage to avoid clobbering him with a golf club?”
“You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?”
“Not a chance.”
“No, I didn’t hit him. In fact, we had a great time. I impressed everyone.”
He lifted his brows in surprise. “You did?”
“Yep. Right
up to the moment I was lining my hips up the way you showed me, raising the driver for an impeccable delivery, and my right ankle completely went out on me and I fell gracefully on my butt. Unfortunately, the ankle was just too tender to try and walk on, and I resigned myself to sitting and watching the game from the cool shade of the golf cart.”
He laughed and shook his head at her ingenuity—or desperation. “And saved yourself, yet again, from displaying your total ineptitude at playing golf. Kudos. What will you think of the next time? A fake bee sting? Passing out from heatstroke?”
“Not necessary. Somewhere between the seventh and the eighth hole, Luke joined me on the golf cart and we watched the other players take their shots. ‘You don’t really have a clue how to play golf, do you,’ he asked me. And not like he was angry or anything, but like he was trying not to laugh. So I came clean.”
“The truth. How novel,” he said drolly.
“I even told him about you. At least about how you’ve been helping me with my golf game up until I’d whacked you in the head. He told me to thank you for that.” She grinned, her eyes flashing with humor.
“Tell him I appreciate the gratitude. So it sounds like you two had a nice date, then.”
“Oh, that was nothing. After the game, he drove us up the canyon and we hiked to this spot with an amazing view of the entire valley and had a picnic, right there. Later, over wine, we watched the sun set and then just lay under the stars.”
The man was good. Too good. Setting up the scene like that, the ambience. Very manipulative. He thought about Benny lying on the blanket with the calculating Luke Seeley creeping nearby, maybe starting with a little hand-holding and then stepping it up. Maybe brushing the hair off her face as a way to make eye contact before dropping his greedy mouth down for a kiss, his hands mauling Benny’s body, feeling her softness, her curves, her—
“Uh. Henry, you might want to ease off the gas there. You’re pushing ninety-five.”
He glanced down to see she was right and lowered their speed. His fingers were taut as they gripped the wheel, and he loosened them, flexing them. “Sounds like you two really hit it off.”
She sighed and looked out the passenger window. “It was perfect.”
His heart felt like it was seizing. Did that mean—had she—no. She wouldn’t, she’d as much as told him so. But he had to know. He cleared his throat, trying to sound cavalier. “Did you two take it to the next level?”
She laughed and shook her head at him. “No. Luke is a gentleman. You might think all dates culminate in a tumble in the hay, but for other more cerebral people, like Luke and me, a meeting of the minds is even more rewarding than a meeting of the bodies.”
Now he snickered. “I highly doubt that. And if you really believe that, then you have never had anyone actually make love to you. Because that, my dear, is the reason for everything.”
“Everything? Seriously, you believe that? You don’t think two people can have a rewarding relationship without sex?”
“No.”
“Have you ever had a relationship with a woman that didn’t end with her in your bed? And I don’t mean your sister.”
“Yeah.” He grinned and met her gaze for a moment. “You.”