“Laura,” Annie exclaims, getting to her feet. Her dark eyes examine me as she leans closer for a kiss. I narrow mine slightly, letting her know that I know what this is. “Don’t hate me. Matt made me ask you,” she whispers in my ear.
“It’s fine.”
Life’s too short to be angry at a heavily pregnant woman. The last thing I want on my conscience is her stressing out so much that she pops out a baby. And who knows? Maybe this guy and I will have something in common.
“I think you know nearly everyone,” Annie says. “Raina and Dave, Lisa and Dan, Phillipe and Cassie…”
I smile at everyone as I sink into the only empty seat at the table. I wait until the last possible moment to turn my attention to the person next to me because I hate how awkward those first few seconds of a setup are. I smile and then lift my gaze to meet his.
And then I stop breathing.
I literally stop breathing.
God, no. Please, anyone but him.
My sexy doctor is sitting in the seat next to me.
I can’t tear my eyes away from those gorgeous eyes or that lightly tousled hair that I just want to drive my fingers through or that tiny smirk that’s only just visible on those full, red lips that look like they’d feel incredible to kiss.
“You must be Matt’s sister,” he says. His voice snaps me back to reality, and I glare at him as his glittering eyes lock firmly onto mine. “Laura, was it?”
“Yes,” I say.
I swallow, forcing moisture back down my dry, constricted throat as I force my gaze away from his. I stare straight ahead and take a sip of my wine, which quickly turns into half the glass, while my other hand sits in my lap, clenched into a tight, shaking fist.
“Can I be honest with you?” he asks me.
He leans over, so his mouth is almost on my ear. Like any closer and he’d be sucking on my earlobe. I cringe at what that thought does to me.
Please don’t.
“When I arrived and saw all these couples, I thought fuck, this is another one of Matt’s schemes to try and hook me up.” He pauses long enough for me to soak up his words. “But I have to admit, when I saw you walk out, I was excited.” He pulls back and takes a sip of his beer, his dark eyes sparkling. “I’m getting a really good vibe from you, Laura. I think I’m really going to get a buzz out of talking with you tonight.”
Oh God.
This is going to be hell.Chapter Three
LukeWell, tonight just took a turn for the better.
I smirk at Laura as I watch her gulp down the last of her wine, before nodding at Annie to top her up again. She won’t look at me, which I can’t really blame her for, considering the compromising position she was in when we last saw each other. To be honest, I feel quite sorry for her. This has got to be torture for her. What are the chances of your brother trying to set you up with the doctor who saved you from a runaway sex toy?
When I first saw her walk out onto the patio, I couldn’t believe it was her. She didn’t notice me at first which gave me a chance to really study her without any limitations. When she’s in control of herself and not mid-orgasm, she’s actually very hot—not that she wasn’t hot last time I…
Yeah. I think I’m going to quit that thought while I’m ahead.
Her long dark hair hangs around her shoulders, twisting into a mass of loose curls, and those deep blue eyes are full of such warmth that you can’t help but smile back. Only when I smile, hers disappears, which brings me crashing back down to reality.
“So, Laura,” I say.
She turns to look at me, knowing she can’t ignore me when I’m talking directly to her without raising questions. Sure, some might say that I’m forcing her to interact with me, but if it gets us past what happened, why not?
“Do you live around here, too?”
“No, I live in downtown LA,” she replies. “On the south side.”
She doesn’t even look at me as she speaks. Maybe I brought that on myself by using terms like vibe and buzz, but I really was just trying to lighten the mood and make a joke out of it. I guess we’re not at that point in our relationship yet.
I frown, a thought hitting me. If she lives closer to the city, then why go to Orange County? There had to have been closer options for her to go to. Mercy’s literally on her doorstep, for starters. I don’t dwell on that too much. Instead, I try to talk to her again and again, but every time, she shuts me down.