Draco (Coded for Love 2)

Lara filled the mugs and pushed one in his direction. “I suppose you could call it that.”

He watched the sheen on her hair as she moved, noticing too the way her ear studs worked, details he absorbed into his memory. She was the real perk, and he let her fill his senses, wanting to store every memory of being around her.

When he didn’t lift the cup, she looked at him quizzically. Her eyes widened.

He realized he was staring and reached for the cup she offered. She continued to stare at him. What was she thinking?

Draco wanted to kiss her, regardless of where they were. That urge hadn’t gone anywhere since the night before. It’d only intensified.

Hell, why not? Compton Senior clearly thought they were an item. That had been obvious. Perhaps it was the only reason Compton had allowed the placement. Had Lara let him think so because he wanted her safely paired off with a man, as a dealbreaker? It wasn’t too much of a stretch to imagine Compton would prefer his daughter was a nice traditional girl, not a financial ball breaker in the making, a business woman with victory on her mind. “He really thinks I’m your boyfriend, doesn’t he? As in we’re bed buddies already.”

Her eyelids dropped, but she smiled even as she looked away at the coffee cups. It was as if he’d caught her out. Was she thinking about the same thing, perhaps?

“He assumed, so I let it go. I told him you’re a friend from college.” She looked at him with a challenging glance, the smile still lingering.

“I take it you didn’t mention Steve is gay?”

She laughed. “No, I didn’t.”

“Thank God I don’t have to pretend I’m gay as well.”

“Indeed.” Again she laughed. It suited her.

He reached out his free hand and took her coffee cup from her. “It’d be pretty hard for me to act like a gay friend around a woman like you.”

She stared at him, eyes bright, as if surprised.

Fixed as he was, with a coffee cup in both hands he still had that urge to kiss her, to surprise her even more. She’d enjoyed it the night before, and now they were here in the roles of a potential couple.

Her head tipped back, and she even looked as if she was waiting for his touch.

Carefully, he leaned closer. “Look, no hands,” he whispered, then kissed her soft, lush lips.

“I take it this is your boyfriend?” The voice interjected from behind them over by the doorway, forcing them to draw apart.

Slowly, Lara shifted and looked over Draco’s shoulder. “Jamie, hi.”

Draco turned to see who it was.

A tall, skinny guy with a geeky look about him made his way across the kitchen toward them. Draco would have figured he was one of Lara’s brothers, even if the name hadn’t sounded familiar.

Lara drew away quickly, met and hugged the guy.

It had better be her brother, Draco thought, and put the coffee cups down.

“Jamie, this is Steve, a friend from college.”

“Aha, the boyfriend?”

“That’s me.” Draco wrapped his arm around Lara’s shoulder. He half expected her to ease away, but she didn’t.

Smiling up at him briefly, she nodded at the skinny guy. “This is my brother, Jamie.”

Draco noticed he got a quick once over from the brother. He figured he’d passed the inspection because Jamie smiled approvingly.

Draco put out his hand, and Jamie shook it, nodding amiably.

“Yeah, I got an email from Janice with instructions to come down and say hi.” Jamie chuckled.