Sweet Spot (Irresistible 1)

Kind of.

And even if it didn’t work on him, it didn’t matter because more than ever now, I needed to get Lukas out of my head.

That sexist pig.

I just couldn’t figure it out with him. Every time I leaned toward the idea that he might be okay, something reminded me that he was everything I should avoid. And just now, the latest reminder was the fact that he saved a woman’s contact in his phone as “Useless Gold Digger Bitch.” How could I possibly have found myself hung up over someone like that?

It was the hotness, I clucked at myself. See, that is the evil of flawless bone structure and absurdly defined muscles. They’re like the sun – they’re dangerous, they will blind you and you should never look directly at them ever again, I decided as Hayden went on about the superhero show he binge-watched on Netflix last week.

I might’ve tuned out. No, I definitely did because suddenly, I was listening to the manager and waitress murmuring behind me. At first, it was because I found it amusing to hear them quietly trash the Wall Street douchebag in the corner, talking over everyone in the room about his big merger or whatever. But now I was listening to them because one of them was making muffled squealing noises and audibly bouncing on her heels behind me.

“Oh my God. Omigod, omigod, what is that.”

“What is what?”

“That. All three of that. Oh my God, I can’t even talk.”

I paused. Hold up. Three presumably good-looking men coming in barely forty minutes after I did? Right away, I had a hunch but I didn’t want to be right so I refused to entertain it. Focusing my eye contact on Hayden, I ignored the weird suspicion in my bones and the sudden heat in my belly. I made sure to put a smile on for him, too, nodding zealously along to everything he said.

Still, I couldn’t ignore the women talking behind me.

“I’m gonna kill the hostess if she tries to seat all that hotness at the bar.”

“Omigod, look, the big one just pointed like he wants to sit here!”

Shit, the evidence was damning but I refused to confirm it. Don’t look around, don’t look around, whatever you do, don’t look around.

I didn’t look around.

But that was no help because in seconds, I was watching a corset-clad hostess walk two tall men in front of our table, seating them at the booth directly across from ours. And

oh, did I recognize one. It wasn’t Lukas, but it was that David Beckham-looking motherfucker who’d sat behind Sara at the café, who’d ratted me out for being a thirsty, sexless Lukas Hendricks fangirl – to Lukas.

He had a wicked grin on for me now and I was convinced I could smack him. I wanted to launch myself across the table as he caught my eye and dared to laugh, leaning over to the friend I assumed was Emmett. My face was aflame as they both looked at me, studying me, muttering to each other as if appraising me like a damned car. After a couple seconds, Emmett raised his eyebrows at me and nodded to Beckham, as if giving me the honor of his approval.

Douchebags – I don’t need your approval! I wanted to snap at them, making a fist around my drink.

“Lia, are you okay?”

I blinked over at a frowning Hayden. “Huh? Oh. Uh-huh,” I replied unconvincingly, swallowing the giant knot in my throat.

“Are you still thinking about your bad day?” he asked sweetly.

“Yes,” I nodded, eagerly taking the excuse. “I was. I just … ugh, that darned realtor!” I laughed, giving an awkward shake of my fist. “They’re just, uh, yeah. The worst. Will you excuse me for a second?”

He sat me down as I tried to get up. “Hold on. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just…” I looked down at my glass. “It’s too strong. I think I’m going to go to the bar and ask for a new drink.”

“I’ll do it!” Hayden insisted. “Please. What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t?” he smiled, grabbing my glass and sliding out of the booth.

I tried to protest but before I knew it, he was gone and I was suddenly holding my breath because walking into the room was none other than Lukas. He commanded all eyes in that sleek, black suit I’d seen him in at home. The shirt he had on underneath was crisp, black as well and while he’d worn a tie before, he didn’t now. Apparently, I noticed these things.

Gorgeous bastard, I cursed him since all I could do was helplessly sit and watch him approach me, his eyes burning into mine. His sheer size eclipsed the light as he made his way to my table and stood before me – raw masculinity wrapped in an expensive Italian suit.

“You look beautiful.”

He said it before I could so much as open my mouth and just like that I was compromised. “Thank you,” I murmured, watching him watch me. I had to blink several times before I even remembered I was pissed at him. “Lukas – ” I shook my head. “What you are doing here? I know you didn’t come just to have drinks with your friends.”