Something would distract Luke in between his gate and the luggage claim—a hot girl he wanted to impress, a scent in a restaurant Luke just had to taste, a conversation that started somewhere over Kansas that he just had to finish. Whatever it was, somehow Luke would be late enough to tempt Mike into making him take a cab.
It happened every time. And yet every time Luke needed a ride, Mike always showed up on time, just like his mom trained him, even though he knew Luke would be an hour late.
Whatever. That’s what smart phones had been invented for.
Leaning against the wall, Mike opened the email he’d saved for the occasion and got to work, glancing up on occasion to see if Luke had magically appeared. Within a few minutes Luke’s flight number popped up on a baggage carousel to his left. Mike drifted over to the carousel and continued catching up on his emails until a casual glance up into the crowd had him doing a double take.
Some women were pretty. Others were beautiful, classy , voluptuous, trashy, or sleek. This woman transcended adjectives in Mike’s book. She was like a goddess trying to blend in with the mundane. For the first time in Mike’s life, the floor seemed to fall out from under him. He felt as if he were falling, even though he knew his feet were firmly set on cold tile of the airport lobby.
So out of my league, he thought, even as his eyes locked on to the amused pucker of her lips and imagined the feel of them against his own. Where he was light, she was dark—dark hair, dark eyes, and her skin a shade that might be a tan or might be natural coloring.
Mike’s falling sensation stopped as abruptly as it started as he spotted Luke next to the woman, talking enthusiastically while she smiled patiently. The two of them had probably sat next to each other on the flight, and since Luke was Luke, he’d probably talked her ear off the entire time.
Well, Luke may have seen this woman first, but Mike wasn’t leaving the airport until he had her number, or she had his. Dating moratorium be damned, some women were worth breaking oaths for.
Navigating his way through the crowd to join his friend, Mike kept his eyes on the woman. At the moment he could only see part of her profile and her hair. It would be pretty hard to miss that hair. Long, full, and rebelliously curly. Both styled and haphazard, it gave the impression that her personality might be along the same lines, structured with a wild streak.
Mike felt his heart pick up its rhythm in his chest and sent himself a mental cautionary note not to get too excited just yet. He didn’t know this girl—all he knew was that he wanted to know what it felt like to bury his fingers in her hair. But good hair did not equal good personality. She might be boring. Maybe she was a snob. She could be a lot of things that weren’t worth getting worked up over.
Still, his heart pounded and he wiped his hands on his jeans before making the last few steps to the couple and punching Luke in the shoulder.
“What’s up, man?” he asked, purposefully addressing Luke first. He had to play it cool.
Luke turned from searching the baggage carousel and a smile cracked his face. “Hey, good to see you!”
True to Luke’s nature, he threw his arms around Mike in a hug, giving Mike a chance to take his first close-up look at the mystery girl as she eyed their man hug with a hint of amusement.
Stunning. There was no other word for her. Beautiful was off the mark because in Mike’s mind it drew visions of beauty mixed with vulnerability, like a flower. This girl had a sharpness behind her eyes that hinted that she was nobody’s fool. Her features were strong and looked Mediterranean or maybe Spanish. Definitely regal. She was a woman who was comfortable in her own skin. And speaking of her skin, it was perfect. Smooth and sun kissed with no make-up.
Mike looked at her eyes last. He knew wouldn’t earn him any points with her, but what was done was done. She was looking at him funny now, indicating that Mike had surpassed the unspoken time limit for either checking her out or engaging in a man hug.