guys ready to order or is it going to be drinks only tonight?"
"Are you hungry?" Luke asked. "Let me buy you dinner." The expression he saw on her face showed him that she was open to the idea but was feeling a little uncomfortable, probably because of the situation. He decided the best course of action was to take the bull by the horns. "I'll have the chicken Caesar salad." He smiled at Andie. "It's great here. They make their own dressing and don't lay it on too thick. Make it two?"
"Sure. That sounds perfect. Thanks."
As they finished their drinks and polished off a second round during their salads, the conversation never lagged. Luke found himself enchanted by her. She was lively, witty, and had an intellect that was as appealing as her figure. It was a potent mix. She told him about her work and the training they’d sent her into town for. She also told him that she was going to take a few extra days to visit family nearby now that it was all done. “Sorta like a mini vacation.” Andie smiled and fiddled with her napkin. “I can’t afford to travel much on my own so it’s a real treat getting to squeeze a trip to the farm in on the company’s plane ticket. It was really cool of my boss to let me take the extended time. The company hoards PTO like Smaug hoards his gold.” Then she winked at him over the rim of her cosmo and she was so irresistibly cute he wanted to pounce.
“Did you just make a Lord of The Rings reference?” Luke might be in love.
“Technically it was a Hobbit reference, but yeah. I did.” Yup, he thought. I’m in love.
"I gotta tell ya." He leaned close and spoke quietly, purposefully upping the intimacy by reaching out to grip the back of her chair so she was almost in his arms. "This has been the best damn date I've had in years."
"I'm having a great time too," she admitted and ignited the fire in him when she reached out and lightly ran her fingers over the back of the hand he had braced on the table in front of him. "I really am."
"If I don't get my hands on you soon—" He broke off, unsure how to articulate the hunger and need he felt simmering inside him without freaking her out. He said instead, "Dance with me."
Waiting for her consent felt like waiting for the answer to a much more important question. One he knew without a doubt he would be asking before the night was over… if she said yes to this one. She knew it too; he could read it in her eyes as she studied his face while she considered her choices.
His muscles bunched and tensed as the seconds wore on, and when she consented, with a dip of her chin and lowered lashes, he knew she was agreeing to more than just a dance.
The dance area was small with dark wood flooring and dim lighting. It was crowded enough to justify pulling Andie close, very close, and keeping her there. As her softness registered on his senses along with the mouthwatering scent of her, Luke had to force himself to keep his strength in check. What he wanted was to crush her to him and devour her, but he settled for pulling her in a little tighter, securing one arm low on her back, and then bringing their clasped hands up to rest against the thudding of his heart. They swayed to the music that pulsed with a slow thrumming rhythm that seemed to pump through his veins.
She fit against him magically, almost as if her body was made for that sole purpose alone, and the two of them glided through the first couple songs without separating an inch. Luke could feel the delicate heat of her against his thigh when he gave in to the need for more and inserted his leg between hers ever so slightly. Arousal turned his muscles to iron when she didn’t step back. Instead, she pressed even closer, and he felt her breath catch as she quivered in his embrace.
Luke let out a soft curse, lowered the hand on her back to the very edge of decency, and pressed her hips down hard while he flexed his thigh up. Andie’s body jolted, and with a small cry, she turned her face into the curve of his neck while her hips