Without another word, he stands and picks up our plates to clear the table, now that I’ve finished. Crap, did I just bore him to death, and he’s just being polite? Surely, I haven’t read him wrong. I feel so comfortable around him, and he honestly seemed genuine in his probing. I watch him effortlessly rinse our plates and put what remaining dishes we used into the dishwasher, unable to speak my mind, for fear of finding out I’ve been reading him completely wrong.
Thankfully, he puts me out of my misery when he asks, “So, what do you want to do next?” He gestures to the dark, inviting sectional in the living room. “Do you mind hanging out in here for a while?”
“Sure!” I squeal out a little too high, causing him to eye me skeptically.
He doesn’t have to say anything, his raised eyebrow has me instantly spilling my thoughts, “I’m not sure if I just bored you to death, and you’re wishing I’d take the hint and leave.”
Laughter erupts from him, making my stomach clench, leaving me unsure how to respond. “Seriously, what kind of people do you hang out with, Dani?” He takes a deep breath to steady himself, while I stare at him, wondering what he finds so comical. “One thing you’ll learn about me is I hardly say anything I don’t mean.” He shakes his head as if trying to clear his thoughts. “I find you very intriguing. There’s something about you that I want to know more about. I may sound like a desperate fool, but I haven’t stopped thinking about you all day. Why else would I have used the ruse of fixing your bike to see you again?”
Shocked he’s revealing his hand so soon, I toy with him a little. “A ruse? You mean… You didn’t actually get a new tire? Didn’t you just tell me, you don’t say anything you don’t mean?” I eye him quizzically, eagerly awaiting his response.
“Oh, I got the tire. Trust me.” He shakes his head, realizing his mistake. Another smile transforms his face as he walks into his living room and sits down on the large sectional. He pats the couch. “Have a seat.”
I sit down a respectable distance away from him. Not too far, not too close. I slip my sandals off and pull my feet up to tuck them under me as I face him, while leaning against the ‘L’ of the sectional. The leather is cool and smooth as I settle in. This is the kind of couch that’s not only fashionable, but entirely functional. I could sit like this for hours. Give me my computer, and he might have to get court orders to evict me. I let out what I’m sure is an audible sigh, but as I seek further comfort, I simply don’t care. Between my wreck this morning as well as hours spent hunched over my computer, I hadn’t realized how tight and stiff my body had become until this very moment. Add in a full belly from a wonderful dinner, and I don’t think I could want for anything else.
“You okay, Dani?” Luke asks.
I can’t help it. A gigantic yawn escapes my mouth. “Yeah. I’m fine. I just found the most comfortable place in the world, don’t mind me.” I can’t help but snuggle into the couch a little further, so I can rest my head on the back of it. I’m shameless, I know. “Where on earth did you get this couch? I want one.”
A deep chortle comes from Luke. “I have no idea. My sister’s a decorator.” He runs a hand over his chin, and his eyes seem a bit mischievous. When I scrutinize him further to prompt him to continue, he adds, “I just asked that it be comfortable. I didn’t care what it looked like.”
This makes me take a closer look at his home, giving me a whole new insight on his life. I love the simplistic and comfortable home he has here. I notice the color scheme of his home blends perfectly. There are a few personal photos of what I assume are his family around as well, as some photos of the mountains found around Washington. “So… You didn’t choose any of this?”
“Nope.” He lets the p, pop at the end. “Marie was not only my sister but one of my closest friends growing up. She probably knows me best of all. She works in New York City as a decorator, I figured, if I didn’t like it, I could always change it.” He looks around his home, and a smirk forms on his gorgeous face. “I did have to get rid of the ‘foo-foo’ things she had as knickknacks. There’s no way I need or want anything that has no function other than to collect dust.”
I can’t help but roll my eyes.Typical guy.And of course, Luke catches me and voices my thoughts, “I know… Typical guy… Right. Well… I want a home, not a magazine layout. If it’s not functional, it doesn’t belong here.”
“Did you grow up around here?”
“Uh… I’m from Tennessee, just outside of Nashville.”
“That’s certainly a long way from home. How’d you end up in Washington?”
He scratches the beginnings of scruff on his strong, angular chin. I’m not sure if I’m reading him right, but the briefest hint of relief flashes over his features before he schools them. “Well, there’s not much to tell. I played for Stanford and managed to get myself drafted. You already know how I blew out my knee and ended up working for the Renegades, so that’s what brought me here.”
“Do you see your family often?” I can’t help but wonder. I can’t imagine being far from my family.
“Well, my sister lives in New York, and my parents still live in the same home I grew up in. I travel to see them when I can, and it helps they’re willing to meet me at games as well as travel here in the off season, too.”
I can’t help but be in awe of the man before me. Sure, he’s probably the epitome of a bachelor, but I can tell he’s a family man, too. “It’s amazing to have a family that supports you.” He and I have yet another thing in common. I don’t know where I’d be without my family’s support.
“It sure is.” His deep voice rumbles directly into my heart, causing it to wobble a little. The sexy turn of his lips into a smile has me licking mine. I’m not sure how long I’m captivated by him because his expression changes, and I’m caught staring at his arched eyebrow.Crap. He must have said something, and I missed it.
Luke clears his throat and asks, “So, are you?”Am I what? Thankfully, he fills me in quickly on what I’ve missed. “…close to your family.”
Whew! Relief washes through me. I can easily answer this line of questioning.“Yes… I’m incredibly close. In fact, my parents are coming out to the island in a couple of weeks to spend their vacation with me. We’re going to do some kayaking and other things around the island while they’re here.”
“Do you see them often?”
“We all live here in Washington, most within a few hours of here.”
“It sounds like you have a big family.”
“Well, if you consider being one of four kids a big family, then yes. Mom and Dad still run the hardware store in my hometown. My older brother Derek lives in Tacoma, Damien’s a senior at the University of Washington, in Seattle, and Davis is a sophomore at Gonzaga.”
Luke’s brows knit together for a moment then they smooth as he asks, “Do all of you have names that start with D?”
I can’t help the chortle that escapes. “Ha… Yes… Well, except for my dad. His name’s Trent. My mom’s name is Daisy, and Dad insisted we all have names that follow in her footsteps. They’re kind of weird like that.”
