Dani
Luke.Is. A. Saint. He handles the demands of the day like a champ and never complains once about the obvious ogling my tenacious fans display. He’s so graceful under pressure and doesn’t show an ounce of stress the entire day. As we pack up for the evening, I count my blessings. It was an amazing day and having him here was better than I could imagine.
I nearly died when the first two women recognized him. There were a few others afterward, but nothing as boisterous as the first ones. When I think back to the events of the day, I’m relieved it’s over.
As I relax because the doors have officially closed, it hits me.Holy shit! Did I stake a claim to him publicly?I quickly recall the turn of events. Shit. I think I did. I’m not even sure what came over me. I just knew I didn’t want that woman to think she had a chance with him.Not that I could blame her.But to boldly claim Luke as mine? Damn, my green-eyed monster must have been bearing its horns. What the hell came over me?
“You okay?” Luke breaks me from the thoughts spinning in my head.
“Yeah,” I sigh as exhaustion sets in. I typically have a day or two of complete downtime to decompress from these events. “I’m just thinking about the fans.”Well, that’s sort of the truth.
His deep voice chortles as he states, “I thought I’d seen crazed fans in football, but they have nothing on the romance industry.” He shakes his head at some memory and reaches to pull me close. “Thank you for showing me your world. I had no freaking clue what to expect, but this was really something.”
“Ha… I threw you into the deep end. Thanks for being able to swim so effortlessly.” I reach in and caress his cheek. His deep-blue eyes darken.
“What do you say we get this packed up and get out of here?” His suggestion comes out low and gravelly, setting my nerves on fire.
“I like that idea very much.” I reach up on my tiptoes to close the distance between us, giving him a quick kiss.
Of course, I get carried away, and he remembers where we are. He pulls back with a sexy as sin smile and promises, “Later.”
I playfully groan. “If you insist.”
By the time we make it back to our room, I’m completely exhausted. Luke must see it on my face because he insists I rest while he orders room service. I plop down on the couch, putting my feet on the coffee table. I hear Luke speaking, but my brain is too tired to decipher the words. As soon as he’s done, he joins me on the couch.
“Wanna watch a movie?” he suggests as he pulls me closer. His sexy scent still makes my body tremble, but I simply don’t have any gas left in the tank. I inhale deeply and relax into him more. I’m sure this is the last thing he wants to do in our romantic suite, but this is what he’s going to get.
“You pick. I’m not sure I’ll last long.” I snuggle closer and wrap an arm around his waist. The warmth of his body and his steady heartbeat does me in. When a knock at the door startles me, I bolt upright in a useless attempt to hide my slumber.
Luke brings back a tray of food that smells delicious. I snacked at the conference between chatting with fans, but I didn’t eat much. He lifts the tray, and my mouth salivates. “Mmmm…” I moan in anticipation.
Luke smiles in appreciation. “There’s plenty here. I wasn’t sure what you wanted, so I got a bit of everything.”
There’s a large charcuterie platter with an assortment of meats, cheese, and fruit. He also ordered strawberry rhubarb cobbler, a French dip sandwich large enough for the two of us, and two large iced teas.
“We won’t have to leave the room until check out tomorrow with this much food,” I tease.
He pulls a sexy smirk and rolls his eyes. Damn, those dark-blue eyes drive me wild. “I’m pretty sure we’ll need more by tomorrow. Come on, let’s dig in.”
He hands me an empty plate, and I fill it with ease. I take my first bite, and my stomach growls loud enough for him to clearly hear, causing us both to chuckle. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize I was this hungry.”
“Nothing to apologize for,Sugar.”Luke’s eyes crinkle at the corner, and I laugh.
“God, I can’t believe you decided to call methatof all things today.”
“What can I say? You remind me of my favorite sweet tea. Strong with the perfect blend of sweetness. It’s like you were made for me. Besides, I almost called you Dani more times than I can count, so I had to think of something.”
I cock an eyebrow at the ease of his words. “Are you sure you’re not a romance writer in disguise?”
“Hardly,” he deadpans. “I’m just a guy who knows what he likes.”
“That you do,” I say before taking another bite of the French dip. As I finish chewing, I continue, “You were quite the charmer out there today. I swear half the people in line wanted to get a closer look at you. If you ever decide to give up your coaching gig, I’m sure you’d make bank as a model.”
Luke groans. “Oh, please… I’m just a regular guy.”
“Uh… Luke…” I wait until I have his full attention. “You’re anything but a regular guy.”
“Whatever you say, Danika. If anyone should be on the cover of books, it would be you. Not me.”
