Luke’s face heats, and I can tell I’ve hit the nail on the head. “Danika.” His voice is gravelly and filled with concern. “What are you saying?” A flash of pain crosses his features before his face turns stony, and his expression becomes unreadable.
My stomach plummets to my toes. Fuck, he’s misreading my reaction. “Luke…” I start but still can’t find the words. I inhale slowly and will myself to find the words to convey my message. “Luke,” I try again but with more clarity this time. “I’m nervous about the interview.”
“If you’d prefer I do it solo, say the word, and it’s done.” His face is still unreadable, but almost apprehensive, like he’s not sure about something. As I stare into his eyes, a glint of hurt crosses his features.
“Luke, all I’m saying is that you’re a bit bigger than you let on. The entire country seems to know your name… I feel like the biggest idiot in the country because I didn’t have a clue as to who you were.”
He reaches out to brush a wayward curl from my face, and as his thumb brushes my cheek, I lean into it. “Danika, I’m still just Luke. Nothing about me is different.”
“I know…” I plea, trying to figure out how to get him to understand. “It’s not really about who you are…” I trail off.
“Then what is it?” He locks eyes with mine until I cave.
“I’ve never done an interview of this caliber. I’m afraid I’m going to fuck it up. The world’s going to think I’m the biggest idiot, or worse, hate me for taking you off the market.”
“I highly doubt anyone will care that I’m off the market for long. I just happen to be the youngest coach in the league, who’s single. I’m new to this position, so people are skeptical. The Rainier Renegades are coming off a championship season and so far, looking quite promising for another ring this season.” He’s quiet for a moment, then as if another thought hits him, he waggles his eyebrows and continues in a teasing tone, “Besides, if you weren’t a sexy as hell romance novelist, it might have blown over with no attention from the press.”
“Uh, I wasn’t the one with my abs on display for the world to see, mister. I think you may want to look in the mirror for the sudden attention.” I poke the abs in question, and he flexes instinctively. “Damn, these are hard as stone.”
“Dani,” he chastises. “I’m being serious. We both drew the attention because in our own worlds, people pay attention. The question is… can you handle it? Do you want to continue to see how things go, knowing we’ll be in the public eye, until our five minutes of fame are over, or do you want me to do the interview solo and downplay our relationship?”
My heart stutters at the thought. My stomach once again plummets, and my body’s clearly telling me this isn’t what it wants. “No!” I shout out a bit more forcefully than I expect. There’s no fucking way I want the world to think he’s available. “I don’t want you to do the interview alone. I’m just nervous and trying to process the severity of this situation.”
Luke leans in, and his warm breath sends shivers down my spine, all the way to my fingers and toes. “Good, because I want you there by my side.” He inches closer to me before continuing, “I wouldn’t do this for anyone but you. I’ll take your lead on how you want the world knowing about our relationship, but I really would prefer to do it with you by my side.”
He closes the distance and kisses my response away. His lips graze mine, and a fire ignites. It’s a tender and loving kiss. The type of kiss that tells me we can conquer the world together. I reach for his inky black hair and run my fingers through it as we get lost in one another. Neither of us take it to the next level, but as he kisses the life out of me, he also kisses away the worry and stress of the day. This. Right here. Is where I want to be and what I need most of all.How does this man know me better than I know myself?
When he breaks the kiss, he pulls back to look me squarely in the eyes. “What can I do to make the interview go smoother for you?”
My heart melts right here on the spot. I know I can make it through whatever the interviewer throws at me, if I have him by my side.
