“Flirt.Only when I meet someone interesting.”
Did that really work for him?
“You could have chosen a better time to do it.I’m pretty sure she’ll be here all day.”
He looks confused, tiny lines collecting between his brows before they climb sky high.“Wait, Sarah?She’s my cousin.”
Oh.
“But she doesn’t have an accent,” I blurt.
He steps toward me as someone passes behind him, and he doesn’t move back after they’re gone.My hand brushes his sweater.It's so damn soft, I could cry.“Mum moved to Manchester when she met my dad, but the rest of the fam lives over here.”
His voice is husky and rich and has no right to sound as good as it does.No right at all.Perspiration starts to collect at my temples, the back of my neck.I pull on the sleeves of my coat and take a deep breath.How long does a coffee and sandwich take?
“Is that why you’re named after a dog?”
His surprise gives way to a boisterous laugh, as free and easy as the rest of him, and my traitorous lips curl in response.A few heads turn in our direction.
“It’s a nickname.Name’s Lachlan.”He holds his hand out, thick black ink curling over his skin.“But my friends call me Lucky.”
This is a grown man.A man who’s older and more experienced than me.It should intimidate me.God knows there are enough guys in this city who have tried.
But all it makes me want to do is grind my boot into the ground and be the one to put him on his knees.
I’d bet he wouldn’t even mind.
It’s such a horrible, no-good, perfect approximation of all the things that get me going.I can practically feel Alice nudging me to get closer.
Though I make no move to shake his hand, Lucky isn’t deterred.“Are you always this chatty in the mornings?”
I square my shoulders and look up at him.
Go on, I hear Alice saying.You’re hot and single.What have you got to lose?
“Sometimes.On a really good morning, my mouth is preoccupied.”I flush as I say it.I love sex—I miss it—but saying it out loud?That’s a different story.It’s the kind of thing that can make people uncomfortable.
But from the way Lucky’s gaze darkens and zeroes in on my lips, he’s nowhere near uncomfortable.Discomfort might as well be on the other side of the moon for how far away it is.Something electric tingles down my spine.
He slips a hand into his pocket and slowly, deliberately lifts his gaze to meet mine.Completely at ease and definitely interested.
“Whoever’s sharing your bed had better be giving as good as they’re getting.”
A kid clutching his backpack squeezes in behind me, pushing me closer to Lucky.His elbow brushes against my nipple, which jumps at his touch.
It’s definitely time to go.
Thankfully, as he opens his mouth to say more, the barista calls out our orders.
* * *
Finally.
take your drink(go to 7)
go back(go to 2)
Blindly, I reach for the closest cup on the counter.If I’m lucky—ha—then maybe I can sneak into the office without Monica noticing.I don’t place my chances very high, but there’s always hope.
