“Janie! Can you give us a moment, please?!”
“Oh, yeah. Sure. I’ve got to call Mom anyway. You two take your time. I’ll just be in the kitchen.”
She turns and walks away like she didn’t just see…what she just saw. Then what Luka just said sinks in.
“That’s your sister?”
“Yeah, that’s Janie.” He picks me up like I don’t weigh a thing. “Who did you think it was?”
“I…Well, I didn’t know. I thought it might…never mind. It’s none of my business.”
He turns me and tilts my face so I have no choice but to look him in the eyes -the brightest aquamarine blue eyes ever. “I told you I’m not dating anyone, love.”
Love? Is that like sweetheart or darling? A nickname he gives to everyone around him.
“No, you said you weren’t dating yet. That clearly means you want to be dating someone. How was I supposed to know whoever it is from your sister? I didn’t…”
I stop myself and have to close my eyes against the intensity of his gaze.
“You didn’t what, baby?”
Now, it’s baby?
“I didn’t want to mess anything up for you.”
When I open my eyes, it’s to find him even closer to me. He’s bent down so he can stare straight into my eyes. “You mean if a woman I wanted to date came in and found me on the floor with you looking like I just fucked you within an inch of your life on your hands and knees with your clothes ripped and your dress flipped up. You think she would take one look at you and think we’ve spent all morning fucking and then wouldn’t want me.”
Oh! Wow!
“Yeah.” It comes out as nothing but a whisper. Do I really look like we spent the morning…together?
“There is no one else, baby. No girlfriend. No prospect. No old ex I want to get back together with.”
He takes my face between his hands and tilts my head up.
“There is just you.”
My eyes widen at his words, and I try to tell myself I heard him wrong or I’m taking his words out of context, but he lowers his head and brushes his lips against my own, shocking a gasp out of me. It’s over before it really even started, but afterwards, my lips burn like he might have branded me without even trying.
“Oh wow!”
Oh God!
I turn my head -or I try to, but Luka still has my head between his hands- to find his sister standing in the doorway again.
“Looks like it is more than you thought it was, huh?” She gives me a big, friendly smile before winking at her brother. “Mom’s on her way over, by the way. You might want to, um…fix…”
She waves her hands around the front of her, and I just remember my dress and the fact that it’s torn badly enough that I don’t think a sewing kit is going to offer much help. I make a grab for the torn material as heat hits my bare skin where Luka’s eyes have landed.
How can this day get any worse? I just made a fool of myself in front of Luka and his sister, and now his mom is on her way. I’m going to have to go home just to come back and finish up for the day, and Luka just kissed me, so now I’m going to have to change my panties, too. What next? Is Santa going to land his sleigh on me?! How much bad luck can I have?
Chapter Eight
Luka
There is no way I was letting Lumi go home after I just made such a huge misstep in my living room in front of my sister. She wouldn’t have come back. I don’t regret kissing her. I regret Janie seeing it. I regret it happened before my little elf was ready for it. The last thing I want her to be is uncomfortable around me.
Instead of letting her go, I offer her my sweater, which makes a dress on her, and offer to take her to her apartment. She takes my sweater but tells me she can make do until later. My sister helps distract her by getting her to talk about the trees and decorations we bought yesterday.
