“I hope I wasn’t presumptuous,” he said.
My heart skipped. “Not at all. But if you were…you’ve presumed correctly.”
He set down his now-empty glass. “Then I’ll see to getting us a room.”
Fourteen
Alec
When I’d seenLumen walking down the road the other day, it had felt like fate. I’d never been much of a believer in that sort of thing, but how else could I explain seeing her two completely random times after our awkward first and second meetings?
Logic said that in a city the size of Seattle, with neither her nor I having just moved, the chances of us having that many chance meetings would be phenomenal. I’d almost been tempted to have someone run the numbers.
That or buy a lottery ticket.
What made me even more convinced that some higher power was bringing us together was that before I’d left the house to go on a run that day – an activity I did only rarely in the first place – Theresa had suggested that since she’d be returning to San Ramon on Sunday, I should take advantage of her presence to go out at least once. I’d told her that it wasn’t necessary, but then I’d seen Lumen and decided to make one last attempt at asking her out. I’d hardly been able to believe it when she’d accepted.
Then when I’d picked her up, I’d thought for certain that I’d died and gone to heaven. That silky black dress clung to every curve, and my hands itched to follow my gaze. Knowing what she’d feel like only made matters worse.
Her heels were of a sensible height, but they still managed to draw my attention to her legs. The neckline was modest, but Lumen wasn’t the sort of woman who needed to flaunt what she had.
I’d appreciated her not asking too many questions, though I did see the interest in her eyes a few times. I’d been clear from the first that I wasn’t looking for a relationship. I hadn’t been before Keli had left Evanne with me, and now that I was a single parent to an eight-year-old, I would have even less time and energy to focus on another person who wasn’t Evanne. Still, I hadn’t wanted to assume that my asking her to dinner with the clarification that I was only interested in having fun meant that we were going to have sex.
I wanted to. Hell, I’d wanted her from the first moment I’d seen her. If anything, the more time I spent with her, the more I wanted her. But I would never presume. I didn’t mind needing to ask, however. It may have been old-fashioned of me, but I preferred to be the one taking the lead.
When I returned from speaking to someone about renting the best room they had available, the waitress had come back to inquire about dessert.
“Interested?” I asked Lumen as I sat down.
Her cheeks flushed. “I’d rather not wait.”
“Just the bill,” I spoke to the waitress but kept my eyes on Lumen.
The waitress set the billfold next to me, but before I could reach for my wallet, Lumen lifted her purse. I reached out and put my hand on hers.
“Please allow me to pay,” I said. She looked like she was going to argue, so I appealed to the practical side of her rather than the romantic. “We’ve talked a little about budgets tonight. Trust that I’m in a better position to pay for the meal than you are, lass.”
“Well, you are older…”
I raised an eyebrow, enjoying the sparkle in her eyes.
“Thank you, Alec. I’ll name my car after you.”
I laughed. Alec the car. This lass was as canty as she was bonnie.
As I waited for the waitress to return with my card, I was struck by the sudden and surprising wish that I’d met Lumen at a different time and a different place. Under different circumstances. A world where I could offer her more of my time and attention. Where the two of us could have more than one night.
But that was wishful thinking, and if there was one thing I knew better than anything else, it was that wishful thinking was pointless.
We didn’t have any of that, but we did have time. Time to find out what we could do with what we did have.
As we headed for the elevators, I reached for her hand, lacing my fingers between hers. The gesture had felt natural, the sort of thing that had simply been the right thing to do, and now we were holding hands. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d held a woman’s hand.
We were alone in the elevator, but I didn’t let go. Instead, I used my free hand to touch her chin and turned her head, tipping it up until I could see her whole beautiful face. Her eyes met mine, big and blue as a clear sky. Her lips parted slightly, as if in anticipation, and my heart thudded against my ribcage. I hadn’t wanted anyone like this before.
I didn’t want to think about what it meant, so I did the only thing I could think of and covered her mouth with mine. Damn, she tasted good. I’d almost forgotten. For a moment, I felt her surprise and thought she’d push me away, but it took her only a few seconds to turn toward me and lean into the kiss.
Our hands slipped apart, but that was okay because we were touching other places. She grabbed the lapels of my suit jacket, tugging me closer, as if she couldn’t get enough of me. I knew how that felt because I couldn’t get enough of her. The feel of her lips and the slide of her tongue across mine. Her slender body in my arms. The bare skin of her back as I slid my fingers along her spine.
