“And some horrible thing will befall me if I try to get there on my own?” I snickered.
“Okay, fine. I’ll text you my address and you can get there all on your own,” he huffed.
“A car is fine. I appreciate it. Otherwise I have to use the bus and I’d prefer not to do that.”
Lucas let out a sigh. “You’re a pain in the arse.”
“Yep. Get used to it.”
NO WAY WASthis his house.
My childhood home could fit inside three times over.
I stood outside for a while, staring up at it, feeling totally inferior.
Then the front door opened. “Are you going to stand out here all night? Should Lucas bring your tea outside so you can eat on the pavement?”
Anna, Lucas’ sister stood in the doorway, looking amused.
“Sorry. I was drooling over your house. The topiaries are particularly impressive.” I hurried up the path, clutching the bottle of white wine I had picked up at the newsagent, which I’ve discovered since I had moved to the UK is a fabulous store that sells a little of everything.
I had gotten stuck at work late. I had planned to run down to the grocery store to pick up a decent white wine but in the end had to make do with the seven pound bottle they had on special.
I handed her the wine as I walked in the door. “It probably tastes like battery acid, I’m warning you.”
Anna looked at the label. “Yummy. Should go perfectly with the burnt fish Lucas is trying to cook.”
The smell of burning food was thick and it wasn’t pleasant.
“What’s he making?” I asked, hanging my coat up in the hallway closet. I tried to gawk as I took in the large entryway. A wide staircase stood just in front of me leading to the second floor. A large living room sat off to the right and even had a grand piano perched on a raised platform in front of the bay window. Did Lucas actually play it or was it there for show?
“He was trying to make baked salmon I think. But who really knows. I’ve tried to talk him into ordering a pizza but he’s being stubborn.” Anna headed down the hallway when she stopped and turned back to me. “I’m not sure what you’ve done to my brother to turn him into this strange domestic creature, but I kind of like it. He’s horribly miserable at it and it’s funny as hell.”
I could hear the sound of pans crashing followed by a string of colorful curse words. Anna and made our way into a brightly lit kitchen.
“Jesus,” I breathed as I looked around. It was the kitchen of my dreams. It was an open floor plan with all the state of the art appliances and a breakfast nook with glass French doors that led out onto a stone patio with a grill and comfy seating.
Lucas stood at the stove, a platter of what looked like burnt potatoes on the floor at his feet. He was sucking on his thumb. He didn’t look happy.
“I told you that you had over estimated your cooking abilities,” Alan Cole said from his perch on a bar stool at the island. He was sipping on a beer and laughing his ass off.
“And I told you to shut the hell up or you can fuck off,” Lucas growled.
Anna winked at me. “He’s been in a right mood all evening. Cooking clearly stresses him out.”
Lucas looked my way and his frown faded and a smile lit up his whole face. “Hey,” he said. It was only one word but there was so much in those three letters. A level of intimacy that I could scarce believe.
“Hey,” I said back.
“Are you guys going to stand there eye fucking all night because it would be much more interesting if you did actual fucking. That I could get into. You won’t even know I’m here,” Alan spoke up, giving me a lecherous grin.
Anna smacked him on the back of the head. “You’re disgusting. Has anyone ever told you that?”
Alan grabbed her hand and held it, palm flat, against his chest. “All the time, love.” I noticed that Anna’s face flushed a pretty red and she didn’t pull away from him.
Hmm. I wondered if Lucas saw the way Alan and Anna looked at each other. There was a whole lot of heat in that stare.
Anna cleared her throat after a minute and disengaged her hand from Alan’s hold. Alan briefly appeared disappointed. And then he watched Lucas’ sister as she walked to the refrigerator and got out a bottle of wine. But he didn’t watch her in the way of most men, appraising her body. His eyes were almost tender as he followed her around the room.
