Whatever that “short but meaningful time” meant, Bella was ready for it.
“A nightcap sounds great.” Luke gestured for her to lead the way down the hall.
They took the elevator up to his floor, where he located his room based on the keycard. He clearly hadn’t been there yet, as there were no personal belongings in the room, and the bed was still neatly made. Luke led her to a large sofa and called room service to bring them a bottle of wine.
Bella sat, tucking her legs beneath her, as Luke made the call. The large picture window that took up most of one wall looked out over the city skyline, as familiar to her as the recipe for spaghetti Bolognese or the process for a simple chocolate cake. A few raindrops beaded on the window, distorting the lights into an abstract painting.
“It’ll be right up.” Luke sat beside her, close enough that she could feel the warmth of him beside her and smell his cologne, a masculine fragrance that somehow reminded her of the ocean. He smelled like soap, too, but not the antiseptic soap of a hospital. If she moved a few inches closer, they’d be touching.
“Thanks.” Bella smiled at him. From this close, she could see the five-o’clock shadow along his strong jawline and the curve of his lips. He shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over the chairbeside him, loosening his tie. Bella followed his movements and saw the flex of his muscles beneath his shirt.
“Do you come to conferences like this a lot?” she asked.
“No.” Luke sat back and stretched one arm along the back of the sofa. “Like we talked about before, I’m not a big fan of doctors.”
“Conferences like this have perks, though,” Bella pointed out. “This room, the dinner…”
“Sure,” Luke agreed. “But most conferences don’t go like this. I was planning a quiet whiskey at the bar and then straight to bed so I could be up early tomorrow. I didn’t plan on meeting you.”
“Sorry to ruin your plans.” Bella lifted an eyebrow teasingly, and Luke smiled at her. It was the kind of warm smile that made her heart skip a beat.
“You didn’t,” he said. “Or if you did, it was only in the best possible way. I’ve had a really nice time tonight.”
“Me too,” Bella said. Their eyes locked, and Bella didn’t want to look away. She wanted to slide closer, run her thumb across Luke’s cheekbone, and draw him to her for a kiss. The gathering warmth in her cheeks and stomach told her it would be a very memorable kiss indeed, the kind that made her breathless.
She already felt a little breathless.
Luke must have been thinking the same thing, because he edged closer to her. He rested one of his hands just beside hers, close enough for the edges of their palms to touch. They both leaned closer?—
Someone knocked on the door. They straightened up, Bella hurriedly tucking her hair behind her ears and Lukestraightening his shirt, though there was no reason either of them would be disheveled. With an apologetic smile, Luke stood and went to the door. A moment later, he returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses, which he held up.
“Room service.”
Bella chuckled. “Great timing.”
“Would you like a glass?” Luke set the bottle on the table beside the sofa and reached for the top.
“Not really.” Bella stood as well and circled the table to him. He straightened, the wine forgotten, as she stopped in front of him.
“What would you like, then?” His voice was lower than before, and his gray eyes looked darker. Bella’s breath caught.Seize the moment,she told herself. Tomorrow, it would be back to meal planning and dishwashing and looking for clients, but tonight… tonight, she was with a very handsome man who made her heart race.
“I’d like you to kiss me,” she said. The words came out softly, but Luke heard them.
He closed the remainder of the distance between them. His hands rested lightly on her shoulders. “That can be arranged.”
She lifted onto her toes as he bent down. A few seconds of anticipation stretched as they came closer, his breath warm, his hands steady on her shoulders. Then their lips brushed. It was the briefest of touches, gentle, hesitant, but it still sent warmth washing through Bella. Her knees weakened. It was as if every nerve in her body had been awakened.
“All right?” Luke asked.
Bella replied by kissing him again. This time, it was no soft brush of lips — she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him deeply. He responded immediately, his hands going to her waist as he kissed her back. Bella was immediately heady and breathless. She wasn’t sure she’devershared a kiss like this, one that made her knees weak and her heart race and her head spin. The only thing she wanted was to keep kissing Luke, as long as possible.
He seemed to agree. He gently pushed her back to the sofa, and they sank down together, still kissing. One of his hands ran through her hair, then across the curve of her spine, making her shiver in the most pleasant way. She smoothed her own palms across his chest, feeling the outline of muscles, as she bit lightly at his lip. As they kissed, they sank back until Luke was almost on top of her, bracing against the arm of the sofa as he kissed her.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, caressing her cheek with his fingertips.
“You kiss like a doctor,” she said.
Luke laughed, a little of the tension between them easing, though he stayed close. “What does that mean?” He brushed his fingertips along the hollow of her throat, and she shivered again.
