actually.” With a wave, she sailed past. “Take your time.”
“Mother!”
“You, too, Thalia. Don’t let me rush you.” She disappeared inside the house.
Luke moved to take Thalia in his arms again. “Where were we when we were so rudely interrupted?” he murmured seductively.
“Stop that!” She batted his hands away. “I was just about to slap your face, is where we were.”
His laughter sounded incredulous. “What for?”
“For—for—” She swallowed hard. “For taking me for the kind of woman a guy can just grab and kiss on the spur of the moment.”
“Are you kidding?” He stared at her in obvious disbelief. “That wasn’t spur of the moment. I’ve wanted to do that ever since I declined the honor of being your first.”
She groaned. “Will you kindly stop referring to that? It’s not a memory I want to relive.”
“I do, if I can change the outcome.”
She took a hasty step back. “Too late.”
“Says who? Now that age is no longer a factor—”
“Are you kidding?” She stared at him. “Age be damned! You had your chance and you blew it.”
“That’s a bit inflexible. Everybody deserves a second chance.” He edged toward her.
She continued to retreat. “I wouldn’t get mixed up with you again for—for a million dollars. You always were a fun-and-games kinda guy, Luke Dalton, and you obviously haven’t changed a bit. Well, this time you’re barking up the wrong woman.”
“How do you know what I’m after?”
Her heels hit the bottom step. “I wasn’t born yesterday, you know.”
“You’re acting like you were.”
“After what happened, how do you expect me to act?”
“Like a grown-up.”
“I am,” she insisted desperately. “You’re the one acting like a kid. Life is serious business, Luke.” She clenched her hands into fists. “I’m simply not interested in you that way.”
“You were once.”
He was crowding her. She stepped up on the first step. “That was then and this is now. Besides, I’m not going to be here long enough for anything to develop so you can just back off.”
“Because of what happened.”
She lifted her chin, annoyed by his teasing but incapable of backing down. “That’s right.”
“It looks like you should be over what happened by now.”
“I would be if you’d quit bringing it up.”
He rocked back on his heels, the light casting diabolical shadows across his face. “Yeah, right. Sure you are.”
“Darn it, Luke—”
“Okay, okay, calm down. I’ll change the subject. You’re coming to my birthday party Saturday, right?”
“Yes, as the hired help.”
“As a very special friend. And your mom, too.”
“Thanks but no thanks. I have no desire to crash your party. I’ll help Mother decorate and then we’ll—”
“You’ll stay.”
“I won’t.”
“Your mother will, if just to annoy my mother. Then you’ll have to stay to make sure the two don’t come to blows.”
“Did anyone ever mention you’re a rotten listener? My mind is made up.”
“You can always change it.” Grabbing her hand, he planted a quick, warm kiss on her unprotected palm. “Thanks for walking with me. It was great. We’ll do it again, someday.”
“We certainly won’t,” she shouted after him.
Jogging down the driveway, he waved cheerfully without glancing around. Frustrated and well aware that she’d come off second-best in that exchange, Thalia gritted her teeth and turned to the door. Lucas Dalton drove her crazy!
But he sure did know how to kiss.
“LOOK,” THALIA SAID, “I don’t want you to think there’s anything going on.”
Lorraine looked up from the cup of hot chocolate resting on the tabletop, cradled between her hands. “Going on where?”
“Between me and Luke.” Thalia sat down and reached for the second cup her mother had prepared.
Lorraine feigned surprise. “Something’s going on between you and Luke?”
“Mother! I know you saw us when you drove in.”
“Saw you doing what? You mean kissing?”
“Of course, I mean kissing. But he was doing the kissing and I was getting ready to give him a piece of my mind, which I did as soon as you went inside.”
“Honey,” Lorraine drawled, dropping all pretense of misunderstanding, “from what I saw he wasn’t doing all the kissing. You were doing your share or you’re no daughter of mine.”
“Mother!”
“Calm down, Thalia honey. Luke’s a great guy. You could do worse. In fact, you did do worse.”
“Mother!”
“Oh, pshaw.” Lorraine finished her cocoa and carried the cup to the sink. “I wasn’t born fifty-one years old, you know. I was young once. I had a life.” One brow rose. “In fact, I still have a life—or will soon, if I’m not mistaken.”
“You and Four-Jay?” Thalia stared at her mother, who looked like the cat with canary feathers decorating the corners of her mouth.
Lorraine shrugged nonchalantly. “Who knows? But it’ll be fun finding out.” She started for the door. “See you tomorrow.”
“One more thing before you go—”
“Yes?”
“You won’t be staying for Luke’s birthday party, will you?”
“Absolutely not.” Lorraine shook her red-gold head vigorously. “Under no circumstances. I’m going to work, and then I’m out of there.”
“Thank heavens,” Thalia muttered to herself.
Until
