he used to be unable, or unwilling, to say.
“Saturday night.”
Her heart raced within her chest, using her lungs for punching bags and leaving her breathy. “There were so many things you should be sorry for about Saturday night. Enlighten me as to which you refer specifically.”
“All of it.”
She ordered her hands not to shake and her feet not to trip over each other. “All of it?”
“Well, not the buying your date part,” he amended, flashing a good imitation of a repentant smile. “I’d like to take you to dinner, Emily.”
He wanted to take her to dinner. Flashbacks of the past hit again. He’d pursued her hot and heavy, had asked her out repeatedly until she’d said yes. Not that she’d not wanted to say yes to the handsome doctor, but she’d planned not to fall into the trap of dating the doctors she worked with. Ha. That hadn’t turned out so well.
“Perhaps you misunderstood how the date works,” she said, just because he waited for a response. “Part of what you won is that I am supposed to provide you with a meal.”
“I’d rather provide you with a meal, but beggars can’t be choosers. Would tomorrow night work?”
Beggars couldn’t be choosers? What did he mean by that? Whether or not she agreed to coexist with him really didn’t matter a hill of beans in his achieving his career goals. He had to know that. She frowned. “Maybe we should just make the ‘date’ a lunch one.”
He shook his head. “I work through lunch most days and just grab a few bites of something when I can.”
So did she, most days.
“Okay, fine. Tomorrow night,” she agreed for the sole reason that the sooner she had her “date” with him, the sooner she had that behind her and wouldn’t have it hanging over her head like an executioner’s ax.
“Really?”
Why did he look so surprised? Then again, he didn’t know she’d gone to the TBI fund-raiser chairman and requested to purchase her date and void her obligation to Lucas. The woman had denied her request with a laugh that said she thought Emily was silly for even asking.
“Let’s get this over with.”
His smile made his eyes twinkle. “What time can I pick you up?”
She did not want to be seen with him in public, but she supposed most of her friends already knew he’d bought her date. Several of them had asked how it felt to be bought by the hospital’s hot new doctor. Ugh.
“I’ll meet you at Stluka’s.” She told him the address of the bar and grill that was not too far from her apartment.
“Sounds great.” He smiled and Emily’s brain turned to mush. Pure mush. Lord, help her. She didn’t want his smile affecting her, didn’t want him to smile and her nerve endings to electrify with old memories.
That was all that was causing the zings through her. Old memories and not that he was knocking down bits and pieces of the protective wall she’d erected between them.
Maybe she was being too hard on herself. Lucas was a beautiful man with gorgeous eyes and a quick smile. Plus, she knew what those long fingers, that lush mouth, his hard body, were capable of. She knew.
Darn. She needed Lucas repellent. Or Lucas resistant spray. Or something. Anything to give her the power not to respond to his utter maleness.
She didn’t want to respond to him.
He represented the worst time of her life.
He represented the best time of her life, a little voice reminded. Only, that time of joy had been short-lived and she’d spent years recovering from the aftermath.
EMILY ARRIVED AT Stluka’s right on the dot of seven. Although she’d been ready and nervously pacing across her tiny apartment for the past hour, she’d refused to arrive early. She would not have Lucas thinking she’d been eager to spend time with him.
She wasn’t.
She just wanted this over. Which didn’t really explain why she had a nervous jittery feel in her stomach. Maybe that was normal when dining with one’s ex-husband.
The perky blonde hostess greeted her with a huge smile and welcomed her to Stluka’s. “Are you meeting someone or just want to hang at the bar?”
At that moment, a man stood from a bar stool, turned, met her gaze.
“I’m meeting someone. He’s already here.”
The girl followed Emily’s gaze and gave an impressed look. “Lucky you.”
Lucas joined her, but Emily wasn’t sure if he overheard the girl’s comment. If so, he didn’t acknowledge her admiration.
“We’re ready for our table,” he told the hostess.
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