Page 55 of By The Book

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WHAT HAD URGED HER toinvite Luke? Shari wondered as she finished dressing. After discovering the mystery casserole was beef stroganoff and quite tasty if she did say so herself, Luke had gone to his place to shower and change, and she was doing the same in herapartment.

If she hadn’t already promised to go to the goodbye party for Cliff Masters, she’d be awfully tempted to stay home. Luke was a comfortable man to be with as well as an exciting one. She could talk to him some more about his novel, maybe con a few more chapters out of him. They’d have made love again, naturally, but after, they could have snuggled on her couch, or gone for a walk… When she caught herself daydreaming about walking hand in hand beneath the blossom trees, she felt like smacking herself. What was she doing weaving fantasies about theman?

He had short-term written all over him. His cynical attitude toward wedding gifts and his stories about his father had made it clear Luke didn’t see himself as a settling-down kind of guy. Not that she was looking to settle down, at least not right away. But she was a pretty traditional woman at heart. She wanted a home, a family, a dog, summer vacations at a beachfront cottage, backyardbarbecues.

She sighed.The urge to settle, to nest, wasn’t too strong yet, but it was there, and she knew it would gain strength in the next couple of years as thirtyapproached.

Well, she wasn’t apologizing for who she was and what she wanted. As long as she kept her Luke fantasies in the bedroom, she’d be fine. But start thinking serious thoughts and she’d be doomed todisappointment.

It was strange to discover that it wasn’t his sexual prowess, or lack thereof, that bothered her. She grinned at herself in the mirror as she brushed her teeth. Whew. That was some book he was reading. Even though he’d grilled her on her preferred techniques in the car, what his mouth had done with the information had been magic. He’d put his own interpretation on her preferences, and she’d liked it. She’d liked it verymuch.

She slapped on some makeup, slipped into a denim skirt, much shorter and tighter than the one she’d worn last night, squeezed herself into a red sleeveless tank top she’d rejected yesterday and stepped into black clogs. Her curls were still a little damp from the shower, but she let them go free, finger-combing them and letting them dry naturally. She’d look a little wilder than usual, but decided that suited hermood.

As Luke had reminded her at lunch, women sent messages all the time with their clothing. If he couldn’t figure out she was broadcastingTake me, baby,to one very special man, then that man needed to have his eyeschecked.

Luke’s hair, unlike hers, appeared less wild than usual. He’d combed it off his face, but the tamed hair only made the carnal expression in his eyes more apparent. He hadTake me, babywritten all over him, too. He kissed her hello, after not seeing her for a full hour, and she noticed he’d shaved. She also noticed she didn’t want to go out. She wanted to stay home and getnaked.

But she’d promised Therese she’d be at the party, and she knew Therese needed the support. Chances were Brad the Tongue was going to be theretonight.

“We’d better get going.” She pulled away from the kiss before it got totally out of control. Then she dragged him out of theapartment.

On the way to the bon voyage party for Cliff and Nadine Masters, she gave him a rundown of her close friends. Therese would be there, and she couldn’t wait to find out what her friend thought of Luke when she saw him in the flesh. Shari might be biased, but she thought Luke would blow Therese’s theory about good-looking men out of thewater.

Luke was both gorgeous in that careless way of his, and a decent human being. He was also a star pupil in the sex department. She couldn’t wait to show himoff.

Shari and Luke pulled up outside a quiet, older home on Queen Anne Hill. The house was from the late eighteen hundreds, before the gold-rush boom. It was stately and solid and felt like a place where generations of families had grown up, where traditions flourished. “I’d love a home like this someday,” shesaid.

Luke didn’t reply. No doubt his idea of domestic bliss was a one-personsailboat.

As they trod up the path, the heavy oak front door opened and out flew Therese as fast as if the house were onfire.

She almost bolted past them without a glance before Shari stopped her. “Therese, it’sme.”

“Cochon! Bête, bête, bête!”Not only was her French giving away her agitation, Therese was also flushed and her royal-blue sweater was buttoned up allwrong.

Shari didn’t have to reach far to find the likely cause of her friend’s distress. “He’s inthere?”

A sharp nod was her answer. “He had the nerve to say to me…to say…” She threw up her hands and began ranting again. Shari’s French might be a little rusty, but she recognized curses when she heardthem.

Abruptly, Therese fell silent, and Shari got the feeling she’d only just noticed Luke. Her friend stared at him as if he were a pernicious insect she’d been called in toexterminate.

Rapidly, Shari made theintroductions.

“Nice to meet you,” said Luke, extending hishand.

“He’s too good-looking,” Therese said, ignoring Luke altogether. “Get rid of him now before he breaks yourheart.”

“Therese!Wait.”

As Therese fled into the darkness, away from the house, Shari stood therehelplessly.

“Don’t worry about me,” said Luke behind her. “If you want to go after her,go.”

Even as she took a few tentative steps back up the path, she heard the roar of her friend’s small sports car engine and knew she was toolate.

“She needs time to cool off. Maybe she’ll come back.” She hooked her hand through his arm. “But thanks for theoffer.”

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