Page 38 of See You There
“You don’t like lawyers?” Luke wasn’t offended. He’d heard every joke before. He also knew what he did was important.
She shrugged, and Luke tried not to stare when one of the tiny straps slipped down her shoulder. “I’ve never found them to be helpful.”
“Until now?” Luke forced himself to concentrate on the conversation, even as the urge to run his finger over her bare shoulder, to see if her skin was as soft as it looked, overwhelmed him.
What was wrong with him? Luke was no stranger to beautiful women, but he’d never had such an immediate physical response to someone before. It was his bad luck that the only time it happened was with a client already in a relationship.
“Point taken.” Dahlia agreed. “I appreciate what you and your brother have done for me.” Almost as if saying the words aloud had freed her, her shoulders relaxed, and her face settled into a more natural expression.
“It must be exhausting to constantly be on guard.” Luke wasn’t aware he’d said it out loud until her surprised eyes met his. There was a flicker of emotion, and her lips parted on a soft exhale. A feeling Luke couldn’t identify tugged at his chest.
A black SUV pulled up to the curb and Edgar hopped out, slamming his door and breaking the strangely intense moment. A flush rose on Dahlia’s neck as her eyes found the ground. Whatever it was between them—she felt it, too.
Luke beat Edgar to the handle of the car, and he pulled open the door. When she brushed past him, her perfume rose off her sun-heated skin, tickling his nose and sending a curl of lust through him.
Closing the door, Luke walked around the back of the car to his own door, ignoring Edgar’s curious look. On the rare occasion that a woman had accompanied him, Luke had never opened the door himself. That realization worked better than a bucket of cold water.
He needed to get his mind back on work. He wasn’t a teenage boy who got an erection every time a pretty girl smelled good. But to be fair… She smelled incredible! Luke shook his head as he buckled himself in. It didn’t matter if they were attracted toeach other. Even if there wasn’t a chance he could be disbarred, she had a boyfriend.
Dahlia gave their destination to Edgar, and the car merged with the traffic on the busy road. She had turned her head to gaze out the window before Luke had even been seated. He wondered if she was as unnerved by their interaction as he was. Was she also trying to gain some mental space?
Dahlia’s phone pinged every minute or so, breaking the silence in the back seat. She glanced at the screen when the first notifications came through, but after the sixth tone, she let out an irritated sigh before flipping the button to silence the phone.
“Is that Victor?”
Dahlia pulled her eyes away from the window. “Chandler.”
“Your boyfriend.” Luke’s neck tensed, but he kept his tone light. “How’s he doing?”
“Much better. He’s not happy about missing all the press, though.”
“How long have you been together?” Dahlia’s eyes clouded with confusion for a second and then cleared. “We started dating about a year ago, but I’ve known him for a while. It’s not serious.” Dahlia frowned. Luke fought a smile. It was an interesting qualifier. And he guessed she wasn’t thrilled with herself for saying it.
“So not love at first sight?” Luke joked. Why was he pushing this? Did he really want to hear the origin story of their relationship?
Dahlia huffed a laugh. “Hardly. The first time I saw Chandler was at a house party in the Hollywood Hills. I’d only done commercials and a few small speaking roles on TV movies. But I’d just gotten cast as a lead in a streaming service’s new movie, and thought I was big time.”
She smiled ruefully at the memory. “I’m not a very social person. I usually prefer to be home, but Victor heard about theparty and insisted we go. I was excited about the new job, and for the first time since I got to LA, I felt like I belonged. Chandler was walking around by the pool in his underwear—he’d just finished an underwear campaign and was convinced everyone would appreciate him half-naked.”
When Dahlia rolled her eyes, Luke’s muscles relaxed. “So, what? You just couldn’t resist him?”
“Resist what? Chandler?”
She burst out laughing, and Luke was stunned by how the genuine reaction lit her face.
“Absolutely not! He hit on me, but Chandler does that to anyone with a vagina. He was everything I despised about LA. Cheesy, arrogant, fake—” She shook her head, her large, gold hoop earrings tangling in one of the long curls brushing her cheek.
Without thinking, Luke reached out a finger to separate it. But when Dahlia moved her head away from him, the back of his finger grazed her cheek, and her breath caught even as electricity skated up his arm.
Dahlia’s eyes had a cautious, almost alarmed expression, and Luke brought his hands to his lap. She felt the same attraction as he did, but she was obviously unhappy about it.
“Something must have changed, though. For you to date him?” Was he hoping she would say she wasn’t really interested in him? Or that the relationship was over?
Her forehead creased, and then Dahlia arranged her face back into what he was now coming to think of as her ‘Lia’ face.
“Yes.” Her voice was cool, and Luke recognized she’d pulled back mentally. “We did a small film together a few years ago and became friends. Then, we were both cast inLove in Armsand realized our years of friendship had led to something more. Hours of rehearsals, blocking, and filming can do that.” Dahliasmiled, but Luke cocked his head, his own smile toying around his lips.
It was almost word for word what she had said to the interviewer yesterday. There was no true emotion behind her words. It was too practiced. Too perfect. Like she was reading a press release. Nothing in the way she spoke about her ‘boyfriend’ seemed genuine.
