Page 76 of Kiss Me Forever

I couldn’t fight a smile. “Yes, we are. I kind of got the memo when I saw the look in your eyes at the restaurant. When that guy hit on me.”

My tone was playful, but it meant a lot to me that he was talking so openly about this.

“Good, then that’s settled.”

"So... back to our conversation. You grew up here, right?"

"Sort of. My childhood home is about forty minutes away. It's an old vineyard," Luke said.

"I bet that was fun."

"My dad had the wine bug, and my brother Tate inherited it."

"I quite like his wine."

"Everyone does. My brother is a genius. Anyway, I'm good in this city. I like the penthouse, and my life."

I got the message. He wanted to keep things simple and casual, and that was more than fine by me. I wasn’t sure I could give him more than that... not after the way things ended between Carson and me. His feelings had changed after six years.Six.I had a hard time believing anything could last after that.

Luke took out a waffle. He had great timing; it was golden and bit crispy, and I think that with a few seconds more, it would have burned.

"This looks delicious," I said. He put the waffle on a plate, and I dripped maple syrup on it, taking a bite. Closing my eyes, I hummed.

I heard him clear his throat and blinked my eyes open. The look in his was almost feral.

"Luke, are you okay?"

"The way you looked just now, it turned me on."

"Oh sweet Lord. Really, the way I eat?"

"The way you savored it, the way you moaned."

"You, sir, need some manners. You can't talk to me like that while I'm eating, even if we're in your kitchen.”

He kept staring at me intently.

I sighed. “Okay, I give up. You get a hall pass to look at me any way you want. Just don’t flirt with me while I eat."

"A hall pass?” He was laughing at me. I loved what we were developing between us.

"I take eating seriously. It's almost a religion. I usually don't like to be interrupted, not even by a master flirter like you.”

"I see," he replied, looking at my waffle.

"Do you want a bite?" I asked, wondering why he was looking at it.

"Yes."

"Oh, okay."

He laughed again with huge dimples. "You don’t sound too enthusiastic.”

"Full disclosure: I'm also territorial over my food.”

"Noted. You finish it, then."

Oh, this man. He was growing on me with every passing minute.

---