“Tessa? It’s Luke.”
“Hi.”
“I wanted to apologize for last week. I’m sorry. I lost my temper, and—”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
“No, really—”
“Luke,” she interrupted. “I’m serious. I understand. I sprang it on you out of the blue, and you reacted. It’s okay.”
He sighed deeply, and his voice dropped to a softer tone. “I really am sorry. Are you all right? You sound funny.”
“I’m about four inches deep in my couch right now, so I might be a little muffled.”
“You’re tired,” he said.
“Yeah.”
“Me, too.”
“Want to take a nap together?”
She’d meant it as a joke, but when he replied, “God, yes,” Tessa realized she hadn’t been joking at all. Her eyes slid to the white shopping bag sitting on the table. The pale gray script promised discretion and pleasure. Tessa found that she still had a tiny bit of energy left inside her. Oh, yeah.
Still, instead of jumping on the possibility, she smiled at the bag and waited. They’d argued and he’d broken it off. She wasn’t about to invite herself over. The ball was in Luke’s court.
“But,” he finally said, “I’d settle for dinner if you’d be willing to see me again.”
“Hmm. I don’t know…”
“I’ll let you call me detective.”
Laughing, she pushed herself up from the couch. “Deal. Can you give me half an hour?”
“Take forty-five minutes. I need to make a reservation and change into a suit.”
“A suit?”
“I thought I’d take you someplace nice. Unless you’re really too tired?”
Oh, no, she was over her exhaustion at this point. And this was something to do, something to take her mind off her problems. Tessa hung up, grabbed her new lingerie out of the bag and raced for the shower.
Granted, she didn’t need to seduce Luke anymore, but there was nothing wrong with trying to blow the man’s mind.
LUKE’S HAND TIGHTENED on the steering wheel when he heard the beep of his cell. He didn’t want to think about work tonight, not that he was in much danger of being distracted from Tessa. She looked beautiful. His eyes slid over her bare arms as he grabbed the phone.
“Hello?”
“I just wanted to see if you were still mad at me.”
He cringed. “Hey, Mom.” He stole a look at Tessa to find her eyes wide and curious.
“Well? Are you?”
“No, you know I’m not.”
“Are you sure? You haven’t called since Eve left.”