Eyeing me, he says, “Yeah. You like pizza, right?”
I can’t contain my excitement. “It’s only one of my favourite meals.”
He lifts the pizza from the oven and places it on a board. “I made half and half because I wasn’t sure if you were a meat lover or not.”
The pizza has my complete attention. It’s huge. He’s made half meatlover and half supreme. I’m practically drooling here. Shifting my gaze back to his, I say, “I love it all. I’ll pretty much eat any pizza.”
He jerks his chin at the fridge. “Do you wanna get some drinks out while I get this ready? There’s some Vodka Cruisers in the door.”
I watch as he starts slicing the pizza. My heart suddenly feels like it might burst out of my chest. This man. Who would have ever thought Luke and I could get along so well?
Ten minutes later, we’re sitting at the table laughing over what I’ve told him about my day at work. One of the guys I work with says the dumbest things, and I’ve recounted the stupidest thing that came out of his mouth today.
“I know it’s not quite what you wish you were doing, but are you liking the job okay?” Luke asks as he wipes some pizza sauce from the side of my mouth. He's made the best pizza I think I’ve ever tasted; I ate so fast I made a mess of my face.
“I don’t mind it. I just need to suck it up with these functions they want me to cover. One of the reporters stopped by my desk to say hi, and she asked me to help her out with some research on a story, so at least I’ll get to do some interesting work as well.”
“That’s go—” A sound from out the front interrupts us. Luke’s head turns towards the front door before looking back my way. “Was that a knock?”
I nod. “I think so.”
He pushes his chair back. “I won’t be long.”
I happily devour another slice of pizza while he’s gone. Muffled voices filter down the hallway, and I make out a woman’s voice. I then hear Luke say, “I’ll just grab it for you.” A moment later, he comes back and searches in one of the kitchen drawers for something.
When a woman joins him, I watch in fascination as her eyes bulge at the sight of me. “Hi,” she says. “Luke didn’t tell me he had a guest, sorry.”
“No worries,” I say as I go back for another piece of pizza. This will be my fourth piece, and I give zero fucks about that. And I’m fairly sure I’ll be begging Luke to make this again very soon. To hell with the extra yoga I’ll have to do.
I watch Luke and the woman interact. She looks to be about his age. Actually, no, on closer inspection she looks older. It’s the lines around her eyes that make me think this. She’s carrying some extra weight. Not much, but enough that she has a muffin top. I only notice that because she’s wearing the tightest jeans known to mankind and a matching ill-fitting V-neck tee. Her cleavage is spilling all over the place. And now that I notice it, she’s pushing that cleavage towards Luke.
I sit up straighter when I realise this woman has a thing for him. However, I know I have nothing to worry about because my man is oblivious to it all. He’s simply intent on getting whatever it is she wants.
Men can be so blind sometimes.
She slinks up against him, her eyes all flirty. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” she says to him while doing her best to rub those big-ass boobs all over him.
Vomit.
She is shameless, and I instantly dislike her.
“Sorry,” he mutters. “Alanis, this is Callie. Callie, Alanis.”
Alanis leaves him and makes her way to where I’m sitting at the table beyond the breakfast bar. Her gaze takes in the pizza before meeting mine again. I don’t like the glint I see there. I’ve only just met this woman, but I’m certain she’s a scheming bitch.
When she opens her mouth and directs her venom at me, I know I’m 100 percent right. “He makes the best pizza, doesn’t he, sweetie?” Her brows lift. “I see you’re enjoying it. From experience, I can tell you that you’ll need to add some cardio to your schedule after tonight. You don’t want that top to be any tighter than it already is.”
That bitch.
Her freaking top is tighter than mine.
I smile sweetly at her. “Oh, I think Luke might like it if my top gets a little tighter. I think I’ll skip that cardio, but thanks for the advice. Us girls have to stick together, right?”
Darkness briefly slashes across her face. She recovers quickly, though. “We sure do, sweetie.” With that, she turns and walks back to where Luke’s watching me with a strange look. She rubs her hand down his arm and says, “Honey, do you want me to look after Sean any days next week? Now that Rod and I are back home, I’m free whenever you need me.” The fact she has a man of her own but is still flirting with mine, does not surprise me.
“Thanks. I should be okay, t
hough. I think I’ve sorted my staff out at work a—”