“Come on, I’m sure you can manage to pull yourself out of bed by seven no matter how hard your partying is the night before.” If possible, he was smiling even brighter, sure he could charm her into coming.
Well, she’d acted so freaking infatuated around him the past couple of months, she couldn’t blame him. It helped firm up her resolve.
She smiled and, like a pro, she licked her bottom lip—even though she felt like an idiot doing it. Only…
Luke was staring at her mouth. Hmm.
“No, I’m afraid we have plans the whole weekend.” She played it coy, not elaborating more.
He seemed to finally realize the impli
cations, and his smile cracked a little. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were involved with anyone.”
Her mouth went dry, her mind working to try and keep up with the pretense. What would Henry suggest she say? “Nothing serious.”
Luke’s smile brightened back up. “Another time, then? Maybe we can even go for dinner soon.”
“Maybe.”
He pushed his glasses back up on his nose in a boyish fashion, still grinning widely. “I’ll let you know. In the meantime, enjoy your coffee.”
“I will. Thanks.”
Luke turned around and—in a surprising turn of events—he ran into the edge of the open door. She smothered a giggle, but when he glanced back at her, she pretended to already be caught up in her files.
Sure, it wasn’t like he was asking her out for an intimate dinner alone, just the two of them. But he’d asked her to be his golf partner, which was as close to a date with him as she’d ever had.
With the door closed firmly behind him, Benny hopped to her feet for a quick celebratory jig, her arms pumping the air in victory.
Henry would never believe this.
Grabbing her phone from the desk, she sent him a text.
Guess who just told Luke Seeley she was busy Saturday and couldn’t play golf with him? ME!! That’s right. *dancing*
His response was almost immediate.
Didn’t I tell you? What did you tell him? ~H
No. Just like you said. That I had plans the entire weekend.
Attagirl. Congrats. Dinner’s on me tonight. Chinese or pizza? ~H
Chinese. And Henry? Can I still take you up on that golf lesson?
Chapter Nine
“It has to be a sign of lunacy that people actually get up early—on a weekend, no less—to do this,” Benny whined as she stepped out of the passenger seat bright and early Sunday morning in front of Henry’s country club.
He had agreed to give her a lesson in golf in case Luke Seeley asked her to join him for golf again—or wanted to engage in some sort of discussion about the sport. She needed to be prepared. And although he usually spent his Sundays in a more leisurely fashion—preferably in bed with some delectable beauty—an unforeseen client crisis that mandated he spend Saturday at work had left Sunday the only day available. Although, to be honest, last night’s date had ended early anyhow, as he just hadn’t had the energy do the usual club thing. And he’d wanted to be fresh and awake for this interesting day.
Benny followed him to the trunk, where he pulled out his golf clubs along with an extra set he’d borrowed from Morgan. Henry had almost been afraid that when Benny opened her door that morning she’d be dressed in more scrubs or possibly that hoodie sweatshirt she’d worn the other night, even if it was expected to reach close to one hundred by midafternoon. But she seemed to have caught on to the idea of casual wear that didn’t involve flexible waistbands and was wearing a white short-sleeved polo and a pair of slim green capris that showed the generous curve of her backside. Neither of which were items they’d shopped for on their first foray to the mall, leading him to conclude she’d supplemented her wardrobe on her own—and fairly successfully.
He wondered what else she might have purchased that he still had yet to see.
Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail again, but he couldn’t begrudge her that, since she’d want to keep it up and away while they played. And with the fringe bangs Katrina had given her, the boring ponytail had infinitely more sex appeal, especially combined with the artful way she’d pulled some strands down to frame her face and the hoop earrings that swayed when she moved. But it was the light, berry-toned gloss on her lips that had him most hypnotized. Even now, his gaze kept dropping to their full softness, and he wondered if the gloss tasted as good as it looked.
Easy there.