I’d also never gotten to see Luke walk out of the locker room after a game, all swagger and sex appeal in his suit, since I was always still stuck in the locker room. Just that was worth the hour and a half drive. My mouth dried when he grinned at me, his eyes twinkling happily.
He and Ryke signed autographs and chatted, and the jersey chasers didn’t even bother trying to flirt with two women and children waiting for them off to the side.
Luke rode with me to a pizza parlor we followed Ryke to. Kyler was already comfortable enough with the Rykers to ride with them. I danced inside when Luke twined his fingers with mine as I drove. Hand holding was another first for me.
“You guys will stay and spend tomorrow with me, I hope?” he asked as we were walking in to the restaurant.
“Sure.”
I’d never been more content. Kyler was laughing with his new friend and Luke’s hand rested on my thigh beneath the table. I felt his eyes on me throughout the meal and wondered if he was sorry we couldn’t sleep together tonight. I was, but I wasn’t. It was nice getting to know him this way, and see him on his home turf with his friends.
My heart tugged when Kyler complained on the way out that he was tired and Luke gave him a piggyback ride to my car. This family feeling was exactly why I never dated. I didn’t want Kyler to get used to having a man around and then feel abandoned if it didn’t work out. His dad wasn’t a regular presence in his life, and he was starved for this kind of attention.
“Can Kyler spend the night?” Melody asked from Ryke’s arms as we walked down the sidewalk.
“Uh …”
“Please, Mom?” Kyler poked his head up from Luke’s shoulder.
“Ky, we’ve got a hotel room.”
“We don’t mind a bit,” Kate interjected. “We’d love to have him. We’ve got an extra booster seat. We can swim in the morning and go out for pancakes.”
“Well …”
“Mom, please!” Kyler pleaded.
“Okay.”
“We’re over here,” Ryke said, pointing to the spot he’d parked his Land Rover. Luke bent so Kyler could slide down from his back and then he lifted him into the vehicle and buckled his seat belt for him. A small thing, but it got me.
They pulled away, waving at us. Luke glanced over and arched his brows.
“So …”
“Want me to drop you off on the way to my hotel?”
His lips parted in surprise. “Don’t try that shit. You’re staying with me.”
“Do you know how much that room cost? I have to at least sleep in the bed and use the soap.”
“I’ll pay for the room. You’re coming to my place.”
“You’ll pay for nothing.”
“Bullshit.” He looked at me seriously. “We’re having such a good time, let’s not spoil it. Please let me pay for the room.”
I sighed. The cheapest room I could find was $275, and that was a lot for me. But I couldn’t square the idea of him paying for it. It went against my independence, which meant everything to me.
“I’ll stay with you,” I said. “But you aren’t paying for the room.”
“You ready to go home? Or do you want to stop for a drink?”
I suppressed a yawn. “It’s almost midnight and I’m boring, so home if that’s okay.”
“You’re definitely not boring.” We’d reached my sedan, and he hesitated. “Do you care if I drive?”
“You want to drive my ten-year-old car?”
“I just like to be in the driver’s seat.”
“You don’t say,” I muttered. He met my eyes with a wicked grin.
“Don’t pretend you don’t like it. You love being a good girl for me, don’t you?”
My body heated in answer, but I looked away, unwilling to fall into his arms quite so easily.
“What do you want, Dell?” he asked. “You can be in the driver’s seat if you want. I’ll get on my back and let you have your way with me. We can make love all night if you want to. Or, you can turn it over to me and I’ll fuck you long and hard. It’ll hurt in the best fucking way.”
I pulled the keys from my pocket and dropped them into his hand. A pulse of desire for him ran through me, and I knew just the ride to his apartment would be excruciatingly long.
His eyes darkened with satisfaction. “You won’t be sorry, Miss Price.”
Chapter 10
Luke
Even after our late night of long, hot sex, Dell and I were both up by nine Sunday morning.
“Want me to see if we can still catch pancakes with Kyler?” I asked Dell, who smiled sleepily at me.