“Try it,” I suggested.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the number. I bit my lip when we both heard my phone ring.
“Not a Chinese restaurant.” He grinned.
“No.”
He looked over his shoulder. He was the last one in line. Jake would be here any minute.
“Want to get a drink?” The way he asked it sounded as if he was asking for so much more than a nightcap at the hotel bar. Even his words dripped sex. Was there ever a woman who turned him down?
I nodded. God, yes. He didn’t know how thirsty I was. Thirsty for something other than schedules and order. Thirsty for a taste of something wild. Thirsty for something dangerous. Dangerous like him.
He leaned over the table. “Here’s the thing. I have to leave alone.”
I looked at him, trying to read between the lines. He didn’t explain what that meant.
“But, I can meet you somewhere as soon as I leave the hospital. Or.” He stopped and lowered his voice. “You could come back to my place.”
The good girl knew what to do. Lexi Wilde would not have a drink with the state’s biggest womanizer. And she sure as hell wouldn’t go home with him. Everyone knew about Luke Canton. I didn’t have to be a huge football fan to know he was the kind of bad boy girls like me needed to steer clear from. Jake wasn’t completely wrong. Luke’s image was the complete opposite of mine. Our paths colliding publicly would be an explosive disaster.
“Text me your address,” I whispered.
He picked up the thousand-dollar autograph I had signed and tucked it inside his tuxedo jacket.
“Done.” The wink he shot at me made something twitch between my legs. I let out a tiny whimper.
“Lex,” Jake was out of breath. He ran toward us. “They need you on stage to announce the auction winners.”
“Oh?” I shot Luke a disappointed look. Getting out of here wasn’t going to be easy and with the way the night was going, it was starting to look impossible to spend a minute alone with him.
“Yes, come on.” He stood impatiently between the table and Luke. “The mayor is waiting for you.”
Luke started to follow us and Jake spun around. “Thank you, Mr. Canton. I can take it from here.”
But Luke wasn’t the kind of man Jake could push around. I recognized that about him quickly.
“I’ve put in quite a few bids. So I’d like to hear Miss Wilde tell me if I’m the night’s big winner.” His eyes traced my lips and I felt them part slightly in response to his heavy stare.
“Oh, well I didn’t realize that,” Jake stammered. Luke had him almost as flustered as he had me.
It was impossible to ignore the effect he had on people. His frame was imposing. His eyes a shocking green. And his body was like a Greek god. The killer smile didn’t hurt either. Standing next to him I didn’t care if he was the Pied Piper leading me down the wrong trail. I only knew I wanted to know what was at the end of that road.
“I’ll join the other donors. Excuse me.”
I watched him walk out of the room as if he owned the entire hospital. He was brash. He was confident. He was hot as hell. And holy shit, I wanted to spend the night with him.
“Jake?”
“Hmm?” He was practically sliding me across the polished floors to get me to the stage.
“Would you be okay if I donated something to the auction? Something last minute the donors could bid on live?”
“Sure, babe. I think it’s a great idea.” He was clearly preoccupied trying to get me up on stage as quickly as possible. He released my hand at the base of the stairs.
I pecked him on the check before I took the steps. “Thank you.” I smiled. “It’s really going to bring in a lot of money for the children. And I think the fans will love it.”
“Sounds good.” He nodded. “A signed guitar? Some of your Alexan boots? Backstage passes for the Christmas show?”
I anchored my foot to the stair and looked at the mayor, then turned over my shoulder to answer Jake. “I was thinking of auctioning off a private concert.” I jogged the rest of the way to the applause of the crowd, leaving Jake with his jaw hanging open.
I looked out into the crowd, squinting through the bright lights. But now that I knew what I was searching for he was easy to spot. There on the sideline was Luke Canton and I hoped like hell he was here to play ball.
7
Luke
I tugged at my neck. The collar on the tuxedo hadn’t gotten any looser as the night wore on, and I had been here longer than I intended. I hadn’t expect to stay for the entire concert, or wait in line for an autograph. And I sure as hell hadn’t planned on sticking around for a country girl to make a fundraising speech, but here I was, doing everything Luke Canton didn’t do.