Bidding Wars (Love Strikes) Read online

  She was thankful when the waitress appeared with their drinks. She hadn’t known what to say back to him. They ordered, and the waitress vanished with her menu, leaving her nothing to look at but Luke. The way he gazed back at her made it hard to suppress the desire she felt for him.

  “You know, you could’ve ordered something other than the chicken fingers. I’m paying.” He leaned back in his chair, a sexy smirk across his face.

  “I just so happen to love chicken fingers.”

  “So does Sammy.”

  “There is nothing wrong with chicken fingers and chicken nuggets. I could eat them daily.” She smiled.

  “How come you’re not married?”

  The question took her by surprise. “I’m picky.” There was no way she was going to share her story with him right now.

  “I guess I’m lucky I made the cut then.”

  “Just because you got to bat this inning doesn’t mean you’ll be here for a second.”

  Luke took a drink of his soda. “I plan to play this right and hopefully not strike out.”

  There it was again. A flip of some sort in her chest. What the heck? Why was her body reacting this way to him? “I guess we will see. I have a pretty hectic work schedule.”

  “You have to eat at some point, and I’d like to think I make a pretty good dinner companion.”

  “As long as you’re not like my cat, who likes to paw my food, then we might get along.”

  “You have a cat?”

  “Yes, Tigger. I guess she hid when you came over. Tigger isn’t fond of people, except me.”

  “I love cats.”

  That was good. Steven hadn’t like Tigger, but he put up with her. Tigger was like her child, and her ex hated it. At one point Steven demanded that the cat not sleep in bed with them anymore. She thought he was silly. But he’d been adamant about it, and poor Tigger was put in the living room all alone. But now she slept each night on the pillow above her head. She liked to think the cat was watching over her, making sure no one else could hurt her.

  “Do you have any pets?” She smoothed out the top of her scrubs.

  “I’d like to. My current landlord doesn’t allow them. Hopefully when I find a house I can get one. I’d like to get a dog.”

  It was awkward whenever anything revolving around a house was mentioned. She didn’t want to bring it up, but how could she not? Why had he really walked away? It didn’t make sense. Unless, as he said before, the stress wasn’t worth it.

  The waitress returned with their salads, and Molly was grateful. She was at a loss of words. Other than the darn house, she had nothing in common with him. Maybe Luke was wrong. At this rate, there wouldn’t be any more innings. She could see this date either going really well or really badly.

  * * *

  The date wasn’t going as smoothly as Luke had hoped. Molly still wasn’t opening up, but she would talk about other things, such as movies she hated and books she loved. He had a better understanding now of things that she liked but still didn’t have a solid feel for her.

  She’d smiled and laughed a lot. All in all, she seemed to be having a good time. She had a very snarky sense of humor. Always quick with a comeback. She was one of those women he knew could flirt. Everyone could flirt, but she was a natural. He could see cooking with her would be fun. It would be messy, and they’d laugh the entire time. A simple ten-minute-prep meal would turn into a thirty-minute prep. But they’d love every moment of it.

  He knew he was getting ahead of himself, but she was different. On top of the desire he had for her, he wanted to know her. He hoped this wasn’t their last time together. That somehow he could convince her to see him again. She was someone he had to be delicate with. He was lucky even to be on this date with her.

  The waitress returned with his card. He added the tip and signed his name. He took one last drink of his soda, and Molly returned to the table after taking a restroom break.

  “I still can’t believe you brought me here.” She settled back into her seat.

  “Why?”

  “Everyone’s in business suits and dressed to their best. And I look like Barney.”

  “I think you look beautiful.”

  She rolled her eyes. “It still doesn’t mean that I’m not way underdressed to be here. Besides, you’re dressed for this place.” She looked over him in his navy pants and white, tucked-in shirt. He hoped she liked what she saw.

  “I wanted to impress you.”

  “You’re not helping my case on looking like a slob.”

  “I guess you’re right.” He stood up and offered his hand again. She took it. The feel of her small, soft hand in his was magical. He couldn’t explain how right it felt when they connected.

  As he walked with her through the restaurant, he could see the insecurity in her face, and it hurt him. He pulled her closer, and she tuned to look at him before glancing away quickly. She pulled away from him as soon as they were outside in the bright sunlight.

  “Guess I should get you back to work now, even though I have the afternoon off and I’d love to spend it with you.”

  “That might be nice, but I do need to get back. I don’t think Dr. Hancock would be too thrilled if I didn’t come back at all.” Molly grabbed the truck’s door handle but he reached out and stopped her.

  Luke leaned in close to her ear. “I’ll open that.”

  They were momentarily frozen. Her body was stiff as he pressed his into her. His mouth was close to her neck, and when he inhaled, he smelled a light, fruity fragrance. The smell lit up his nose, and he needed to see if she tasted as good as she smelled.

  “This isn’t a good idea.” She looked down and spoke in a whisper.

  He stayed close. “It’s hard to resist you. I want one taste.”

  She was quiet. If she didn’t want it, he wouldn’t force it. Inhaling her scent one last time, he backed away from her. She turned and looked at him, and he could see her eyes were dark with passion. His gut told him she wanted it, but she was scared. What the hell? The worst that could happen was that she’d slap him and he’d have to start all over. Or he could get lucky and she’d kiss him back.

  He reached out, took her hand, and tugged her to him. Her body was pressed to his. “Tell me no now or else this is happening.”

  When she didn’t speak, he took that as his sign and pressed his lips to hers. Molly turned her head slightly, allowing him a little more access. He tried to keep the kiss soft and sensual, but he couldn’t be gentle; it wasn’t in him when it came to her.

  Her tongue darted in and met his, and it was then he thought the world had in fact stopped spinning. Everything was silent and the only thing he could feel was her. Molly gripped his shirt and yanked him closer. He pushed her back into the truck and deepened the kiss more. His hand crept up her side, and, just as he was about to pull her hips tightly against his, a car horn honked, bringing them both back to reality. They were groping one another in the middle of a parking lot, like teenagers.

  He gazed at her, expecting a completely different expression than the one he was receiving. She had the most devious smile across her pretty face. “Guess that was quite a show for someone.”

  “I guess so.” He opened her door for her. “But I suppose it’s time to end our show until another time where it can be a little more private.” She climbed in, and he watched her ass the entire time. Even in scrubs, she had a nice backside.

  Once he was in on his side, they made the drive back to her workplace. He pulled around back and parked. He really didn’t want the date to end. He’d had a great time with her. She looked over at him; it was that awkward moment. Did he kiss her bye?

  “Thank you for lunch. It was nice of you to take me out to celebrate.”

  “How about we get dinner tonight?”

  She giggled. “I don’t think so.”

  “Why not? Do you already have plans?”

  “I’m working a double tonight. I’ll run home for an hour to eat and then
I have to be back, which is probably why Dr. Hancock didn’t care if I took a long lunch.”

  He took her hand in his. “I’d like to see you again.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know.”

  “You can’t deny that there is something between us.”

  “I’m not. I just don’t know how it would work. And to be honest, I don’t know if I’m ready.”

  “You’ll never know if you’re ready if you don’t try.” He studied her face, trying to see if he could pick up anything from her body language.

  She was silent, but her eyes spoke to him. He was pushing. And pushing wasn’t going to ease her into it. She needed time.

  He grabbed a business card from his back pocket. He flipped it over and scribbled his personal cell phone number on the back. “Call me if you decide you want to get together. My phone is always on.”

  She took the card and held his gaze a little longer before she got out of the truck. He hoped like hell as he watched her scurry across the parking lot that this wasn’t the last time he’d see her.

  Chapter Nine

  Molly sat on her couch, petting Tigger and staring at the empty to-go container. It was Friday evening, and it had been three days since she’d seen or talked to Luke. His card sat on her nightstand in her bedroom, taunting her to call. He’d left it up to her. He made his intentions clear. He wanted something with her. It was in her hands now. She needed to make the decision: get to know him or walk away.

  Walk away…ha ha, yeah, right. The man was smoking hot and knew how to woo a woman. If he hadn’t come out and told her he’d been celibate since leaving his ex, she would have been sure he was a player. He knew all the right things to say to make her heart pitter-patter. But how would it ever work?

  Right now, sure. She was living in this little house. He’d pick her up for dates or come over to watch movies. But when she moved into the house, what then? When he picked her up, would it be awkward? For her, she was sure it would always be in the back of her head. They had each wanted it and only one got it. Perhaps if he hadn’t withdrawn his offer and she won fair and square—but she hadn’t. If he hadn’t backed out, it would be his house. He must realize that as well.

  And because he had dropped out, did that hurt his chances of getting custody of his son? She would hate to feel as though it was because of her that Sammy had to stay with his mom. Was his mom really that bad? Or was Luke just an overprotective parent? If Sammy’s mother was that horrible, it wasn’t as though he would have left him there.

  She let out a loud groan. Once again, she was letting her mind get carried away, worrying about things that she didn’t need to worry about. It was Luke who walked away. She had no reason to worry about Sammy, his mom, or that whole situation. She was getting too involved in this.

  Giving Tigger one last ear scratch before she got up, she headed into the kitchen to clean up from dinner. After she loaded her plate and fork into the dishwasher, she glanced around her small home. In thirty days it was going to be just her in a big house. It would still be just a few dishes a day. Very bare cabinets. Right now she was in a two-bedroom house; soon it would be four. And only one room would be used, with a big king-size bed that she always curled up on the left side of. It never even looked as if she’d slept in it.

  What was she thinking?

  Her eyes got heavy, and she knew what was coming. The tears. She sunk to the floor, buried her face into her knees, and cried. She was tired of being alone. And tired of feeling sorry for herself. Maybe she could cry it all out. Then move forward.

  There was a knock at the door, and her head jerked up. Was someone here? God, she hoped not. She was a big blubbery mess. Maybe whoever it was would go away. It was Girl Scout season. It was probably some cute little girl selling cookies. Did she want cookies? Yes, she wanted cookies. The chocolate ones that tasted like mint.

  Another knock came.

  Ugh. Molly pulled herself up by the counter. She grabbed a napkin to blow her nose and then went to open the door. Only, it wasn’t a girl scout on the other end like she hoped; it was a drop-dead gorgeous blond man.

  “Luke, what are you doing here?”

  “Have you been crying? What’s wrong?” He stepped inside her house.

  She closed the door behind him and wondered if she should dart to the bathroom and splash some water on her face. “I stubbed my toe.”

  “You look like you’ve been sobbing. Go sit down, let me have a look at the toe. You might have broken it.” He took her hand and led her to the couch, promptly making her sit, and then lifted her foot.

  “I didn’t stub my toe.” She looked over his shoulder, not wanting to look him in the eyes.

  “I can see that. Why are you upset?” She could hear the concern in his voice.

  “I thought the ball was in my court. Why are you here?”

  Still holding her foot, he lightly rubbed her arch. Oh God, it felt really good. Pleasure traveled up her leg and right to her center. “I had to see you. It was driving me crazy that you hadn’t called. I had to come find out if you were thinking of me.”

  She tried to come up with a coherent response, but couldn’t. He laid her foot in his lap and then brought her other one up to rub it.

  “I bet your feet must ache, being on them all day, helping all those sick kids. I think it’s amazing what you do. You have a real knack with kids.”

  She nodded. It was all she could do. Her head rolled back, and she let the sensation take over. A moan escaped her lips. What he was doing to her felt too damn good.

  “You’re making it really hard not to climb on top of you and kiss you.” He glanced up at her.

  She giggled.

  “That’s much better. You’re laughing and smiling now. Now, tell me why you were crying when I got here.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  He stopped rubbing her feet. “If you open up to me, I’ll continue to massage your feet and ankles.”

  “Luke…”

  “You can trust me. Talk to me.”

  She took a deep breath. “I want you to have the house.”

  * * *

  Luke rubbed his temple. “What did you say?”

  “It would be only me there, and I don’t need such a big place. I only use one plate and one cup a day. I can barely fill up this place. And I’m lonely here. I could only imagine tripling my space. I’m a horrible person for taking that house from you and your son.” The tears started again. Luke didn’t do well with crying women. Even in the office, he hated it when they cried. No one was rational when the faucets were pouring.

  “I don’t understand. You love the house. You’ve been very passionate about how much you love it, in fact.”

  “I do. I really do love it.”

  “It’s yours.” He didn’t understand this woman or where this outburst was suddenly coming from.

  She shook her head. “It’s not. It would’ve been yours. I know it. It’s not meant to be mine. I don’t have a family to fill it and you do. Take the house, please. I’m going to call Diane right now.” She jumped up off the couch.

  She was definitely being irrational, just as he had expected. He grabbed a hold of her shoulders and held her in place. “Stop. Don’t call Diane.”

  “But you’re not going to get your son without the house.”

  “Not buying that house doesn’t mean I won’t get Sammy.”

  “But…”

  “Please sit down and calm down for a bit.” She listened, thank God! Now to find a way to talk sense into her. “You don’t need to call your agent. The house is yours.”

  “But…”

  He placed a finger over her lips. He wanted to find out what brought this on, but knew it was best to not talk about it anymore. Right now he’d love to know who had caused this pain and loneliness. She was a beautiful woman and he was dying to know what was causing her so much hurt. He had ways to find out because of his profession, but he wanted it to come from her. Because when
she finally did, he would know she had opened her heart to him.

  “Let’s watch a movie.” He gestured toward the TV.

  She cocked an eyebrow at him and then leaned forward and grabbed the remote. He expected her to put something on, but instead, she handed the remote to him, giving him control of the TV. This was a woman after his heart, she just didn’t know it.

  He took a seat next to her. A good three inches was between them, but it felt like a whole foot. He really wanted her touching him, curled up in his side as he flipped through the channels, but he’d do with what they had.

  He finally stopped on a comedy, an Adam Sandler movie. His movies were always funny. They needed funny. He set the remote down on the armrest and debated reaching out to take her hand. Just as he was mustering up the courage to do so, the biggest cat he’d ever seen in his life leaped onto the couch and landed right in his lap.

  Molly laughed. “Luke, meet Tigger.”

  “What is this, a mini lion? He’s huge!”

  “She is huge. She’s a Maine coon, and Tigger’s a girl. You better apologize or she’ll never like you.”

  He scratched the cat behind its ears. He wasn’t about to talk to the cat; a good ear scratch was always an apology. And Tigger agreed. She purred and then burrowed herself into the three inches between them. Damn lucky cat.

  As the movie came to an end, he noticed that Molly’s eyes were slowly drifting shut. The cat had slept between them the entire time, but he had gotten the courage to lay his arm across the back of the couch. Not around her though. He had told himself he wasn’t going to push himself on her. It was hard. He’d wanted to wrap his arm around her, pull her into him, and have her lay her head across his chest. But until she made a move in the direction of wanting him, he was going to force his needs aside.

  The last scene of the movie played, and her eyes were shut. He turned the TV off, and it didn’t startle her. Feeling slightly awkward, he wondered if he should leave or not. He looked at Tigger; maybe the cat could tell him what to do. He pet the animal and, out of nowhere, the cat jumped off the couch and took off down the hallway he assumed led to the bedrooms. Looks like the cat was giving him a sign—carry Molly to bed.