Lucky Break by April Angel Page A

to be. He and I are just seeing how things go. I’ve got no plans.”
    Liar. She was lying to her sister and herself. She knew that. Spending time with Jared had been an eye-opener. He was sweet, he listened, he actually seemed to care, and it all scared the living daylights out of her.
    “Don’t make any hasty decisions because of your past.” Kay handed her the half-filled clutch. “Not all men are like Nick the Dick.”
    She sat there for long minutes after Kay had left and debated whether to cancel their dinner date or not. In the end, her need to see him won out. She wanted to be with him, found him interesting, and enjoyed spending time talking to him. What she needed to do was keep herself from letting emotions rule her actions. Tonight she’d focus on enjoying herself.
     

Chapter Nine
     
     
    Air pounded hard in Jared’s chest. Jesus, he was like a goddamned teenager counting the seconds before she opened the door. His knuckles had just grazed the wood on the door before it opened. Luciana filled the entryway. She looked amazing. Fucking hell, she looked gorgeous. How was he going to keep his hands off her and get to know her when all he wanted was to get her out of her dress? She was smiling, her sexy lips covered in glossy red, showing off their plumpness even more. A black dress caressed all her curves in an almost sensual hold.
    “You look…amazing.” He was used to complimenting women, but he didn’t want to sound like an idiot by saying what he really wanted to, that she looked damn hot and he was having a hard time thinking of eating food versus eating her for dinner.
    Her smile widened and her eyes sparkled with joy. “Thank you. You look pretty hot yourself.”
    Women told him that before…all the time. But none of them had that soft look in their eyes.
    “Are you ready to go?”
    “I am.” She stepped out into the hallway and shut the door behind her. “So…you’re cooking, huh?”
    “I did promise to show you that I can be Martha Stewart.”
    She laughed. The husky sound played havoc with his concentration. “I can’t wait to see what you have in store.”
    Their drive was filled with wedding planning conversation. He listened while she explained why Alex was upset she had to wear a dress that made her look like a beached whale with a bad tan, while Nina had tried to reassure her—without much success—that she looked great. He studied her while she spoke. She was so animated retelling the bridal party dramas that he couldn’t help but smile. When they arrived at his home, she peeked around as if looking for other people. “It’s just me and you.”
    She grinned. “Why didn’t you say this was your house? And I bet that’s your yacht too!” She pursed her lips. “You let me think we were on private property.”
    “We were on private property. Mine.”
    Her eyes twinkled with mirth. “I’ve been on many nice boats, but none hold the fond memories of that one.”
    “There’s other areas of this property where we can create memorable moments later.”
    Her eyes darkened, and she glanced down at his mouth before meeting his gaze. Dinner. He needed to keep his mind out of the bedroom and on making sure she enjoyed their date.
    “You know, without all those poker tables and the extra couple hundred people, this house is huge. Why would you live here all by yourself?”
    He shrugged, walked to the bar and opened some wine. “It’s been in my family for generations. When my parents decided to travel the world, I bought it from them.”
    “It’s beautiful. Huge, but beautiful.”
    He handed her a glass of wine and led her to the kitchen area. It was one of his favorite spots because it opened into the smaller of two dining areas. He had so many memories of his family eating breakfast while his mom ran back and forth to the kitchen to get stuff.
    “Now this…is a kitchen.” She sighed. “I think I’m in love.”
    He chuckled. “Here, I thought you would be saying that