âWhen did you lose yours?â
âI was ten.â
âWhat happened?â
âMy parents got a divorce.â
Meagan nodded. âThatâll do it. Nothing like the two people who mean the most to you to decide they canât stand each other anymore.â
âI guess itâs hard for anyone at any age, but I felt totally blindsided.â
âDo you see them a lot now?â
He twisted the plastic cup Angeleno had given them for the wine. âMy mom died of breast cancer six years ago. Dad remarried and is living in Texas. I donât see him often.â Another subject he didnât want to talk about. âHow about you? How are your parents?â
âMy father was a fireman and died in the line of duty. My mom was never the same after and died a few years ago.â
His heart ached for the grief he heard in her voice. âIâm so sorry.â
She shook it off. âNow, my dadâs parents are still alive. Theyâve been married eighty years.â
Luke gave a low whistle. âEighty years?â
âDonât be too impressed. Iâm certain they only stayed married to piss the other off.â
âI donât care. Thatâs a long-ass time to stay married out of spite. We should change the subjectâthis is depressing,â he said.
Meagan took another slice of pizza. âLetâs talk about how itâs possible Iâve lived in New York for as long as I have and Iâve never tried this pizza.â
âDonât forget we have cannoli.â
âI never forget dessert.â
He waited until sheâd finished the slice she had in her hand before opening the container holding the pastry. But when she reached for it, he shook his head. âNope. Let me.â
She narrowed her eyes slightly, but parted her lips.
âThere we go,â he said, slipping it into her mouth.
âOh, man. This is better than the pizza and I didnât think that was possible.â Her tongue darted out and licked her lips, capturing the sugar gathered there. She gave a happy sigh and he wished he could join her, but the sight of her licking her lips made him too damn hard to join in and act content.
âI donât know about the session tonight,â she said. âAll these carbs.â
âYouâll do fine.â He reached over and encircled her wrist with his thumb and forefinger. âBesides, youâre too skinny. You wonât even notice the carbs on you.â
âBet I will.â
He stroked her wrist with his thumb. âBet I can make you forget all about them.â
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
M eagan shivered from the faint contact Luke made with her skin. The way his fingers moved against the sensitive area on the underside of her wrist gave her just enough of a hint of how they would feel along other parts of her body. More than that, though, it made her want his touch. Want him.
If she closed her eyes, she could pull from her memory how his fingers felt years ago. Then, his touch was certainly knowledgeable, but it had lacked a certain confidence that he clearlyhad now. She had a feeling that as much as he had rocked her world all those years ago, he would put her in such a spin now, she might never recover.
He sat beside her, watching her with those observant Dom eyes that didnât miss anything. She couldnât help but notice that his eyes had grown dark. Touching her affected him just as much as it did her. His touch grew lighter and lighter until his fingers left her wrist completely.
âAre you finished eating?â he asked, his voice husky.
âYes,â she answered, and she had the strange feeling she was agreeing to something else.
He stood and helped her to her feet; then they both collected the litter. Luke folded the tablecloth and tucked it under his arm, saying heâd return it to Angeleno later. When the area was clean and they left the park, it was dusk.
By
Cynthia Wicklund
Jen Lancaster
Christopher Stasheff
Melissa Lynne Blue
Moira Callahan
Barry N. Malzberg
Maylis de Kerangal
Kelly Keaton
Lola Peek
Elizabeth Thornton