When it came to Luke and Cole, especially with the way things had been between them lately, she couldn’t begin to assume the outcome of any interactions between the two men. When she reached the door, she rang the doorbell and stood patiently as she waited for Luke to appear.
To her surprise Cole answered, looking just as devastatingly handsome as he had the last time she saw him at Sam’s party. Or rather the morning after when he came to pick her up at Luke’s.
“Hey.” Cole greeted, a small smile on his lips.
“Hey.” Sierra was stunned silent by his appearance at Luke’s house. As far as she knew, the two men hadn’t spoken much in recent weeks.
“Come in.” He urged her when she didn’t move forward. “I don’t bite.”
The blush that suffused her face was unavoidable, but she tried to cover it with a smile. “Thanks.”
Once inside, she expected to smell dinner cooking, but to her dismay the house was eerily quiet and the only smells she could make out were those of wood and some sort of lemon cleaner. Her stomach rumbled in protest.
“He’s out back.” Cole shut the door behind her and led the way back through the living room.
Sierra wanted to ask Cole what he was doing there, but then that would sound rude. Obviously Luke invited him. Although the thought hadn’t occurred to her, it wasn’t a completely foreign idea.
When they walked out onto the back patio, she was taken aback. One of the patio tables was set, three plates and utensils to go along with them while overhead, soft lights hidden in the beams of the overhang illuminated the area with a romantic glow. What in the world was going on?
“Don’t tell me you didn’t realize today was Valentine’s Day.” Luke stated firmly when he walked up to her, gently pulling her into his arms before planting a scorching hot kiss directly on her mouth.
Valentine’s Day? No, she had no idea. How had she missed that?
“And tonight is all about you.” Luke whispered seductively in her ear, using his teeth to nip the sensitive lobe before he took a step back. “But before I ravage you, I’m going to feed you.”
Sierra felt as though she had stepped into an episode of the Twilight Zone. She had apparently been so wrapped up in work that she had forgotten it was Valentine’s Day and to top it all off, Cole was standing there like this was just any normal day. Despite her confusion, or maybe because of it, heat suffused her. Just what did Luke have planned?
“Dinner will be ready in two minutes.” Luke stated before turning back to the grill. “Cole, can you get the wine and a couple of beers?”
Cole didn’t say a word, he just turned and walked back into the house, leaving Sierra standing there, trying to figure out if this was all just a dream. The evening air was brisk, but the heater that sat on the patio chased away the chill, adding an orange glow to the area around it.
“Can I help?” Sierra asked, trying to pretend she wasn’t flummoxed by the strange things going on.
“Not tonight. You can take a seat and we’ll have dinner on the table in under a minute.” Luke told her as he pulled what appeared to be steaks from the grill, laying them on an extra plate.
She wandered to the table, sitting her purse down on one of the others and took a seat. She felt out of place, and wondered if she should pinch herself just to make sure she was awake. Before she had the chance, Cole returned with a single wine glass, a bottle of wine and two beers.
Apparently the men wouldn’t be sharing the wine, and she was more than fine with that. At this rate, she wasn’t sure one bottle was going to be enough for her.
Along with her confusion, a serious case of nerves had settled over her and her stomach no longer rumbled from hunger. Instead it was churning with anticipation. Yes, anticipation of what was going to come after dinner.
Thankfully dinner didn’t take all that long to consume because yes, she was starving, and apparently Luke and Cole were as well. Either that or they just wanted to get on to the next course. Which she assumed would be dessert. She hoped.
After consuming two glasses of wine, she was feeling a little less anxious and more relaxed. The men didn’t allow her to help clear the dishes, so she sat at the table glancing out over the sparkling dark waters of the pool and listening to the water in the hot tub gurgle gently. And then the moment of truth arrived when both men returned, Luke following behind Cole and closing the French doors gently behind him. They took the seats they had vacated moments before, and Sierra did her best not to look at either one of them. At least not until Luke chuckled.
“What?” She asked, trying to sound normal.