"Who? Us?" April laughed, batting her eyelashes.
Terri poured more wine into their glasses, as they settled into their seats.
"I'm so full!" April groaned. "That was so good, I had a hard time knowing when to stop."
"Pasta will do that to you," Olivia agreed, as she leaned back in her seat with a deep sigh.
"The boys sure didn't waste any time leaving," Terri said. "I'm not sure how comfortable they are around Luke."
"Not surprising," Olivia said. "I'm sure the idea of their mother dating is a bit hard for them."
"You mean a bit creepy, don't you?" April said with a laugh. The women giggled at the accuracy of April's comment.
"I'm sure they'll adjust," Olivia said. "They just need to get used to the idea and get to know Luke."
"So, you two are getting pretty serious, huh?" April asked. "Meeting the kids, meeting the girlfriends…"
"I think maybe we are," Olivia said while showing her friends her crossed fingers. "But only time will tell."
"Well, keep taking it easy," Terri commented. "No need to rush into anything."
"Oh, don't worry, I am," Olivia said. "I've learned from my mistakes."
Just then Adam came into the room, asking for permission to go to his friend's home to do homework.
"Homework, huh?" Olivia asked, with a raised eyebrow. "Why do you still have homework on a Sunday night?"
"I didn't get it all done on Friday, and Alex has better notes," Adam explained in his best putting-up-with-grownups voice.
"Okay, but make sure you're home in decent time," she said. "It's a school night, and I don't want you to start the week tired."
"'K, thanks," In his haste to leave, Adam nearly bumped into Luke as he came out of the kitchen.
"Oh! Sorry," Adam mumbled.
"S'okay," Luke mumbled as he stood aside to let Adam by.
"Well, I better get going," Terri announced as she finished off the last of the wine in her glass. "I've got some projects I need to get finished tonight too."
"Yeah, it's that time," April agreed as she stood up and stretched. "Thanks so much for a great meal, Olivia."
Hugging Olivia, April turned to Luke and smiled, "It was great to meet you, Luke."
"Yeah, you too," he said.
They all moved to the front entranceway, and Luke draped his arm around Olivia's shoulder as they stood saying their goodbyes.
Later that evening as Olivia stood in the same spot saying goodbye to Luke, she had a vague sense of unease about how things had gone.
"What's on your mind?" Luke asked, sensing her mood.
"Nothing, why?" she hedged.
"Are you worried your friends don't like me?" he asked.
"Why on earth would I be worried about that?" she asked incredulously. "Of course, they like you."
"I'm not so sure," he disagreed.
"Why?" she asked
"I don't know, I can just tell," he responded. "I don't think they think I'm good enough for you."
"Why would they think that?" Olivia asked.
"Just a sense I get," Luke said. "Will it matter to you if they don't?"
"They like you, don't be silly," she answered.
"Would it matter to you if they didn't?" he pressed.
"Well," Olivia considered carefully, "It wouldn't be a deal-breaker. After all, I can think for myself, but it would give me pause."
"Okay," he said, drawing her close to him and nuzzling her neck. "I just care about what you think."
"I like you," she said with a smile.
"I think you do," he murmured, kissing her lips gently. His kiss quickly began to deepen as his tongue entered her mouth. His fingers slipped into the belt loops on her jeans, and he pulled her closer. Moving his left hand downward, he cupped her buttocks and slipped his other hand under the back of her top.
"Your skin is so incredibly soft," he whispered. "How do you keep it so soft?"
"I don't know," she said, panting slightly as he left a trail of kisses down her neck.
"And it gets softer the lower I go," he chuckled seductively as he tucked his hand in the band of her jeans. Following the band along her waist, he found the crevice between her ass cheeks and slipped one of his fingers down lower. Groaning, he used his upper body to pin her more tightly to the hallway wall.
"God, you are so sexy!" he breathed. "You have the most amazing ass!"
Laughing a bit nervously, Olivia placed her hands on his chest, trying to put even some semblance of distance between them. No matter how many times she told herself she wasn't going to let things escalate, they always ended up this way - panting and clawing at each other like two kids on prom night.
"I think maybe we should call it a night," she suggested.
"You want me to go?" he asked, as he pulled at her bottom lip with his teeth. "Are you sure?"
"Stop it!" she giggled as she playfully hit him on the chest. "Be good!"
"You're good enough for the two of us," he teased. "But I'll do as I'm told and head home."
He pulled away from her abruptly and was walking down the front stairs before she could catch her breath again. Any concerns about the evening were long gone, and she stood for several minutes, leaning against the wall and reveling in the glow of being the object of desire of a man she found almost irresistible.
Chapter Eighteen
She
S he knew she had been working too hard since her return from her mini-getaway, but she couldn't seem to help herself. She stayed later and later at the office and submerged herself in her work. She realized she was avoiding her unhappiness by simply avoiding going home until later into the evening. Working was a form of escape for her; she could tuck away her growing sadness back in the corner of her mind somewhere and do what she did best. Work was something she had always been good at, and it never judged her or let her down.
She would work until 7 or 8 at night, stop by the gym for a quick work out, and then grab something easy to prepare for supper on her way home. After a quick bite, she would be ready for bed. There was no time left to try and talk to her husband, or to notice whether he was coming or going. It was just easier on her emotions, and right now she simply needed a break from the ongoing stream of dialogue in her head that never seemed to resolve or change anything.
These were the thoughts whirling around in her head as she pulled up onto her driveway and noticed that his car was parked there. She turned off the ignition and sat looking straight ahead for a few minutes. She knew she couldn't keep avoiding him and that at some point she would have to deal with the situation. Sighing deeply, she took her purse and briefcase off the passenger seat, locked her car, and walked up the steps.
He was sitting at the kitchen table when she opened the door. He closed the newspaper he was reading and set it aside.
"Hi," she greeted him as she walked in, setting her purse and briefcase down at the front door.