He laughed, a low chuckle that made her insides melt. ‘I don’t give a rat’s arse what you wear, as long as I can strip you out of it.’ His expression turned serious as he gazed into her eyes. ‘I told you before, I went with women who were confident and knew what they wanted, not because I saw a future with them, but because I didn’t. They were only in it for the short term, like me. Then I met you, and you were so different. You made me think, made me question. Made me want to spend time with you outside the bedroom.’ He gave her a dirty, sexy smile. ‘Inside, too, but you kept me at arm’s length so I had to quash all my usual instincts.’
She nudged him. ‘You didn’t quash them that well. You were pretty hard to resist.’
‘When I want something, I can be pretty relentless, so fair warning.’ He dropped a kiss on her mouth. ‘Are we really doing this then, Mia Abbott? Going steady? Not just sightseeing non-dates, messages in the window and you coming to the bar, but real dates, spending time in each other’s flats. Phoning when we can’t see each other?’
It sounded so good, so exactly what she wanted, now she’d stopped letting the past interfere with her future. ‘Yes, to all of it. By my reckoning there are still ninety-two places in Manchester you’ve still to show me, and I definitely want to phone you but also I don’t want to lose the messages in the window, because it’s us.’ She gave him a cheeky smile. ‘Oh and I can’t wait to see what Luke Doyle does on a real date, because his non-dates have been pretty spectacular.’
‘Err, a real date will be pretty much like the non-date.’ He waggled his eyebrows. ‘The difference is, you don’t get to leave me at the end of it.’
‘Deal.’ She held out her hand to shake on it, but he shook his head.
‘Oh no, we don’t seal a deal by shaking hands.’ For the first time his eyes skimmed beyond the tiny hallway they were in and down the corridor. ‘How about you show me where you work, so I can picture you when I look over at your window?’ He drew a hand around her waist, pulling her tight against him before bending to whisper in her ear. ‘And then we can seal the deal in your bedroom, so when I’m not with you I can picture you there, naked.’
Just as he went to grasp her hand though, his phone rang. He sighed, pulling it out of his back pocket, before giving her an apologetic look. ‘It’s Freya, mind if I answer? I’ll get rid of her quickly.’
‘Of course.’ Mia reminded herself Freya was Grace’s mum, so of course he had to talk to her. Even though a second before, he’d been focused on them getting naked.
Because she didn’t want to overhear – okay, bollocks to that, she wanted to listen to every word, but that wasn’t polite, reasonable or trusting, and Mia tried to be all those things. So she walked through into the kitchen where she could only hear the deep hum of his voice. And the occasional lilt of laughter, which caused her gut to twist.
He’s just told you he loves you, for God’s sake. She reminded herself of the incredible things he’d just said. Things she’d like to bet he’d never told any of the other women he’d been with. Except Freya.
‘Sorry about that.’ Luke strolled into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her. ‘Now where were we?’
Mia wanted to go back to the time before the phone call, but her mind wouldn’t let her. ‘What did she want?’
‘Oh, just some gripe about a light switch that’s not working. I’ll take a look later.’ He peered down at Mia, understanding dawning across his face. ‘Freya is Grace’s mum, her flat is Grace’s flat, too. The occasional stuff I do for her, I do because of that, and only because of that. Okay?’
Mia closed her eyes and relaxed into him. Starting a new relationship when her last few attempts had gone so horribly wrong was hard. Yet comparing him with the likes of Pete, of Danny and Andy, was terribly unfair. As Elle had said, she’d settled for guys who were average, believing that was her, too. Yet now she had the chance of a man who was extraordinary. And she wasn’t going to allow her irrational fears to muck it up.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The next month passed in a blur. Luke both cursed and loved the fact that the bar was busier than ever. The Cocktails 4 U evenings had been a hit, getting them a write-up in the local paper and, unbelievably, squeezing The Bar Beneath into the top-ten list of best places to get a cocktail in Manchester.
It meant his chances of keeping the bar had gone from low to high, and that he was actually proving to the staff, to Phil, to himself that he could run a business.
It also meant he spent long hours away from Mia.
On the plus side, Mia never once complained and if part of him would have liked her to gripe, just a bit, that she missed him, mostly he was thankful for her understanding. Of course, Mia being Mia, she wasn’t sitting in her flat waiting for him to turn up. She was writing.
He was changing the vodka optic early evening on a slow Sunday when his phone beeped with a message he knew was from Mia because he’d given her a special sound. The Smurf theme tune. Finishing the job at double speed, he grabbed at his phone.
Just written The End. Need to celebrate!
‘What’s brought that smile to your face?’ Sandy raised a hand. ‘Actually no, don’t tell me. You remember when I said I could guess it was your latest booty call messaging you, from the leering expression you made?’
The memory sent an uncomfortable shiver down him. ‘I’m not that guy anymore.’
‘God, don’t I know it. Now when you look at your phone you mostly have this half-soppy, half-downright smug grin on your face and I don’t have to guess who the message is from. I know it’s Mia.’
‘She’s finished her book.’
‘Wow, that’s amazing. We should help her celebrate.’
He eyed up Sandy, his mind spinning with an idea. ‘Can you get your hands on any balloons? Maybe pink but it doesn’t really matter. Oh and a congratulations banner?’
‘Probably. What are you thinking?’
‘I’m thinking I’d like to show Mia how many friends she’s made up here, and how proud we are of her.’
Sandy’s expression softened. ‘God, you really are gaga over her, aren’t you?’
He nodded happily. ‘Yep, I really am.’
Sandy reached up to kiss his cheek. ‘I’m so bloody pleased. She’s exactly right for you. Gorgeous but not showy, crazy smart yet not highbrow, punchy without being aggressive. Plus she isn’t going to sit at the end of the bar and mope, waiting for you to finish work and resenting the time you spend at it. She’ll do her own thing and find you later.’ She grinned. ‘Of course it does mean you’re destined to eat curry on your lap in front of Britain’s Got Talent.’
‘No way, not me and Mia.’ He smirked. ‘I’ll take the curry, but we’ll be gaming, not watching TV. And after that’s got her all hot and worked up, we’ll go to bed, where I’ll get her hot and worked up—’
Sandy pushed her fingers in her ears. ‘No, no. I do not want to hear about your sex life.’ She nodded to his phone. ‘You focus on your end of things, I’ll sort out the trappings.’