My December Darling: A Holiday Novella by Lauren Asher

Author:Lauren Asher [Asher, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

15

LUKE

I’ve been on plenty of dates, but I don’t remember any of them making me this nervous. At least not since my very first one.

For the third time in ten minutes, I check my text thread with Catalina, making sure I told her the right time to meet up at Nightcap. I had offered to pick her up, but she was determined to order a ride through an app, so I dropped the idea. Part of me wanted to insist, but I let her be, knowing that pushing her on the subject might make her uncomfortable.

Catalina doesn’t seem like the type to respond well to an overbearing alpha type, and luckily, I don’t fall into that category. I’m not sure if that makes me a progressive male or a stupid one because she is already twenty minutes late—and counting.

Maybe she decided to ditch your sorry ass.

I wouldn’t blame her, seeing as I’m the one who labeled us meeting up outside of work “a date” in the first place. If she backed out of our plan while claiming food poisoning or something else, I’d be disappointed but not surprised.

I battle between calling her or casually texting to ask where she is, but before I can decide which option seems less desperate, the front door swings open. A heavy gust of wind pummels into the people standing nearest to the bar’s entryway, parting the crowd that formed by the entrance. A red-faced Catalina is easy to spot with her off-white peacoat, jeans, and a knitted hat with two pompoms attached to the top.

She looks around before her gaze lands on me, and the rosiness in her cheeks intensifies as our eyes lock. My heart rate picks up, the beats gaining speed as she walks over to the booth I saved.

I slide across the leather seat and stand to greet her.

“Hey.” She rubs at her arms aggressively. “I’m sorry I’m late.” She pauses after every word due to her teeth clattering together.

I’m not sure what possesses me to wrap my arms around her and pull her against me, but one moment she is looking up at me with her head tilted back, and the next she is sinking against my body with a sigh.

“Did you walk here or something?” I joke.

“Yes.” She sighs and digs her face into my sweater. “Two different rides cancelled on me, so I braved the weather instead.”

I’m not able to enjoy the feel of her because my anger takes hold. “What the hell.”

I pull away, but she lets out a growly protest and tugs me back with a “Not yet.”

I hope she can’t hear the way my heart furiously pounds at her proximity, or actually, maybe I do. That way, she can be well aware of how much her closeness affects me.

I’m not the type to hide my feelings behind mixed signals and a game of chase. If I like a woman, I make it obvious where I stand, and with Catalina, I’m about as subtle as a flashing neon sign at midnight.

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