Free Road to Recovery by Natalie Ann Page A

tried to get her emotions under control.
    She reminded herself it was only normal
to feel this way. A year was a long time without intimacy. A long
time to go without feeling wanted and needed in a way only a man
could make a woman feel. She hadn’t realized she was missing that
connection so much, until Lucas.
    But she was enjoying the tingle of
anticipation of what was to come. The dancing around two people did
in the beginning, the thrill of the next step. Wondering if and
when it would happen. And sex, she was really missing sex.
Hopefully that wasn’t clouding her judgment.
    She began to look around her closet,
then wished she had asked where they were going. Concluding he
wouldn’t do anything really fancy, she decided on a pair of dark
washed skinny jeans and a fitted buttery yellow top with a scooped
neckline. Plunging just enough to tease, throwing out a hint but
leaving enough mystery.
    “ Shoes, shoes, shoes,” she
muttered to herself as her eyes roamed the neatly organized
racks.
    Heels always made her feel confident,
and she knew she was going to need that extra boost tonight. The
gray suede heeled ankle boots would do the trick. She quickly
grabbed them off the rack.
    One more quick turn in the mirror
satisfied her that she accomplished the right amount of feminine
casual sex appeal she was going for. Glad that she had worn her
hair down today, as it was one less thing she had to deal with. It
seemed to add to the look she was going for, which was modern and
confident without trying too hard.
    She freshened up her subtle makeup and
then headed out to the living room to wait. The problem with always
being early was the waiting. Waiting was the worst, especially
waiting for the unknown.
    Picking up her laptop, she settled into
the corner of the couch. Taking advantage of the time, she decided
to review her notes for some fresh ideas she had. Maybe he did want
to talk about the conference after all. If that was the case, she
wanted to be prepared. She hoped she wasn’t reading the situation
wrong, but being prepared for any outcome was what she excelled at.
So, she would prepare.
     
    ***
     
    Lucas pulled his Range Rover in front
of the closed garage door. Debating between the front or garage
doors, he opted for the front door. The garage seemed too casual.
They weren’t there yet. Better to stay formal, at least for now. No
use scaring her any more than he thought she was. Go slow, he
reminded himself.
    Reaching over, he grabbed what he
needed from the passenger seat and got out.
    Brooke answered the doorbell almost
immediately. Her eyes instantly went to the pizza box in his hand.
“Change of plans,” he explained, noticing her confused frown. “I
decided I wanted a night in after the conference. I’m kind of sick
of restaurant food, not that this is much different. Hope this is
okay?” He hoped me made the right choice. Maybe he should have
asked her opinion ahead of time?
    “ Sure.” Stepping back out
the way, she grabbed the box from his hand, and took note of the
other two bags in his other hand. He held them up slightly. “Beer
and wine. Thought I would cover my bases.”
    A nervous smile crossed her face. “Come
on in. I would have cooked if you wanted to stay in though.” She
shut the door behind him.
    “ Seriously? Cook, as in an
actual meal, real food, not out of a package or microwave?” he
asked curiously.
    Her forehead wrinkled. “Of course real
food. Who eats packaged microwave food like that?” When he raised
his eyebrows at her, she said, “You know that stuff isn’t good for
you. It’s not really healthy.”
    Agreeing with her, he shrugged. “True,
but all I’m good for is what I can throw on a grill, order over the
phone or take out of a package. Oh, or warm up something the
housekeeper leaves. She takes pity on me,” he added
ruefully.
    “ Well, that’s good to know.
Looks like I’ll be doing the cooking next time,” she said with a
smile.
    “ Deal.” Following