Free Kiss a Frog (The Book Club Series 1) by Scarlett Jade Page B

felt her mouth open slightly. She’d heard of the beauty of the restaurant but had never seen it in person, only pictures. Rich velvets hung from the windows in shades of sapphire and scarlet, and the tables dripped with iridescent ivory table coverings. Gold chandeliers with fountains of crystals hung over each table. The place was beyond swanky, it practically oozed money.
    She finally took everything in and closed her mouth so she didn’t look like a fish out of water. As she scanned the opening to the dining room, she saw a man standing near a fireplace that looked vaguely familiar. He was absolutely beautiful, breathtakingly so, and as her ovaries exploded inside her, she realized she knew exactly who it was. It was the man she’d thrown up on, and he was staring right back at her with brilliant whiskey covered eyes.
    Oh shit. She clamped a hand over her mouth and ran for the bathroom, her heels clacking on the tile floor. He’s not my date, he can’t be my date. No! He’s here for someone else. But he’s here! Lily skidded into the bathroom and barely closed the door before she puked into the pristine toilet. With a shaky hand, she wiped at her mouth and flushed the toilet. Shifting to the sink, she surveyed her face. Her makeup was firmly in place.
    Turning on the cold water she cupped her hand and rinsed her mouth out. Digging into her purse she found a breath mint and popped it in her mouth. She smoothed her hair and checked the front of her dress for chunks of puke. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she blew out a slow breath and opened the bathroom door. He stood just outside the bathrooms in the crimson hallway, nursing a tumbler of something to drink.
    “Lily?”
    Shit. Lily froze in the doorway of the bathroom, jumping with a squeal as the door slapped her ass. “Yes?” she choked out.
    “I’m Luca. Olivia’s brother.” He smirked, and she groaned.
    “No, you can’t be.” Lily breathed, squeezing her eyes closed as if it was all a terrible, horrible dream.
    He chuckled softly. “I’m Luca. I do believe we’ve met before.”
    “I puked on your shoes,” Lily wailed.
    “Yeah, luckily though, they weren’t my favorite shoes.”
    “I can’t do this,” Lily whispered.
    “Sure you can. We’ll forget about the shoes. In fact, I’ll never mention the shoes again. The shoes are inconsequential. Oops, I mentioned them. I’m sorry. Okay. Look, let’s get out of the hallway to the bathroom and start again, okay?” Luca’s emerald eyes twinkled merrily.
    Lily pressed a hand to her stomach and nodded. “Okay, let’s do that.” She followed the broad shouldered man out into the foyer of the restaurant and nearly ran into him as he stopped abruptly and turned. She backed up a step, wavering on her heels. “Oops,” she murmured, her cheeks hot.
    Luca laughed again, and he held out a tanned hand. “Hello, I’m Luca De Soros.”
    Lily swallowed and stared for a moment at his hand before sliding her own into his grasp. “I’m Lily Halloway,” she gasped out, the sensation of his hand touching hers more than she could bear. If she’d thought Charlie’s hand had felt amazing, Luca’s was beyond compare. Heat simmered through the very pores of her skin and it was almost as though he was swimming amongst her DNA just with the simple, innocent handshake.
    “You’re absolutely adorable, Lily Halloway, even when you do puke on my shoes.” Luca winked, bringing her knuckles up to his succulent, firm mouth for a kiss. Her knees buckled slightly as his lips brushed against her fingers.
    “Oh!” she moaned out, her face flaming with embarrassment. She snatched her hand from his grasp and tried to wipe the heat of his hand off on her dress. “Um, we should sit,” she finally managed to splutter out.
    “Absolutely.” Luca grinned, offering his arm like a chivalrous gentleman for her to take. Lily wanted to melt into the floor and die as she tucked her hand into his elbow. He was