The look on her face was priceless. She was shocked and possibly amused by his actions. Her mouth hung open just enough to make him wish he could kiss those lips. Instead, he gently tipped her chin up with his forefinger, closing her mouth.
“I can buy you one, if you want,” Kassie nonchalantly commented.
Luc shook his head. “Nah, I’m good. Driving, remember? Speaking of that, where’s Quinn?”
Kassie pointed behind him to the dance floor.
Looking where she pointed, he saw Quinn dancing with JJ and Travis. “Is she supposed to be driving you home?”
“No.” Kassie shook her head. “We took an Uber down here. But looks like I’m on my own for the ride home. Travis has his truck, and they’ve been making plans to all go together.”
It bothered Luc that Quinn kept leaving Kassie on her own when they were supposed to be out together. He considered speaking up, but he wasn’t here to criticize; he was here for company. Holding out his hand to her, he asked, “Want to dance?”
He fully expected her to shrug him off and just get another drink. But her eyes met his, and there was a sparkle there. She finished her drink, then smiled slightly and nodded. “Yeah.”
Luc led her, hand in hand, to the dance floor. It was a song he wasn’t familiar with, but it had hard beats and heavy bass. Kassie was being very timid in her movements, and her eyes kept roaming to Quinn and the guys. Maybe he wanted to distract her, or maybe he just wanted her all to himself. He turned her around so her back was to Quinn, and he cut the distance between them in half, then in half again, until they were almost touching.
The techno beats blared through the speakers, and the colored lights that flashed over the dance floor reflected in her eyes. Grabbing her around the waist, Luc gyrated and moved to the music. His dance moves made her laugh. It was not the reaction he wanted, but it would work. She was smiling, and that was all that mattered.
The laughing soon ceased as their bodies molded together in dance moves, led by the tempo. Soon her eyes were only on him, and her hands were on his body, if only to steady herself. He was in dress slacks, loafers, and a button-down shirt and tie, dancing and sweating, and loving it.
They danced to song after song, never moving farther apart.
Quinn caught Luc’s eye, making a motion that she was leaving. He nodded, getting the message. He lowered his lips to Kassie’s ear. “Sweets, your friend is leaving.”
She just nodded and kept dancing. They danced for probably an hour, body to body, before she nodded towards the door. “I think I’m going to get out of here.”
Luc nodded. Taking her by the hand, he led her to the exit and out into the chilly air. She shivered as the wind hit them. “C’mon. My suit jacket is in the car, you can put it on.”
She tugged his arm as he walked. “I’m just going to get an Uber.”
“No. I insist.” Luc nodded towards the garage. “It’s no problem, really.”
He quickly pulled her to the white Porsche. He opened the door, grabbed his suit jacket, and draped it over her shoulders before helping her into the car.
Hurrying into the driver’s seat, he revved the engine. After pulling out onto the roads of the city, they stopped at a red light.
“Luc. Thanks for driving me home again. And thanks for coming over to the club. It was a lot more fun with you there.”
“Yeah, I had fun too. I wasn’t going to say anything, but does Quinn do that to you a lot?”
“Do what?”
“Go somewhere with you and then leave you there? That doesn’t seem very nice to me.”
“No, she’s harmless. Really. She likes men. And yeah, every once in a while, she’ll leave with someone and I Uber home, but that’s what Uber is for.”
“But tonight, you didn’t call for Uber, you texted me.” He wanted to look at her face when she answered, but the light turned green, and his attention had to stay on the road.
“Yeah.”
The rest of the ride was silent except for the music on the radio. When they pulled up to her apartment building, she didn’t move from her seat right away.
“Luc, would you, uh, want to come up? I think I have some leftover pizza, if you’re hungry.” She chewed at her bottom lip while she waited for an answer.
He wanted to jump at the offer, but he knew what would happen if he did, and it wasn’t snacking on cold pizza. It would be more like devouring her. As much as he wanted to, he still needed to move slowly, or he might scare her off. This was more complicated than just hooking up with a girl; this was so much more.
He’d be breaking the code, and possibly the friendship and trust of a teammate.
None of it was something he took lightly. Luc wanted Kassie to be absolutely sure. And a hot night at the club with some steamy dancing was not conducive to good decision making.
“Honestly, I’d love to, but I’m sure you have to work tomorrow. I just think this isn’t the best idea.”
“As always, you’re right.” She smiled a kind smile and cupped his cheek in her hand, while she kissed his other cheek. “Thank you for coming to my rescue again.”
She moved to take off his suit jacket, but he put his hands out to stop her. “No, you wear that inside. I don’t want you catching a chill. I’m sure I’ll see you soon enough.”
The smile still on her face, she got out of the car, but not before saying, “Thanks. Talk to you soon?”
“Absolutely, sweets.” As Luc watched her walk into the apartment, making sure she got in okay, all he could think about was what he was missing by turning her down. But he was pretty sure he had gained one thing, her respect.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Kassie
“Mr. Wilson, follow me.” Kassie ushered the next patient back to an exam room. She stifled a yawn. “Have a seat in the chair here, and let me check your vitals.” She asked him a few questions while noting the answers. But her mind wandered back to Luc.
Kassie didn’t want him in her head, but he was. She had dated guys prior to Luc, not that she was dating him. Those other guys never left the impression that Luc had. The others were casual, like Luc, but he left a lasting impression. More like a crush than just a date. That was what worried her.
Last night was hot. She couldn’t believe he turned her down when she invited him up, but he had done the right thing. She had nothing but respect for that. He was a true gentleman. She knew things would’ve gone too far if he had agreed to come up to her apartment. The sexual tension was sizzling between them, and after being so close all night, she wouldn’t have been able to resist him. It would’ve been a mistake for that to happen this soon.
“Okay, Mr. Wilson, the doctor will be in to see you in just a few minutes.” She closed the door behind her and dropped the charts into the pocket on the door.