Page 43 of One Nightstand With My Ex's Uncle

LUCAS’ POV.

I was unable to tell her why I had slept with her.

She was right.

If it had been any other woman who had forced herself on me that night, I would have pushed her away because I hated clingy women— women who abandoned dignity, and threw themselves on men.

Those women ended up ruining their lives, and demeaning their worth.

I had simply been attracted to Emily from the time I saw her. There was that aura she carried; something completely different about her, and I knew it wouldn’t hurt to tell her I had found her attractive, and that was why my guard hadn’t been up that night, but I felt it might ruin things.

To be honest, I didn’t like the fact that I found Emily charming. I was this man who everyone knew to be picky, and extremely choosy when it came to women. So, having a weird kind of attraction I didn’t understand for a woman who used to be my nephew’s fiancée, was totally not it. It wasn’t me.

But what was I to do when everyday, she seemed better than the previous day?

Back there in the arcade, she was so adorable that I let her win every game just so I could see the smile on her face. It was a vicious smile because she probably saw my character, and the other characters she was fighting against, as the people she really wanted to get back at in reality.

And the craziest thing was that, even as I stared at her in her drunken state, she was attractive in every way, and totally irresistible.

She spoke like her words couldn’t stand alone, and had to run into other words, and that was completely adorable.

When she leaned in, it felt like I was fighting a monster within me. I wanted to close the gap between us, place a gentle hand on her neck, and kiss her.

Feeling her lips on mine once more was something I genuinely wished for. I wanted to regenerate that electricity we had shared that night at the inn.

Finally, our lips were one inch away, and I could feel her hot breath on mine. I could smell the apple cider on her lips, and really wanted to kiss them, but I hesitated because a part of me wanted her to be the one to do it.

A part of me still wanted to believe I was immune to women, and couldn’t be affected by them no matter how close they came.

Unfortunately, I should have seized my chance because the next minute; her head fell on my shoulder, and I had to support her, so the rest of her body wouldn’t fall off.

I took in deep breaths, trying to calm myself. It felt like my heart was calling out to her through fastened beats, and honestly, it was unbelievable.

Lucas Granger feeling so eager to kiss a woman. Never had it happened before.

She had drunk too much of the apple cider, she was way too drunk to even complete a kiss she had almost started. She would have just left me wanting more.

Looking at her, with her eyes gently shut, and lips parted, I couldn’t resist the urge to chuckle. If she drooled on my shoulder, and I told her, she would die ninety-nine times.

I chuckled softly again. Just being there with her head on my shoulder; my arm around her back, on a balcony with abundant grilled salmon and apple cider made us feel like a married couple, waiting for a meteor shower to start.

Being with Emily had a sweet feeling that came with it. I just wanted to be with her all night, watching the stars, and I wished she was awake, and knew what she was doing.

I liked Emily as a person, but it was too bad as I didn’t know if she thought about me in that way. She seemed to be really stiff and tense around me— like she hated the thought of me being around her. Like she was cheating on John whenever she was with me.

Yeah, that was the impression she always gave, and it burned to think about that. Why couldn’t she just accept for us to be friends?

As I asked that question in my head, a little voice arose.

Friends? Are you sure you want to be just friends, Lucas? Is this your definition of friendship? The feelings you have… the longing you feel… Are they for a friend, or for something more?

I swallowed as it was hard to answer the question. Truly, friends didn’t want to kiss, they didn’t want to bring back a drunken night they ought to push past them. They didn’t wish to stay up all night staring at the stars in an intimate position.

Damn… it was obvious to me now.

I had tried so hard to deny it that it was all coming to me swiftly, the moment I had accepted it.

The feelings crashed on me, even before I admitted that I had already accepted that I liked Emily not just as a friend, but as a woman.

I looked down at her, feeling my heart take on a new beat. Why did she have to meet John first?

Why did she have to be so cautious around me? If we had met first, how would things have been? Would she have shown me a more lovable side? Would I have liked her?

It seemed like Karma finally found me. For years, women had liked me but I never returned their feelings.

Finally, I was liking a woman, but it didn’t seem like she would return my feelings. The more I said it out loud in my head, the more it made me feel suffocated.

I liked Emily.

I was in love with her. Damn! When did it happen? Surely, a man like me could never be a victim of love at first sight. When did I fall for her?

I managed to tear my eyes away from her beautiful face, and looked towards the poolside.

There, someone stood, watching us.