Love, Chocolate, and Beer (Cactus Creek #1)(69)

He chuckled at her lack of minced words, his eyes crinkling in mock offense. “I wonder if I should be offended that the two women closest to me both think I’m wrong here.”

She frowned, puzzled.

“Fear not, my dear. Quinn’s already on it. She’s doing this whole ‘since Luke fell in love with the enemy, we’re changing White Chocolate Day to Red and White Day’ spiel. No, don’t go look it up—you can check her blog later. Hello, romantic man sweeping you off your feet here.”

Dani nodded in false complacency...before breaking free to run back to her computer.

His unsurprised laughter followed her as she jumped on her laptop to see what genius Quinn managed to spin this time.

Whoa. “This is even better than the original White Chocolate Day idea.” Dani was in awe.

“I know. It’s the only reason why Quinn hasn’t killed me, I think.”

“Red and White, as in roses right?” Her eyes narrowed in mild offense at his confounded expression. “Even I know red and white roses symbolize love and unity, or some other metaphor to that extent.” She held her hand up to keep him from speaking further while she read through Quinn’s new pitch. “I get it. I like it. So you’re encouraging folks to give everyone special to them—significant others, relatives, friends, whoever—something red and white to celebrate the different kinds of love that unites them on March 14th, in contrast to February 14th, which is only for romantic love.” She smiled. “That’s sweet.”

“Yup, and I’m not just making it just about chocolate this time either. The whole month, while we’re promoting Red and White Chocolate Day, I’m going to give shout-outs to florists, bakeries, card makers, brewpubs, and pretty much every industry that helps bring people together.”

Dani sighed in relief. So he hadn’t ruined all he’d been working toward in one insanely romantic gesture. This new campaign was going to be a huge success, she had no doubt.

Now to deal with the matter of the man and his mission... She turned and saw Luke giving her the look that made her skin tingle. Clearing her throat, she stalled for another few seconds to get her bearings. “So, uh, does this mean you’re ending your campaign against beer?”

“Sadly, yes.” His eyes took on that competitively teasing glint that totally turned Dani on. “Too bad, too.” He gave a masculine pout. “The video for White Chocolate Day was all ready to go.”

“Yeah? What were you planning?” she asked, slowly feeling her nerves slip away.

“Basically, it would’ve had a lonely guy, a cold twin bed, a fridge empty except for beer, and a logo that gets slapped across the screen: Shoulda Voted Chocolate.” He grinned wide.

Dani burst out laughing.

Luke tugged her in close. “Dani,” he said soberly, framing her face with his hands, “I meant everything I wrote. I want to give you the Valentine memories you deserve.” He put a flat, rattling box in her hands. “Starting now.”

Dani unwrapped the gift and stared at it in disbelief. “Sweetheart candy?” She clutched the $2 box of message-inscribed heart-shaped candies and flew her eyes up to meet his.

“You’d mentioned once that no one ever gave you these when you were younger. So, I thought I’d start there.” He gazed into her eyes. “Happy first Valentine’s, Dani.”

Her pulse tripped. Boy, was she in trouble. The overwhelmed, watery-eyed ‘thank-you’ she managed to spill out seemed enormously inadequate, but that’s all she had for him.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” He hugged her tight. “Now, while I do have a proper corresponding Valentine date for tomorrow that’s age appropriate for the year you were eleven, for tonight, how about we do something that’s a little more, ahem, our age first?”

Smiling through her tears, she leaned in to give him a kiss in agreement when suddenly she was struck by what he just said. Pulling back, she pulled her smartphone out of her jeans.

Luke glanced at it. “What are you doing?” he asked idly as he moved to nuzzle her neck.

“Here, hold the candy instead of my butt,” she directed while thumb-typing on her phone.

He didn’t seem at all thrilled about the trade, but he complied, his dimples making a flash appearance when she caught him off guard with a sweet, smiling kiss on the cheek.

Her camera shutter went off.

Startled, he asked her again, “What are you doing?”

“Sharing a memory,” she answered as she tapped a few buttons to upload the photo.

Luke peered down at her smartphone screen and read the Twitter photo tag she’d typed in: My very first Valentine...the candy and the man. Totally worth waiting seventeen years.

Eyes warm, he smoothly placed her atop her desk and bent down to collect a kiss.

She knew she should’ve cleared the slate between them first, told him all about what she’d almost done to his shop, about how she’d neglected to make things right even after she got to know him. But she couldn’t. She wanted to cherish her first—and maybe last—Valentine’s Day with Luke. So she let herself forget everything else for just a little while longer.

With a doting grin, he gripped her hips and swung her around, planting his butt against the desk before raising his hands in surrender. “A deal’s a deal. Since a forfeit is technically still a loss, you get to be on top and lord it over me.”