Playing Dirty: San Diego Social Scene Book 3

by Tess Summers

  Hot and Beautiful: I’m glad you’re not mad I messed with your phone, and I’m happy you laughed.

  I’ll be there at 7:30! Should I bring dessert?

  Luke: Doll, you are dessert.

  ****

  Cassie

  She arrived at Luke’s at seven twenty-five, and even though he promised she was dessert, she had stopped on the way to pick up a Nothing Bundt Cakes lemon-flavored cake. She knew Luke’s favorite was lemon, and for some reason, the idea of pleasing him made her happy.

  Cassie sighed. She was so over-the-top in love with that man it was ridiculous.

  She let herself in, calling out, “Knock knock!”

  Luke came around the corner, barefoot with a dish towel thrown over his shoulder, dressed in faded Levi’s and an untucked, azure blue button down.

  “Hi, doll!” He greeted her with a chaste kiss on the lips.

  “Hi, handsome,” she said through her smile as she stared up at him.

  He grinned and took her hand to lead her into the kitchen.

  She set the cake on the counter and said, “It smells good. What are you making?”

  With a chuckle, he confessed, “It’s from Figurino’s, I didn’t cook.”

  “Of course not, what was I thinking?” she teased.

  “Hey! I can cook!”

  Cassie shot him a look. “Really? When have you ever cooked anything but breakfast?”

  He pulled her to him in an embrace. “How about I make breakfast this weekend?”

  Trying to contain her smile, she nodded. “I think I’d like that.”

  “Good,” he said as he guided her to the table. “Let’s eat.”

  Luke had gone all out. There was a bucket of ice with champagne chilling and glasses empty and waiting to be filled. The table was covered with a linen cloth, candles, and a bouquet of roses adorning it. The plates and silverware even all matched, and he’d set the table properly.

  Cassie was impressed.

  “Wow,” she said while inching her chair forward after he’d pulled it out for her.

  “I’m glad you like it,” he replied, dropping a kiss on her nose.

  “I love it. All this because we made it through ten dates?” she called after him as he walked toward the kitchen. He reappeared with a covered plate, setting it down in front of her.

  “Just because we couldn’t wait to get naked with each other doesn’t mean Date Eleven is any less important.”

  Why he was obsessed with the eleventh date thing, she had no idea, but she understood it was important to him, so she tried not to discount it. He was still standing by her side.

  “Well, we made it. Should we open the champagne and toast?”

  “In a minute.”

  He hadn’t returned to the kitchen to get his plate, and she cocked her head curiously.

  He pulled the cover off her plate, and she gasped. Instead of Figurino’s ravioli and salad on her plate, there was a red rose with a box containing a shiny diamond. Tears instantly filled her eyes, and she looked at him frantically.

  He can’t be asking me this already. It’s too soon.

  It had been fine when they were talking hypothetically, someday off in the future. But not this very moment.

  He dropped to his knee in front of her.

  He’s actually doing this.

  “Cassie, I didn’t need ten dates to realize I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, but I thought I might need ten to convince you. You make me so happy, doll. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I know it’s only been like a month, but I know I love you and want to marry you, and I don’t want to wait. Cassandra Jo Sullivan, will you marry me?”

  She should have burst out an enthusiastic yes! after that proposal. Instead, she burst into tears.

  “You can’t be doing this, right now. How can you want to marry me? I don’t even know if I want to have kids. I thought I’d have more time to figure this out.”

  Still kneeling, he stroked her shoulder. “Oh, doll. I want to be with you no matter what. If you decide you don’t want to have kids, we’ll be the aunt and uncle who spoils our nieces and nephews rotten and have lots of dogs.”

  She shook her emphatically. “No, I know how important children are to you, Luke. That wouldn’t be fair. I love you too much to deprive you of that.”

  He wiped her tears with his thumb, then tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled meekly. “Then have my babies, Cassie Sullivan.”

  “I can’t promise you that, Luke.”

  “Not ever?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it before you came along and turned my world upside down,” she whispered.

  “So, you have thought about it?” he teased.

  “Only when you freaked me out telling me we made a baby,” she confessed.

  “And what did you think? Was the idea so bad?”

  “It wasn’t so bad, but I have to be honest, it isn’t something I can see myself doing.” His face fell, so she quickly added. “But I’ve never had a reason to before.”

  “Now you have a reason?” he asked hopefully.

  “You could say that,” she said with a small smile.

  Luke sighed. “I did this too soon, didn’t I?”

  With a grimace, she replied, “Yeah, I think so.”

  “How about this,” he suggested diplomatically. “Take the ring…” She started to shake her head, and he put his hand up in a gesture for her to stop. “Take the ring, wear it on your right hand for now, or put it in your jewelry box if you’d rather, but take it, and at least tell me you’ll think about it. Just don’t tell me no. I’ll wait.”

  “I don’t know if I can ever give you the answer you want,” she told him truthfully.

  Luke shook his head. “Promise me you’ll think about it.” He stood, pulling her up with him. “I would love for you to be my fiancé, Cassie Sullivan,” he whispered in her ear as he hugged her tight, “but I will wait as long as you need to decide to become Cassie Rivas.”

  The doubt loomed large in the back of her mind. As much as she wanted to be with Luke, she didn’t know if she could pull off the wife and mother thing. Fortunately, he seemed to understand he needed to back off and wasn’t pressuring her, giving her plenty of time to decide.

  *

  Luke

  What the hell was I thinking, asking her to marry me so soon?

  After he’d hung up with Mike this afternoon, he decided he wasn’t waiting anymore and went and bought her a ring. He didn’t tell anyone what he was doing, probably because he knew they’d think he was nuts and try to talk him out of it.

  Luke knew it was rash, and he didn’t give a damn at the time. It was right, he knew it in his soul. She was perfect for him. Not perfect in a put-her-on-a-pedestal way, he knew she had faults. Perfect in the sense she made him want to be a better man. Perfect because he knew life with her would never be boring.

  He slid the round, one-and-a-half carat ring on her right ring finger.

  “Do you like it? We can exchange it if you want something different, it won’t hurt my feelings.”

  She held her hand at arm’s length to admire the ring.

  “It’s beautiful Luke, classy but not gaudy. It’s exactly what I would have picked.”

  He was beaming with pride. The minute he saw it, he knew it was the one. It was simple, but the color and the cut were flawless, and it wasn’t obnoxiously big, but big enough to let people know he wasn’t a cheap ass. Still, he made sure he could exchange it if she didn’t like it.

  He couldn’t, however, return it for his money back.

  It didn’t matter. She was going to be his wife. She didn’t say yes today, but she was going to someday, he knew it. He could wait.

  Cassie slid it off and handed it to him, shaking her head. “I can’t wear it, though.”

  Luke placed it back in her hand and closed her fist around it. “You don’t have to wear it yet, hang onto it for when you’re ready.”


  “What if I’m never ready?”

  He didn’t answer, simply slowly captured her lips with his, taking his time to kiss her thoroughly.

  Cassie sighed with a smile when they broke the kiss. “Best. Kisser. Ever.”

  “Just think, when you say yes, it would guarantee you get to kiss me for the rest of your life,” he smirked and continued, “Are you ready to eat?”

  “You’re impossible,” she scolded. “I’m not sure if I can eat right now, but I’ll try. Can we still have champagne?”

  “Why not? We’re still celebrating.”

  She tilted her head. “What are we celebrating?”

  “You didn’t say no,” he said with a wink.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Cassie

  Lying in bed early the following morning, Luke teased, “I had planned on calling in sick to work and lying around in bed the entire day posting we’re engaged! all over our social media accounts.”

  “Aw,” she said, rolling over, kissing his cheek, “wouldn’t that let everyone at your work know you weren’t really sick? Good thing I didn’t say yes, I saved you from getting written up.”

  “Yeah, well when you do agree to marry me, we’re posting that shit everywhere—even in the newspaper. I’m getting a t-shirt in every color that says, Cassie Sullivan is marrying me.”

  She giggled. “Do they still post engagements in the newspaper?”

  “Fuck if I know. I’ll put it on a billboard if I have to, start a Twitter campaign.”

  “Oh my God, you’re a nut!”

  He nodded in agreement with her assessment. “That’s what you and Ben are always telling me.”

  “Speaking of Ben, did he make it back from his trip?”

  “Yeah, but he decided to stay at her place last night. I think he’s got it bad for her.”

  “Ooooh, Ben’s in loooove. That’s awesome!” She really was happy for him.

  “Yeah,” Luke chuckled, “never thought I’d see the day. But I think he’s known her since they were kids and always had a thing for her. He’s been very tight-lipped about the whole thing, which is how I know it’s serious.”

  “Two of San Diego’s most eligible bachelors off the market!” she teased.

  “I don’t know how eligible we were. A girl would have been crazy to want to be with either one of us just six months ago. We didn’t have our shit very squared away.”

  “But you do now?”

  He kissed her sex hair. “Four right angles square, doll. Don’t you worry.”

  She hugged him tight, then sighed, “I probably should go home and get ready for work.”

  “That’s something else I want to talk about soon.”

  She got out of bed and kissed his cheek. “One thing at a time, Rivas,” she advised, dodging his hand with a giggle when he tried to swat her butt as she darted toward the bathroom.

  Dressed in last night’s clothes, she walked into the kitchen to find him standing at the counter in his boxer briefs, reading his phone and drinking a cup of coffee.

  “Okay, I’m off to do my walk of shame,” she announced. “Do you want to come to the condo for dinner tonight?”

  He looked at her thoughtfully. “We need to talk about our living situation.”

  She really didn’t want to have this conversation right now. Why did he always have to do things with guns-a-blazin’? Trying to quell the rising panic she unexpectedly felt, she kissed him quickly on the lips.

  “Later. I need to go home now and get ready for work. I have morning meetings.”

  Before he even had a chance to respond, she was rushing out the door.

  ****

  Luke

  Ben said he was going home before heading to his girlfriend’s, meaning he could take Rex for a walk and feed him, so Luke showered at work, stowed his gear in his locker, and went directly to Cassie’s. He was there by seven-twenty. The delicious aroma of Kristen’s casserole emanated from the kitchen when he opened the front door.

  “Damn that smells good,” he called out, announcing his arrival.

  She opened the swinging kitchen door and greeted him with a smile. “Hi, handsome.”

  “Damn, Kristen knows how to cook,” he said as he approached her. His lips hovering over hers, he greeted her, “Hello beautiful,” then planted his lips on hers. When they pulled apart, she led him into the kitchen.

  “How was work?” she asked as she opened the refrigerator to pull out a beer and handed it to him.

  He twisted the bottle top and tossed it into the garbage can. “Well, I’m here on time, so no callouts. That’s always a good thing. How about you?”

  She grinned, cutting cucumbers for the salad she had started making. “Another day, another dollar.”

  “Or in your case, several hundred of them,” he teased.

  She threw an oven mitt at him. “Hey! Don’t hate me because I make a ridiculous amount of money. I could put in a good word for you if you want,” she smirked.

  “Can I play with guns all day?” he asked, pausing to take a swill of beer.

  “Mmm, probably not.”

  “Then I’ll stick to fighting crime and suppressing evil for paltry pay.”

  “Suit yourself,” she said with a nonchalant shrug, tossing the ingredients together in a large, glass bowl. She set the tongs down, her face turning serious. “So, are you ready to tell me what’s been bothering you?”

  A smart man would have recognized right then was the time to tell her about Adriana. Apparently, Luke wasn’t a smart man.

  “Tomorrow, doll, I’d much rather enjoy my time tonight charming you into marrying me.”

  She looked at him suspiciously as the timer for the oven went off.

  Saved by the bell.

  *

  Cassie

  They had just finished dinner, when Luke got a text from Ben, explaining he hadn’t even left his shop yet. Something about having to tow someone from the freeway, so he hadn’t been home to let Rex out.

  “Wanna go with me? Pack a bag and go to work from my place tomorrow.”

  “I can’t spend the night. I’m meeting my realtor, Ava here early in the morning so she can give me an idea of what I could list it for.”

  A smile spread across his face. “Maybe I should schedule her to come by my place, too.”

  Panic rose up in her chest again. “Why?”

  “We should move in together, Cass. Soon.”

  “You can’t sell your house! What about Ben?”

  “Hell yes, I can sell my house. Ben will be happy to have his own place again.”

  Cassie tilted her head. “So, why doesn’t he already?”

  Luke was visibly uncomfortable. “He helped me when I was in a financial jam. I promise I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.”

  “I’m holding you to that, Luke.” She noticed he had become a master at changing the subject and putting off telling her anything. Her patience was wearing thin. “You’re not getting out of it, so you better not have any callouts, emergencies, flat tires, or heart attacks. You’re telling me everything.”

  “Everything.” He held his hand to his heart and promised, “Tomorrow night. Scout’s honor.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Luke

  He took a deep breath of the ocean air when they walked to his car on the way to let Rex out. He insisted she ride with him even if it meant he had to drive her home later. He’d never looked more forward to a meeting than the one he had with Mike tomorrow. He couldn’t wait for when he was free of this shit hanging over his head, and the only thing he had to worry about was convincing Cass to marry him.

  Soon.

  They pulled onto his street, and it took a moment for him to recognize the bright blue Kia Rio with Sinoloa plates was in his driveway, not his neighbors.

  As it turned out, tomorrow was a day too late to talk to Cassie.

  *

  Cassie

  “What the hell?” Luke snarled when he pulled into the drive,
and instead of opening the garage, parked next to the blue car she didn’t recognize with a Mexican plate. He was staring at his front door where a young, pretty Hispanic woman stood in a rose-colored, stylish peasant dress with a wide brown leather belt around her waist and matching sandals.

  “Luke? Who is that?”

  He didn’t answer at first, his eyes still on the dark-haired beauty standing on his doorstep. Eventually, he drew his eyes back to Cassie.

  “Luke?” She asked again.

  “She’s my wife,” he answered quietly as his eyes fell to his lap.

  She felt her heart drop into her stomach, her palms instantly sweaty.

  “Your—your wife? You mean your ex-wife, right?”

  He looked up at her, shame written all over his face.

  “I can explain, Cass. It’s not what you think.”

  Folding her arms around her middle, she snarled, “Start talking.”

  His attention was diverted back toward the house, and he took in a sharp breath.

  “Oh my God,” he hissed.

  Stumbling out of the car, the color draining from his face, he stared dumbfounded at the woman standing at his door, a little boy about two or three now visible behind her skirt.

  Cassie got out of the car too, walking around the front of the hood to stand next to him. His hands were shaking, and he gulped before taking steps toward the house.

  When he was about five feet in front of the woman, he asked in Spanish, “Is that…”

  The little boy—who was the spitting image of the man who’d just asked her to marry him a day ago—clung to the back of the woman’s leg, peeking up at Luke with a curious look.

  “This is our son, Lucas,” the woman replied, also in Spanish, as she pressed on the boy’s back to bring him in front of her.

  Luke remained frozen in place, tears in his eyes, and whispered, “El es hermoso.” He’s beautiful.

  Cassie didn’t think they knew she could understand them. One of the benefits of being a guera—slang for white girl—who spent her junior year of college in Spain was people usually underestimated her ability to understand Spanish. She’d learned to perfect the blank look of incomprehension. Pretending to be oblivious had benefitted her more than once.