The Merger

Chapter 32

Lucas

Talia clearly didn't look at the floor plan in the new building yet. It had only one office and they would likely be sharing it once they moved. That or Talia was going to kick Lucas' ass to the curb once she found out the type of deal she made with him. In any case, it was all well worth getting in a round of golf with her and seeing her reaction once she realized the only office room to pick is the one he'd be in. Lucas had to mentally tell himself to stop smiling so much to not tip her off too early.

After they grabbed their gear and rented out a golf cart, they headed out to the grassy plains of the eighteen hole course. The sun shone brightly over the terrain and Lucas could not contain his excitement once they reached the first tee. He closed his eyes briefly, inhaling the grassy scent around them and listening to the birds chirp in the trees.

"I told you, you live and breathe golf. You look like an addict getting a fix right now." Talia stood next to him, crossing her arms in front of her and smirking.

Lucas closed his eyes again and pressed one nostril down with his pointer finger, inhaling much more sharply and much more dramatically than a moment ago. Talia laughed, making him briefly wonder if he should switch careers and do stand-up comedy. "I just needed one more hit," he said before grabbing a club.

"I'm glad you got what you needed. Now are we done golfing for the day?"

"Nice try. It's tee time. You're up!"

Talia sighed as she grabbed the golf club Lucas held for her. It was truly the cutest little sigh Lucas had ever heard in his life.

She tee'd up, placing her ball on the ground and moving her club into the starting position.

Holy hotness. Talia in that little tennis dress playing golf was now forever burned into his brain. Without even thinking he grabbed his phone and yelled, "Smile," before taking a photo.

"Hey! I wasn't looking! Take another one," she said before posing with her hands pressed against the top of the golf club and her hip popped out.

Lucas smiled and turned around while holding out the camera in front of him, taking a quick selfie of them both. Without looking at the photo, he tucked his phone back into his pocket. "Alright, no more pictures. It's time to golf."

Talia breathed in deeply. She looked slightly nervous and it caused a flutter of activity in Lucas' stomach. "Don't laugh at me, okay?" she said as she readied her stance again.

"I promise I won't."

Talia took her first swing and completely missed the ball. Her body twisted as it followed through with the motion. When she registered the result, she turned to Lucas with the most adorable look and cheeks slightly reddened. "I was just practicing my swing before hitting the ball."

"Of course," he said while nodding.

She tried again. Another miss. "Ugh, I hate this stupid game."

"You need to relax. You look like you're strapped into an electrocution chair with that stance. Take a deep breath."

Talia took the shortest breath known to man before moving back into the starting position.

Lucas moved to stand behind her. "Stop. Turn around. Face me." Small swirls of heat flew through him as he placed his hands on her shoulders when she complied. "We're going to take proper deep breaths together." He started breathing in deeply, and she followed. After a couple of deep breaths, her shoulders started to relax under his touch. "Good. Now, turn around. You want your legs shoulder-width apart. Kind of like how it was when you were bent over the desk ten minutes ago."