Page 77 of Promised Love

He hangs our helmets on the bike’s handlebars and twines his fingers with mine. “We have to walk from here.”

By the time we finish the hike, my beanie is in my hand and the zipper of my parka is pulled down. I’m a little short of breath and sweaty, while Lukas looks fresh as a daisy.

“God, I’m so out of shape.”

“I’ll blame it on your commute to work. It’s zero steps.” He chuckles, but when I don’t smile, he adds, “You need a workout routine.”

“I can work out on you.” I grin.

“Oh, baby, you’ll regret you said that.”

“What do you mean?” God, how does he accelerate my heartbeat with just one look?

“You’ll know in time.” But before I can ask him more, he points toward the narrow pathway, urging me to lead.

I’ve taken only a few steps when the air changes. The quiet is replaced by faint sounds of falling water. I jerk my head toward Lukas, unable to hold back my giddiness.

“I can’t believe it.” I rush to get my first look, and it doesn’t disappoint.

A beautiful waterfall nestled in the woods greets me with open arms. There’s even a bench on the side, which tells me that it isn’t as unknown as I first thought.

I feel a zing of electricity throughout my body just watching it and the reflection of dark clouds on the water.

“It looks even more beautiful during the sunrise.” Lukas stands behind me and wraps his arms around my body.

“You’re so opposite of what I expected.”

Random words leave my mouth, but in response, Lukas turns me around in his arms and whispers, “You too.”

“You thought about me?”

There’s a storm of emotions in his blue eyes, and in this moment, they mimic the weather.

“I had one half of your ring on my finger. It wasn’t possible not to think about you.”

“How was I in your imagination?”

“Nothing like you are now.” Lukas closes his eyes and leans forward, resting his forehead over mine. “How was I in your imagination?” His voice is barely audible, as if he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s asking me this.

“Nothing like you are now.” I give him his words, but his pleading eyes force me to give words to the emotions that have been buried so deep in my chest that they have been almost inaccessible to me. I close my eyes and remember that moment when Lukas walked into my life for the first time.

“I thought you were one more person who was going to tell me what to and what not to do with my life. I love my family,” I rush to explain as a familiar guilt hits me. “I know they only want what’s best for me, but sometimes I want them to trust me a bit more and not just wait for me to fail.”

“Nobody wants you to fail.” Lukas squeezes me, and my eyes open at his admission. “You’re smart.” He places a kiss on my forehead. “You understand people and their needs in your business. You knew what Maddy wanted in their wedding. Any other person would be more interested in showing what they have to offer, but you patiently listened to Maya. You’re not some teenage girl who doesn’t know what she wants in life, but you’re a grown woman who values others’ happiness more than anything else in life.” His lips are only a whisper from mine, and I feel his hot breath over my skin. “And that was something I didn’t expect.”

His kiss is unlike before. It’s restless and unrestrained. Our tongues battle for control as we try to push deeper, wanting to bottle the other one inside us. In this very moment, I think I’ll die if he stops kissing me, and I think he feels the same.

When it feels like hours have gone by, Lukas pulls away, but not far. His forehead rests against my cheek. “You were so not what I expected, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

He holds my jaw and looks me in the eye. There’s so much turmoil on his face, and I know what he’s thinking.

There’s an end date to this relationship.

An end date that we have always wanted more than anyone else.

But do I still want it?

This is the first time that thought has occurred to me.

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