Page 108 of Burn With Me

“I’ll hold you forever if you let me,” he says as he slides me down his body, waiting to make sure I can stand on my own.

“I’m telling you, the infinity water heater tank is the best investment I ever made for this house.” I laugh as we start to shower.

He smiles. “I can agree with that.”

He pauses, staring at me.

“What?” I say over my shoulder.

“You’re so beautiful, and I’m so lucky you allowed me in your life.”

I blush and reach around him to grab my body wash. “I think I’m the lucky one.”

He smacks my ass and grabs his own body wash. “Wrong. Now hurry up, sweetness. We don’t want to be late meeting my parents at the farm.”

“Oh, shit, I forgot we were meeting everyone at the farm.” I start to panic.

“We have time. It’ll be fine.”

“Fine?! If we’re late, your parents will think we were having sex and blowing them off!”

“They know we’re having sex, we live together. And they won’t think we’re blowing them off.” He leans in and kisses me briefly, and my eyes flutter closed as the anxiety seeps from my body.

“Now let’s finish getting ready so we can go,” he says, humor dancing in his eyes.

“Stop distracting me.”

“I’m going to let Penny out. You have thirty minutes.” He leans down and gives me one more hard kiss.

Watching him leave, I can’t think of a time I was ever happier in my life.

Forty-Five

Amelia

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and allow the smells of new construction and humidity to float into my lungs, smells I didn’t think I would be surrounded by so quickly. Everything has progressed smoother than I anticipated.

Luke thinks I rushed returning to work, but I knew I couldn’t let Leo and Brian take this from me. Yes, I could have probably rebuilt somewhere else, but this is my land, my farm, and my dream, and they can’t have it.

So after two weeks of therapy every other day, Wayne busting his ass with his construction team, and Pam and Mrs. Grant taking care of the insurance claim, we got the main section and one of the branches already set up and ready to go.

Off to my right, I hear a voice as people start to walk in. Luke’s parents leave today, and we’re having lunch for them. Since I’ve been working overtime to get the fish tanks to the levels we need them at, we decided to have a going away lunch here.

Kristen and I set up some tables and chairs in the main office area last night, so the heavy lifting is done.

I feel an arm around my shoulder and close my eyes when Luke’s scent invades my senses. I don’t think I would have made it through the last few weeks without him. He has been my rock.

He never rushed anything and was originally the one to set up my appointments with my therapist. When I questioned him about it, he just shrugged and said, “I knew you would need it, but I’m always here if you need to talk more.”

He never judged when I fell asleep after therapy or when I started spending long hours here to try and help Wayne and the crew.

“You good, sweetness?”

Looking around the farm and back up at him, I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him on the underside of his jaw. “Everything is perfect, but I’m so hungry I could eat a cow.” I pat my stomach.

He looks down at me with a smirk, and I roll my eyes and push his arm off as I walk toward the tables.

I don’t make it two steps before I’m yanked by my jeans into Luke’s chest. I shiver when his breath hits my ear, and he whispers, “Wanna know what I’m hungry for? You. Think we could sneak away for a quickie?”

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