Page 93 of A Touch of Fate

“I’m fine, really. Just thinking about the upcoming fundraiser I’m organizing with Priest Agnello.”

Samuel checked our surroundings with a vigilant expression, then keyed in the code so the door of the lodge opened. “Let me know if you need additional help or if it would help if I showed my face at the fundraiser. I want you to succeed.”

I moved inside. “Your face always convinces people to do things.”

Samuel chuckled as he turned and headed toward our car to grab our bags. It smelled freshly cleaned, and a huge bouquet of white-and-blush-colored roses sat on the big kitchen island. A similar bouquet had waited for me this morning on the dining room table, but we hadn’t exchanged gifts yet and would do it after dinner. I smiled as I scanned the big window front overlooking the lake. Samuel came in with our luggage and carried it into the only bedroom on the lower floor. Next, he carried in a cooler with the meat and fish he wanted to put on the barbecue for us tonight and tomorrow. I loved this down-to-earth side of Samuel. He’d hunted the meat himself a few months ago during a trip with his dad. Whenever he barbecued meat, he seemed the most relaxed.

A few bottles of red wine sat on the kitchen counter, and in the fridge, I found my favorite white wine, a Pecorino, myfavorite Italian grape at the moment. Samuel probably expected that we’d have a glass of wine tonight for dinner.

I bit my lip. I couldn’t drink until I knew I wasn’t pregnant. Maybe Samuel would suspect something if I didn’t drink anything on our anniversary, even if I’d reduced my intake in the past few months very drastically because of our wish to have a baby.

Samuel too had reduced his alcohol consumption at home, but I wasn’t sure if he simply drank more when he was at work. He often smelled of spearmint chewing gum when he came home. I wanted to believe him, but I knew addiction was a difficult opponent, even if Samuel seemed reluctant to see his alcohol consumption as problematic.

I decided not to take the test right away. I wanted to enjoy the evening without disappointment. Samuel began to prepare the deer steaks and scallops for our main course of surf and turf, while I took care of the creamy polenta and salad that would go with it. For dessert, Samuel and I decided to enjoy the macarons that Anna had sent us from Paris as a gift.

Samuel and I had dinner on the porch in the candlelight. It was warm enough, and the serenity of the lake was marvelous. When Samuel offered me a glass of wine, I shook my head. “I feel tired from the drive. If I drink now, I’ll just fall asleep, and I don’t want that on our anniversary.”

“I don’t want that either,” Samuel said with a suggestive smile as he took a sip from his wine.

After dinner, we settled on the hammock facing the lake, and I indulged in the macarons while Samuel enjoyed a digestif. I tried not to pay attention to how much he was drinking because I didn’t want it to overshadow our trip. We linked hands and sat in silence, my head on Samuel’s shoulder, for over an hour. I loved these moments of peaceful quiet when neither of us felt the need for idle chitchat.

“How about we exchange gifts now?” Samuel asked as he pulled a small box from behind his back.

“Let me get mine,” I said.

Samuel got up. “Let me. Where is it?”

“On the kitchen island.”

He returned a couple of minutes later with the long, narrow package.

“You first,” I said.

Samuel opened his gift, and his eyes lit up with awe. I bought a custom-made hunting knife for Samuel with a mammoth tooth for the handle and Samuel’s initials carved into it. “This is beautiful. I’ll take it with me for the hunting trip with your brother, Leonas, and my dad.”

I smiled, glad he loved it.

Samuel bent forward and kissed me. “This is the best gift I ever got.”

He held the small box out to me. “Your turn.”

I took the box and unwrapped it, then opened it. My lips parted. It was a delicate gold bracelet with a ballet shoe pendant studded with small diamonds. Samuel helped me put it on. “It’s beautiful.” I leaned forward and kissed Samuel.

Our kisses quickly became heated. Samuel got down on his knees in front of me, lifted my skirt, and ate me out. I raked my fingers through his hair as his tongue and lips teased me to my first orgasm with a beautiful view of the dark lake.

I was still panting when Samuel picked me up and carried me inside. He kicked down a few cushions and blankets, then put me down on the floor in front of the big window before he got out of his clothes and covered my body with his. He held my gaze as he entered me slowly and didn’t speed up as he kissed me.

This felt like making love again. Sometimes Samuel and I were hungry and urgent, and that was when we fucked, but sometimes our touches were loaded with emotions that Samuelnever put into words, and I didn’t either because he wanted to be the first.

Afterward, Samuel stayed in me, my face cradled in his palms. The look in his eyes made my throat feel tight. “It’s hard for me to put words to my feelings. Loving someone gives them power over you.”

I ran my hands through his hair. I supposed with his experience of betrayal from when his twin ran away with Remo Falcone, love really seemed like a risk.

“Do you think your feelings will become stronger if you admit to them?” I asked softly.

“No,” Samuel murmured. “I don’t think they can.”

I bit my lip. I wanted to say it, wanted to show Samuel that sometimes it took a leap of faith. Samuel touched my lips. “Me first.”

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