Page 137 of A Very Merry Enemy
Staying at a friend’s house tonight. Love you.
Mom
Okay, sweetie. Have fun! Love you too!
I’m thirty-four years old, and my parents don’t care where I am. But after the bourbon and tent incident, when no one could find me, I’m trying to communicate if I won’t be home. I don’t want my parents to worry, though it does make me feel like a teenager again, sneaking around with Lucas. Which, I guess, is exactly what I’m still doing.
Some things do stay the same.
The overnight bag I packed this morning, just in case, comes with me as I step out of the car. The night air bites at my skin, and I wrap my arms around myself, wishing I’d grabbed aheavier jacket. Before I can make it to the porch, headlights sweep across the driveway. Lucas’s truck pulls in next to my car, and he’s out in seconds, walking toward me with that sexy look in his eyes.
“Beat me here,” he says.
“I left first.”
“You did.” He reaches me and immediately pulls me against him, his mouth finding mine. The kiss is hungry and impatient, and I drop my bag to wrap my arms around his neck.
When he pulls back, he’s grinning. “Come on. Let’s get you inside.”
Before I can respond, he bends down and throws me over his shoulder in one smooth motion.
“Lucas!” I shriek, the sound turning into laughter. “What are you doing? I dropped my bag!”
“Your bag?” he asks, looking over his shoulder. “You moving in, Peaches?”
“Don’t tempt me with a good time,” I tell him as he easily picks up my duffel and carries me up the steps. Before we walk in, his hand comes down on my ass in a playful smack.
“Temping you is fun,” he says.
“You can’t just be a caveman and throw your woman over your shoulder whenever you want!”
“But I did.” He types in the code to his house and shuts the door behind him. “Seems to be working pretty well.”
I’m laughing so hard I can barely breathe. “Put me down!”
“Nope. Not until we’re upstairs.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“You love it.”
God help me, I really, really do.
As promised, he doesn’t set me down until we’re in his bedroom. When my feet hit the floor, I’m unsteady.
“You’re so pretty.” He cups my face, and the playfulness fades from his eyes, replaced by something hungrier. When hekisses me this time, there is no rushing. He takes every sweet second, and I moan against him.
When he finally pulls back, his eyes twinkle. “Wait here.”
Before he goes, he turns on the bedside lamp so I’m not standing in the dark, alone.
He disappears into the bathroom, and I hear him moving around. A moment later, he comes back and takes my hand, leading me. I stop in the doorway, and my breath catches. Candles are lit on the counter. The room glows.
He moves to the shower and turns it on. Steam billows and the glass begins to fog. I take several steps toward him, and he gently kisses me as his fingers grab the hem of my sweater. As the fabric rises, his knuckles graze against my skin, causing goose bumps to trail over me. I raise my arms, and he pulls my top over my head, letting it fall to the floor. His hands slide down my bare arms as he kisses the ghosts of the hickeys he gave me.
He brushes my hair back from my face as I remove his belt, then unbutton and unzip his pants. I push them down along with his boxers. My fingers slide up his shirt, and he removes it. The two of us shimmy out of the rest of our clothes and stand in front of one another naked. Lucas wants to take his time, not rush the motions. He wants to kiss me and touch me and memorize every inch of me.
The thought breaks something open in my chest. This is what it’s like to be wanted, desired.
