Page 28 of Kiss Me Forever

“Crap. This is the second bulb this week. I have to change them, or Aunt Dana will have my ass.”

“What?”

“I need to catch up with her at nine via Zoom. I’ve got two bulbs in the foyer, and one’s been broken for about a week. She was already scolding me for not changing the first one. But I couldn’t reach the bulb just climbing on a chair, and I wasn’t in the mood to move the dining table around.”

“I’ll change your bulbs.”

“What? No, you don’t have to do that.”

“Can’t let Aunt Dana have that fine ass, can I?”

I sucked in a breath. Luke groaned. We were still in the doorway.

He cleared his throat. “I apologize. That was completely out of line. I’ll just change your bulbs and leave.”

I bit my lip, opening the door wider so we could both step inside. “Thanks.”

My palms were a bit sweaty. If I thought my knees were weak before, it was nothing compared to now. My stomach was cartwheeling. Just when I thought I was getting used to being around Luke, he proved me wrong.

I turned on the light in the living room, bringing two light bulbs from the box of supplies I kept on the shelf. Luke came in too, grabbing a chair from the kitchen table and taking it to the foyer.

“Where does your aunt live?” he asked, stepping up onto it.

“In Maine, where I grew up. I’m showing her how to navigate some tutoring websites.”

I took a step back, trying hard not to look at his ass. I’d never seen it from this angle. It was glorious.

“How come?”

“She’s an accountant and was laid off three months ago, then only found something part-time. I offered to lend her money a couple times, and she nearly bit off my head, so I figured I’d help her find a side hustle. Aunt Dana is a great tutor. She helped me with all my SATs. And online teaching is very in demand right now. A lot of websites don’t even require you to have any official training. I’ve been showing her every evening how to set up profiles, things like that.”

Luke glanced down at me. “You’re a great person, Megan.”

“I just want to take care of my aunt.” Considering she shut down my offer to lend her money, I wasn’t sure how I would convince her to let me pay her mortgage, but first things first. I didn’t even know if I would be part of the competition. I’d cross that bridge when I came to it.

Luke moved the chair under the second bulb, changing it in minutes.

“Let there be light,” I chanted once he stepped down, flicking the switch. It worked.

“Thanks, Luke.”

“Anytime.”

“Do you want a drink or something?” I didn’t want to kick him out after he’d changed my light bulbs. He looked so incredibly sexy right now. I was close enough to notice that his shirt had creases along the top button. Was it a nervous habit to tug at it, or did he keep it open when he was alone? Another intimate detail I was better off not knowing.

He stepped in the direction of the door. “I think we both know it’s best if I leave, Megan.”

My face felt on fire. I clasped and unclasped my fingers behind my back, unsure what to say. This was awkward. I couldn’t take the tension in the air anymore. Heat simply radiated off him.

“Good night, Luke,” I said as he opened the front door.

He looked me straight in the eyes, swallowing hard. “Good night.”

The second he closed the door, I let out a long breath. Luke and I seemed to do fine at the office, but once we were out of the building? Not so much.

I ate leftover chicken with rice while setting up my laptop at the kitchen table. I didn’t want to be late. Aunt Dana was a stickler for being on time.

She connected with me on Zoom at nine o’clock on the dot. The software wasn’t necessary for us to catch up, obviously, but I wanted her to get used to using it.

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