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EPILOGUE
I opened the box and pulled at the vase I’d ordered. It was one of the last pieces I had wanted for the house, and I placed it on the center of the side unit in the living room. As I stepped back, I smiled.
The house was finished. It needed flowers, but those could be purchased any time and I could imagine them for now. The place was perfect.
It had taken almost two weeks of constant work and hunting for all the right pieces, but Sarai had let me get a few things from the spares of the project and I’d used the internet where I could around meetings and similar tasks to get the bulk of the furniture.
The rest of the time I had been in the same little markets, hunting out items with the right unique aesthetic. I had finally found the perfect vase in a market I loved near the vacation park.
Feeling pleased with myself, I took a picture and sent it to some of my friends to let them know I was done. All of them had been excited about the thought of staying with me while I was here and seeing more of the area, especially when I was here in between stints in New York.
Because there would be a lot more similarities between the different vacation homes on this second project, I would be able to do a little more of the process from here and buy in bulk a lot of what I wanted.
I was considering showing Lukas a photo when I heard his car on the drive. While I had been working on it, I had refused to let Lukas into the house. He’d obliged me, but I wasn’t surprised he was here as soon as he could be.
Eager to show him around, I opened the door before he could knock.
He handed me a big bouquet of flowers and I noticed he had a bottle of champagne tucked under one arm and strawberries in the other hand.
“Apparently there’s a vase that needs those,” he said, pointing to the flowers he’d handed me before sweeping in as well.
Stopping in the hallway, he glanced through the open doorways at the different rooms and his mouth fell open.
“You’ve transformed this place.”
“You did ask me to.” I grinned, more than a little pleased that he was so surprised.
Although I didn’t take him straight on a tour as I’d intended, we soon had the flowers in the vase, the strawberries in a bowl, and a glass of champagne poured for each of us.
“To the skills of the most amazing woman I know,” Lukas said as he raised his glass.
“I couldn’t think of any more beautiful houses for me to work with,” I replied, knowing we made a great team. He made the outside look good and thought about how the houses should be laid out. Then I took over and filled them full of the right furniture and knick-knacks to make them feel like a home.
“To teamwork.” We both said the words together, almost entirely of one mind.
After that, I tried to show him around, but we didn’t get any further than the bedroom. I’d chosen a dark-wood four-poster bed for the main suite, and there was a large bench at the end of the bed. It almost looked like something out of a fairy tale, but it was understated enough, and there was enough light streaming in from the large windows that it fit the room well.
Lukas took the champagne glass out of my hands and set both of them down on the bedside table. I was about to ask what he was thinking of when he pulled me into his arms and pressed his lips to mine. Almost immediately his hands began to roam.
I moaned into him as he touched parts of me that had yearned for him. Even though we’d been back together again for two weeks, he hadn’t taken me yet. Each time we’d come together he’d ramped up the desire. He’d kissed me more passionately than I had thought possible at times.
Yet his hands he had kept to himself. Until now. It was like he couldn’t hold back any longer, and neither could I. Within another second I was unbuttoning his shirt, wanting to get at the man underneath.
He lifted the T-shirt I had on and quickly pulled it over my head. It broke our kiss long enough that I got a good look at him. Desire shone in his eyes and I could see an obvious bulge in his pants.
We kissed some more, but this time he was more controlled, and when I tried to take his pants off, he stopped my hands and held them in his.
“I don’t want this to be a quick fuck,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment. Wanting you to know I can be controlled and dedicated to your needs and give you time to trust me with you again.”
“I do trust you,” I replied, the words coming out faster than I could think about. It was true. After this new beginning, I did feel safe with him. He’d been a different man. No longercautious, no catching him off in his own world, as if I wasn’t there or he didn’t want me to be. No sudden cold demeanor.
Every moment we had been together had been perfect.
Lukas stepped closer again, one hand cupping my cheek. This time, his kiss began in a more gentle manner. He eased me closer to him, the warmth of his skin bringing out the desire in me again. I knew better than to rush him when he wanted to be in control and lead me somewhere, however.
I also wanted my actions to show that I trusted him with me. He had been restrained with me, and it helped. But I desired him as well. The passion we shared was better than anything I’d ever had before.
Slowly Lukas ran his fingers up my back and then down again, getting tantalizingly close to my bra each time. When I tried to tug at his pants again and find the belt buckle, he stopped and took hold of my wrists. He pushed them behind my back and held them with one hand.
