Page 164 of Love Unspoken

His hips pushed against my hand, and he closed his eyes for a moment. He smiled sheepishly, brought my hand to his mouth, and kissed my palm. "I miss fucking you, Amara."

His words and the edge in his voice had me wanting to go on my knees and suck him off.

He could see it in my eyes, and he groaned softly. "I skipped lunch. How about an early dinner?"

"Yes." And then will you come to my bed and make love to me?

"What are you thinking?" he inquired curiously.

I blushed. "You don't want to know."

"I do, baby. Tell me." His voice was husky, seductive.

"Will you come home with me tonight?"

He took a deep breath. "Yes."

"Will you sleep with me?"

"Yes."

"But you won't have sex with me." I could see the determination on his face.

"I love you, Amara." There was longing in his voice, and I didn't know what I was waiting for. The man had apologized. He had shown me who he was, yet I was unable to give him the words he needed.

"How does Italian sound for dinner?" I breathed.

"Sounds perfect."

He didn't push me. He didn't ask for more than I could give. This was a big step for Lucas—taking it slow, not bulldozing his way in, which was usually his style when he wanted something. And I had no doubt he wanted me; no man would put up with my bullshit if he didn't.

But it isn't bullshit, Amara. You're protecting yourself. Stop feeling guilty about taking care of yourself.

We ended up at Le Farfalle, another old favorite of ours. It was elegant without being pretentious. Familiar scents of garlic, fresh basil, and roasted tomatoes mingled in the air, accompanied by the soft notes of jazz playing in the background.

Lucas ordered a bottle of a deep and earthy Super Tuscan wine. As our glasses were filled, I realized how long it had been since we'd done this—just sat together, enjoying each other's company without expectations or unresolved feelings pressuring us.

"Here's looking at you, Tesoro." Lucas lifted his glass to me.

"We'll always have Charleston," I remarked and touched my glass to his. "This is fun. Being with you is…nice."

"I feel the same." I drank some wine and looked at him tentatively.

"What?" he sighed.

"I have a question."

"Okay."

"You said that you enjoyed our sex life the last time we…you know…."

"Ended up in bed together?"

"Yeah."

"Our sex life…our life in general was great, Amara. I just didn't know how to navigate my family. You can't imagine how sorry I⁠—"

"No more apologies," I admonished. "We're done apologizing to each other. I wanted to know if you ever felt we were not adventurous enough."