Page 75 of The Cherry Blossom Boathouse

“You,” she managed, reaching between them to push at his sweatpants. “Just you.”

He helped her, kicking off the last barrier between them, and then he was poised above her, the blunt head of him pressing against her entrance.

With a sound that was almost like relief, he pushed forward, filling her in one slow, inexorable thrust that had them both gasping. For a moment, he didn’t move, just rested his forehead against hers, their breath mingling, bodies joined as intimately as two people could be as they searched each other’s eyes.

Then Luke began to move. Slow at first, almost reverent. But as Sophie’s gasps turned to moans, as her nails scored paths down his back, his control began to slip.

His thrusts grew harder, deeper, the angle changing slightly to hit a spot inside her that made Sophie cry out with each stroke. One of his hands slid beneath her, cupping her backside to lift her hips higher, taking him impossibly deeper.

“Luke,” she panted, feeling the familiar tightening begin deep in her belly. “I’m close.”

“Me too,” he growled against her neck, his free hand sliding between them to find the bundle of nerves at her center.

His fingers circled her in time with his thrusts and Sophie shattered, pleasure crashing through her in waves that left her gasping his name. Luke followed her moments later, his rhythm faltering as he buried his face in her neck with a groan that vibrated through her entire body.

For several long moments, they just lay there, tangled together, hearts racing in tandem.

Finally, he rolled to the side, gathering her against him so her head rested on his chest, their legs still intertwined.

“You okay?” he asked softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Better than okay. Though I think I might have broken something. Possibly my ability to think straight.”

Luke’s chest shook with a quiet laugh. “Is that good or bad?”

“Definitely good.” She tilted her head to look at him. “Thank you. For everything. For coming to check on me. For calling the sheriff. For…making me feel safe.”

Luke’s arm tightened around her. “Always, Soph.”

They lay in comfortable silence for a while, Sophie enjoying the feel of his firm, warm chest against her cheek.

“What do you think they were looking for?” she asked eventually, her mind circling back to the break-in despite her best efforts.

Luke sighed. “I don’t know. Could be someone looking for valuables.”

“In a half-renovated boathouse? Not likely. Besides, nothing was taken, as far as I could tell. Like, my mum’s gold necklace was on the side but it wasn’t touched. A bunch of documents from the legal guys were, though.”

“They were stolen?”

“No, just scattered, like someone was looking through them.” She yawned, exhaustion finally catching up with her. “We can figure it out. But right now, I just want to sleep for about a million years.”

Luke pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Sleep then. I’ll be right here.”

Sophie closed her eyes, letting the warmth of his body and the steady rhythm of his breathing lull her toward sleep. Just before she drifted off, she mumbled, “I’m glad you found me in your lake.”

His response was so quiet she almost missed it. “I’m glad I found you too, Bookshop.”

—

Sophie woke to the distant sound of voices. For a bleary moment, she couldn’t place where she was, then the events of last night crashed back. The party. The break-in. Luke’s arms around her, making her feel impossibly safe.

Speaking of Luke…She stretched a hand across the sheets, finding only the lingering impression of his body.

The voices grew louder, several of them now, coming from outside.

“Is this the one? Looks like it from Sophie’s last Insta post,” one voice said.

“I don’t know, Juniper. It looks smaller in person…” said another.