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The last couple of days, I’ve been feeling really strange. I don’t think its pregnancy related, either.
I’ll be going about my business, walking through the street and headed to the office when a strange tingling sensation licks at the back of my neck. It feels like someone’s watching me. When I turn to check, I find nothing amiss.
The same thing happens when I go out for lunch. The little cafe I’ve been visiting lately is just around the corner from the office. They sell some of the most divine lemon curd twice-baked croissants, and I’ve honestly been craving them at all hours of the day. This time when I sense it, the hairs on my arms stand on end.
I throw a cautionary glance over my shoulder.
Still nothing.
If I’m being perfectly honest, it’s really starting to freak me out. I don’t know why I’m so paranoid lately. Is it a side effect of pregnancy? Why haven’t I read about it in any of my books? My gut keeps telling me I’m being watched, but there’s no evidence to prove this is indeed the case.
The feeling keeps coming back. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. By Friday, I’m ready to have a full-on meltdown. I’ve never been more eager to tidy up my desk and sprint out the door to head home. Of course, it’s not so much a sprint as a careful shuffle. I don’t want to risk any sudden tumbles.
By the time I get to the apartment, I’m exhausted and wired. My spidey senses have turned off today. Maybe there was a weird electric current in the air or something. As soon as I’m through the front doors, I stop short to find Tabitha snatching up her coat on the way out.
“Oh!” she says, giving me an incredibly mischievous smile. She’s chuckling for some reason, barely able to contain her laughter and bubbly energy.
“What’s gotten into you?” I ask, amused.
“Oh, nothing.” Her tone tells me it’s definitelysomething. “I’m going to talk to a potential client at a pub not too far from here.”
“Oh, that’s exciting! Do you want me to come with? Do you know the area well enough?”
Tabitha waves me off. “It’s okay, sis. I’m more than capable. Besides, I wouldn’t want to keep you.”
I furrow my brows. “Keep me? You’re not keeping me from anything.”
My little sister wheels away, cackling like a maniac. “You should go to your room. There’s a surprise waiting for you.”
I put a hand on my hips, mildly alarmed. “Aren’t you a little too old to be playing pranks on me? I swear to God, if you TP’d my room…”
Tabitha’s already wheeled herself all the way down the hall. “See you in a bit!” she exclaims as she enters the elevator, disappearing behind the sliding doors.
I walk into my apartment slowly, looking around for anything suspicious. When Tabitha was younger, she was quite the little trickster. She got up to all sorts of trouble as a little girl, but I assumed she grew out of that phase.
Shuffling out of my shoes and setting my purse down on the kitchen counter, I slowly make my way to my room at the very end of the hall. The door is closed, and I don’t see anything that immediately jumps out at me. Maybe Tabitha’s just trying to get a rise out of me?
I open the door—
And gasp.
My knees almost buckle out from under me, but I’m thankfully able to catch myself on the door frame.
Standing in the middle of my room is a tall man with broad shoulders. His dark brown hair is shorter than I remember. He’s shaved, too, giving me a good look at his sharp jaw and coy smile. He’s either a ghost or a dream because I just can’t wrap my mind around his sudden appearance.
“Hey, baby,” he greets me with a smile, his voice rich and deep. His dark eyes flit down to my belly. “And hello, baby.”
“Luka,” I rasp. My heart pounds in my throat. “Luka, what—how—”
Instead of answering, he takes three long strides and closes the space between us. He cups my face in his hands, his touch so tender I swear I might melt. Luka dips down and presses his lips to mine, gentle and sweet and wonderful. Our mouths slot into place, a perfect fit. Before this moment, I didn’t know what it was to find a home in someone—to feel so absolutely complete and safe and warm.
I grip the front of his black sweatshirt. His fingers curl in my hair. Luka kisses me again and again and again, slowly but surely mending the cracks riddling my heart. How long has it been since he held me in his arms? The answer istoo fucking long. So we do nothing but kiss, locked in each other’s embrace until we’re both breathless.
“What…” I lick my lips. “What are you doing here? I thought you weregone.”
“I never should have left,” he confesses. “But I saw Tabitha’s Instagram story. The one from the baby shower.”
I blink up at him in surprise. “You were stalking her socials?”
