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My heart pounded in my chest. Even though the date got off to a rocky start, sitting next to Lucas by the fireplace with our shoes off felt like it was meant to be.
The flames from the fire cast shadows over the already sharp lines on his face. Its light danced on the golden-brown curls of his hair. Lucas unfolded his arms from around his knees and leaned backwards, resting his weight on his hands. From the change in position, he sat closer to me, and I could smell his cologne over the scent of the wood burning in the fire.
“I thought everywhere in Covington Falls was peaceful, but it’s even more quiet up here.”
He turned his head towards me. “I used to hate that about this place. The quiet. This is nice, though.”
I nodded and said, “You are absolutely right that this house is absurdly big, but it’s also really beautiful. It was very sweet of you and your brother to want it for your family. Claire and Joseph may not enjoy living here at first, but they’ll come around. Eventually.”
“I hope so. I really do. Otherwise, this place will be empty forever.”
I giggled. “A touch dramatic there.”
“No, I’m serious,” Lucas said. “My brother swears he’ll never get married. He’s really leaning into the role of a devilish rogue.”
I laughed.
“I’m not joking. Just this morning, my mother brought up the b-word.”
Clueless, I asked, “The b-word?”
Lucas nodded. “Yeah. Babies. As in grandbabies.”
“Ohhhhh.”
He shook his head. “Poor woman. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that was probably never going to happen.”
“Well, Joe and Claire have two sons. What about you?” As soon as the words flew out of my mouth, I pressed my lips together. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ask that.”
He ducked his eyes away. There was a smile on his face when our eyes met again. “I’m just the opposite. A serial monogamist,” he said. “I’ve always been married to V-Sparks.”
I nodded. “I understand.”
“You do?”
Pulling my shoulders up, I shrugged. “I can get that way with the clinic sometimes. I mean, it’s nothing like what you have to do with your gigantic company.”
He laughed. “I have my brother and hundreds of people to help me. Maybe… I don’t know…”
“What is it?” I asked.
I drew in a deep breath. Lucas angled his chest towards. “My brother and I have spent weeks trying to fill the VP position here in Covington Falls. I finally found someone for the job this week.”
“That’s great. Isn’t it?”
Lucas gazed at me. “No,” he said. “Not really. With all the delays, she might change her mind. The whole thing might cost us too much in the end. And I…” Lucas paused. “I never imagined that I’d ever have a reason to come back to Covington Falls for good, but now I do.”
My eyes blinked. Lucas edged closer to me. I shift in his direction. Every inch of me was desperate to be nearer to him. I breathed him in.Was this real?
He touched my cheek, and said softly, “I want to kiss you, Zoey.”
His voice sent shivers down my spine. I closed my eyes and lunged toward him. Our mouths crashed into one another. His fingers dug into my hair and Lucas pulled me into him, deepening the kiss. I climbed on top of him, straddling his hips.
“It’s been a while for me,” he said into our kiss.
“Me too.”
Immediately, Lucas undid the top button on my shirt, the one below that, and then he stopped. He broke our kiss. “Is this okay? I don’t want you to feel rushed. Or think this won’t mean anything to me because of what I said. I like you, Zoey. A lot.”
