AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Is there anything else you like about me?”
He wasn’t teasing. He was serious—Luke serious. She took a breath, closed the refrigerator, and set the watercress on the counter, giving herself a moment to consider her response. When she turnedaround she saw that he was watching her from the Luke zone. That meant her answer mattered. A lot.
“Yes,” she said. She crossed the small kitchen, leaned forward, and folded her arms on the counter. She smiled a polite, deliberately enigmatic smile. “Your turn. Is there anything you like about me?”
“I like being here with you. I need to know how long you want me to stay.”
“You are really lousy at this kind of conversation, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, let’s try this. How long do you want to stay?”
“As long as you’ll let me,” Luke said. “I fell in love with you that first morning when we ran into each other at Phoebe’s house.”
She almost stopped breathing. Almost. A fierce joy flooded her senses.
“Luke,” she whispered.
“I don’t want to leave, Talia. Ever.”
She smiled. “Well, don’t.”
His eyes tightened. “That’s what you said when I told you I was sure I could stop someone’s heart with my talent. It’s what you said when we got back from Night Island and I told you I didn’t want to stay in a hotel.”
“So?”
“So this is a very different situation.” Luke got up and moved around the counter to stand a couple of feet away from her. “I think something more is called for.”
“You’re overthinking this, as usual. Some things really are simple and straightforward.” She slipped her arms around his neck. “I love you. I’ve been afraid you wouldn’t realize that we have something very special together.”
Luke put his hands on her shoulders. “Aren’t you worried about our commitment issues?”
“In hindsight, I think it’s clear that we never had commitment issues,” she said. “We were just waiting for the right person to come along.”
His eyes burned. “About time you figured that out. I knew it from the start.”
She opened her mouth to give him a short lecture on the importance of communication, but she had to refocus, because he was pulling her close and tight and his mouth was on hers.
Priorities.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
TheLost Night FilesPodcast
Episode 7: “Island of the Vanished”
Podcast transcript:
Talia:His name was Edward Keever. He was a lonely, reclusive botanist, a failed academic with a special interest in mushrooms. He was lured to a private island in the Pacific Northwest with the promise of a position in a top secret government research lab. He died under mysterious circumstances. And then his body vanished.
Amelia:Once the setting of dangerous botanical experiments, Night Island conceals many mysteries. Several months ago some of the secrets buried there were uncovered by a ruthless man named Nathan Gill.
Pallas:Thanks to aLost Night Filesinvestigation, Gill’s criminal activities on the island have been halted. The long-lost lab is once again under the control of the government agency tasked with maintaining its security. But questions linger.
Talia:This is the story of a case that involves kidnapping, murder, and illicit paranormal research designed to produce assassins endowed with lethal psychic talents. Welcome toThe Lost Night Files. We’re in this together until we get answers.
