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He looked blissful in sleep, so different from his usual frowns or careful blank expressions. Last night he’d seemed nervous, anxious to please me. The other guys had probably put a lot of pressure on him. I felt a stab of guilt, but I had no intention of following my sister’s path and winding up in a bad situation. I was going to be one hundred percent certain about them, and they wouldallneed to be certain about me.
Luke wasn’t like the others. He definitely wasn’t like his brother. Toby was straight-laced, a control freak who didn’t quite know it. A city boy. Luke was more laid back, happiest when he was in the woods. I knew he posted to social media for a living, but I could tell he hated being in front of a screen. He was all about finding that perfect view, the perfect experience. He might film it for others, but he was there for himself.
Even if he did let down his guard, let me in, how would I fit into his life? This weekend was a test, a way to figure out if we connected. Would the things that made him happy make me happy too? I was going to put myself in his hands and see what happened.
And if I was honest, I hoped more touching happened. I could feel his strong muscles against me. Arms, shoulders, and thighs that he used to climb and hike. The other guys worked out in the gym, but Luke’s body was a reflection of the way he lived. He needed to be outside, needed to move his body in nature. Being stuck indoors would be torture for him.
My hand rose of its own accord, my finger tracing the full outline of his lips. It was Toby’s face too, but not. Luke was more tanned from the sun, with visible laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. I’d seen his mischievous grins. There was a fun-loving, chill guy in there, beyond the relationship angst.
His eyes fluttered open and I was nearly blinded by his smile. My heart clenched. He was looking at me like I was his joy. No doubts, no walls. Hope swelled inside me, stealing my breath. It felt right.
He bent his head, brushing his lips softly against mine, asking permission. I gave it, opening for him. He groaned at the back of his throat as his tongue dipped inside, tangling with mine.
I waited for him to take it further, to reach under my sweater or between my legs, but he didn’t. This was all about our mouths, about kissing.
Luke held my jaw and angled his face for a deep sweep of my mouth, then switched positions and focused on my lips. He sucked my bottom lip between his teeth, then darted out his tongue to the corner of my mouth. Teasing along the outline of my lips before licking inside and kissing me deep.
I lost myself in his studious approach to every way he could pleasure my mouth.
My body was heating up, needing more. I couldn’t help a quiet whimper, a needy grind of my hips against his. He didn’t respond the way I’d hoped. Instead, he pulled back with a full grin, his blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight coming in through the curtains.
“Sleep well?” He didn’t wait for me to answer. “I’m going to start breakfast. Take your time getting ready. I’ve got a fun hike planned today.”
With that, his warm body was gone.
Huh.
As I showered and got myself dressed in my hiking shoes and comfortable clothes, I decided to drop any expectations I might have had about Luke or this weekend. He seemed changed, even from last night. I was pretty curious to see where this was going to go.
After a quick but delicious oatmeal breakfast, topped with brown sugar and fresh fruit, we were out the door.
I got my first view of the cabin in daylight. It was an impressive place, both the house and the setting. The exterior was covered in rough redwood shingles, left unpainted. A broad porch wrapped around the front, complete with a generous porch swing. We walked around to the back and he showed me the cleared yard with a large outdoor kitchen and fireplace.
I could easily picture lazy nights spent sitting around a fire, eating food from the grill. Kids running around.
The image gave me pause. Until now, I hadn’t let myself think that far ahead. I still hadn’t made up my mind about the pack, and children were a decision for the far future. But standing there in the backyard designed to entertain, surrounded by trees and breathing the crisp air, it was easy to see it. Easy to imagine little boys and girls chasing each other in a game of tag, coming over to mom or one of the dads to show off a feather or something they’d found. I could almost hear their laughter.
Something of what I was thinking must have shown on my face. When I looked over at Luke, his gaze on me was knowing.
“Good place for a family,” he said quietly. Then he motioned toward the trees. “There’s a nice path through here that’ll take us around the lake.”
He led the way between two large firs and I followed, soon emerging from the shade of the woods into the sunshine. I blinked at the light reflecting off the nearby water, putting my hand over my eyes to scan the view in front of me.
Egrets and herons could be seen standing in the shallows, partially hidden by reeds, eyeing the water for their next meal. A log some distance away was covered in lumps and bumps, and I realized with a smile that they were turtles, sunning themselves. It smelled like a mixture of herbs and soil, already heating under the sun’s rays even in early fall.
The lake trail was mostly level and well groomed, nothing too challenging. It hugged the water in some places, wound back into the woods, then up a slight rise overlooking the lake.
Luke stopped occasionally to point out the view or a hawk, and I knew I was seeing him at his most comfortable. He was in his element, and he seemed to love sharing it with me.
With every step, I was more and more seduced by this place. By him. For most of the way, the path was wide enough to walk side by side, our arms casually brushing. About an hour into the hike, Luke reached for my hand, twining his fingers with mine. I felt a sigh release from my lungs as though I had come home.
“I know a nice spot for lunch. It’s a little bit of a climb, but if you’re up for it, the view is fantastic.”
“Does the climb involve ropes?” I’d done indoor climbing before, but I was nervous about real rock.
Luke chuckled. “No, you just need to watch your step. It’s a steep goat trail.”
“Okay, I think I can handle that.”
