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What she didn’t seem to understand was he wanted her to have every advantage he could offer. He wanted her to ask for whatever she wanted and expect him to give it to her. He wanted her to know that he would give her anything and everything he could without hesitation. Because he loved her. He hadn’t said that last part yet, but with the words on the tip of his tongue, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to hold back much longer. Every day they spent together, every night he held her as she fell asleep, and every morning he woke up to her smile, he fell deeper and more in love with her.
Orly’s blonde curls caught in the breeze and she giggled as a thick strand whipped around her face, catching in her mouth. The sound of her pure joy radiated through him like a waterfall, filling him up until he was nearly overflowing with her delight. But it was more than that. It was something he hadn’t known since he was a child. An innocence that went beyond the shallow pleasures of daily life. He didn’t understand how having Orly with him could settle something inside him he didn’t even know needed settling. And it wasn’t even something he could easily describe. He just knew that because of it, because of her, he felt different. Right. And he never wanted to be without her.
She tucked the strand behind her ear and glanced at him with another smile that melted his insides. He had no idea how he ever lived before meeting her, but losing her would be like losing the sun. He wouldn’t survive it.
They were on a two lane road with tall trees and blooming ground cover on either side. It was his day off and Luke wanted to do something special that got Orly out of the house after sensing her cabin fever when she’d taken it upon herself to rearrange his walk-in pantry. He was excited to bring her to one of his favorite places and hoped she’d love it as much as he did.
“Maybe when this is all over, we can take more drives,” Orly said, looking around in earnest, a dreamy look on her face.
Luke knew she was referring to Russell and the murderer. He just didn’t know when or if such a time would come. It was plain to see she was getting antsy staying at his house all day, everyday, but to her credit, she never complained. She spent her time in her garden, and experimenting in the kitchen with her freshly grown herbs and vegetables. The wildflowers had also grown a few inches and Luke loved how lived in his home and yard felt. He sighed, his heart squeezing at how much his life had changed in just the span of a few weeks. And it was all because of the beautiful, kind, and caring woman sitting next to him. “Absolutely,” Luke said, wishing he could whisk her away right now to a place where she never had to worry about anything or anyone hurting her again.
“Wherever you’re taking me must be beautiful. I can’t get over how scenic this area is,” Orly said, taking in the scenery.
“I think you’ll like it.” He turned onto a dirt road and took it to the end until the trees gave way to a clearing. The sun was low on the horizon behind them. There was a shimmering lake in front of them and nothing but the sound of rustling leaves and chirping birds around them.The reflections of the trees in the water made the vast lake look like a canvas with a beautifully distorted painting splashed across the surface, swaying in the breeze as the image moved with the gentle rolls of the waves.
Orly gasped, already unbuckling her seatbelt. “Oh my gosh, I think this is my new favorite place in the whole world,” she said, then paused for a moment before saying, “except for your house.”
“Our house.” He corrected her without missing a beat, then got out of his truck and came around to help her down.
“What’s your favorite place in the world?” She asked, looking up at him with her hands resting on his chest.
Luke loved having her this close to him, when their bodies were nearly touching, and he could feel the chemistry swirling between them. He didn’t even have to think before answering. “You. Being with you is my favorite place in the world.”
Orly threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. So tight, it made him stagger as his arms closed around her shoulders and his lips pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“Me too,” she said into his chest. “Everything's better when you’re with me.”
Luke swallowed past the knot in his throat and wondered how he’d ever gotten this lucky. It had to be more than luck though. People got lucky all the time, but he didn’t know anyone who had anything remotely close to what he shared with Orly. When she looked up at him again, he caught her mouth with his in a tender kiss that quickly intensified into a passionate duel of tongues. They came away breathless and dazed, and he loved seeing that spark in her eyes.
“I love kissing you,” Orly breathed.
“Good,” he said, brushing a stray hair from her face. “Because I plan on kissing you a lot.” They hadn’t done much more than kiss, but Luke wanted to give Orly a chance to settle in before he tried to move their relationship any further. His first priority had always been her safety and happiness. Everything else could wait. “Come on. I have blankets and pillows in the bed of the truck.” He’d parked in such a way that they would be overlooking the gleaming lake that reflected the trees and sky as its colors changed from blue to pink to purple. With no one else there, it was like they were the only two people in the world.
Luke lifted Orly onto the bed of the truck and pulled himself up. They sat on the edge, holding hands, their legs dangling off the tailgate, just taking in the smells and sounds of the forest. Birds chirped, the wind whispered unintelligibly through the Cedar and Elm trees that surrounded them to the back and on both sides, and the sounds of a busy woodpecker echoed nearby. It was a beautiful evening, but Luke could hardly take his eyes off the woman sitting next to him as she watched the sun setting, the first stars appearing like pinholes in the darkening sky.
Her expression was soft and her full pink lips called to him. When she turned to look at him, he caught her mouth with his. He angled his head to deepen the kiss and groaned when he felt her hands cupping his face, his neck, pulling him in closer, deeper. She opened and he surged in. Tasting her sweetness, her heat, he never wanted this moment to end.
“Orly.” he breathed, their lips still touching. She ran a hand across his chest, and he leaned into her touch. When he reached for the hem of her shirt, she smiled with a quick nod, giving him permission. With more tenderness that he ever thought he possessed, his fingers brushed over her skin as he watched her closely to see if she’d change her mind. But her eyes became hooded with lust and he trailed his fingers up her side, over her ribs, and higher until they touched the soft lace of her bra.
She let out a soft sigh of pleasure and he cupped her breast, gently kneading it in the palm of his hand. Breathing heavier, she threw her head back, closing her eyes as she arched into him. He took that opportunity to kiss the side of her neck. Peppering slow, sweet kisses that turned into licks and nips, making her moan with ragged breaths. He guided her down onto the blankets and pillows he’d arranged in the bed of his truck. She was so beautiful, lying there under him, her eyes glowing and her lips glistening and swollen from their kiss.
“Luke,” she breathed. Her hands stroked his arms, trailed down his sides, up his back, over his shoulders and back down his arms. He loved how she couldn’t seem to keep her hands off him. He felt the same way about her. Being away from her was torture and being with her was everything. It was peace. It was joy. It was life. And it was love. Pure love he couldn’t get enough of.
He crushed his lips to hers, tasting her, devouring her, inhaling her. Still cupping her breast, he reached over the lacy material of her bra and brushed his fingertips against the smooth velvety skin of her nipple. She sucked in a breath and mewled into his mouth. Wanting only to give her more pleasure, he rolled her nipple and her breath caught as she started grinding on his leg, making Luke nearly come right in his pants. “Oh fuck,” he cursed under his breath, carefully pulling his hand back while peppering kisses across her jawline, on her forehead, and the tip of her nose. He was so hard right now, but he wanted today to be about her and this wasn’t how he wanted their first time to go. He’d spent the last two weeks sleeping in bed with her every night, but he’d been careful not to push her for more than she was ready to give. He could tell she was becoming more impatient, as was he, but he still wanted their first time to be perfect. Not in the back of his truck.
He gazed down at her, his own breath catching at how beautiful she was, lying under him, smiling up at him, her golden curls fanned out around her. She looked like an angel and he couldn’t believe she was his. “I want you,” he admitted, huskily, not even trying to hide his desire. “But not here. Not like this.” He wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck as his index finger gently caressed her nape. Tucking his other hand under the small of her back, he was careful to support his weight on his forearms so as not to crush her. She was soft and warm, her body pressed up against his. The scent of her arousal permeated the air and he could easily take her right now. Slip into her wet inviting core and lose himself in the only woman he would ever love. But it was because he loved her that he wouldn’t do that. “I want our first time to be special. Not in the back of my pick up.”
She smiled, lifting her head to catch his lips with hers. He let her take what she wanted, opening for her, tasting her tongue in his mouth, caressing it with his own, before she gently pulled back. “I understand,” she said. “Everything just feels so right with you. For the first time in my life, I don’t feel alone anymore.”
Just as her words had the power to heal him, they also had the power to slay him. He hated thinking about her being alone and would spend the rest of his life making sure she never felt that way again. Even if something happened to him, Luke had no doubt his friends would be there to take care of her and protect her from people like Russell, and anyone who might seek to do her harm. “You’re a gift, Orly. A treasure. A beautiful soul who suffers so that others may find their way to safety. I can’t think of a greater sacrifice than the one you make over and over again. Every time someone connects with you, you put your own life and safety on the line to help them. As long as I draw breath, you will never be alone.”
She sighed, as if weighing his words before accepting them. She’d said she trusted him, but he knew that trust was a process and a journey. If it took the rest of his life, he’d spend every day gaining a little more of her trust, until she never had to wonder if he’d be there for her - because he always would.
He settled in beside her and pulled her into the crook of his arm. Orly tucked one arm between them, and draped her other arm over his chest, curling into him. He covered her hand with his, pressing it to the spot just over his heart. He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of his sweet, precious Orly wrapped in his arms, soft and happy. He couldn’t imagine anything better.
“Would it make me a bad person if I said I’d gladly trade it all in to be normal? To just be like everyone else?” Orly’s question pulled Luke from his thoughts, but once again he needed no time to respond.
“No.” There was nothing in this world that could make her a bad person, especially not wishing for an easier life. “Everyone has something in their life they wish they could trade in, give back, or simply not have. It doesn’t make them bad, just human. It makes you human, Orly. A very special, very kind, very generous human. Because I think you could ignore your ability, but you choose not to. And that’s what makes you the amazing person I know you to be.”
