The banter continued, and they regularly argued over their taste in music, books and movies.
She forced him to sit through While You Were Sleeping, and in return she watched Rear Window, although she had her hands over her eyes for most of the movie and insisted on sleeping with the light on afterward.
He wrapped up a night-light and gave it to her as an early Christmas gift.
“I don’t need a night-light.”
“You always sleep with the light on.”
“Only since I met you.”
When she told him she was going to do the last of her Christmas shopping, he offered to go with her.
“You can help me choose something special for my grandmother,” he said. It was the only reason he gave when she probed as to why he’d want to brave the crowds.
The blizzard had passed, leaving behind snowy streets and a perfect blue sky. The sky and sunshine made it seem like they might have been in the Mediterranean had it not been for the biting wind and bitter cold.
Eva snuggled deep into her coat and slipped her hand into his.
He closed his fingers around hers and they walked down Fifth Avenue together, past glittering shop windows illuminated by twinkling fairy lights, each telling a different story. They strolled across to Rockefeller Center to admire the towering Christmas tree and then wandered down to Bryant Park and browsed the shops that were set up for the holiday period.
Eva lingered, examining jewelry, artisan goods and local foods. She sent Lucas an apologetic glance. “Are you bored? Shopping with me is probably a whole new definition of horror for you.”
He took her bags from her. “I’m not good at Christmas shopping. If you can help me with that, then I’ll owe you a debt I can never repay.”
“You already owe me. Because of me, you won’t miss your deadline. I’m a walking miracle. How did your writing go this morning?”
“It went well. I’m on my final read. I’ll be sending it to my agent and my editor tomorrow. Thanks to you. And you’re right. You are a miracle.”
“Maybe we should forget shopping. I could take you home and perform a few more miracles.” He slid his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled closer, wishing that being with him wasn’t quite so easy. “But we can’t leave until we’ve found the perfect present for Mitzy.” She turned back to the stall and Lucas released her reluctantly.
“I have no idea what the perfect present looks like.”
“That’s why you have me.”
It was several hours later when they arrived back at the apartment. After dropping their packages in the hallway they made straight for the bedroom.
Their mouths fused, the fact that both of them knew they were coming to the end of their time together adding a touch of desperation to every encounter.
Eva knew there was little time left. A few more days and she might never see him again. A few more days, and after that he would never know how she really felt.
The words were in her head as he made love to her slowly, stretching out the moment until she was almost screaming with need. Time and time again he drove her right to the edge, and held her there, hovering in a state of breathless desperation. And she knew that there never was going to be a right moment to say what she wanted to say, so she might as well just say it because if this was going to end and she hadn’t told him how she felt, she’d always regret it.
“I love you.” She whispered the words into his neck and felt him go still. “I love you, Lucas.”
He brought his mouth down on hers, silencing her. His fingers tightened in her hair and his measured thrusts deepened and became more urgent. But he didn’t stop kissing her, as if he was afraid that if he did she might say those words again.
She didn’t, but she showed him with the arch of her body and the gentle stroke of her hand.
She felt him shudder and drive deeper still, the erotic force of each thrust sending her into the most intense orgasm of her life. She cried out and felt him shudder above her as he reached his own peak, and still he held her and kissed her until she was dizzy with it.
Afterward she lay still, weakened by pleasure, pinned by his weight and the unimaginable intimacy of being with Lucas.
She wanted it to last forever.
He was her first love, and she so badly wanted him to be her last, but if this was all they could ever have then she’d take it.
* * *