They walked inside and her eyes widened. “Ah, now I see what you’re talking about,” she said, taking in the half-fitted kitchen and the living area filled with boxes.
“It’s a work in progress.”
“Isn’t everything?” She smiled up at him, and he had to taste those lips again. He leaned his head down and pressed his mouth to hers. She looped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as he ran his hands down her sides, feeling her shiver at his touch.
“Try not to breathe too much,” he mumbled against her mouth. “There’s a lot of dust in here.”
She was laughing when he pulled away. It was impossible to stop staring at her. She was beautiful when she laughed, or anytime really. Her eyes were sparkling, her lips swollen, and the way she looked up at him every time they kissed sent his pulse racing. But it was the feeling of her – the sweetness of her kisses, the softness of her breasts against him – that made desire rush through him like a drug. He wanted to feel every inch of her until there wasn’t a part of her left untouched. Wanted to make her his own.
Lucas took a deep breath and stepped back from her. He wasn’t a kid any more. He didn’t need to be ruled by his hormones. “Would you like
a drink?” he asked her. “I have sodas and some beers, but not much else. As you said, I wasn’t expecting company.” He emphasized the fact this hadn’t been part of his plan, he didn’t want her to think of him like that.
“A soda sounds good.” She smiled as he walked into his half-finished kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator and grabbing two Cokes.
He pulled them both open then passed a can to her. “I… ah… haven’t got any glasses either.”
Her eyes crinkled as she laughed again, then took a big mouthful of soda. “You don’t have to keep apologizing,” she told him, putting the can down on the granite counter. “This place looks wonderful, I can’t believe you did it all by yourself.”
“You want a tour?” he asked her, putting his own drink down. “It won’t take that long.”
“Sure.”
It seemed like a good idea at first. Taking her first around the living room and explaining how he sourced all the materials, then into the bathroom which he’d only finished tiling two days earlier. She admired his choice of color – pale dove greys and whites – and he’d felt like the king of the world for being able to plumb a goddamn bathroom suite.
But then there was only one room left and he felt embarrassment come over him once again. His hand lingered on the polished handle as he turned to look at her. “This is the bedroom,” he said, then swallowed hard. “I haven’t finished it yet.”
“It’s okay,” she said, still smiling at him. “You already won me over with your beautiful bathroom.”
He laughed and the embarrassment disappeared. Pushing the door open, he stood back, allowing her to step inside. The room was a half-empty shell. The floors were polished, the walls freshly painted, but there was no furniture save for the bed in the middle of the room.
“Wow, I’ve never seen one like this before,” she said, stepping forward. She ran her hand along the varnished driftwood headboard. “Where did you get it from?”
He cleared his throat. “I made it,” he said, his cheeks heating up all over again. “Well the base anyway. I bought the mattress.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You made this?” she repeated. “And here I was impressed by your tiling skills but they’ve got nothing on this. It’s beautiful.”
If he’d felt like the King of the World before, now he felt like he’d expanded his empire to include the rest of the galaxy. “I like making stuff,” he admitted. “And I like keeping busy. Plus it’s good for the environment, you know?”
“The environment?” Ember shook her head. “Just when I think I know you, you go and surprise me all over again.”
He shrugged. “In my job, I see enough of our world being ruined by humans. I like to do my bit to reverse the damage.”
She stepped away from the bed, walking over to where he was still leaning against the door jamb. Her head inclined as she looked into his eyes. “I like you, Lucas Russell,” she whispered. “I like you a lot.”
Forget the galaxy, he was king of the universe. “I like you, too.” He reached out, curling his hand around her waist to pull her against him. “More than I can say.” She was still staring up at him, her eyes so expressive he felt he could live and die in them. His heart was pounding against his chest, the same way it always seemed to do when she was around. “Christ, you’re pretty,” he said, his voice full of grit. “I can’t stop looking at you.”
“Then don’t stop.”
“But if I don’t stop, I won’t be able to kiss you again. And I definitely want to kiss you again.”
The corners of her lips pulled into a smile. She reached up and covered his eyes, before she brushed her mouth against his lips. “Looking’s overrated,” she whispered, her breath warm against his skin. “It’s the way you feel that matters.”
* * *
There was a time when Ember never thought she’d kiss another man again. But now, as Lucas moved his lips against hers, his hand cupping her jaw as the other smoothed her hair away from her face, it felt almost inevitable. As though they were drawn together by some invisible force and it was tightening around them with every second. But as she rolled onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his body close to hers, it didn’t feel like a surrender.
It was too damn good for that.