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I steeled my facial expression, praying it came across as passive as I lifted my hand to his doorknob. I pushed through to find his room empty but bathed in soft candlelight.

His large, four-poster bed was adorned with white linens and soft pillows. It was the most comfortable bed I’d ever slept on. My eyes scanned the room, looking for Lukas, but my focus was pulled to the table on my side of the bed.

I had to grip the doorknob to keep from collapsing.

A steaming cup of tea sat in front of the same four books I’d placed there over a year ago. The ceramic tray, molded in the shape of a small clamshell, still sat there with a ring I’d left behind.

“Second thoughts?”

Lukas’s voice pulled me out of my haze, while what I saw put me into an entirely different one.

For the love of Zeus, he looked good.

He was leaning against the doorframe leading into his bathroom. His hair was tied back, his beard freshly groomed. He was wearing soft, navy pants and was torturously shirtless, subjecting me to a torso and chest full of sculpted muscle and a light dusting of hair.

“No,” I said, holding back a wince at how hoarse my voice sounded. “This is good, Luke.”

Lukas nodded, wiping his hands on a towel, and chucking it back on the tile counter. “What an eloquent assessment.”

“And what would you have to say about this?”

Lukas looked at the bed, then back to me. “Necessary.”

That fucking word. It would have grated if I wasn’t distracted by his gruff tone. “Oh, so you get one word, but my sentence is too vague?” I walked over to my side of the bed, hopping onto the plush mattress.

Lukas laughed, walking over to me. “Pretty much, baby.”

A panicked flutter erupted in my chest when he didn’t move around to his side, just walked straight up to me. He leaned down, like he was trying to press me back into the mattress.

I didn’t know if I should let him. I just stared up at him as he got closer and closer. I could only sit there and take it, feeling the heat of his body and the smell of his cologne envelop me.

Lukas got within an inch, and I sucked in a breath, preparing myself for a kiss.

He pulled back a second later, the decorative pillows in both of his hands.

Disappointment washed over me in a tidal wave. When Lukas turned to drop the pillow on a chair, I let my chest cave in with a heaving breath, chastising myself silently. I had to get it together.

My mind knew not to cross a line, but my body was waving a white flag of surrender.

I got under the covers quickly, hoping it could hide the goosebumps on my skin. The tight tank and shorts I’d worn were doing nothing to help my cause.

I picked up my tea and took a sip. The warm liquid only added to the heat swirling in my core.

“Are you tired?” I asked Lukas when he hopped into bed next to me.

He looked at me, down to where the covers were pooled at my waist, and back up again. “Yes, but you aren’t.”

“I am, actually.” I was proud of how clear my voice sounded. “Probably just long enough to finish my tea, though.”

Lukas nodded, reaching across me to grab one of the books on my bedside table.

“You don’t have any books on your side?” I grumbled when his arm brushed mine.

Lukas pulled back until our faces were inches apart and grinned. “It’s so much more fun to steal from you.”

I could feel my lips turn down in a frown. “You want my tea next?”

“You know I don’t like that stuff.”