Page 19

Chapter 19: Luke

T he quiet hung between us. I didn’t move, afraid to break whatever spell had wrapped itself around us in those moments. She wasn’t pushing me away, she wasn’t shutting down, and she wasn’t retreating behind the walls she so carefully kept in place.

Instead, she stayed exactly where she was. With her arms loose around my neck, her legs still hooked over my hips, her forehead resting against mine.

“Luke,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yeah?” I murmured, my lips grazing her temple.

She hesitated, her lashes fluttering against her cheeks as she took a deep breath. “What happens now?”

I pulled back just enough to look at her, my hand moving to cup her cheek. “We stop pretending,” I said simply.

Her brows furrowed, her lips parting slightly as she searched my face. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’m done with the games,” I said. “I’m done with the fake dates and the contracts and the deadlines. I’m done pretending this isn’t real for me.”

She smiled and I knew she felt the same way.

“I’m yours, Avery,” I said, my thumb brushing against her cheek. “Completely. And I don’t care about the deal or the promotion or anything else. All I care about is you.”

“I don’t know how to do this,” she said. “I always mess up anything that is good.”

“I won’t let you. This is new for me too, so we’ll figure it out,” I said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Together.”

She nodded slowly. “I want this,” she said. “I want you.”

I lifted her from the table, her legs still wrapped around my waist, and carried her toward the stairs. Her fingers traced lazy patterns on my shoulders, her lips brushing against my neck as I climbed, the warmth of her sending a shiver through me.

When we reached the bedroom, I laid her down on the bed, my body covering hers as I braced myself on my forearms. Her hands slid into my hair, her eyes searching mine, and I saw everything I’d ever wanted reflected back at me.

This was just the beginning for us.