Page 6

6

LUKE

TWO MONTHS LATER

“ F irst time in Boston?” The cab driver glances at me in the rearview mirror.

“Nah, this is practically becoming my second home.” The familiar brownstones of Thora’s neighborhood slide past my window. Two months of flying back and forth means I know these streets by heart—the coffee shop where Thora gets her morning fix, the park where we spent a whole afternoon people-watching last week, the bookstore where I kept finding excuses to kiss her when no one was watching. Each visit has woven another thread into the life we’re building together.

The driver chuckles. “Got someone special keeping you coming back?”

“Someone extremely special.” I adjust the bouquet of red and pink peonies in my lap, my knee bouncing with anticipation. These past few months have been a constant juggling act—squeezing in visits between games, flying Thora out to San Francisco, meeting up in other cities when the Stallions play away games. It’s been a crazy amount of planning and maneuvering, but I’d move mountains just to spend a few hours with her.

The cab pulls up to her building, and I’m out the door almost before it stops moving. I grab my overnight bag from the trunk, then turn back to pass the driver a generous tip. “Thanks, man.”

My feet quickly take me up the outdoor stairs to her second-floor apartment. Eight steps, sharp right turn, twelve more to her door. The peonies bob in my grip as I take the stairs two at a time, concrete bright in the afternoon sun. Before I can knock, Thora’s apartment door swings open, and there she is—bright-eyed and beaming, already reaching for me.

I drop my bag and pull her into my arms. The bouquet’s wrapping crinkles against Thora’s back as I press my lips to hers. Goddamn, it feels good to kiss her. She melts against me, her hands sliding up my chest to grip my shoulders. Our kiss deepens, and heat races through my body as her tongue slides against mine. Her fingers dig into my shoulders, and the soft sound she makes in the back of her throat nearly undoes me completely.

When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard. “Fuck, I missed you,” I murmur against her lips.

She laughs. “It’s only been three days, Luke.”

“That’s seventy-two hours too long.” I press my lips to hers again, then reluctantly step back to retrieve my bag. “But who’s counting?”

“How was your flight?” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, her cheeks still flushed from our kiss.

“Good. Got through another one of your books.” I flash her a smile. “You know what’s funny? Even though I know romance novels always end happy, I still get worried the couple won’t work it out. Those final chapters had me on the edge of my seat.”

She laughs, shaking her head. “You really don’t have to listen to every single book I’ve narrated.”

“But I want to.” I step closer, drawn back into her orbit. “I love hearing your voice when we’re apart. Makes me feel closer to you.” I remember the flowers in my hand. “Oh, hey. These are for you.”

Her face lights up as she takes them and buries her nose in the soft petals. “Thank you so much, Luke. You really don’t need to bring flowers every single time.”

“Don’t even try to talk me out of it, missy.” I follow her into the kitchen, watching as she reaches for her favorite vase. “You’re getting all the flowers in the world, so you might as well get used to it.”

“Well, it’s very sweet of you.”

“You deserve it, beautiful.”

What Thora doesn’t realize is that she’s the one giving me the real gift here. Those viral photos last season really did a number on me—made me feel like some product being sold, like my whole life was just entertainment for strangers. I didn’t realize it at the time, I thought it was just an annoying thing to deal with, but the truth is that it was making me lose sight of who I was.

But with Thora, everything feels real again. And every time I’m with her, I’m happy in a way I didn’t even know was possible.

She fills the vase with water and arranges the peonies, then comes back to wrap her arms around my neck, settling her curves against me. “I was thinking we could walk to the farmers’ market, grab some stuff for dinner. Then just have a nice, chill evening here. Thoughts?”

I dip my head to press my lips against her neck. “How much of this chill evening are we spending without clothes on?”

“Hmm. Fifty percent?”

“Make it seventy-five.”

“Sixty.”

“Sixty-nine.” I wiggle my eyebrows at her.

She bursts out laughing and slaps my chest. “God, you’re so immature sometimes.” She grabs my hand and tugs me toward the door. “Come on, the farmers’ market awaits.”

When I’m alone, grocery shopping is just another item on my to-do list. But with Thora, everything becomes an adventure. She guides me through the farmers’ market stalls like we’re exploring some magical realm, pointing out the best strawberries, debating the merits of different bread loaves, insisting on us trying samples of local honey.

Her hand fits perfectly in mine as we weave between the crowded stalls. “Remember that really good tomato sauce we made last time?” she asks, pulling me toward a vendor displaying rows of heirloom tomatoes. “We should make it again.”

“As long as you don’t let me burn the garlic this time.” I squeeze her hand, remembering how she’d rescued that cooking disaster, turning my scorched attempt into something incredible.

“You were very distracting that night.” She bumps her hip against mine, and the memory of exactly how I’d distracted her sends a rush of heat through my body.

We’re passing a jewelry stand when Thora slows, her attention caught by the display of handmade pieces. The vendor, an older woman with silver-streaked hair, smiles warmly as Thora examines delicate necklaces and earrings made from sea glass and silver wire.

That’s when I spot the rings. They’re made of different kinds of wire twisted into intricate patterns, some set with small stones. I pick up one that catches my eye—silver wrapped around itself like waves, with a small blue stone at its center. “This one’s pretty.”

Thora peers at it. “It really is. The metalwork is beautiful.”

My heart does a funny skip as I imagine a different kind of ring on her finger. I know it’s crazy—we’ve only been together a few months, and half of that has been spent coordinating visits between cities. But when I look at her, I can see our whole future stretching out ahead of us.

“Could make a decent wedding ring,” I say, only halfway joking.

She laughs and sets the ring back on the display. “The craftsmanship is lovely,” she tells the vendor. “You’re very talented.”

As we continue through the market, I notice that Thora has grown a little quiet. Her hand is still in mine, but there’s tension in her shoulders that wasn’t there before.

“You okay?” I ask.

“Yeah.” She bites her lip. “Just…you were kidding around back there, right? About the ring?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, I wouldn’t propose with that ring.” I watch her face carefully. “It was nice, but not really engagement ring material.”

Color floods her cheeks. “That’s not what I was asking.”

“I know.” I smile at her, my heart so damn full it feels like it might burst. “You’re asking if I’m really that serious about you. I am, Thora. I’m crazy about you.”

She stares at me, her eyes wide. “I didn’t realize...”

“You thought I’ve been flying out here just because it’s fun to hang out with you?” I tug her closer. “I’m in love with you.”

Her lips part in surprise, color rising in her cheeks. She looks like she might actually faint.

“How do you feel about me?” I ask. “Be honest.”

“I mean…” She laughs, still flustered. “I’m in love with you, too.”

My heart swells at her words. “Then why do you look so shocked that I feel the same way?”

“I don’t know.” She shakes her head. “It just feels unreal sometimes. Like this is too good to be true, or it’s some kind of fairy tale I don’t deserve.”

“Hey.” I cup her face in my hands. “You deserve the world, Thora. And this isn’t too good to be true. Sure, if we’re going to make this work long-term, we’ll need to figure out how to share a life and not just fly back and forth. But we can figure it out. Whatever comes up, we’ll handle it together.”

She nods, her eyes shining with tears. I lean in and kiss her deeply. Someone nearby whoops, followed by a few other people calling out sweet encouragements. I feel Thora’s smile against my lips as she kisses me back, and I know neither of us cares who’s watching. Let them see. Let the whole world see how much I love this woman.

Back at her place, everything feels perfectly normal and completely different at the same time. I kick off my shoes in their usual spot by the door, following Thora into the kitchen. I stack produce in the fridge while she organizes everything else with her usual precision, both of us moving around her kitchen like we’ve done this a thousand times.

When she cranks up some music, I pull out my worst dance moves just to make her laugh. We both sing along, destroying half the lyrics and cracking up at how bad we are.

But, honestly, she could get every word wrong and I’d still be in love with her.

We open a nice bottle of wine while we cook, pouring ourselves fresh glasses when we sit down to eat. The meal turns out great, but I’m having trouble focusing on it. It’s impossible to concentrate on the food when Thora is sitting across from me, licking her lips between bites, telling me about her latest work project with that spark in her eyes. God, everything about this woman gets to me—her body, her mind, her heart, all of it.

At the end of our meal, she gets up from her chair, and instead of clearing the plates, she walks over and plants herself right in my lap. My hands reflexively find her wide, lovely hips. Jesus, having her body pressed against mine like this makes me feel like a feral animal.

The kiss she gives me starts slow but builds fast, deep and hungry. My cock quickly hardens beneath her, thick and aching as our lips seal together. She’s got me hot all over, bursting at the seams. When she finally pulls back, we’re both breathing like we’ve run sprints.

“Bedroom?” she suggests.

I slide my hands down to grip her thighs. “Living room floor?”

Her laugh is low. “Oh, you’re in that kind of mood, are you?”

“You aren’t?”

“I didn’t say that.” She leans in to nip at my lips. “I was just asking a question.”

She yelps as I slide off the chair, pulling her with me onto the floor. Lucky for us, there’s a thick, plush rug to catch our fall. When I start tugging off her clothes, she’s right there with me, her fingers just as eager.

Soon we’re both naked, skin against skin, the heat between us feeling like pure fire. My cock leaks pre-cum as I rub my thumbs over her hardened nipples. When Thora exhales a needful moan, I feel it vibrate through me, straight to my core.

I lie back, urging her higher until her pussy is spread over my mouth. She gasps at the first long, slow lick I trace up her slit. The next lick draws a deep moan from her lips. The more I taste her, the more her gorgeously heavy thighs quiver around my face.

Fuck, I’m in heaven. I could do this all night long.

When she starts to pull away, I grab her hips in protest. “No, sweetheart. Stay.”

“But I want to taste you too,” she whimpers.

I groan with anticipation, letting go of her hips to watch her turn around above me. She gets on all fours, her tits pressing against my stomach and her belly brushing my chest as she lowers her mouth to my cock.

A curse escapes my throat as she takes me deep into her warm, wet mouth. My tongue finds her glistening pussy again, my hands gripping her spread thighs. The pleasure—fuck, it’s beyond words. I’m floating somewhere past the stars.

I suck her clit, lap at her dripping pussy, push my tongue inside her. It takes every ounce of control not to pump my cock into her mouth as she licks and sucks. When she comes, I lick her like a man possessed, drowning in how good she tastes.

After, she turns around to face me, and I roll her onto her back, pinning her to the plush rug as I tell her I love her and plunge into her pulsing cunt. She wraps her legs around me, her mouth falling open as I fuck her with deep, heavy strokes.

“Luke,” she begs. “Tell me again. Please.”

“I love you.” My voice comes out raw and rough. “I love you so much.”

“Oh, God.” She tilts her head back. “I love you, too.”

She’s mine. I feel it deeper than ever before. She’s mine, and I’m hers, and this is forever. She’s going to be my wife, the mother of my children, the woman I grow old with. There’s no other possibility.

Thora strains up for a kiss, and I seal my mouth to hers. My hips roll as I drive my cock into her, every muscle in my body burning hot. She’s close again, and I’m right there with her. She sobs out an oh God , then digs her fingers into my back and cries out, her pussy clamping around my cock—and I spill into her, claiming her as much as I’m giving myself to her, groaning her name like she’s already my wife.