Page 50 of The Shift Between Us (Covewood #2)

“Go enjoy a shower. I got this,” he says with a wink, practically making my knees turn into gooey dough. I look over his shoulder, at where Wren and Zane are both watching us with their jaws slackened. Before I can respond, Luke turns on the bathroom light and shuts the door in my face.

I stayed in the shower until all the hot water was gone. Then I spent twenty minutes on my skincare routine, taking my time, blasting my happy music to help lift my mood. Thankfully, I always pack extra and have a clean pair of undies and pajamas in my bag that I slip on.

Once there is nothing left for me to do, I turn off my music and tiptoe out of the bathroom. The sound of Michael Jackson fills my home and grows louder as I make my way through the living room and into the kitchen.

To my surprise, the house is clean. It’s not spotless, but everything has been picked up and put into its place.

Even Buttercream seems more at peace with himself, as he’s sprawled across my couch, snoozing away.

It seems like the only thing that didn’t get cleaned was the dishes, which Luke is currently handwashing.

He uses his high-pitched Prince singing voice to sing along to “The Way You Make Me Feel” as he scrubs the plate he’s holding within his large hands.

He’s rocking his hips side to side, exposing his glorious set of abs because, of course, his shirt is missing.

He’s oblivious that I’m in the room witnessing this.

I. Am. Mesmerized.

Then he turns around, places the dish into the drainer, and catches me standing there, gawking at him. Then he winks at me. He. Winks. He does the Michael Jackson famous “He-he” before returning to the dishes, not missing a single beat. It’s as if he wanted me to catch him in the act.

That wink lights a fire so deep within my core that I have to actually fan my face. I allow myself a few extra seconds to enjoy this glorious scene, begging my memory to store this someplace safe so I can revisit it later on, before I reach over and turn the music down.

Luke continues singing the lyrics anyway and turns around, snatching me by my waist, bringing me closer to him. I now know why his shirt is off. His chest is completely covered in water. Or is that sweat? Either way, if I don’t put some space between us, I’m going to combust.

Regret might hit me later, especially since Luke and I still haven’t defined whatever this is or what comes next for us. But if I could witness Luke shirtless, in my kitchen, washing my dishes every day, I would die a happy woman.

I painstakingly move away from Luke and make my way into the kitchen.

He slings a dish towel over his shoulder before returning his attention to me, his eyes trailing up and down my body as he admires my Christmas tree cake pajama set that I’m wearing.

His eyes have a certain sparkle to them, a look I’ve seen on him before when he’s eyed my freshly baked cookies, like he wants to devour me just the same.

“You are absolutely stunning,” he says, his eyes lifting up until they land on mine.

Usually, it’s every girl’s dream to get dressed up, and blow a guy’s mind, and have him tell her how stunning she is. I know it’s a dream I’ve had, but that was until Luke did the same thing even though I’m wearing a silly pair of pajamas and my face is completely bare of any makeup.

How does he do that? Make me feel special no matter what I look like?

“Where did Wren and Zane go?” I ask.

“I forced them to help me clean, and then I sent them packing once I heard the shower turn off.”

“I still can’t believe Wren did this,” I admit.

“She’s going through a hard time, especially with it being her first Christmas without—” He was about to say Wren’s ex-husband’s name, but I frown at him because we don’t mention his name anymore.

“He-who-shall-not-be-named. Being here brought her a sense of comfort, and you know how Wren gets when she gets comfortable.”

“Yeah, she forgets all about being a responsible adult and doesn’t pick up after herself.”

He grins at me, taking the dish towel off his shoulder and drying his hands. “She admitted to me that since she’s been living with your parents, she’s made sure to stay on top of everything, and this weekend allowed her to finally breathe for the first time in months.”

I cross my arms and shrug my shoulders, “Fine! I guess I’ll let this go.”

He’s staring at me in a way that makes me feel like I’m Cameron Diaz in The Holiday, and Luke is my very own Jude Law. So, this is what swooning feels like? Yeah, I could get used to this.

Luke makes his way toward me, taking both of his hands, and grabs my face as he pulls me in for a kiss.

It’s the kind of kiss that sends a spark through every nerve, settling in my chest like a promise I wasn’t ready for, but what I want anyway.

He pulls away, placing his forehead on mine, and exhales loudly.

“Sorry, I’ve been wanting to do that ever since the drive home.” His words touch my skin in a rough whisper. A sigh loosens from his chest, and he drops his hand, taking two steps back, his dark eyes piercing into mine. “So…should we get settled and talk about everything?”

The simple question is enough to pop the bubble we had around us.

Reality hits me like a ton of bricks as I remember that we need to sit down to define what this is.

Even though I’m pretty sure I know what I want to happen between us, I’m still scared to take that step.

I hate that life has made me this hesitant, always second-guessing something that feels so right.

“We can also wait, if you’d like. There’s no rush.”

I release a pent-up breath, feeling my shoulders drop from the weight he just lifted from them. “Want to eat that charcuterie board Zane made and play some Mario Kart with me?”

He pauses for a moment, chin dipping until his eyes are locked on mine again, as he answers, “That sounds perfect.”