38. Luke

Afew hours later—after my brother and sister had had their first slightly awkward, but still nice, conversation and my nieces had fallen asleep on the living room floor and pizzas were ordered and snacks depleted—Elijah found me curled up in the armchair, exhausted yet full of the most sublime gratitude.

I dozed lightly as Elijah cleaned up the kitchen, took care of the empty pizza boxes, took out trash bags full of plastic cups and paper plates. He shut off the music so only the peaceful sounds of the ocean outside could be heard. And when I blearily opened my eyes, he was crouched down in front of me, cupping my face with his hand.

"What do you need?" he asked.

"I need a shower. Then I need you to take me to bed and lie on top of me like the world's sexiest weighted blanket."

"Happy to be of service," he said with a grin. His thumb traced my cheekbone, and his expression turned somber. "I can't stop thinking about what Kenneth said, about what your father did to you. Luke, I'm so sorry."

I shifted in the chair, placing a palm on my chest where the news of my father's betrayal sat heavy and jagged. It would be tender for a while, a newly forming bruise, but it didn't scare me the way others had in the past.

I smiled down at the gorgeous man in front of me. Smiled at the remnants of the warm welcome party full of friends and family. I finally understood why the betrayal felt sore but survivable.

"I'm furious," I said. "I really am. Deep down, I always figured the reasons behind the will were shitty and fucked-up. Hearing it only confirmed my suspicions. Am I hurt? Yes, very. Am I surprised?"

I brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. "No, not really. The man used to make me sleep outside when I got bad grades. He wasn't a good person. He wasn't capable of love. We're so much luckier than he was, Elijah. We love and are loved. That's the only thing I care about right now. Loving you."

He kissed my fingers. "I love you too. Let's get you into that shower."

I would have collapsed, zombielike, if he hadn't forcibly pushed me down the hallway. Sat me on the lid of the toilet while the room filled with steam and gently undressed me. Off came his sweatshirt, a little big on me and smelling like his detergent. Off came the rest and then he was tossing away his shirt too, his grin just shy of wicked when he caught me staring at the rippling muscles of his torso. He took my hand and tugged me under the hot spray, where I moaned so loudly that Elijah chuckled against my hair.

"What are you gonna do now? Now that you can't be a protection agent anymore?" I asked.

His hands were strong and slick on my skin, working out the knots in my back, my neck, my shoulders. "I don't know yet. My brother helpfully reminded me that I'm thirty-seven, not a hundred, meaning a career change is totally possible."

I hummed. "Christopher is smart."

With my eyes closed against the spray, I heard him pop open the shampoo. Then his fingers were working through my hair. "That he is. I've never, ever…taken a real break. Never thought about anything other than my clients and their safety." He kissed the nape of my neck. "I'm terrified but in a good way."

"I know the feeling."

He tipped my head back to rinse. I was on the verge of becoming pure liquid beneath his magic hands.

"Would you go on vacation with me, Luke?"

I turned in his arms, surprised, slicking my wet hair back. "Didn't you just go on your first one in five years?"

His lips twitched. "I didn't actually enjoy myself."

"Yeah, no shit," I said with a grin. "You're a doer, Elijah Knight. I'm not saying you wouldn't enjoy a relaxing beach environment for part of the time. But you might need a bit more excitement on your vacations."

His gaze fell to my mouth. "You might be right."

"Good thing your boyfriend is the adventurous type." I stole a kiss. "Count me in. We can leave this weekend if you want. Given what we went through, I don't think anyone would blame us for sneaking away."

He smiled at me—slow, languid, lines crinkling around his eyes. "You'll really come with me?"

"I'd love nothing more, sweetheart."

He brushed his lips across my forehead. "When I was on that vacation, I remember seeing this couple. Two men, romantic, affectionate. So at ease with each other, with their love. I wanted"—he swallowed—"I wasn't sure that would ever happen for me. Wasn't sure I deserved it."

I gripped his face, rose up on my toes, and kissed him. Long and sweet beneath the hot water, the steam surrounding us as our mouths met again and again. "I meant what I said, that night in the cabin," I said softly. "You deserve the world, and I'll do everything in my power to give it to you."

On any other night, the possessive sound that rumbled from Elijah's chest just then would have had me falling to my knees—and gladly. But he must have sensed my bone-deep exhaustion because he merely kissed the top of my head and then gently toweled me dry. I was half asleep by the time he pulled the covers up to my chin. And the second he curled his big body around mine, I was out.

So it could have been hours or days later when I finally surfaced from my well-deep sleep. I wiggled back against the wall of solid, muscular heat still wrapped around me and was rewarded with Elijah's husky laughter against my ear. That was all it took for me to turn and reach for him, my need for this man suddenly as urgent as my next fucking breath. He crashed his mouth against mine but then yanked back, eyeing the bruising near my lips with obvious concern.

I shook my head, bringing his face back down. "I'm fine. Really. Please don't stop."

His jaw flexed. "Are you sure?"

"Elijah, please."

His next kiss was pure devastation—soft and dreamy, and then demanding. He kissed me like he never planned to stop, like we could share a single breath for all of eternity. His mouth moved down my body, taking my cock between his lips as my head tipped back on a gasp. I gripped his hair with both hands while he slowly, expertly, pulled my world apart.

By the time he'd driven me to the point of babbling madness, I was more than ready to take every inch of him. With lubed-up fingers, he slipped inside my ass, mouth at my ear as he stroked.

"That's it," he kept whispering. "Show me how good you feel, Luke. Give it to me."

"Elijah,"I gasped. "I need you."

Intensity blazed in his gaze. He sat back on his heels and pressed my knees wide open. Crawled back up my body and worked his cock inside me, so deliberately that my head fell back again as I begged.

"Who do you need?" he asked, thrusting hard now.

"You," I panted. "The man that I love."

Elijah swore and kissed me. "I love you," he said. "I need this, need you."

I grabbed his ass and he growled against my mouth. Took me in long, thorough strokes that had both of us out of breath, kissing as we rose higher and higher. When he reached down to grip my cock, I came in seconds, awash in pure ecstasy. Elijah climaxed with his mouth on mine, groaning low and rough and sending an indulgent shiver down my spine.

We laughed together—still panting, Elijah's shoulders shaking as he kissed my cheek.

"Does that…does that count as whimsy?" he asked, breathless.

I yawned happily and pulled him against my chest, wrapping my arms and legs around him. "I'll allow it. If you allow me to go back to sleep for another four hours."

He popped his head up and pushed the hair off my forehead. "I'll allow it if you teach me how to do something fun out on the ocean today. Something that'll make me forget that I have to figure out what I'm doing with the rest of my life."

I arched an eyebrow. "You ever been on a Jet Ski before, sweetheart?"

He grinned. "I'm in."

I nudged my nose to his. "My handsome shield. What would you do without me?"

"Get in less trouble, that's for sure."

"Secretly…you love it," I teased.

"I love you," he said with a kiss. "Not so secretly."

Outside, the sun danced along the ocean waves like glitter, while inside Elijah placed his ear on my chest, directly above my heart. It fluttered and preened at his nearness, and I whispered "I love you" into the crown of his head. The future stretched long ahead of us—all the hope, all the community, all that we'd do together. Filled with moments like this one, when the world was alive and beautiful, suspended on a honey-gold morning in October.

I was ready for it now.