Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

MACI

W e lie squashed up next to each other on the recliner, our clothes scattered around us. My body is sore from what we just did. My core is aching, but in the best way. Even knowing he came inside of me doesn't make me as nervous as it probably should. I know the nerves will come later when we've had time to think about it.

But here, in the middle of the night, with the door locked, it's like we're in a different universe, as if the pool and the water somehow make this all okay.

"I should've controlled myself," Lukas says, stroking his hand up and down my arm. "At the end…"

"I know," I whisper. "But weirdly, I'm not worried."

"Maybe I'm too old for it to be a problem."

I nudge him. "Don't tease. It's not that. It's just… I don't know."

"Would it be so bad?" he asks.

Propping my hands on his naked chest, I sit up and look up at him. He's staring at me with those intense eyes. "Are you kidding?" I say.

"No," he replies. "I mean, let's imagine this works. Let's imagine we somehow get through this without breaking Kayla's heart. If you were… you know… What would you do? Would you keep it?"

"Yes," I say right away, watching his reaction.

A strange shimmer dances through me when I see the relief on his face. It's an out-of-place shimmer since nothing good can really come from this.

"But we're talking about hypothet?—"

His cell phone rings. Immediately, Lukas darts to his feet. The yellow light bounces off his muscled body as he walks to his shorts, kneeling to grab his cell phone from his pocket. He answers it.

"Yes?" There's a pause, and his face tightens. "Okay. We'll go talk to him."

He hangs up, walking over to me.

"Is it them?" I ask.

He takes my hands and pulls me to my feet. "Yeah," he says. "I wish we could just stay here together. I wish we could talk about the future. I wish we could talk about marriage and the chance that I just put a baby in you, Maci. I wish?—"

"Me too," I cut in, placing my hand on his chest. His heart is beating so, so hard. I wonder if it's from the sex, the news, the future, or what he has to do now. "Please…" My voice cracks. "Come back to me, Luke."

He smooths his hands around me. I can feel his lust trying to break through, but he tames himself for now. He keeps his hands on the upper part of my back, then leans down and kisses me softly, almost tenderly. I return the kiss with the same energy. He brushes my wet hair from my face, then kisses me on the forehead.

"I…"

I naturally complete it with " love you " when he trails off. I want to say it, too, as crazy as it would seem or as crazy as it is . Then he goes on, "I'll see you soon. Before you know it, I'll be home. We'll be together again."

"And then what?" I ask, but I realize it's a mistake when his expression tightens. "No, just focus on what you have to do. Focus on getting your friend back." I kiss him again, wishing we could stay here. "I'll see you soon, my maybe-boyfriend."

He smiles.