Chapter 32

Thirty-Two

HENRY

Lucy leaves to find the girls, smirking up at me from the bottom step. I never had a favorite step before, but I sure do now. We may not have said it or anything close to it, but I am certain what’s happening between us is real. She is mine.

And certainly not his.

I remain in the hallway for a moment to cool my anger. In any other scenario, I wouldn’t allow this man to share the same air as Lucy, let alone continue to undermine her like this. Every instinct I have tells me to throw this guy out of my home this instant and let him fend for himself, free to die in the cold for all I care.

I should just walk away. I trust her to handle this, but it’s killing me to stand by and not defend her. The need to protect her from an asshole like him, assholes like I am, or was until she came into my life , grows stronger every time he opens his mouth.

I move closer to the door but still try to convince myself I don’t need to intervene. Then I hear him on the other side. “Hey baby, I miss you so much.”

The last strand of restraint I have snaps—I grab the door handle and barge into the room. “Call her back,” I say as he takes me in with shock across his face.

“I’ll call you right back. Something just came up.” He hangs up with looks up at me. “What the fuck, man? You could knock.”

I laugh under my breath, how dense could this guy be? “We need to talk,” I tell him, standing tall in front of him with my fists clenched at my sides. “No, Actually, I’m going to talk, and you are going to listen, very closely.”

John laughs and stands up to face me but leaves an adequate distance between us. “If you’re worried about Lucy and I going back to London together… I can’t really blame you. It’s nothing you did wrong, but when two people are meant to be together. Nothing can change that.”

I want to grab him by the shirt and throw him up against the wall, but Lucy would be upset if you did. And this guy would surely put on a show after it. Instead, I take a step closer to him and deepen my voice. “From this point on, if you find yourself in Lucy’s company, I expect you to be respectful to my partner. That includes hearing her when she tells you she is no longer interested. I overheard your phone call. Does that woman know you are in another country trying to win back your ex-girlfriend?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, old man. At the end of the day, no one has ever compared to Lucy, I’m here for her and she will understand that once I can get her alone and talk some sense into her.” He tries to get out of my reach but fails as I move closer, backing him into a corner. Before he can make a scene, I deliver my final warning.

“If I hear that you have made one step out of line with her tomorrow, I will come to London and remove you from this country myself.” He rolls his eyes at me but doesn’t argue. “Do you understand?’

“Sure,” he says as I take a step back, allowing him a path to sit on his bed. He picks up his phone and begins ignoring me. There’s no use staying any longer with this immature man. Leaving I slam the door behind me. Needing to work out this angry energy, I head to my personal gym in the basement. Thirty minutes or so with the punching bag ought to work.

The alarm sounds on my phone, and I remove the gloves from my hands. I take a few drinks from my water bottle as I head to my bedroom. The workout did help to get out some of my aggression, but I know I won’t feel completely at ease until all of this is settled. I head directly for the shower, and choose to leave the bathroom door ajar on the off chance Lucy may find her way up here.

With each passing hour, it’s becoming more and more difficult to suppress my feelings for her. It’s a particular form of torture to sleep next to a woman and not be able to express my feelings both verbally and physically.

That is, if she has changed her mind about only being interested in fictional men. I think she has…

Thinking back to our kiss on the steps, when I had encouraged her to jump me next time. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that. What if that put too much pressure on her? It was also poor planning on my part, knowing that if she does make a move, my restraint will completely disintegrate.

She deserves better.

I’ve spent far too long in the shower. Turning off the scalding hot water, I dress quickly and head down to the kitchen to meet her.

Standing in the same spot I found her the other night, Lucy looks out the window as the sun sets over the snow.

Finn and Mia are at the table whispering about what I can only assume are more proposal preparations. Honestly, I don’t care what they are speaking about. I’m just ecstatic to have an audience for me to put on a show.

I walk up behind Lucy and wrap my arms around her hips, recalling the last time I did this. She stiffens at first, then relaxes against me. Leaning down, I place my chin on her shoulder and follow her gaze.

“I love the snow.” Lucy releases a deep exhale.

Just then, two lights appear to be making their way down the road. As the truck gets closer, it’s clear there is a plow on the front.

“Thank goodness,” she says, “I was beginning to think they weren’t coming.”

“Should be clear for your travels tomorrow,” I reassure her. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” I ask again, hoping she changed her mind.

“No, I think the entire ordeal will go more smoothly if I go alone. ”

While I’d love to insist on accompanying her, I understand this is something she needs to do for herself.

Oliver and Hannah enter the kitchen, with John following behind them.

“What’s on the menu tonight?” Finn comes around the table to lean on the kitchen island.

Begrudgingly, I let Lucy go and begin the dinner preparations. “I planned one more night of Italian before we switch to the Christmas meals tomorrow. Build your own pizza night. I have the dough fresh from a local bakery and I’ll leave out the ingredients for you to choose from.”

Lucy helps me chop up the peppers and mushrooms. Then, I separate the dough and preheat the oven as she shreds the cheese. My mind wonders again what it could be like to have her here for every holiday to come.

Once the ingredients are set out, we step back to allow everyone else to make their own pizzas. I take the opportunity to pull Lucy’s back to my chest. It’s not enough, overcome with my need to be closer to her, I lean forward and kiss her cheek while I wrap my arms around her.

Dinner moves quickly, and as soon as the dishes have been cleared, Oliver suggests a game before bed. Thanks to John’s company we have too many players for most games and can’t switch to teams, as it would still leave John by himself as he should be.

With Lucy sitting next to me where she belongs , she must notice the distaste showing on my face as I look in John’s direction. She places her hand on my leg and pulls me out of my internal disdain .

“Why don’t we sit this one out?” she asks, but I’m too lost in her eyes. We spent the evening sharing endless displays of affection for our audience, but I didn’t even notice if they were looking most of the time. The last few hours have felt so natural. “Henry?” she asks again, “Do you agree?”

“Of course,” I answer. I don’t even remember what the question is, but I agree.

“Yeah, maybe it is time for you two to call it a night. We’ve all witnessed enough of your dallying for one night,” Finn interjects from the opposite side of the table, sitting next to John, who is glaring at me. Finn continues, “Take it upstairs. We’ll see you in the morning.”

Lucy turns to smile at me, and slight sorrow fills me, knowing our intimate touches and excessive flirting will end the moment we are out of the presence of others. She stands and I follow behind her, grabbing her hand while we wish everyone a good night. She walks closer to John but doesn’t release my hand.

“Enjoy your evening, but be sure you are ready to leave first thing,” she instructs him.

He turns and looks up at her as if she is the only person in the room. I’ll be glad to be rid of him. “I can’t believe you’re bowing out so early. It’s not because you know you’ll lose, is it?”

Her brows fall as she responds, “It’s not going to work.”

“Oh really, the Lucy I know wouldn’t turn down a chance to show off her superior game-playing skills…seems to me you’ve lost your touch,” he says as he smiles and moves his gaze up and down her body .

My instincts whisper in my mind to punch this guy square in the jaw. I move closer to her, but she has an answer ready for him. “I’m just done playing your games, John.” That’s my girl. Finn and Mia squeal at the table as John laughs it off but returns his attention to the board game. With her hand in mine, Lucy follows me up the staircase to our room.

Closing the door behind us, I watch Lucy as she moves to the dresser and begins to take her earrings off. I can’t take my eyes off her. Each declaration she makes against him fills me with hope, not to mention how fiercely attractive I find it.

Wanting a front-row view of the show she is unknowingly putting on for me, I sit in the chair next to my fireplace. Silence fills the room as she pulls her sweater over her head to reveal a black fitted tank that blends with her matching leggings to accentuate her perfect hourglass figure.

Fighting my body’s desire to go to her, I reposition myself in the chair, forcing myself not to stand. If I got up, I would be on her in an instant. I want to kiss her again, I need to kiss her again, I need her…

She looks over her shoulder at me. She must have felt my eyes on her. No need to deny it—I meet her gaze and smirk. I may not have confessed my feelings in full to her yet, but I will never hide or deny my interest. She smiles back and asks, “Do you mind if I get ready for bed first?”

“Not at all.” My mind floods with ideas of all the things I can do with her in this room and the connecting bathroom. Visions of her in my shower…watching the water cover her body .

She nods and faces away from me just for a moment before turning and walking toward me. Time slows as she stops in front of me. Lust and desire fill her eyes as her breathing increases, causing the neck of her tank to move even lower than it already is. I notice white lace peeking out the top, and I’d give my life for a look at the rest of it.

That’s when she crawls into my lap, stretching a leg out on either side of me. In all of my fantasies about this moment, I could never have imagined how powerful it would be when she finally made her move.

Now that she has, I am lost to her.

Instinct guides my hands to her thighs, rubbing up and down, tightening my grasp at the top, near her center.

Her hands weave over my chest before moving to my shoulders and ending around my neck. A low growl escapes me as she brings her mouth to graze mine.

Her name escapes my lips in an exhale. There’s so much I want to tell her, how she’s changed me in the short time we’ve known each other, how she deserves this new life she designed for herself, and how much I am falling in love with her. Yet, “Lucy” is the only thing I can get out before her mouth collides over mine.

Her fingers weave through my hair, and my hands move from her thighs. One to her waist, pulling her into me, and the other capturing her firm ass. As if that isn’t bliss enough, she begins to roll her hips forward. I mirror her movements, lifting up beneath her. She rewards me with some of the most sensual sounds I’ve ever heard.

She begins to gasp as she breaks our kiss but keeps our bodies connected everywhere else. She shakes her head as if trying to pull herself out of a haze. “I was just…” She st ops, trying to catch her breath. “You said to catch you off guard. See, it’s disorientating,” she says with a wicked smile, still breathing heavily, her forehead resting on mine while she tries to recover, but I don’t want this to end.

Pulling her chin up to look at me, I plead with her, “Don’t stop, please.”

Genuine astonishment flashes across her face and it hurts too much to acknowledge that I still haven’t let her know how wanted she truly is.

This isn’t how I planned to declare my feelings and I certainly don’t want her to think as though I am only declaring them to move forward physically, but I can’t keep my feelings in any longer, I must tell her. With a hard swallow and a deep breath, I decide to tell her now, “Lucy.”