CHAPTER 24
aimee
My parents had been thrilledto welcome Lukas and Zara. My mom kept sneaking knowing glances at me that I pretended to ignore. Orion alternated from acting like Lukas’s best friend—reminiscing about skiing for Willow Creek—to glaring at him whenever he touched my hand or arm or some other part of me. Annalise and Eloise grinned like evil geniuses, and I knew I was going to have to smother them while they were sleeping.
Zara gushed to my mom about how excited she was to have Brennan as her coach.
“My parents are flying back from the U.K. after the end of this trip, and we’re going to go meet him.”
“Brennan is wonderful. He was so good with Aimee, he’ll be good for you, too,” my mom said.
Zara wiggled happily in her seat, and I felt warm and happy and for what truly felt like the first time in an incredibly long time. I didn’t feel so heavy. Finding out that Asher had been cheating on me and was planning on leaving me released something in me. Knowing the truth has lessened a weight I’d been carrying for so long.
It was kind of hard to believe that I felt so different in such a short amount of time. Before coming here, I couldn’t haveimagined any of this—definitely couldn’t have imagined Lukas. His arm was thrown over the back of my chair, the tips of his fingers grazing my shoulder, brushing back and forth every so often. He was relaxed, joking with my family. And it felt so easy, natural.
An inkling of guilt wormed its way into my brain, and I shoved it away. I knew it was something I’d probably always fight with, but tonight was good. Asher didn’t get to ruin it.
The restof the evening passed by with good food, laughter and great conversation. Zara had claimed exhaustion and wanted to call her friend, so she’d left. Annalise and Orion had disappeared not long after my parents had retired. Eloise bowed out to take a video call with Cami and it left Lukas and I on a couch in front of a fireplace. I was stretched out with my feet in his lap, his hands resting on my shins. I watched the flames as they flickered and danced, occasionally pulling my gaze away to rest on Lukas. His head was tipped back, his eyes shut and with the way the warm glow of the flames lit the high points on his face and cast the rest in shadow had him looking even hotter—something dark and mysterious and Eloise’s spicy romance books seriously needed to be tossed in the fire because my brain was going towonderfullydangerous places.
“I’d say, take a picture, it would last longer, but I like the idea of you staring at me,” he said, teasing.
Heat crept into my cheeks, and I put my sleeve covered hands over my face to hide my embarrassment. I didn’t want him to see how his words, his voice filled me with giddy warmth.
“I wasn’t staring,” I mumbled.
“Oh, you definitely were,” Lukas teased, and I felt him shift slightly. “And I really don’t mind.”
He squeezed my shin and just his touch had more heat zinging through me. And I wanted more. Tonight had been so good—the perfect way to end a pretty amazing day—embarrassing moments aside.
His hands moved to pull my slippers off my feet. I peeked out from behind my hands and watched him drop them on the floor. And then, his thumbs were kneading into the sole of my left foot. I moaned and instantly clasped my hands over my mouth.
He paused and grinned at me, and then applied more pressure and I swear I died. I turned into a melted puddle on the sofa as he massaged and kneaded. After he thoroughly took care of my feet—I only moaned two more times—he moved up my leg.
The pain meds I’d taken for the slight knee pain had long since worn off. When he applied pressure on my thigh above my knee, I groaned. There was no stopping the sound, the relief his fingers were providing.
“I told you to tell me if your knee was bothering you,” he said.
“It’s only a little sore,” I said, and groaned again, my eyes falling shut.
I focused on the feeling of his hands, his fingers and wondered if I would ever be able to give this up. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to or if I would ever actually want to. Somehow in no time at all, Lukas had crept into my life and it felt as natural as breathing and if he were to disappear, I’d crumble.
I felt his hands shift, moving up my thighs and his body followed and when I opened my eyes, I found him hovering over me, hands braced on the back and armrest of the sofa. His hair fell messily, and I wanted to reach up and run my fingers through it, pushing it back and away from his face—to feel the softness of the dark strands. I lifted my hand to his face as I watched as I ran my fingers over his jaw, loving the feeling of thestubble on his cheeks. He sucked in a sharp breath and I reveled in how affected he seemed to be.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said softly and a small smile pulled on my lips.
I was still tracking my progress over his face, watching my fingers as they touched and danced across his skin and as they ran along his scalp, pushing back his hair, getting tangled in the locks.
“Aimee,” he breathed and suddenly his lips were on mine, his body pressing mine into the sofa.
His hands were on either side of my face, moving my own hair out of the way. I shifted my legs wider and he fell into their cradle. I gasped and he took the chance to deepen the kiss, his tongue plunging in and devouring me and I couldn’t get enough. I was burning and the feel of him between my legs had me hot and lightheaded.
I wanted more.
The words must’ve slipped past my lips, because Lukas suddenly stopped and pulled back. I whimpered at the loss.
“Look at me,” he said.
I blinked my eyes open meeting his gaze.
