“Come inside, Gorgeous. I’ll make tea.”
“Tea...” I wasn’t there for tea.
“Camomile,” Luke replied. “Helps you relax.”
There were other things pretty efficient for that, but if he wasn’t going to say it he might not want to try those methods. Oh God, how was I supposed to say I wasn’t here for tea when he placed that perfect kettle of his on the stove to heat the water. I was heating up along with it. It was so hot I couldn’t quite think straight. How could anyone say that it wasn’t tea they were standing behind his door for in the middle of the night? Maybe I should just kiss him, that always seemed to work.
Biting down my nerves, I trailed my fingers across the counter top as I rounded the kitchen island to where he stood rather rigidly. His eyes followed my every step until we were facing each other. Silence was like static in my ears. But he waited. My legs shook slightly. He still waited. I reached out and awkwardly placed my sweaty palm on his bare chest. His eyes darkened, yet he waited.
I swallowed, tracing the contours of Luke’s pecks with my fingers, and over the bruise on his side. A rapid pulse met my touch when I crossed over his heart. The rising and falling of his chest quickened when I trailed a path down to his stomach.
“Are you going to say it?” he rasped.
The sound—any sound—was so unexpected after the tense silence, and I startled, pulling my hand away and dropping my eyes before I had the chance to realise how silly that was.
“Say what?” I looked back up.
“What you want, Haylee. You know you can say it, right?”
“I was hoping you would read my mind.”
“I’m afraid I haven’t yet perfected that skill.” Luke chuckled. “It’s much safer if you tell me so that I don’t misinterpret.”
“Is there any other reason I’d be here in the middle of the night?”
“I don’t know, you tell me.”
I worried at my lower lip, trying to form the words in my head before blurting them out.
“God, you’re adorable, Haylee,” Luke murmured right before he was done waiting and pulled me in for a kiss.
I melted against his chest as his tongue tangled with mine without restraint. When the kettle whistled a long whine, one of Luke’s hands reached out to flick the stove off without separating his lips from mine. Then he gripped my bottom, yanking us closer. Close enough that I could feel him through the fabric of his joggers.
He groaned. “Is that what you want, Red Cheeks?”
I nodded, then said a breathless, “Yes,” against his lips before he smashed them against mine again.
“See, that wasn’t so hard to say,” he rasped between kisses. “Now, we know we’re thinking about the same thing.”
Now, both of his hands gripped my butt before he lifted me up. I held onto his shoulders for dear life when he walked us out of the kitchen, forgetting the bubbling water and camomile altogether.
“You can say no at any point and we’ll stop.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to stop.”
“I’m just saying, Haylee. Any time. You’re in charge.”
“I don’t want to be in charge.”
Luke stopped us at his bedroom door, eyes roaming over my face. “Okay, I’m in charge as long as you agree that you can always say no.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Okay,” he rasped. “Good.”
Then he carried me across the threshold, closing the door behind us.
From behind the door came a breathless gasp. “The light.”
