Lucky for me, I was gone for her either way.
Chapter Eight
Michelle
I bit my lip while I watched Luka round the front of his truck. From his washed-out Levi’s that looked like they’d been worn so many times they were now molded around his thick thighs like a second skin to the faded grey Aeropostale tee shirt stretched across his broad chest, Luka was a man that could make any healthy woman’s heart race. I was no different.
“God, girl, get a grip,” I whispered out loud as he reached the driver’s side door. But no reproach, verbal or otherwise, could change the fact that my body wanted to ride this man the way a jockey rides a champion thoroughbred. Long, hard, and with incredible focus. Swallowing hard as he swung open the door, I was grateful for the lingering shadows inside the truck. At least, he wouldn’t be able to see the blush coloring my cheeks thanks to my naughty thoughts.
“So, where are we going first, Hummingbird?”
Licking my lips, I murmured, “Coffee. I need more coffee.” I’d guzzled the cappuccino he’d gotten me while getting dressed, but I knew in order to survive this morning with him, I was going to need to be fully loaded on the caffeine.
Luka nodded and made the short drive to the coffee shop I frequented in record time, utilizing the drive-thru and ordering us two more coffees and another pastry for me. Seconds later, he dropped the white bag into my lap and grinned. “Another treat for my sweet.” He winked.
“Oh, dear God. I had no idea you could be corny, too,” I teased as he pulled away from the window, opening the bag and grinning when I found he’d gotten me a sticky bun this time.
“You know you like it,” he challenged, his deep chuckle letting me know he wasn’t offended by my mockery in the slightest.
“Maybe a little,” I admitted, pinching off a bite of the pastry and holding it up to his lips. “Want some?”
“Mmm,” he hummed, parting his lips and sucking my fingers into his mouth.
I squirmed as I felt his tongue sliding against my fingers, getting every last bit of the gooey stickiness off my flesh. “I think you got it all, Luka,” I chided him, my voice husky with unspoken longing.
Slowly sliding his mouth from my digits, he nailed me with one of his patent lethal grins. “Not quite as sweet as what you’ve got between your legs, but it’ll do in a pinch.”
I felt my entire body go hot. “You are an incorrigible pervert!”
“Guilty as charged,” he agreed without a bit of shame as he wiggled his dark eyebrows. “Tell me where I’m going, gorgeous.”
Glancing out the windshield, I noted that we were already on the main highway we needed for the first property I intended to show him, and I inwardly smiled at the joke I was about to make at his expense. “Just stay straight on this road for about the next eight miles until you reach Cloverfield Road. Then, make a left. The place we want will be about a mile and a half south. You’ll see a Fitzlander Realty sign where you need to make your turn.”
We spent the next fifteen minutes of our journey in companionable silence, each of us sipping our coffee as the sun lightened the sky on the horizon.
“You were right,” Luka murmured, staring out the window at the dawning morning. “The sunrises around here are nothing to sneeze at. I thought it was pretty in the Colorado mountains, but this is truly a breathtaking sight.”
Staring outside as the sunrise lightened the green pastures lining either side of the road, I had to smile. For me, this was home, and there was absolutely no place on earth as comforting as home. “I love it here,” I murmured, feeling Luka’s penetrating gaze on me.
“I can see that. It’s written all over your face, gorgeous.”
Shrugging, I turned to look out the side window. “This place… the people that live here… they’re salt of the earth, Luka. Farmers and factory workers. Teachers and nurses and lawyers and insurance agents. Truly good folks trying to make a decent life for themselves. I’d never want to live anywhere else.”
“Then this is where we’ll stay,” he announced with a note of finality I didn’t question. It was still too early to argue for my independence. I could make Buchanan’s Last Stand when I was feeling a little more alert, I reasoned as I took another sip of my coffee.
“You said make a left on Cloverfield, right?” Luka asked a few minutes later before flipping on his turn signal.
“Yep,” I confirmed with a nod. “We’re almost there.” We lapsed into silence again as he continued driving, the pretty scenery passing quickly out my window until I spotted my company’s realty sign up ahead. “It’s just there, Luka,” I said, lifting a finger to point out the bright red sign on the side of the road. “Turn right onto this gravel lane. The place is about a thousand yards off the main road,” I shared, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice.
Luka drove for a few more moments before he frowned. “Where?” he asked, slowing his truck as he pressed the button to lower our windows. “I don’t see anything.”
“There! The place we’re looking for is just ahead, slightly to the right. You can pull right up to the house,” I announced, nodding toward the structure ahead of us. Of course, structure was a pretty generous description of the building ahead of us.
Luka shifted the gear shift into park as he stared at the so-called house in front of us. “Michelle, are you crazy?” he growled, eyeing the sagging porch and weather-beaten roof with a mix of horror and revulsion. “You can’t possibly be serious.”
“I know it needs a little work, but the place has character,” I chirped enthusiastically, throwing open my door and jumping down from the truck before he could stop me. “C’mon. Keep an open mind.”
“This place needs more than a little work, hummingbird. It needs a fuckin’ bulldozer,” he argued, quickly opening his own door and hopping down from the driver’s seat before rushing toward where I stood on the first step of the porch. “Don’t you move another muscle,” he ordered a split second before he snagged my arm, pulling me back to him. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go in there! That roof is one gust of wind away from collapsing and I don’t want you anywhere near when it comes down. Besides, I’m not sure either of us is up to date on our tetanus shots and there’s no way I’m walking through that place without one,” he stated, eyeing the rusty porch rail critically.
“I’ll have you know that this is considered a prime piece of real estate in the area. My firm fought tooth and nail to be awarded this listing,” I haughtily informed. I wasn’t lying. It really was. The focal point, however, happened to be another half mile up the lane. Currently, we were standing on the sight of the first house built on the property. However, he didn’t need to know that quite yet. I was having way too much fun at his expense. “You’re being ridiculous and closed-minded.”
“I’m not and you know it,” he retorted with a look that said he was questioning my sanity.
“You’re not keeping an open mind. This place has some real character! Just look at those picture windows, Luka. Can’t you imagine sitting right there watching the sunrise over the stream behind us?” I urged, looking back at the rundown house and throwing out an arm to showcase the huge window overlooking the front yard.
“You mean the window that’s missing at least three panes of glass? Yeah, I’m impressed,” he returned with a sharp edge in his tone. “By God, this showing better be your idea of a joke, woman, or I’m likely to paddle your ass.”
“You don’t like my listing? Maybe you should find another realtor,” I remarked, uncertain why I felt this need to provoke him. Maybe because I wanted to see exactly how he’d respond. “Particularly since you refuse to even go inside and look around with me.”
“Maybe you need to quit trying to piss me off and actually show me some safe, well-built places where we could raise a family,” he snapped, clenching his jaw as he glared at the dilapidated home in front of us. “I wouldn’t let a dog go in there, Michelle. I sure as hell won’t let the woman I eventually want to mar
ry me go traipsing through something that looks like it belongs on the set of a horror movie.”
I couldn’t contain my laughter after that. Seeing the banked fury glowing in his pitch black eyes was enough to convince me I needed to let him in on my little prank.
“What’s so funny?” he groused, his hands dropping to his trim hips as he leveled me with a grim look.
“You,” I cackled, grinning from ear to ear. “I actually had you convinced this was the property I was trying to sell. Oh, my God, you should find a mirror and get a look at yourself,” I giggled, pointing at his annoyed face.
“Michelle…”
I heard the loaded warning in his tone and tried to get a grip on myself, but it was just too funny. I actually had him going. “S-sorry,” I stuttered as I attempted to swallow my chuckles.
“No you’re not,” he denied, his own firm lips twitching as he watched the delight on my face.
“I’m not,” I confirmed with another howl of laughter. “Not even a little bit!”
Rolling his eyes, Luka shook his head. “Can I assume there’s a house in much better shape somewhere relatively close?” he asked, looking around.
I nodded, wiping underneath my nose as I got a hold of myself. “Yeah. Just over that rise,” I said, pointing toward the lane. “It’s turning out to be a pretty day,” I noted, hooking my thumbs in the front pockets of my jean shorts. “We could just walk.”
“Alright, brat,” he rumbled, pulling my hand into his. “Let’s walk.”
I smiled faintly as Luka’s fingers wove through mine, holding my hand securely in his as we walked through the knee-high weeds toward the gravel lane. Despite his rough growl, I knew by the relaxed look on his face that Luka wasn’t really angry with me. Maybe annoyed, but not mad. Strangely, I was glad about that. This time yesterday, I would have sworn a relationship with the towering man beside me was the very last thing I wanted. But after a phone call with my bestie, a whole evening of being able to think about nothing but Luka and an entire night spent dreaming about how wonderful it felt when this sexy fella had his hands all over my body, it was safe to say I was re-thinking my former anti-boyfriend position.
Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to let a little bit of Luka into my life.
“Deep thoughts?”
I shivered as I felt Luka’s deep voice purr beside me as we walked through the dewy grass. Like a nicely aged Tennessee whiskey, it rolled over me, filling my belly with warmth. “Just enjoying the pretty morning,” I hedged, not quite ready to share my innermost thoughts with him yet. Soon, I had a feeling I would be, but, for now, I was going to hold my cards close to my chest.
“Hmmm. Somehow, I don’t think that’s completely true. I’m a gentleman, though. I’ll let you have your secrets,” he offered with a soft look in my direction. “For a while,” he added purposefully.
I grinned as I felt the accompanying gentle squeeze of his hand on mine. Reaching the lane, we moved to walk through one of the two tire tracks vehicles had made traveling to and from the house just over the rise. “If you like this place, I’d give some serious thought to paving this lane. The winters around here aren’t brutal, but we do occasionally get a little bit of bad weather. Rock roads can be tricky with ice,” I remarked as we began to climb the slight incline that led to the home I wanted to show him. Personally, I loved the place. I had since my boss had put it on the market over three months ago. Considering the land that accompanied the property, at just over $275,000 the place was a steal. Completely out of my price range, but still a total bargain for an interested buyer.
“Agreed,” Luka nodded as we reached the crest of the hill, the house I wanted to show him coming into view.
“Welcome to Strawberry Acres,” I announced, throwing an arm out to present the home with a flourish.
“Wow,” Luka breathed.
I turned my head to watch his face, nearly squealing when I saw the excitement flooding his face. It was the same way I’d felt the first time I’d seen the sprawling home in front of me.
“It’s a two-story Colonial with a wraparound porch built in 1990. It’s called Strawberry Acres because the owner planted the field of strawberries behind the house. It’s since been re-landscaped, but the name is still on the property deed,” I explained as we drew closer to the manicured front yard. “It has five bedrooms, two and a half baths—the master with an over-sized Jacuzzi tub, breakfast nook, formal dining room, family room with stone fireplace, and a back deck with a screened-in sunroom that is to die for.”
“If the inside of this place is as breathtaking as the outside, this is going to be hard to top,” Luka noted as he paused in the center of the drive and looked around, keeping his hand wrapped around mine.
“Don’t worry. It is. This place is fabulous,” I promised. Nodding toward the side of the house, I continued my sales pitch as I let go of Luka’s hand. “As you can see, the property has a three-car detached garage with an additional bonus storage building for lawn mowers, yard toys, etc.”
“Plenty of room to move,” Luka observed, looking around. “I like that.”
“Tons of room,” I emphasized, jogging up the steps to the front door and punching in my code to the security lock hanging around the door, which then popped out the house key. Glancing at him over my shoulder as he followed me, I jammed the key into the keyhole and began unlocking the door. “The house has actually been staged for interested buyers, and if you like the furnishings and are interested, we can amend an offer to include those.”
Luka nodded as I pushed open the door and stepped into the foyer, flipping on the lights as I entered. “Welcome to your potential new home, Luka.”
We spent the next several minutes going from room to room, oohing and ahhing over each extra touch the home offered. From the granite countertops in the kitchen to the Italian marble tiles in the formal dining room to the beauty of the view when standing on the back deck, I found the property to be amazing. But what I thought didn’t really matter, I reminded myself for the umpteenth time. Luka was the buyer. “So, what do you think so far?” I asked as we reached the curved staircase that would take us up to the second floor.
Wrapping an arm around my waist, Luka tugged me toward him. “I love it, but you wanna know what I love even more than the house?”
My heart skipped a beat as I stared up at him. “What?”
“The happy look you get when you go from room to room while you tell me what you’d do if this house was yours.”
Biting my lip, I shrugged nervously. “I guess by now you’ve figured out that I really like this house.”
“Got that, hummingbird. I’d be pissed if you’d wasted time showing me something you hated.”
“Well, as you can tell, I don’t hate this place, but you are the one that needs to be satisfied, Luka. The focus needs to be on you and what you want,” I pointed out seriously. “If this isn’t your speed, I’ve got dozens of other homes we can tour.”
Luka’s hand tightened on my hip as his lips ghosted mine. “Baby, I want you. You are my focus. Any house will just be four walls and a roof without you in there with me.”
“Luka,” I whispered, sinking my teeth into my lower lip as I rested my forehead against his. “Even if I agree to give us a shot, I’m a long way from co-habitation.”
“You’re closer than you think, and I’ll help you go the distance,” he vowed, nipping my upper lip. “Now, show me some bedrooms, woman. I wanna see this big tub you mentioned.”
Relieved he wasn’t going to choose now to push the issue, I guided him up the stairs, showing him the first three smaller bedrooms in quick succession. “Now, you know you don’t have to use all of these rooms as bedrooms, right? One could be an office. Maybe use one as a home gym. You can be creative,” I advised, leading him toward the fourth and second-largest bedroom.
“I prefer the thought of filling them with lots of little kids,” Luka countered, winking at me as I opened the door to my right.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Luka asked, his eager eyes scanning the room.
“I’m not sure,” I murmured. “Say what you think on the count of three?” I asked.
“One. Two. Three. Nursery!” Luka and I shouted in unison, both of us laughing at the enthusiasm on the other’s face.
“It really would be the ideal space,” he remarked, turning around in a full circle. “I mean, think of all the space that kids would have to play,” he said, pointing to one end of the room.
“And it’s located right across from the master suite,” I interjected, lifting a finger to indicate the closed door across the hall. “You’d be able to hear when one of the kids needed you.”
Luka nodded. “I really do love this. Even the color scheme is perfect,” he replied, eyeing the walls. “Yellow and cream works for either boys or girls.”
“It does,” I concurred. “You ready to peek into the master suite?”
“Lead the way, gorgeous.”
I ushered Luka inside the last bedroom without a word and held my breath. I loved the entire house I’d just shown him, but the truth was, the master bedroom was probably my favorite spot in the whole home. From the muted dove grey walls to the piled carpet that was just a shade darker, the bedroom’s interior just screamed serenity. When you factored in the oak bedroom furniture and cream loveseat and arm chair that was used to stage the room, I never wanted to leave.
Happily Ever Alpha: Until Sunrise (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 12
