Chapter 31 #2
We eat in comfortable silence, and I feel the tension from the day starting to drain away. With Lucas, I don’t have to be perfect. I don’t have to perform. I can just be myself.
“So,” he says, stealing another piece of garlic bread off the stove. “You nervous about tomorrow?”
“Terrified,” I tell him as he returns back to me.
“That means you care.” He takes a bite. “Nothing to worry about. I’ll be right there with you. Just promise me you’ll have fun.”
“What if I can’t?”
“Then I’ll quit tomorrow morning. This isn’t worth it, Peaches.” His voice is firm.
“Please do not do that,” I say.
He smiles. “Then promise me you’ll try to have fun.
It’s going to be me and you. My entire family will be watching and cheering us on—your fan club in the audience.
We’ve always wanted to do this together, and I know how important this is to you, but I don’t want you to give Dominic any power over us.
Don’t let him ruin something that could be a special moment for us. You know?”
Something in my chest loosens. “I promise I’ll try to have fun.”
He takes my hand in his and kisses it. “That’s my stubborn girl.”
I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling. We finish dinner and he takes our plates to the sink. I move to help, but he shoos me away.
“Go sit by the fireplace.”
“Lucas—”
“Please?” He grabs a glass from the cabinet and pours me a glass of wine. “Relax for me.”
“Okay,” I say. I sink into the couch with a sweet red vintage. The fire is already going, crackling and warm. I curl up against the cushions and stare at the flames. For the first time all week, I feel like I can actually breathe.
A few minutes later, Lucas joins me with his own glass of wine and the bottle. He sits close enough that our thighs touch.
“Thank you,” I say. “For this. For making me eat. For making me laugh. For just…being you.”
“You’re welcome. Thank you for being you, too.” He clinks his glass against mine. “A toast to kicking ass. To the beginning of us.”
“To us,” I say, knowing nothing else on that list matters as much to me.
We drink, and the wine is warm going down. Lucas shifts and pulls me against his side, his arm around my shoulders. I rest my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat.
“Can I ask you something?” I say after a moment.
“Anything.”
“How are you so calm about this contest? Doesn’t it make you nervous knowing so many people will be watching?”
“Hell yeah, it does.” He smiles and kisses my nose. “But in the grand scheme of life, it’s just a blink in time. We walk in there with our heads held high and we show everyone what we’re made of. And then it’s over. A little over three hours of our lives, and then we’ll never have to do it again.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It’s not. But it’s going to fly by, and when we’re eighty, we’ll laugh about it.” His fingers trace lazy circles on my arm. “You and me, we’re a team. And we’re going to remind this damn town why we’re at our best when we’re together.”
I tilt my head back to look at him, admiring his features in the firelight. He leans down and kisses me, taking his time. When he pulls back, his eyes are full of mischief. “Now, I have a surprise for you.”
“You know how I feel about surprises.”
He chuckles. “Shut the hell up.”
Lucas stands and holds out his hand. “Come with me.”
I let him pull me up, and he leads me upstairs to his bedroom. Candles are already lit on the dresser and nightstand, casting the room in a warm glow.
“Lucas Jolly, did you set the mood?” I tease.
“Maybe.” He grins. “Now lie down for me.”
“Should I take off my clothes?”
He smirks. “If you want. But it’s your choice.” He cracks his fingers. “Thought I could give you a massage to loosen you up.”
My breath catches as I lift my sweater over my head, then slide out of my leggings.
His brow lifts. “Lie down on your stomach for me, Peaches.”
I do as he says and feel the bed dip as Lucas sits beside me. His warm hands rub on my shoulders, and he starts working the muscles with firm pressure.
“Holy shit, you’re tense,” he says.
“Yeah, stress will do that.”
“Mm. Good thing I’m here to fix it.” His thumbs dig into a particularly tight knot, and I groan. “That’s it. Let it out.”
His hands work from my shoulders, down my spine, finding every tight spot and coaxing it loose. The tension I’ve been carrying for weeks starts to disappear under his touch.
“Your hands are magic,” I mumble into the pillow.
“I know. I conveniently have a few body parts that are magic.” I can hear the smirk in his voice.
“Cocky as hell.”
“Confident as hell. There’s a difference.” His hands slide lower, working the muscles in my lower back. “How’s that feel?”
“Like heaven.”
“Good. That’s what I’m going for.”
His fingers trace along the waistband of my panties, and goose bumps trail over me.
“You cold?”
“No. The opposite, actually.”
“Interesting.” He continues the massage. When his hands slide up to unhook my bra, I lift slightly to help him. “This okay?”
“More than okay.”
The bra comes off, and his hands return to my back, working higher now. His thumbs trace along my ribs, and I have to bite back a moan.
“You’re trying to kill me,” I say, grabbing the comforter, wanting him to touch me all over.
“Nope. Just trying to get you to relax.” But his voice is rougher now. “Is it working?”
“Too well.”
I roll over to face him, and his eyes drop to my bare chest before meeting my gaze again. The heat in his expression makes my breath catch.
“Hi,” he says.
“Hi, yourself.”
“You’re beautiful, you know that?”
“You might’ve mentioned it once or twice.”
“Well, I’m mentioning it again.” He leans down and kisses me. When he pulls back, I’m breathless. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. So much better.” I reach up and trace my fingers along his jaw. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
“Always.” He brushes hair away from my face. He kisses me again, this time with more heat. His hand slides up my side, his thumb brushing just under my breast.
“We don’t have to do this if you’re tired,” he whispers.
“What are you talking about? I need you, Lucas.”
“You’ve got me.” His mouth moves to my neck, and I arch into him. “You’ve always had me.”
His hand finally cups my breast, and I gasp. Everything about this feels different. Right now, I’m just here, present, with Lucas making me feel things I only feel with him.
“I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you, too.” He kisses down my throat, across my collarbone. “Tonight, I don’t want you to think about anything other than us.”
“Sweep me away with you,” I whisper, pulling him back to my mouth. “Make me forget everything.”
“Oh, Peaches, I plan on it.”
And for the first time since Dominic arrived at my parents’ house, I feel like everything is going to be okay. Because I have Lucas. And he has me. And that’s what really matters.