Chapter 15 #2
I’d never had an honest-to-God boyfriend, only hookups and a terrible fiancé who didn’t put a lot of effort into his kisses. Luke kissed like it was an art form, and he was an international award winner.
Our kisses went on for minutes, just kisses, even though they were hot, sensual. I pulsed with need for more even as I was thankful Luke was reining himself in and going slow. As much as my body craved his touch and more, I wasn’t ready for it. He seemed to understand that.
I didn’t know how much time had passed when he broke the contact of our mouths and leaned his forehead to mine, his breathing heavy as his lips curved into a smile.
“We’re good at that,” he said barely above a whisper.
“We are,” I admitted on an exhale.
“If we don’t stop now”—he brushed a stray strand of my hair away—“we might not stop. I want you so much, Mags, but not standing up in a barn. Not for our first time.”
My mouth went dry thinking about that as I stuck my hand in his back pocket and pulled him tighter into me.
Tempted. And also terrified. Not of Luke.
Just like I knew he wasn’t manipulative, I knew he wouldn’t physically hurt me or anything like that.
I was scared to trust him. He’d shattered me once. He could shatter me again.
“Who said there would be a first time?” I finally managed, my own breathing jagged.
A low, sexy growl rolled out of him. “I hope there will be.”
As he straightened, putting a few inches between our faces, looking into my eyes, there was a part of me that hoped so too. Even if it would be a dumb move.
I brushed my fingers over his jaw, noticing the coarseness of his facial hair. “We’re supposed to be talking barn details.”
“Right. Barn details.” He put more space between us, grinning like a kid who’d stolen a cookie from a cookie jar.
“A question for you,” I said. “Have you ordered furniture for the getting-ready rooms?”
He frowned. “I haven’t even thought about furniture. I’ve been focused on electricity and plumbing and big-picture things.”
“You should order furniture in advance to ensure it arrives before Christmas Eve.”
“How long does it take?” He looked slightly panicked as he paced away from me, turned, came back.
“It depends. But you’ll want several sofas for relaxing, large mirrors, ottomans, chairs, tables.”
“Right. I accounted for that stuff in the business loan but hadn’t thought about ordering early.”
“My office furniture took several weeks.”
“Shit. We’re only, like, six weeks out, aren’t we?”
“And there’s a major holiday in there.”
He ran his hand over his mouth and beard.
I counted to ten silently, thinking before I spoke. “I can help you if you want.”
He chuckled. “And charge me two hundred an hour?”
“I’d shop with your credit card for free,” I said, grinning, but he didn’t smile back.
“Yeah,” he said, expelling a breath. “I’d appreciate some help.”
“Hey, one thing I’m good at is shopping. We’ll get it taken care of.”
“Thanks.”
“So what other details did you keep me after class for?” I asked lightly.
“Right.” Luke stepped to the external wall, to the space between two windows where we’d discussed creating a first-look or photo op area.
“I was wondering if there’s some kind of wall treatment we could use here and on the opposite side that would be permanent and serve as sort of a blank slate for decor.
You mentioned a wood slab panel. Does it have to be removable?
Or could we build features into the wall?
I’m not sure what, but I’m open to ideas. ”
I turned and considered the space. It was about twelve to fourteen feet between the windows, a blank canvas. “It could use something there permanently, couldn’t it?”
Luke came up next to me again. “The walls will be neutral all around, but I was thinking a backdrop on each side would give the place an extra dimension, an unobtrusive point of interest.”
“I know what would work perfectly,” I said as an idea came to me. “Imagine wood planks, like two by two in a natural finish, and you cut them at varying lengths. You mount them horizontally on the wall equally spaced, maybe two inches between them vertically.”
“I’m with you. So just horizontal boards?”
“That’s the base, but then you can have all kinds of modular options for decor.
You could have removable shelves that slide between any two planks that could be used for plants or flowers or framed photos.
Or whatever decor fits the event. You could also create a modular plaque or chalkboard.
The sky’s the limit once you have the planks on the wall, and they look classy and add warmth even without any additions.
People could add twinkle lights, ribbons, whatever suits them. ”
“What is it with women and twinkle lights anyway?” he asked.
“They’re a vibe. They soften anything. Make it more inviting.”
“So I need to stock up on twinkle lights.”
I nodded. “I think you should hang them along some of the ceiling beams.”
He glanced up to the super-high ceiling, looked doubtful, then said, “Let’s tackle the wall thing first. It sounds simple enough.”
“There’s a similar one in the bar at the Marks Hotel,” I said. “I could take you to see it.”
“You want to take me to a bar?” he said in an amused voice, knowing full well he was twisting my words.
“This is business, Luke. Do you want to see what I’m talking about?”
“Yeah. I do. When can you go?”
“You’re about to start Christmas tree season. You tell me when you can make it.”
He seemed to think through his schedule. “I could take some time off tomorrow evening, after dinner with my daughter.”
“That works for me.”
“Okay then.” He sent me a slow, sexy smile. “It’s a date.”
I wanted to contradict him. It wasn’t a date, but I could tell by the spark in his eyes he was trying to get a reaction from me.
“It’s a business meeting,” I said confidently. “We’ll get a drink, discuss furniture, and take pictures of the wall feature.”
He approached me again, closed in on me, then kissed me soundly on the lips. “I’ll pick you up at eight tomorrow night.”