CHAPTER SIXTEEN #2
Luke helped hold himself in place as she lowered her pussy onto him, the both of them gasping at the new, deeper fit.
He was propped up, his back to the headboard, and when she started to move, rocking her hips back and forth, his eyes rolled back, chin lifting to expose the muscled column of his throat.
April let the sight fuel her desire as Luke cupped her breasts and brushed his fingers over her nipples, sending a bolt of pleasure straight to her clit.
The sound of her need filled the room as their bodies met one another, building to a crescendo that had them both breathing hard as April leaned closer to kiss him.
Their mouths were still fused when the second orgasm hit her, triggering Luke’s, and they fell into bliss together. She sagged against his chest, utterly boneless, and enjoyed the feeling of his hand stroking up and down her spine.
When their breathing returned to normal, he looked down at her and dipped his head to kiss her, the press of his lips tender.
She returned the sweet kiss and smiled when he did.
“Shower?”
“Sounds perfect.”
Once they were showered and had had some breakfast, April wasn’t sure what to do with herself. It was Sunday and she’d been planning to head to the market just outside of town, but she was reluctant to leave this place behind, afraid it might not look or feel the same if she ever got invited back.
Luke’s revelation about his feelings for her had shaken April, but not as much as she’d thought it would.
She kept waiting to have a major freak-out, to reassess her life and everything she’d thought she knew, but for the most part it just felt right.
Like her body had known for a long time where she was supposed to be and it had just taken her mind a little while to catch up.
“Got plans for today?” Luke asked as she watched the flowers sway from the large glass doors at the rear end of the house.
She hesitated. “I was going to go to the market, actually. I wanted to look for some stuff for the store and then I have to be back in the afternoon for the first flower delivery.” Her hands lifted up to tug nervously on her earring.
“D-Do you want to come with me? You and Sadie,” she added hastily.
“It’s that outdoor market beyond the Larkins’ place, so she’ll be fine to come too.
” She shut her mouth with a snap before she could ramble.
“Sounds good,” he said casually, but there was a gleam in his eye that told her he was pleased to have been asked. “You ready now?”
Reluctantly, she turned away from the view and nodded, taking in his blue jeans and grey tee tucked in. Maybe the view on this side of the glass wasn’t so bad either.
The market was busy, as it always was, but it was her first time navigating the bustle with a dog at her side. Sadie was loving it, though, excited by the scents and sounds and, above all, the people.
“We come here a lot,” Luke explained as Sadie tugged them on a specific route that led straight to a food stall with roasting sausages, burgers, and more. “Sadie knows where all her favorite stalls are.”
April chuckled and handed over some money to the man on the stall so she could buy Sadie a sausage treat. “Does she know tricks?”
Luke nodded. “I mean, she’s trained. She’ll sit, lie down, and do paw.”
April backed up so they weren’t in the way of the stream of people moving over the grass toward the vendors.
“Sadie, sit.” The dog immediately dropped down, eyes focused entirely on the perfectly crisp sausage April held.
She tossed her a chunk. “Good girl.” Sadie swallowed it in one gulp and then panted, eager for more.
April laughed and called out commands until the whole treat was gone.
They kept wandering between stalls and April stopped at one that sold hand-woven throws.
She was immediately drawn to a pale-green one, but it was overshadowed by the bright orange next to it that she instantly fell in love with.
Luckily, Luke had brought a bag and she was able to bundle up the material inside to carry it more easily.
Next came a stand with fresh-baked pastries.
They all looked mouthwatering, and April was struggling to choose just one, so the woman let her and Luke sample several.
Luke popped a piece of chocolate éclair into his mouth, his eyes growing wide with pleasure as he chewed.
As he swallowed, he reached for a piece of sugared donut which he held up to April’s mouth.
Obligingly, she parted her lips and let him drop the delicious treat onto her tongue.
It practically melted in her mouth, and she couldn’t stop herself from sucking the remaining sugar from his thumb.
“Behave, Jones,” Luke murmured in a warning tone, his eyes alight with want. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later.”
April smirked, relishing the effect she had on Luke. She wiped her lip with her finger and sucked the sugary tip. She removed it from her mouth with a tiny pop, and said in a low tone, “Consider that payback for the blackberry jam incident, Pointer.”
Luke laughed under his breath, before stepping closer and pressing a kiss to April’s upturned lips. She could still taste a hint of chocolate as he pulled away, grinning.
In the end they bought a selection of pastries and had them placed in a box to eat when they were done, before heading off to browse the remaining stalls.
The sun was still shining brightly and, when April turned, a glimmer caught her eye and reminded her that she’d wanted some sun-catchers for the store.
They headed in the direction of the stall and several immediately stood out to her.
One in particular was shaped like a sun, with bits of sparkling glitter on the edges in a gilded effect that sent out sprinkles of rainbows across the black backdrop behind the display.
That piece was wrapped up within seconds and tucked safely in her bag, but then she got talking to the stall’s owner, Jessa, and it turned out that she took commissions.
They swapped info, and April was buzzing with excitement at the thought of custom viola and lily sun-catchers—maybe even one with the store’s logo.
By the time they found a seat on a bench and broke open the box of pastries, she was wondering if this had been one of the best days of her life so far.
“How is it?” Luke pointed to the brownie in her hand and she nodded, offering him a bite which he accepted. “Holy shit, that’s gooey.”
She laughed. “How’s yours?” He’d opted for a large pain au chocolat that looked incredible.
“So good,” he mumbled around the flaky pastry. “I think I saw a stall up there that had blackberry jam if you want to go look? I know it won’t be as good as your mom’s,” he teased, “but it might be nice to take something back for her.”
The fact that he was thinking about her mom was incredibly sweet. “That’s a great idea. There’s usually a lemonade stand here that does the best—”
“Raspberry and elderflower?” he finished, eyes sparkling. “Hell yes. That’s one of my favorites. Let’s do those two stalls and then we’ll probably have to get going,” he said, glancing down at his phone. “I don’t want you to miss your delivery.”
In the end, they visited three more stalls.
The one with the jam, the other with the lemonade, and one more that had the most gorgeous candles with different crystals embedded into the wax.
She took a business card from the stall too, mind whirring away as she considered the different products she could also stock in the store.
They climbed back into the car, settling Sadie in the back on a thick blue blanket, and set off for the store. They had just less than an hour until her delivery was due, so they had left the market at the perfect time.
Noah, Emma, and Izzy were meeting them at the store to help sort and place the stock, and April was beginning to get nervously excited, her mind racing ahead to everything they needed to do that afternoon.
A large hand touched her knee and she froze, only realizing it had been bouncing up and down when Luke gently applied pressure.
“Excited?”
She nodded. “Anxious, too. I think I’ve thought about everything that could go wrong, but I’m also sure I’ve forgotten something.”
He laughed. “If I were a gambling man, my money would be on you, Jones.”
Strangely, that did comfort her.
The drive passed in a blur, Luke’s hand a reassuring weight on her leg the whole way until they pulled up outside the store and found Noah waiting.
His eyes bounced between them, eyebrows rising, and April shot him a warning glare that made her brother chuckle.
“You OK if I bring Sadie inside?”
She blinked. “Of course.” It made her wonder if other people hadn’t been quite as open to his pup in the past, which baffled her. Sadie was the sweetest girl and April would never be one of those people who didn’t consider pets to be part of the family.
They unlocked the store and she smiled walking in. The energy in the room just felt right, exactly as she’d imagined it. The only thing missing now was the actual flowers.
April carried in the bag from the market and shook out the throw before draping it across the chair behind the counter, the pop of color making her smile.
Then, she carefully unwrapped the sun-catcher and was grateful when Luke took it from her to hang above the window in the perfect spot that would have been too high for her to reach.
“Thank you,” she murmured and he kissed her cheek.
“We going to address the elephant in the room?” Noah called, clearly having caught the action. “Or am I supposed to pretend that you two don’t have a glow about you?”
“Sure. Want to tell me what’s going on with you and Izzy?”
Noah scowled. “That’s different. Don’t avoid the subject, Bug.”
April rolled her eyes and was saved from having to respond by the arrival of the delivery truck, and Emma and Izzy.