Chapter Thirteen Sophie
Thirteen
Sophie
Sophie had never understood the phrase “weak at the knees” before.
It had always seemed like a romantic cliché, something invented by writers who needed to convey desire without saying “suddenly horny.” But as Luke’s arm slid around her waist, pulling her firmly against him as they began to dance, her knees actually went weak.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice a low rumble she could feel through her rib cage.
“Fine,” she managed, though “fine” was a laughable understatement. She was experiencing a level of physical attraction that made the BookTok-famous scenes in Icebreaker read like a church pamphlet. “Just concentrating on not stepping on your feet.”
That wasn’t a lie. She was a terrible dancer.
But that made up only about two percent of her thoughts.
The other ninety-eight percent was devoted to cataloging every point of contact between their bodies.
His large hand engulfing hers completely.
The solid wall of his chest beneath her palm.
The way his thigh occasionally brushed against hers as they moved to the music.
The slight stubble along his jaw that she desperately wanted to feel against her skin.
In short, Sophie Bennett was losing her mind.
“Relax,” Luke murmured, his breath warm against her ear. “Just follow my lead.”
Easy for him to say. The man moved with the laidback confidence of someone completely at home in his body, a contrast to her own awkward attempt to remember how dancing worked. But as the music continued, Sophie found herself beginning to match his rhythm, her body softening against his.
That was when she felt it. The unmistakable evidence that Luke Rhodes was affected by their proximity every bit as much as she was.
The hard press of him against her hip sent a wave of heat washing through her so intense she nearly gasped.
Her eyes shot up to his face, where she found his gaze dark and hungry, a muscle working in his jaw like he was fighting for control.
Clearly noticing it too, he moved to put some distance between them.
“Don’t,” she whispered before she could think better of it, her fingers tightening on his shoulder.
Something flared in his eyes at that. A heat that matched the inferno building inside her. His hand at her waist slid imperceptibly lower, drawing her more firmly against him, and this time Sophie couldn’t suppress the small sound that escaped her lips.
His eyes dropped to her mouth, lingered there with such naked want that Sophie felt her lips tingle in anticipation.
Around them, the festival continued in full swing.
Lanterns still drifted across the lake, sending wavering reflections across the water’s surface.
People laughed and danced, clinked glasses, shared stories.
But it all seemed to fade into background noise, the world narrowing to just the two of them moving together under the cherry blossom canopy.
“I shouldn’t want this,” Luke said, his voice rough with restraint.
“Want what?” Sophie asked, holding her breath.
“You.”
Her breath escaped. There. She hadn’t imagined it. This visceral connection.
“Why not?” Sophie asked, surprising herself with her boldness.
“Because,” Luke said, his hand at her back pulling her impossibly closer, “once I start, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.”
A delicious shiver ran down Sophie’s spine. “That sounds more like a promise than a problem.”
His eyes darkened further, pupils blown wide with desire. The song ended, transitioning into something faster, but neither of them moved to adjust their pace. They remained locked together, barely swaying now, the tension between them pulled taut as a bowstring.
“Let’s get out of here,” Luke finally growled, the words coming out like they’d been dragged from somewhere deep inside.
Sophie nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Luke’s hand tightened around hers, their fingers interlacing as he led her away from the dance floor. They skirted the edge of the celebration, nodding vaguely at people who called greetings, neither of them slowing their determined pace.
They were halfway down the path that led back to the boathouses when Luke abruptly stopped, turning to face her. In the moonlight streaming through the cherry trees, his face was all planes and shadows, devastatingly handsome in a way that made Sophie’s breath catch.
“I need to know this is what you want,” he said, his voice tense with the effort of restraint. “Because if we keep going—”
Sophie didn’t let him finish. She raised up on her tiptoes to press her lips to his, her hands coming up to grip the front of his shirt.
For a heartbeat, Luke went completely still. Then something in him seemed to snap. His arms wrapped around her, lifting her almost off her feet as he deepened the kiss. His mouth was hot and demanding against hers, his stubble a delicious friction against her skin.
Sophie had been kissed plenty of times before but never like this. Never with this consuming hunger that made her feel like she might actually combust. Luke kissed like a man starving, like he was trying to devour her, one hand tangling in her hair while the other pressed her firmly against him.
When they finally broke apart, both gasping for breath, Sophie felt dizzy with want. Luke’s forehead rested against hers, his breathing ragged.
“Been wanting to do that since you fell in my lake,” he admitted.
Sophie laughed breathlessly. “Even when I smelled like fish bait?”
“Even then.” He brushed a curl from her face with a tenderness that contrasted sharply with the intensity of their kiss. “Do you have any idea what you do to me, Sophie?”
“I’m getting an inkling,” she replied, hyper-aware of the hard evidence of his desire still pressed against her. “Though I might need a more thorough demonstration.”
Luke’s eyes darkened again, his hands tightening on her waist. “Careful what you ask for.”
“I’ve spent my whole life being careful,” she said, surprising herself with the truth of it. “I think I’m ready to be reckless for a change.”
The grin that spread across Luke’s face was pure wickedness. “I can work with that.”
Then his mouth was on hers again, and Sophie surrendered completely to the sensation of falling. Falling into him, into this moment, into whatever this was becoming. For once in her life, she had no plan, no spreadsheet, no carefully considered pros and cons.
Just the night, the lake, and Luke Rhodes’ arms around her, holding her like he never intended to let go.