“Alana,” he murmured against her throat. “Alana.”
She didn’t expect to come. While always present between them, the line between the pleasure of intimacy and the anguish of leaving had never been so fine, so easily crossed. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her temples, even as her hips lifted to meet his steady thrusts. He licked away the tears, murmuring nonsense words as he slid his hand under her hips and lifted her closer. The angle narrowed and pleasure coursed along her nerves until her fingers tightened on his shoulders and she cried out.
Holding him while he shuddered out his release was almost unbearable.
She fell asleep in his arms.
? ? ?
THE NEXT MORNING while Lucas was walking Duke, she said good-bye to the house. It was as difficult as she’d thought it would be. The walk around in the backyard was even worse, until she saw a single pink bloom on the bush at the corner of the house. After getting the scissors from the kitchen, she snipped off the bloom, then turned over the dirt at the bush’s base to add more fertilizer. The cement poured into the cinder blocks in the foundation was cracked, and when Alana’s hand trowel scraped against it, a glint of gold caught her eye.
Her heart tripped, then picked up to double time as she carefully cleared dirt away from the crack, then reached into it. The ring was dulled from years of exposure and scratched from the freeze-thaw cycle contracting the cement around the soft gold, but it was clearly the ring she saw sketched in the rose-care book. Carefully molded petals unfurled around a small diamond. Even dirty and scratched, the craftsmanship was evident.
It was the perfect way to say good-bye, and thank-you. She rinsed most of the dirt from the ring, and used a toothbrush to gently scrub the ring clean, then took a quick shower and didn’t bother with her contacts. She dressed quickly and zipped her suitcase. When she reached the living room, she found it empty of boxes or cases. The door to her Audi slammed, then Duke and Lucas came into the house.
“How long’s the drive?”
“Nine hours, not including stops,” she said. “I’ll be home by six or so.”
He didn’t offer to get breakfast with her. She didn’t offer, either. There was no point in prolonging this, and based on what had happened last night, she didn’t trust herself not to cry in the middle of the Heirloom. Better to make the break now and get a couple of hours of road behind her before stopping.
“You’ll take what’s in the fridge, right?”
He nodded. Duke, sitting at Lucas’s feet, whined as he looked between the two of them.
“I left the project plan with Mrs. Battle, but I found the building plans in my laptop bag. Can you take them to her?”
“No problem.”
“When you see Cody again, tell him I’ll be in touch. Tell him . . . tell him I’m sorry.”
She ran out of things to say, so she crouched down to give Duke a quick hug. He licked her cheek then whined again, peering anxiously up at Lucas.
Lucas took her case and carried it out to her car. There was room for it on the floor behind the passenger seat. He’d set her purse and laptop bag on the passenger seat. “Cover that with your coat when you’re at a rest stop or a restaurant,” he said.
“I will,” she promised.
The morning air held a little chill. She wrapped her arms around her abdomen and told herself the cool air caused her shaking. “Well, then,” she said, and opened her arms.
He wrapped her in tight. “Take care of yourself,” he said.
“You, too.”
“Let me know when you get there.”
“I will.” She swallowed hard. “I have to go.”
He opened the door for her, waiting until she’d buckled her seat belt before giving her a quick kiss on the lips. “Bye,” he said, and closed the door.
She started the car. As she backed out of the driveway, Duke barked once, a sharp sound in the early morning air. When she was safely in the street, she rolled down the passenger window.
“Look on the ledge in the kitchen,” she said, but her voice caught as she said it.
His brow wrinkled, but he lifted a hand in acknowledgment and a parting wave.
? ? ?
DUKE WHINED AT his feet, then set off down the driveway, his plume of a tail waving back and forth determinedly. Lucas clicked for him, then said, “Duke. Come!”
The dog stopped, then looked at Alana’s disappearing car, then back at Lucas. He could see the confusion in the dog’s face. She’s my person. Where is my person going? Why are you not with her? Why am I not with her? We should be with her.