Come Away with Me (With Me in Seattle, #1)

He nibbles my inner thighs as my body calms.

“Holy shit, you’re good at that,” I pant and run my fingers through his shaggy blonde hair.

“Mmmm, I’m glad you approve, baby. Stand up for me.” He rises gracefully and takes his suit jacket, tie and shirt off, discarding them on the floor of the deck.

“After what you just did to me, my legs are jelly. I don’t think I can stand.”

He takes my hands and pulls me into a standing position and wraps my arms around his bare shoulders. “Just hang on to me.”

“Happily,” I murmur in his neck as his hands glide to my back, unzipping my dress. I lower my right arm so he can pull my dress off and he lets it billow to my feet.

“God, no bra either? It’s a good thing I didn’t know this earlier, I would have locked us in a bathroom at the club and kept you naked all night.” His hands smooth down my back to my bottom.

“You’re not naked.”

“Oh, did you want me to be naked too?” he asks innocently and I bite his collar bone.

“Get. Naked.”

“Demanding little thing, aren’t you?”

“Why aren’t you naked?” His hands roam from my bottom, up my back and begin taking the pins out of my hair, letting it fall around me.

“I love your hair,” he murmurs and watches it fall, one strand at a time.

“I love your hair too,” I push my fingers through it and he smiles.

“I know.”

When my hair is loose, he takes my hands in his and kisses them, one knuckle at a time, his eyes on mine. He steps away from me and the cool night air swirls around me, sending a shiver through me, making my nipples pucker.

“I love your body. I love that you’re curvy, yet strong and fit.” His eyes glide greedily up and down my curves.

“I’m glad.” I smile shyly. “You’re still not naked.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Impatient?”

“I want my fiancé to make love to me,” I whisper and his eyes dilate.

“Say it again.” He whispers.

“Make love to me.” I whisper back.

“No, the other part.”

A small smile spreads across my lips. “My fiancé.”

“God, you said yes.” He swallows, his eyes round, and then he smiles, a heartbreaking, wide, joyous smile and I fall in love with him all over again.

I nod and glance down at my beautiful ring. I can’t wait to get a ring on his finger too.

“Did you think I’d say no?”

“No, I just…” he runs a hand through his hair. “I was just really nervous.”

I close the distance between us and kiss his lips softly. “You have no reason to be nervous with me. You’ve had my heart for quite some time. Now, my gorgeous fiancé, please take me to bed and make love to me.”

He sweeps me up in his arms and carries me to his bedroom, kissing me softly the whole way.

***

“Hey, beautiful, wake up.” Luke nibbles my earlobe and I turn sleepily to face him.

“You kept me up really late.” I murmur, not opening my eyes. I hear him chuckle.

“I’m sorry. But we have to get up and start getting brunch ready.” He kisses my cheek and then my nose.

My eyes flutter open and I palm his cheek in my left hand, and my ring catches the morning light. I smile brightly at him and he grins and kisses me softly.

“Let’s stay in bed all day and make love.”

“As good as that sounds,” he pulls back and rolls away. “Everyone will be here in about two hours, and we have stuff to do. Coffee’s on the night table for you. Go ahead and grab a shower and I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

“I love you.”

He flashes a cocky grin at me. “I love you too. Get up. I’ll see you downstairs.”

He leaves the room and I sit in the bed for a minute and grin stupidly, gazing at my ring. I finally shake myself and grab my coffee, making a beeline for the shower.

***

“Okay, what can I do?” I ask as I stroll into the kitchen. Luke is at the stove, a white kitchen towel slung over his left shoulder. He’s wearing a white linen button down shirt with faded blue jeans and bare feet.

Yum.

“Here, cut up some fruit.” He pulls melons,

strawberries,

grapes

and

peaches out of the fridge and I grab a cutting board and sharp knife and get started with my task.

“So, Isaac mentioned last night that you took the guys out for lunch the other day.” I grab a cantaloupe and cut it in half, pull the seeds out and begin cutting it into wedges.

“He did?” Luke frowns slightly and mixes some pancake batter.

“Yeah, that’s all he would say, other than he likes you, as long as you mind your manners. I told him I prefer it when you don’t.” I smirk and begin pulling stems off the strawberries.

“I wanted to ask them all if it was okay if I asked you to marry me.”

I twirl at his words, my mouth gaping open. He shrugs and pours the batter on a griddle on the stove top.

“Why?”

“Because they’re your family. They love you and protect you and it’s tradition.” He takes a sip of coffee and eyes me speculatively.

Wow.

“What did they say?”

“I proposed, didn’t I?”

“What if they’d said no?”

He laughs and shakes his head. “I would have asked anyway.”

He flips the pancakes and I wander over to him with a strawberry, holding it up to this lips.

“Here.” He takes a bite and I slip the rest of it in my mouth. “Mmm, that’s good.”

I lick my thumb and he takes my wrist in his hand and licks my forefinger. “I love watching you eat.”

Desire flashes, fast and hot, through me.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

I wander back to the fruit and pluck a grape from the stem. When I turn around, Luke has taken the pancakes off the griddle and turned it off.

I do like the way he thinks.

I rub the grape across my lips, then pop it in my mouth and chew slowly.