My brain is melting. Everything is melting into a delicious, soft, warm gooey feeling. I guess that’s what happens when your dreams come true. His lips are warm and soft but so dominant. These aren’t the sleepy, needy kisses he gave me in Atlantic City. I don’t have to worry he’s going to wake up and change his mind. As Luc parts my lips with his tongue I know that he knows exactly what he’s doing and what he wants—and it’s me. He is choosing this.
I let his big strong hands slip to my hips and slide me flat on the seat, my head against the passenger door. He crawls on top of me as best he can in this tight space, his hands slipping under my dress to find skin. I do the same, sliding my hands under his shirt and up his smooth, strong back.
“I want to be inside you again, Fleur,” he whispers against my neck before kissing his way to my collarbone. “I want to feel the tight, warm, wet pull of you around me.”
“I want you, too,” I pant back as his hands slide over my breasts, squeezing them. “I need you.”
“But we can’t here…” he whispers against my neck and I know he’s right. Still, he takes a long moment to kiss his way up to my lips. “And I don’t think you want an audience. I know I don’t.”
I freeze, then sit up and turn my head toward the house. Callie is standing there on the porch, staring at us.
“You knew she was there?!”
“I saw her out of the corner of my eye,” he explains as he moves away from me and I smooth my dress and hair. “I thought she’d go away but in typical Callie fashion, she has no sense of personal boundaries.”
I smile at that as we both open our doors and step out. Callie is standing in the middle of the porch, her arms crossed and eyebrows raised. I look at Luc. “So how does this work?”
“Well, I don’t expect you to not tell your sisters,” he explains. “I think our family is safe. I just think we need to be cautious in public situations.”
As if to prove his point, he laces his fingers with mine as we walk up the driveway. Callie’s raised eyebrows fall and her lips, so similar to mine, pull up in a smile. She looks so un-Callie-like. The look is soft, sweet and filled with love. I worry about how tough Callie feels she needs to act most of the time, but when she shows her heart it kind of makes me panic. When we get to the porch Callie reaches out and grabs Luc in a hug. She kisses his cheek and says, “Finally. A hockey player who comes to his senses without needing me to hit him.”
I laugh but also I remember the not-so-funny time when we were teenagers and she punched Jordan in the gut. Luc chuckles too and pats her head. “I’ll leave you two to talk,” he tells me, letting go of my hand and kissing me lightly on the lips. As he disappears into the house, she turns to me.
“You were making out with Luc.”
“I was.”
“It looked like you were about to do more than make out.”
“We were. And you were just going to stand there and watch? Perv.” I push past her and walk into the house. She’s right behind me, wrapping her arms around me from behind in an attempt to hug me.
“I’m so happy for you, Rose!”
“I am, too,” I confess because even with the secrecy factor, I’m still thrilled.
We walk into the kitchen. Donna is there pulling a large bowl of potato salad out of the fridge. I rush to help her and as I take it from her arms she smiles gratefully. Her blue eyes scan my face and then she glances out the window above the sink at Luc, who is standing by the barbecue talking to Jordan.
“Luc walked through here a minute ago looking happier than I’ve seen him in years,” Donna notes and I can’t contain my smile. “And now you waltz in here with a big grin. Anyone care to share anything?”
“Luc and I are…” I pause and realize I don’t know how to word this. “We’re together. But we’re keeping it private.”
“What does that mean?” Donna asks. “Is that some new hipster term for a relationship or something?”
Callie laughs. “I can’t believe you just said hipster.”
Donna laughs at herself. “I’m trying to stay current but it’s hard with the boys all out of the house. I don’t get my daily dose of it, you know.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, Donna, I don’t know what the hell she’s talking about either,” Callie replies and turns to stare at me, waiting for an explanation.
“Luc’s in a precarious place in his career right now,” I explain, stealing a chunk of potato from the salad and popping it into my mouth. “He’s had a rough couple of years with his team and now they’re trying to trade him. His previous relationship turned out to be part of the problem, or at least that’s what everyone thinks, so obviously if he’s seen in a new relationship it’s going to look like he’s repeating his mistakes.”
“You are not a mistake,” Callie corrects me sharply.
“I know that and he knows that,” I assure her calmly. “But we’re just going to keep this secret so that no one can misconstrue it.”
Donna looks confused and maybe even a little concerned. “For how long?”
That question throws me a little because I don’t know for how long. Luc didn’t say. Is it just until the end of the summer? Is it just until he’s traded? Are we going to have to keep this a secret from his new team? I feel a seed of doubt plant itself firmly in my heart, but I refuse to help it grow.
“Until we’re ready to make it public.” I give the best nonanswer I can give and then shrug. “The point is we’re together. And that’s what counts.”
Donna gives me a small, tight hug. “I’m so happy for you, Rosie. I always knew how much you meant to Luc and I’m glad he’s finally realizing it, too.”
She takes the heavy bowl of potato salad and heads toward the open French doors that lead from the dining room to the deck. I turn and face Callie. The look of love and joy from the porch is gone. Now she looks cynical. She sighs. “Dammit. I’m going to have to hit him eventually, too.”
She follows Donna out onto the deck.