sky imagining a tall, lanky boy with too long hair and a wickedly beautiful smile.
"Here you go." Luke carried a tray and set it on the deck between the two loungers. "Ice, for the foot." He picked up a small bag and wrapped it in a hand towel before he carefully laid it against the side of her foot. "We should have elevated your foot while we were working."
"It will be fine." She took the wine he offered her and a small plate holding cheese, crackers, grapes, and apple slices. "Thank you, I'll nibble, but I don't want to ruin my appetite. Dinner smells wonderful."
"No worries. Dan and Sage take turns cooking. They are pretty fantastic in the galley. I believe we are having fish Sage caught this morning off the pier."
"Perfect." She motioned to the stars. "The marvel of the heavens. It makes you realize what you can't see when you're consumed inside the city with daily worries and strife. Even from the beach house, the stars are diminished."
She sipped her wine to shut her mouth. She'd never been chatty, but around Luke she wanted to talk, to interact, to get to know him. The wine was oaky, buttery smooth and a delicious accompaniment to the soft brie cheese which adorned the sesame crackers.
"For the last three years I lived in a place where I could see the stars like this. There was no light pollution."
She placed her small plate down on the tray and turned to her side without dislodging the icepack on her foot. "How bad did it get? After I left?"
He turned toward her. In the darkness the conversation seemed more intimate, even though she could see movement inside the cabin. "After? Not as bad as it was before."
She pushed up on her elbow. "Why? Did they leave you alone?" A spring of hope bounced forward. Maybe her mother had...
He gave a humorless chuff. "No."
She stared at him. His eyes focused behind her, distant, lost in memories, or in his case, nightmares. "What happened then? Why was it better?"
His eyes tracked to her and a soft smile tilted his lips. "You happened."
Her mouth dried and she couldn't breathe. "Me?"
"Yes." He set his wine glass down and sat up, leaning toward her chair. He took her hand in his. "You."
He threaded his fingers through hers. Resolve settled around her as she looked at their joined hands, and she whispered, "I want you to make love to me."
His eyes moved from their hands to meet her gaze. "Why?"
"What?"
"Why do you want me to make love to you? Sympathy for what happened?" He stared at her, those gold-flecked eyes so serious.
"No. God no. This has nothing to do with what happened. No, wait that's not right." She shook her head and carefully sat up, being cautious of her damn toe. "What happened three years ago, it impacted the way I think of you, but not the way you may think. I'm in awe of your internal strength, of the way you've overcome what happened. I really didn't think you'd live." She blinked back the tears forming in her eyes. "I wanted you to. I prayed so hard for you, but I didn't know. I even had these fantasies of you coming back and sweeping me off my feet." She laughed and swiped at tears which fell from her lashes. "And not because I broke my toe, either."
"There are things you don't know about me. Things you can never know about my past." His thumb caressed a circle on the back of her hand. Soothing and gentle.
"Does my mother change the way you think about me?"
He drew back a bit, his eyebrows high and a shocked expression on his face. "No. Absolutely not."
"Then why would you assume whatever is in your past would change the way I feel about you?"
Those serious eyes softened a bit. "Who your parents are and what they do isn't your responsibility. My past is an amalgamation of my decisions, and I wouldn't change a single choice I made."
"Then there is no need to dredge up either of our pasts and examine them, is there?"
"Perhaps it is an oversimplification of where we find ourselves, but I'll let you win this argument." He leaned forward until their knees touched, and their faces were inches apart.
"That means you'll make love to me tonight." She leaned forward and felt the warmth of his lips land on hers.
"D-Dinner!"
She groaned into the kiss. "I'm really starting to dislike those guys."
Luke chuckled