Lexi slipped undetected out the front door and bolted down the long driveway. She glanced behind her only once, making sure no one had followed her and checking that Ham wasn't inside the garage polishing something. The man obsessed over his limo.

When she saw Luke waiting in the trees, her heart stuttered, and she began making up scenarios of how their walk might turn out. One possibility was rather graphic and had them entwined in an erotic position without the impediment of clothing. Entertaining, but not helpful, especially since her face burned when the image popped up. She needed to keep her head in the game and approach this like a debate, minus the part where she trounced her opponent.

"I hope... no one... saw me." Panting from her dash across the yard, Lexi spoke between breaths as she joined Luke on the trail. He offered his arm, and she rested her weight on him, pretending to need it, although the warmth radiating off his skin only made her heart gallop faster.

"I haven't seen a single soul," he said. "I think you're safe."

"It feels strange to sneak out like this. Maybe because I've never had to. I don't know why everyone has their panties in a bunch this weekend."

When Lexi finished her rant, Luke smiled at her, his disarming eyes lit with amusement. What was he thinking? Was he remembering her outburst when she announced she was a virgin? Had the announcement surprised him? Or, maybe, intrigued him? Nora said he was the perfect man to help her change that status. 

"Where would you like to go, Lexi? This is your weekend. You call the shots."

"Well, this trail leads to the stable and the ocean. I walk it when I need quiet time."

"Sounds perfect." With a gentle touch, Luke arranged Lexi's arm inside the crook of his elbow, and she pushed all her uncertainties aside. This was exactly what she wanted. She would be fine if she just imagined Luke as a regular guy and not the man of her fantasies. 

The first thing to derail her as they walked arm in arm was Luke's proximity. She felt every muscle and sinew of his shoulder as it brushed against her, which kept her distracted with thoughts she would never repeat out loud. She couldn't even make small talk for fear she might blurt something that would give her away, like Do you seduce women often?

"What are your plans for the future, Lexi?" Luke broke the silence with a soft-spoken inquiry, like he didn't want to disturb her thoughts. If he only knew.

"Something in the teaching field. Maybe coaching. My dad claims I'm a born leader, but I think he only says that so he can take credit for it. If my mom had her way, I would live in Nova Scotia and find a university close. She has a degree in bioengineering, but she put her career on hold to be a mom. That's not how I want to live my life, though. I refuse to waste any of my education."

"Your parents seem to shelter you a bit."

Lexi grinned at him full force. "Go ahead and say it. They shelter me a lot. Of course, I've traveled and had amazing life experiences, so maybe sheltered isn't the right word, but they are extremely protective. I didn't mind so much until I started high school. That's when their constant surveillance got annoying. I can't even go to a party without one of them chaperoning."

"Yet, they sent you away to school."

"Actually, my school is a stone's throw from Boston where my dad runs his business. We have a home there where I stay every other weekend. Mom's the only one who lives at the estate full time."

"So, I take it you have never brought a boy home to meet your parents."

Lexi snorted, remembering the mistake she made mentioning her first crush to her dad. He had her write a one-page essay listing all the reasons the guy would make a good boyfriend. "Nope."

"Then this party is their first real test."

"I guess you could say that, although I don't think I'm meeting their expectations."

"Is that important to you? Meeting your family's expectations?" Luke locked Lexi in a serious gaze, and she used the opportunity to speak her truth.

"It used to be, but I'm changing that now."

They arrived at the stable, and Lexi paid a quick visit to Jackie O, feeding her a carrot from the treat bag and thanking her for teaching that preppy clod, Will, a lesson. It wasn't long before she and Luke were back on the trail, chasing the sun. She wanted to show him the spot where the trees gave way to the ocean, one of her favorite sunset vantage points.

"If I may be honest, Lexi, I think your parents have done you a disservice," Luke said as they navigated the path.

"How so?"

"Here you are on the precipice of eighteen, already a woman by my way of thinking, and you have no experience with romantic love. How will you know if a man is sincere or if he's trying to con you?"

"Is this a confession? Are you trying to con me?" Lexi raised her eyebrows and added a smirk to let him know she was joking, but her stomach knotted up at the thought.

"I would never con you. I am a gentleman of the highest caliber." He followed up his answer with a charming smile, which made Lexi chuckle.

"And modest, too."

Luke accepted her taunt with a humble shrug, and Lexi couldn't help thinking of him as a nobleman whose rank was high enough to give him confidence but kept him true to his sworn duties. He didn't have fathead syndrome, which made him even more attractive, if that was possible.

When they arrived at the clearing, Lexi stopped their progress, and they admired the vast stretch of ocean together. Luke's hand drifted down her arm toward her wrist as she tried to focus on the view, and when he slipped his fingers between hers, the rush came on like a tidal wave. The chills reached all the way up to her scalp, as well as lower, toward her private regions.

"How often are you able to visit the ocean?" Lexi asked as a distraction.

"During a good year, I can manage three trips. However, I haven't taken a reprieve in..."

Before Lexi knew what was happening, Luke pulled her toward him, and their chests collided. Her first thought was to push away, but her senses were responding to the scent of his musky cologne as it swirled under her nose.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," he said as he backpedaled through the opening in the trees. "There's a snake on the path, and he doesn't seem keen on us disturbing his sunbathing."

Lexi turned and caught a glimpse of the snake as it retreated under a fallen branch, confirming that Luke was not getting handsy. Too bad. "That's a Maritime Garter Snake. They're harmless, but I appreciate your concern for my welfare."

"I have made your welfare my priority this weekend." Luke spoke as he lowered his hands to her hips and left them there. So, maybe he was getting handsy. Yay.

His eyes hadn't left her face either, those smoldering eyes that appraised her like a museum curator studying a piece for authenticity while his heavy respirations competed with the crashing waves. Lexi glanced at his lips, imagining.

"This is nice," he said.

"Yes, it is."

Another breath and then... "Lexi? Have you ever been kissed?"

Lexi's throat turned against her, and she swallowed hard. She refused to swoon, but she was damn close. This was it. Her chance of a lifetime. She felt like a marshmallow roasting over a campfire, all hot and mushy.  "If you're asking if I've ever been kissed by a man, I'm afraid the answer is no."

"You don't have to be afraid," he said as he drew their bodies a whisper closer. "A kiss, when given willingly, is like the warmth of the sun after an eternity underground."

Lexi stared into Luke's eyes without flinching, a look she gave all her opponents. While Luke had never felt like an opponent, he managed to distract her from everything, which meant he had the advantage. She needed to confirm this connection was real while keeping her head in the game. But mostly, she needed his lips.

"I'm not afraid." The words left Lexi on a sigh, and Luke closed the gap between them, bringing his forehead down to rest on hers. He held her impossibly close, and his body heat soothed her like a touch from heaven. Something else touched her as well, pressing firmly against her thigh.

"Will you allow me the honor of giving you your first kiss?" Luke's request tumbled across her cheek like the caress of a summer breeze, causing her to forget everything else.

With only her fully aroused libido to guide her, Lexi uttered her reply. "Gods, yes."