"Before I met you I never knew what it was like to look at someone and smile for no reason." — Unknown
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Chapter 61
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Maggie

I ran a hand over the waves in my hair for the millionth time. As soon as I felt it good enough, I took a step back to get a full view of myself.

The dress, as I remembered, was an emerald shaded, silky, thin-strapped dress, which reached the beginning of my ankles, but luckily didn't drape over my feet. A slit ran just up just above my knee, and stopped right in the center of my thigh. The dress hugged my curves perfectly, providing a nice glimpse of my cleavage, but a perfect, ample shape of my ass. To finish the outfit off, I added a pair of silver, cone-heeled, sandals.

I hadn't applied too much makeup, just a little bit of dark eyeshadow, mascara, and Luke's favorite lip gloss, since it tasted like 'vanilla ice cream,' in his exact terms.

I added a pair of classy silver earrings, as well as a diamond bracelet that Kimberly and Raven gifted me. I topped it all off with waves in my hair that bounced over my shoulders with every step I took.

"You look amazing," I complimented my reflection, smiling back at myself. "Absolutely amazing."

"Shit," was drawled out from behind me. "I'm glad we agree then, baby."

My head fell with a chuckle. "Luke." This was his fourth time coming into my bedroom. "Get out."

He used the excuse of 'forgetting something' every single time. In reality, it was just him stealing a kiss from me.

His chin fell on my shoulder, tugging me back into him by my stomach. "When your gorgeous ass is in here all alone?" His eyes raised to mine in the mirror, his expression full of admiration. "Fuck no, Norris."

A satisfied sigh parted my lips. It was getting harder and harder to tear away, but I'd join him in a moment.

With a groan, I shook my head, the act physically hurting me as I shifted from him. Luke's crooked grin remained as he met my gaze in the mirror.

"Fuck, Maggie," he said, tilting my head up from behind. I stared into his eyes, and was immediately downing. "You're stunning, you hear me? Fucking stunning."

"Thank you," I smiled, not even bothering to hide the blush in my cheeks. It was impossible with the way he talks to me.

His hand cupped mine, placing it against his shirt until I felt the hardness of his stomach underneath. "I don't even know if you can feel this shit, but you're giving me butterflies." There was nothing but earnestness in his eyes as he ran my hand in circles along his abs. "Butterflies, Norris."

I giggled at his theatrics before waving him off. "Yeah, yeah I feel it, dramatic boy, now go to the car."

His face nearly resembled a child being told no for the first time. "Now?"

I nodded, tearing my eyes away to stop from jumping him. My gaze defaulted to the tempting curve of his lips. "Now."

The warmth of his lips covered mine. My own settled against his, returning the kiss with the same pressure until he pulled back just enough to speak.

"Even now, angel?" he teased, pecking my lips, again.

My ears were ringing just from a quick kiss, and I was barely hanging onto the idea of gravity with the way how high I was on cloud nine around him.

I forced my gaze into a glare. "Car, Luke. Now."

His silly grin stretched at me until I found myself having to fight back my own. "Fine, fine." He released me, leaving the skin cold as he did so. It looked to pain him just as it did me to part, but he made it to the door.

I rolled my eyes at him, stroking over my hair, again. Luckily, he hadn't messed with it too bad.

Just as I thought he was gone, he was coming right back.

I narrowed my eyes at him in warning. "What did I just tell you—"

"I know, I know," he argued, raising his hands in surrender. As soon as they went to fall, he stopped them on my chin.

Raking his thumb over it, a soft smile swayed over his face. "I just wanted to say you look beautiful." His eyes examined me over so gently, I thought myself to melt any moment now. "You look so beautiful, Maggie."

My heart swung off the rope of his words and just him, but never once fell. I'd never tire of them.

Counterfeit confidence was my thing. It was the game I knew like the back of my hand. Regardless of it, though, I had never truly felt beautiful. I never thought it was possible to do so again, honestly.

Until now.

With the way Luke looked at me, I'd never felt as beautiful. With the way he spoke and listened to me, I'd never felt as heard as I did with him. With the way he treated me, I'd never felt as perfect, despite being the polar opposite.

In the best way possible, he made everything different for me. He made me different. He made me want to be better.

I faked a scowl. "Keep that same tune in the car." I waved him off, earning a crooked grin in return before he obliged by kissing my cheek, then stepping out of the room.

I was nearly bouncing with excitement at the thought of tonight. After everything we had done together, we hadn't even went on an official date, yet. All of those times could be taken as that, but it wasn't the same.

Now, we were together. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Best friends and sort-of enemies who were crazy for each other. I loved it.

We had spent all day at his shop. Since last week, I had only been outside a number of times, and it was to walk Fang with Luke, or to take a short walk with Luke to help clear my head a bit.

I had driven my car when we went to visit granny and his mother today, as well. Luke, as much as he faked fear with me in the driver's seat, was really just happy to see my smiles and laughs while being outside. The rest of the time was spent working on his building, but mainly just eating the ice-cream we bought.

After reapplying my makeup, I stepped out of my bedroom. I made sure to leave the doors open for Fang, who was currently head deep in his bowl of food.

Luke was by the door, his expression glazed over with affection. As soon as we met eyes, the smile on his handsome face nearly left me in a puddle of feels.

I chuckled as I passed him, attempting to hold up my facade against how he truly made me feel. I patted his cheek with a cocky grin. "Pick up your jaw before it breaks, Palce."

Tonight, he wore a black suit jacket, a collared white dress shirt that was tailored to his tall figure perfectly, and black, sleek dress shoes. On his right wrist was a priceless, silver luxury watch that he had only worn to match my silver bracelet. His tousled hair was left alone, since I would be the one to toy with it all night, surely. All of it tied together for the most tempting sight in the world.

At my own look of approval, he smirked, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from him or how effortlessly he carried his looks.

One of us finally broke the staring contest when Luke made a reach for my hand. A fluky smile touched my lips as I squeezed his back.

While we walked to his car, Luke held a hand to the small of my back, and I had to slow my movements to stop from molding right into the warmth of it. Before I made it inside, I felt the small sting of his palm against my ass. It made me chuckle.

Luke had asked how I felt about many things, and I had reassured him that simple things such as kissing, holdings hands, body touches, and things of that nature were absolutely fine with me, right now. I trusted him, more than that, really.

My mind wasn't entirely clear skies, right now, but it definitely wasn't dark with grey clouds any longer, either. I was right on the crisp of it all, but definitely leaning along the lighter side, for sure.

As Luke claimed, he didn't want to take advantage of that or of how distraught I had been when I first attempted to have sex with him, again. So sexually, we both decided to wait from fully going through with it until I was in the right headspace to have control of my emotions, as well as my consent since they were both joint.

I knew a man had their wants, but Luke had reassured me that that 'want' for him was me, and my comfort with him. That I didn't owe him a single thing that I didn't want to give, and that everything was on my timeline and my permit. His encouragement about it all was the most assuring thing, for sure.

So, for right now, we were stuck on the basic things. He made me promise to tell him if something makes me uncomfortable or is a trigger for me, and even though I had never felt the need to voice it with him since he was the person I trusted most, it was still reassuring that I had someone to share these things with.

Jerking back, I threw a humored glare at Luke. "You're an ass." Leaning down, he pecked my lips, chuckling out a, "And, you're making my knees all wobbly and shit."

I rolled my eyes, despite my smile. I couldn't help it; he always brought them out in me, even when I thought they were all lost.

It remained as he started the car, then shifted the gears. His hand went behind my seat as he began to reverse us out of the driveway. I had to stop myself from pecking his lips again just at the sight.

The traffic on the road was light, thankfully. The ride to the restaurant was already full of conversation, laughs, and smiles from either side.

As soon as the wheels of the car slowed along the pavement, I was nearly ready to pounce from the car out of eagerness.

Of course, I'd been on dates before, but none of those men compared to Luke. He always made my everythings feel like firsts.

Hastily, I undid my seatbelt, then leaned up from my seat to set my eyes over the building. For a full view, though, I had to stretch my neck until I couldn't any longer.

The illuminated building was a couple of floors high, but I wasn't too sure of which one we would be on. The wide parking lot was full of extravagant cars, with aesthetically similar owners alongside them. I could hear the strums of classical music coming from here, as well as the polished chatter of exiting guests.

Excited, I turned to face Luke, but he wasn't there. Instead, the cool breeze from the outside pinched my exposed skin.

Gently, he helped me out of the car. His eyes, split right between excitement and nervosity, sparkled at me. "Ready?"

I nodded excitedly, smoothing a hand down my dress. "Hell yeah." Luke copied my actions with his own hand, earning an amused scowl from me.

His laugh had me rolling back my own. "I was just checking for you, Norris."

"Checking me out, you mean?"

His arm went around my waist this time. "Always."

The horn of his car sounded out from behind us as he locked it, before we headed for the entrance of the building.

On the way, though, the guests seemed to pause in their doings the second they saw Luke, their conversations and eyes alike turning to him, then me, then us.

At first, I didn't piece the reasoning behind it, but when I heard 'Vaudest' being said with such praise, I pieced it together.

Luke tightened his hand around mine, pushing by the onlookers with a glazed expression. It was cold, and detached from the soft, silly man I knew.

Once we were inside the restaurant, I had to hold back a sigh of relief. I could feel the eyes and the attention being drawn to us the longer they caught sight of the 'mayor's golden boy,' but because of Luke's death glare, they remained out of our space.

The line stretched out of the door, but there was another one to the side with far less waiting customers in it. Luke led us in that direction, but when we stopped, he shifted to face me.

He tightened his arm around me, his brows drawn in with concern. "Are you okay?"

I nodded to ease his worries. "Of course I am."

His skepticism remained, but once his lips divided, an ostentatious voice that didn't belong to either of us joined the conversation.

We were met with an older gentleman in a tuxedo. His elderly face was defaulted to perfection at Luke, but he tried to play it off as a natural expression.

The corner of his lips lifted into a smile. "Mr. Vaudest, what an honor it is to welcome you to Maison de Pierre. It is a great pleasure that a member of the esteemed Vaudest family has chosen our—"

"There's no need for that part." Luke's jaw rolled back and forth. "Can you get us checked into our reservation, though?"

The man blinked, taken aback by Luke's shift, but quickly recovered. His switch was applaudable, honestly.

Amidst the lively chatter of the guests, an undeniable sense of comity enveloped the room. The atmosphere wasn't oppressively quiet, but rather, it resonated with the soothing strains of classical music, crafting a perfect aura of tranquility.

I glanced over the interior with careful examination. It's beauty was eurythmic, and made with an eye-pleasing feel, just as what was seen of the exterior.

The ambient lighting was subdued, casting a dusky hue over everything it caressed. The wine-red carpet beneath my feet made each step feel like a gentle glide on cotton. The walls were adorned with an auburn-hued material, carefully augmented by strategically placed light sources, creating an ideal play of illumination. Adorning those walls were a collection of art pieces, each probably worth more than my entire tuition.

In the midst of this orchestrated elegance, a cadre of servants and hosts, all attired in pristine white, moved with an air of discreet urgency. Even the distant sounds of the bustling kitchen and food preparation stations contributed to the overall perfection of the scene.

My breath had stilled long ago. Enveloped by the ambrosial wafts of fresh food, the delicate interplay of perfume and cologne, the pacifying atmosphere, and the extravagant design, it was as if I had tumbled and somehow ended up in a wealthy wonderland.

When I looked up, familiar warm eyes were on mine.

"Come on, angel." Luke casted a smile my way that poked at my heart. "Let's get to our table."

My head bounced lazily. "Let's go."

When we were all inside the elevator, I let my gaze rest on the back of our host's head. Jesus. Even his hairstyle screamed wealthy.

The elevator doors opened, and I thought it to be our stop, but when Luke didn't move, I knew it wasn't. Instead, he placed a hand against my tummy, tugging me back into him and away from whoever was coming.

I couldn't quite understand why, but with the butterflies in my stomach at his hand placement, I didn't much care to find out.

In came a middle-aged woman with a midnight blue shaded dress that reached her ankles. Her matching shoes effortlessly glided along the floor as she joined us in the elevator.

In her venture, she caught me, then Luke in the corner of her eye. At us, I thought they'd pop right out of her freshly blown out head.

"Mr. Vaudest," she chirped, a smile stretching her lips from ear-to-ear. "What a pleasure to meet you."

Luke kept his gaze ahead in a cool stare. "You too."

"My family and I have never seen you up close other than at your father's campaign or from the photographs. You're hard to catch." Her laugh made my head hurt. "I'm sure you've heard it all before, but you are just the spitting image of your father. My husband loves to claim that you and your brother, Vance favor—"

Luke snapped his eyes over her the moment she took another step closer. "Can you back the hell up from my girl?" His hand gently tugged me over to his opposite side until he had her and I separated. "You're in her space."

I gave a smile as a thanks. The woman, as sharp as she seemed, proved to be the exact opposite with her inability to take a hint.

She blinked over shock, but returned to a natural state with a flicker of a smile. "My apologies." Past Luke's shoulder, she saw me. "Well, it's great to see that the Vaudest family is finally being extended. And, what an absolute beauty you are, dear." Her gaze landed on Luke again, who was clenching my hand for dear life. "I'm sure your father was very pleased that one of his sons—"

I couldn't take it, anymore.

Rather it be the annoyance of her ass-kissing, or the fact that the man who it was aimed at was an abusive, narcissistic piece of shit. Both were bullshit.

I glanced past Luke's shoulder to look at her. "How long have you been supporting Ryan Vaudest, ma'am?"

"Around twenty years or so, I believe. The moment I saw him in the articles, being such a well-rounded, loving father to his new baby boy, Luke, I knew—"

"Loving," I snorted, earning a humored glance from Luke until he followed up with a, "Well-rounded, she said."

I chuckled before meeting the lady's gaze, again. "I don't mean to let you or your obsession with the mayor down or anything, but..." I shrugged, leaning back into the elevator wall. "Bring a puppy around the man, and see how well-rounded he stays."

"A...puppy?"

Luke caught on then, our humor meeting the others. "A puppy."

The woman, stunned, turned away from the conversation to reflect on her choices. The space had grown considerably quiet now that she had, too.

I brought Luke and I's conjoined hands to the front of me, wrapping my free one around it. Squeezing mine back, he passed a thankful smile to me.

Our host had done a plausible job of his poker face, I'd give him that.

The woman finally got off of the elevator at her stop. The elevator doors parted, and without checking, I guessed that we had reached the pinnacle of the building.

The space was vast, and I strained my neck trying to take it all in. Golden walls ascended toward a ceiling adorned with shimmering golden specks that bore an uncanny resemblance to stars. The ceiling abruptly yielded to an expansive glass expanse, revealing a breathtaking view of the real stars beyond.

Below, I could spot the majestic spiral staircase we had would have taken originally, its path traced by the same opulent carpet until it culminated at our current location. At the room's center, a sleek metal railing encircled a long, oval structure that allowed us to peer down at the lower levels, completing the sense of grandeur.

"It's so beautiful," I breathed out, my head falling to Luke, who was watching me with a supernal expression. It deepened at me as he said, "It doesn't even graze you, Maggie."

My insides burned into mush, but I managed to catch up to our host leading us along. When we finally stopped, the adoration only fluttered in my chest at the destination. We stood at the room's epicenter, affording us the perfect vantage point to take in the breathtaking panorama.

Luke pulled out my chair, then of course, sat in the one right next to mine. While he gave our host our champagne order, I glanced over our surroundings, again.

I had been so engrossed in the beauty of it all, I hadn't realized until now. We were the only ones on this floor.

Luke was already watching me, his hand stroking over the surface of my knee when I turned to face him, entirely. "Are we the only ones here?"

"We are," he responded, smiling back at me. "I booked this floor for only us. I just wanted to have you to myself."

I blinked at him in dismay. I figured that he would spend a lot of money on us for the night, but Jesus.

Then again, though, it was his money. If he chose to spend it on me, then there was nothing I could do to stop him. The man was stubborn, so all I could give was my appreciation in different ways in return.

I leaned over in my seat to kiss his cheek, smiling as his own stretched. "Thank you, Luke."

Luke shrugged it off, squeezing my knee, next. The skin tingled from under his palm, earning a wobbly smile from me. A moment passed between us discussing our menu options, before I heard him.

"Maggie."

I looked to him.

Slowly, he released my knee and instead, grabbed my hand. His gaze weighed mine with heaps of guilt and shame to follow.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, his face full with prentice.  "I'm so fucking sorry, Maggie."

I blinked, confused. "For what?"

"For the elevator. For downstairs. For all of the attention, and the stares, and shit like that. I've been dealing with it all of my life, now, but..." Luke sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't want you to have to go through the shit, too. This was supposed to be a perfect night, but I know they—"

"Luke, it's okay."

He shook his head, stroking the back of my hand. "It's not. I don't want to make you uncomfortable with all of the extra attention. I should have thought more about it to keep you away from all of them."

"Luke, I promise it's okay. I don't care about it, or any of them. Just you." My hand broke free to clasp his jaw. "All I want is you and this night. None of them will ruin that or this for me."

I hadn't even thought about this part, because I didn't technically link Luke with his piece of shit father. They were nothing alike.

Regardless of it, though, he was the mayor's youngest son, a Vaudest, and everyone knew that, and him. His father's supporters and followers had been watching and awing over Luke ever since he was able to walk.

Of course, news would get out about him and I being together. The mayor's son, who had never been publicly seen with a woman, now had one, and not only that, we definitely weren't in the same tax bracket, either.

Luke scanned me over for any sign of distress. "Are you sure?" His hand dropped until he was to my chin. "We can go to another restaurant or something, if you want. I just want you as comfortable as possible."

"I promise it's okay." I shook my head, leaning closer to kiss his cheek, again. "This is all perfect to me. You're perfect to me. I don't care about anything or anyone else, except us and this night." Returning to his gaze, I nodded in reassurance. "We're gonna stay right here."

Regardless of the attention we would get from the media and the town, I genuinely didn't give a shit. I didn't want Luke to be insecure or worried for me over something he couldn't control, either. As I said, I wanted every bit of him and his life, just as he did me. I could handle it.

Slowly, Luke nodded, but remained still for a moment to provide me a chance at changing my mind. When he realized that I wasn't planning on doing so, he smiled, his expression relaxing with relief.

Picking up my menu, I began to scan through the options before I heard him.

"So..." he started, shrugging as he read through his own menu. "Tell me about yourself. Maggie Norris, right?"

"Mhm." I raised my eyes, biting into my cheek to reserve my humor. "I prefer just Norris, now, though."

"Yeah? Since when?"

"Since this tall, blonde, mouth of a sailor boy started calling me by it," I teased, squeezing his knee. "It's sort of habit to go by it, now."

"Ah," he mused, stretching his legs out from under the table. He made sure to graze my own with his. "Sounds like you've got this lucky fucker's balls tied, Norris."

I couldn't hold back my smile. "You think so?"

"Oh, fuck yeah," he snorted, propping his head on his fist. "Think he'll beat my ass if I start calling you that shit, too?"

My insides jumped at his smile. "I'll keep it a secret for now, but I really, really hope you're a fast ass runner if he catches it."

"Shit, with the way you're looking, right now?" he chuckled, draping his arm over my shoulder. "I'll happily take the fucker on for a chance at you, Norris."

Heat burned my bones. "What about you?" I glanced to him with a curious look. "Any pain in your ass—I mean, partner?"

Luke dangled a grin my way. "Shit, yeah. This girl of mine..." He sunk back into his chair, waving his hands for emphasis. "Jesus, she's perfect. These beautiful, green eyes that I never get tired of, a pretty voice that always calls me out on my shit, these perfect, plump lips she always has this sweet gloss on, and an attitude that's untouchable." His chest kicked out a satisfied sigh. "I can't get enough of her."

This man.

I ignored the hue in my cheeks, instead dragging my eyes elsewhere. "She sounds interesting."

"Mhm," he hummed in agreement, draping an arm over my shoulder. His hand curled around my chin, lifting it back up to him. "You know her, gorgeous?"

"No, but I'd sure like to meet her, soon."

"You'll be just as obsessed as I am, then."

"Not if she got a hold on you before I could," I teased, faking disappointment. "I've never been a home-wrecker, but for you? I might have to change it up a bit."

Luke laughed, his hand falling to the nape of my neck. "Trust me, Norris, with that beautiful smile of yours? I'm already fucked."

Just as my laugh joined his, our waiter returned with our drinks. When he had our champagne bottle open, Luke tipped him before the waiter returned to the kitchen.

Luke flicked his head at me. "Glass or straight from the bottle first?"

I scoffed, taking the champagne from him. All I saw was his laughter before I was tipping the bottle to my lips. The cool liquid slid down my throat so easily, it was a task to place it back down. It bubbled at the pit of my stomach as I handed it over to Luke, who took a swig of his own.

I strung out a satisfied sigh. "That was perfect." I hadn't known how badly I needed a drink until now.

I savored the dulcet taste while Luke took his own. It took a minute to realize why I traced the familiarity in it, but once I did, a grin raised to my face.

Luke placed the bottle back on the table at the same time that I glanced to him. "That's the champagne from the event, isn't it?"

Luke grinned at me. "It is. I remembered how much you loved it, and something else, too."

I peered at him in confusion while he poured our glasses. Since he was driving, he poured himself a lesser amount. "What else?" The event had been months ago, but I didn't truly remember every single detail of the night, especially with how things turned out, afterwards.

"You'll see, Norris."

Just as my lips parted, another waitress was coming to our table with a platter. After we gave her our entree orders, she sat the silver plate down, which was covered so that the contents underneath was hidden.

I sighed, draping my head on a fist. "I wonder how hard I'd have to swing that platter at your head to get a quick answer."

The humor in Luke's expression grew until he smirked. "Maybe I should have waited a minute or two to give you the champagne, Norris."

I chuckled, dragging our plate closer. My eyes fell to the center of our dish. Chocolate truffles.

I raised my gaze to Luke in awe. "You remembered."

Luke bit back a full smile. "Of course I did. You cursed me and smacked the shit out of my hand everytime I tried to take one from you."

Despite it being true, I laughed. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe your hand just got in the way of my slap."

Excitedly, I leaned forward to grab a truffle. The bite I took allowed me to seep right into chocolate goodness.

"So..."Luke chuckled, pouring me another glass of champagne since I was nearly finished with the first. "Am I doing this whole gentlemen, sweet shit right?"

I laughed at him. "Well...gentlemen's don't usually hit on, smack their date's ass, and ruin their lip gloss from kisses, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt from how sweet you've been."

"There's a first time for everything, baby." His grin widened as he leaned forward to grab a truffle of his own. "Does that mean I'm getting a second date, though?"

I nearly cried a hell yes on instinct, but managed to stop myself. "We'll see how the night ends, first." I chuckled around my bite of chocolate. "We still have a movie."

Luke nodded, lifting his arm from my shoulders. A moment later, his fingers glided through my hair then down to my neck, tracing soft lines into my skin.

"Thank fuck we're going home for that; I get to have you to myself even sooner."

Our entrees came, then. We both had ordered steak and pasta. After we thanked our waiter, he left until it was just us, again.

I lifted a brow at Luke. "Is it that, or is it just you being a big baby and wanting to cuddle?"

It was funny, really. Most of the people who knew him resorted to assumptions of violence, but just last night, he was with me, upset about not being spooned. His grumpiness had remained in place until I gave up on my teasing and pulled him into my arms.

He scowled down at me. "No..." his eyes fell before he lifted them. The hope rolled behind the blues in cute, sheepish bundles. "But, we are gonna cuddle, right?"

Giggles parted my lips. "We are, but I have to wake up early."

"For what?"

I placed my napkin back down. "The girls and I are going to be busy tomorrow."

Luke started to unroll his silverware. "What are you guys gonna be doing?"

I grabbed the steak sauce from the middle of our table. "Volunteering at the animal center for a couple of hours. Basically taking the donations of walk-ins, helping out with the animals, just things like that."

Luke nodded along, biting at the inside of his cheek. "That sounds fun. I'm glad you're starting to go out with them, again, angel."

"You, Kade, and Levi are going to leave us alone, too. It's strictly a girl thing," I added, pointing to him. "And, I'm not hearing an argument about it, so don't waste your time."

Luke chuckled with a nod. We started to trade bits and pieces of our food, but I could feel his lingering gaze of caution in the side of my head.

"You're going to keep your gun on you, right?" he inquired.

"Of course."

"And, your phone?"

"Always on," I replied. "Tracker, too. I promise I'll text you every hour to confirm that I'm okay."

Luke nodded, pink lips parting around a sigh. I glanced at him in time to catch him attempting to wipe a frown off.

I chuckled, reaching for his hand. I knew he was worried about us being apart, but it was an animal shelter. I didn't expect an attack to happen there.  "Are you really gonna miss me that much, Palce?"

"No," he scowled in return despite the counter of his tone. "I'm annoyed, because I'm going to have to be stuck with Kade and Levi bitching about how much they miss their girls the entire time."

I laughed, making a mental mark to tell Kimberly and Raven about that. My knife cut into my steak until I had a good piece on my fork. "You sure it'll only be them?"

"Maybe, but just out of curiosity, and only curiosity..."

I tipped my head up to him, biting back a laugh, "Of course."

His cute, lugubrious eyes met mine. "How long will you be gone for?"

I laughed at his saddened tone, bumping into his shoulder. "I don't know, Luke...you might be an entirely new man by the time I come back."

Luke shoved out a groan as he stabbed at a piece of pasta. "I'm gonna lose my fucking mind, Norris."

My laughter continued on at his somber expression. I would miss him just as much as he would me, but we would come home to each other at the end of the day, so it was fine.

Dinner continued on between us, full of so many laughs and kisses that I couldn't keep up. It was perfect. No mention of all of the things outside out of this room, it was just us. I loved every minute of it, and every bit of him.

By the time we finished, I thought I was floating. Or, something close to it, even. It wasn't from the food, but it was from the man who had made every other date I'd ever been on, every other memory, and all else seem insignificant.

My skin was prickling with the electric charge in the air. It was a moment I never, ever wanted to end. The only reason I was able to tear away from it was because the thought of making more with him sustained me.

I wasn't even sure what time it was right now, but I knew we had been here for a couple of hours, now. It hadn't even felt like it, really.

Luke tried to hide it from my view, but I managed to catch sight of the bill before he did. It was so high, I had to hold my jaw in place to stop from dropping it to the table.

On the way home, I could feel the drowsiness creeping up along my body the longer it continued. With the food coma, the champagne, and Luke's touches, it was hard to maintain my consciousness, but I forced it due to his cockiness.

As soon as he pulled in, he got out and came to my side. I blinked out of my half-dazed trance to get a clear view of his face, which sported a soft smile at me.

His thumb lightly grazing my cheek. "You tired, angel?"

I tried to scowl, but a yawn cracked it. "Not at all, prick."

His head fell with a soft laugh. "Right." He moved forward to click at my seatbelt, then scooted me out of my seat until he had me. "Come here, baby."

Gently, he lifted me up into his arms, one hand supporting my head while the other hung under my knees.

I didn't even fight it. Instead, I pressed my head against his shoulder, basking in his warmth. Sleep was calling my name.

Quickly, he tapped at his phone until the front door clicked open. His arms tightened around my figure as he walked in the direction of our room.

When I felt him take the turn, I stopped him with a pat to the chest.

I rubbed at my eyes; the champagne was making me woozy, now. "Where are we going?"

His lips pressed against my forehead. "To bed, baby," he replied around a chuckle. "You're basically asleep, already."

"We're watching a movie."

He scowled, arguing, "We're going to bed."

I glared at him, placing the last of my energy into this, "Luke, if you don't take your ass back into the living room and—"

"Fine, you little brat," he huffed, pausing his footsteps. "We'll watch a movie, okay?"

I nodded, giving a hint of a victory smile as he turned us around. His grumbled curses continued on as he turned the television on from his phone.

Seconds later, I heard the introduction of a movie strumming through the speakers.

I hadn't even realized he had put me down and left until his footsteps were growing closer all over again.

When the realization hit, I opened my eyes to see him. He had discarded of his suit in a matter of minutes, now in a pair of black sweats without a shirt.

He leant down to place my own pajamas next to me. His fingers went to my wrist, undoing my bracelet, before they returned to my ears to take my earrings off, too. He made sure to discard my face of the makeup too, thankfully.

He turned to face me, again, motioning toward the dress. "Arms up for me, Norris."

I groaned, lazily sinking my head back into the couch. The thought of any movement seemed like torture. "Why?"

Luke rolled his eyes, picking up my shirt first. "I'm trying to change you into your pajamas." He paused before craning his body. I felt the gentle pad of his thumb against my cheek. "If that's okay with you, of course. I just don't want you to be uncomfortable sleeping in a dress."

I nodded to give him my acceptance, barely mustering the strength to sweep my arms up for him. The humor remained in his expression as he changed me into my pajamas, which was just his shirt and a pair of shorts. Quickly, he left with my dress before returning to me, again.

At my sluggish form, Luke chuckled, arms stretching out to pick me up, again. "I've got you, angel."

I smiled into his embrace, squeezing his body to mine. The longer our skins remained connected, I thought my heart would fly right out of my chest.

Luke placed us on the recliner, settling my body on top of his. He pulled a fluffy blanket on top of us, settling his chin on top of my head. I had the best source of warmth possible.

The movie continued on, but I honestly had no clue of what was going on. I didn't even know what we were watching. My somnolence only seemed to amplify until I was a breathing corpse.

Luke's fingers glided through my hair to the most soothing pattern as he held me to his chest. The raspy undertone of his voice neared my ear to whisper out, "You awake, baby?"

My head bobbed on its own. "Mhm."

I heard the scruff of his chuckle in my ear. "You sure about that?"

I thought I may have heard him turn the television volume down, but I wasn't too sure. All I could focus on was the arduous thump of his heartbeat in my ear.

I turned until my face was against his chest; I'd never been as comfortable. "Positive, asshole."

The soft blanket was pulled even further up my shoulders. Just before the sleep claimed me for its own, I heard him say one last thing.

"I've got you, baby. Sleep," he whispered, peppering kisses to the top of my head. "You know I won't let you go."