“I hear the wheels turning in that gorgeous head of yours.” He kisses my sternum, rolls off of me and lays next to me, facing me, bracing his head on his elbow.

“I’m not thinking.”

“You’re not a good liar.” He leans over and kisses my nose and brushes a lock of hair off my cheek.

“I need to take my pearls off.” I sit up and turn my back to him and feel him unhinge the clasp.

“Why?” He lays them on the nightstand and I lay back down.

“I don’t want them to snag on something and break in the night.” I sigh and glide my hand down his side to his hip.

“I meant it, you know.”

I smile and stretch lazily. “I know.”

“What time are we getting up in the morning?” I’m relieved that he’s changing the subject. I have a lot to think about.

“Class is at nine.”

“Then we’d better get some sleep.”

“I’m not sleeping in these shoes.”

He laughs and sits up, sliding each shoe off my feet and placing them gently on the floor. He then unhooks the stockings from the garter and peels them down my legs.

“You have beautiful legs, baby.” He kisses them, and pulls the garter off me as well, tossing it on the floor.

He crawls up next to me and covers us in the duvet, scooping me into his arms.

I rest my head on his chest and sigh, feeling his lips on my forehead.

“Go to sleep, beautiful.”

“Goodnight,” I mumble and drift into an exhausted sleep.

***

I wake suddenly and reach for Luke, but he’s not there. The bed is cold and empty.

Where did he go?

I pull on the white dress shirt he was wearing earlier tonight, and leave the bedroom. He’s not in the loft, so I go downstairs.

It’s dark. I don’t see him in the living room or kitchen, and I’m about to get really scared when I see movement on the deck.

I walk through the darkness to the open door unnoticed. He’s standing at the railing, bathed in moonlight. He’s wearing a dark pair of pajama pants that hang on his sexy hips and he’s topless.

He’s leaning his elbows on the railing and is looking out on the midnight blue water that is reflecting the moon.

I wish with all my might that I had my camera.

I walk up behind him and kiss his back, wrapping my arms around his middle. I love holding him like this.

“Did I wake you?” he whispers.

“No, I woke up because you were gone.” I kiss him again. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just couldn’t sleep.” He turns around to face me and leans his hips on the railing, wrapping me in his arms. His face is bathed in moonlight, his eyes gazing intently down at me.

“How are you?”

“Lonely. Come back to bed.”

“Okay,” he whispers and kisses my forehead. “I see you’ve borrowed my shirt again.”

“It’s a nasty habit of mine.”

“That’s okay you can return it to me upstairs.” He scoops me into his arms and I laugh as he carries me back to the bedroom.

Chapter Twenty

I’m surprised to wake before Luke.

We have to be at yoga in an hour, but I can’t resist lying here and watching him sleep.

The early morning light filters in through his floor to ceiling windows. I love his large bedroom with its large-scale furniture. The bed is enormous, the white sheets feel like Egyptian cotton and they are soft against my skin.

Luke lies on his back, one hand flung over his head. His face is soft in sleep, his morning stubble so sexy along his jaw, and his usually messy hair even messier than usual.

And he loves me!

I saunter into the bathroom to answer nature’s call, and when I walk back into the bedroom I pick up the scattered clothes, shoes and hairpins from last night, a huge grin plastered on my face.

I notice one of my small suitcases is sitting on a chair near the windows, and I make a mental note to thank Jules.

I am happy to find my yoga gear, fresh underwear and other casual clothes and toiletries, including a toothbrush, all new, in the suitcase. I decide to unpack and settle in a bit. If he wants me to move back out, fine. If he wants to move some stuff into my place, that’s fine too.

I add my toothbrush and a stick of deodorant to his vanity and a bottle of body wash and shampoo to the shower.

Jules must have gone shopping for all this last night, and I not only mentally thank her, I plan to surprise her with a special treat.

I leave the clothes in the suitcase, but pull on my yoga gear and look back over to the bed.

Luke’s still asleep, and we still have plenty of time, so I leave him be and head downstairs to make coffee.

I poke around his kitchen, opening espresso-colored cabinets, and finally locate the coffee and maker, get it set to drip and find some mugs as well. As the coffee perks I open the French door out to the deck and step out to enjoy the view of the beautiful Puget Sound and take a deep breath of fresh air.

It’s a beautiful day. The sky is a brilliant blue, as the morning sun is up fully and shining on the deep blue water. The ferry is gliding gracefully toward Bainbridge Island. Seagulls fly over the water, and the breeze is blowing gently through my hair. It’s a glorious day.

“I thought you weren’t a morning person.”

I spin at the sound of his rough, sexy voice. He enfolds me in his arms and hugs me close.

“Good morning, handsome.”