The energy flowing between them sparked like a tangible thing. If the air had suddenly burst into flame in the space between them, he wouldn’t have been totally surprised. There was fire between them. There always had been, and there still was.
His orgasm built quickly, condensing in a giant wave of pressure and pleasure that swept through him with inhuman force. He let it go with a guttural cry, shooting into her mouth. He kept his eyes locked onto hers as she swallowed every drop he gave her. It drove the heat between them to a boiling point.
When he had given her every last drop, she stood and smiled at him. A little wickedly, he thought. That was fine, though. She’d earned it.
“You know,” she said, “we’re really going to have to do this in a bed sometime.”
He grinned. “Is that an invitation? Because I accept.”
She gave a short laugh. “Plenty of time for that. Don’t worry.”
Huh. He had to hold himself back, as he had so many times since she’d been back, from the urge to try to pin her down on specifics when it came to the future. He’d love to have a timeline, but the problem was that he didn’t even think that she herself had one.
Still. The phrase “plenty of time for that” was encouraging. He thought he’d take her advice not to worry, and just enjoy the possibilities that the words “plenty of time for that” put into play.
Chapter 22
Luna
"Are you going out to the town Christmas tree lighting tonight, honey?”
Luna considered Grandma Grace’s question. On one hand, she was exhausted. The thought of going to bed at 8 p.m. was way more appealing to her than it should’ve been to anyone under the age of seventy-five.
But on the other hand, she really didn’t want to miss any of the classic Valentine Bay Christmas activities. This was her first Christmas at home in so many years...and who was to say if it might not be her last in so many more?
Sure, she was in control over whether she came back next year, or the year after. She knew that.
Wanting to escape this train of thought before it led to self-recrimination over how long it had taken her to come to these realizations, she popped up from her chair at the dining room table. “Yes! Definitely. I just want to go take a shower and wash the hamburger and fries smell out of my hair.”
Grandma Grace chuckled. “Not a bad idea.”
Luna lost herself in the hot water streaming over her head and down her body. As wonderful as it was being back around Connor again, and back in Valentine Bay, the one thing that unsettled her was how it seemed like her head was spinning a good three quarters of the time, if not more.
Every time she let her mind wander to what the future held for too long, she started feeling like she was going to faint. Or barf. Or something else equally unpleasant.
So she’d developed the habit of ducking out of rooms or changing subjects on a dime. She was becoming pretty fucking stellar at it, actually. It was growing to superpower levels.
The only problem with that was that it was a terrible superpower. Why couldn’t she have gotten Makes Amazing Decisions At The Speed Of Light in the superpower lottery? She’d been robbed.
She toweled off, chose her clothes, styled her hair, and did her makeup...and at every step of the process, wondered what Connor would think about her choices.
Just like she did about everything she wore lately.
As she was headed out the door, her grandmother gave her a hug. “Well, don’t you just look pretty as a picture,” she said.
“Thanks, Grandma Grace,” she said.
When she bent down to hug her grandpa where he was sitting on the couch, he insisted, “Prettier than a picture.”
She straightened, laughing. “You two are good for my self-esteem.”
“Now don’t worry about getting in at a certain time. We won’t be waiting up. Just go have fun with your friends,” Grandma Grace said as she shooed her out the door.
Luna had to smile as she headed down the walkway. Her grandmother couldn’t have been more obvious if she’d just flat-out said, “Now go have a good time with Connor. He’s a nice boy and we want you to get together with him.”
And...yeah. She had a point.
Luna started to dig her keys out of her purse but then realized that she’d been doing a lot of retrieving her car from various spots around town because Connor had given her rides home. She figured she may as well just walk to the town square for the Christmas tree lighting.
Breathing in the cold air helped her feel more grounded. A lot of people might find the misty dampness unpleasant, but it was what she’d grown up with. You couldn’t live on the Oregon coast if you hated a little fog and some bone-chilling winters. Luna loved them.
Turning the corner onto the town square, she saw all four Valentine brothers standing at the edge of the plaza, their ladies by their side.
As she walked up to the group, she saw that there was a young teenage girl standing with them, smiling and laughing. Familiarity tugged at the edges of her brain, but she couldn’t quite make the connection.
Had she seen the girl out and about somewhere while she’d been in town? Had she been in the diner more than once?
Luna hadn’t placed her yet by the time she reached the group.
“Hey, girl!” Gen said, giving her a hug. “I was hoping you’d make it out tonight!”
“Yeah, it’s great to see you,” Abby added as she hugged Luna.
Ella then gave her a hug, and said, “And you remember Allison from the meeting the other night.”
Luna nodded and the two women waved at each other.
Troy Valentine, who was standing next to Allison, took over, nudging the teenager. “Not sure if you’d remember this munchkin. Our little sister, Mila.”
The girl rolled her eyes at the use of “munchkin.” Luna’s eyes, on the other hand, flew open wide. “Oh my gosh! I was just thinking how familiar you looked, but I couldn’t place it! I was wondering if you’d been coming into the diner, and that’s where I recognized you from—but, no, of course you’ve grown up! Wow, Mila. You were just a little thing the last time I saw you!”
She held up a hand in greeting, and asked, “The diner?”
“Yeah,” Gavin filled in. “This is Luna. She’s Grace and Serge’s granddaughter.”
Mila’s eyes widened, and a thin sheen of tears formed in them. “Oh, wow! How is Serge? I’ve been really worried. Everyone says he’s fine, but that seems like the kind of thing you just tell a kid.”
“He’s doing great, honestly,” Luna assured her. “Believe me. I know it’s hard to believe. I had a hard time accepting it from the doctors, too. I was nervous. But you should come by the house and see him in a few days, when he’s gotten a little more rest. You’ll see. He’s been talking and joking around.”
Mila’s face screwed up. “Serge? Talking and joking around?”
Luna laughed. “Oh, right. Yeah, I know. He’s different at home than at the diner.”
Mila nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say a whole sentence to anybody but Grace.” Her face lit up with understanding. “Oh, but that makes sense! Because she’s his family. And so are you.”