He handed her a box from the counter. “I thought you might like this to change into after a long day. It’s one of the outfits we shipped a lot of this winter. Usually, there’s a logo of your favorite football team on the sleeve, but I don’t even know if you like football, so I snagged a plain one.”
She opened it and caught her breath. Nestled in tissue paper was an outfit of the softest navy blue fleece.
“It’s beautiful.” She ran her fingers over the material. “And I love football.”
“You look good in blue.” He smiled. “You wore blue the night we were…together, and looked terrific in it. Anyway, I figured you might like something comfortable to change into.”
“Oh, Luke, thank you for being so thoughtful.” She blew him a kiss.
He reached into his pocket and drew out a small box. “I got you something else which I hope you’ll wear.” He opened it to display a tiny fir tree dusted with snow. When he lifted it out Julia saw that it had a slender chain drawn through a tiny loop at the peak. “Can I put this on you?”
Emotion clogged her throat, preventing speech, so she nodded her head. His fingers trembled against the nape of her neck when he fastened the clasp.
She touched the place where the charm rested against the hollow of her throat and blinked back tears. “Thank you. I don’t think I’ll ever take it off.”
“You could always tell people you bought it yourself.”
“I don’t have to tell them a damn thing.” She drew in a calming breath. She could wear whatever she wanted. Now. “And it means I will have you close to my heart every day and night.”
He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “That’s exactly why I got it. A taste of New England and memories of this night.”
Julia wanted to take this moment and freeze it in time.
“Now.” Luke took a step back and gestured at the box holding the sweats. “Well? Let’s see how the outfit looks on you.”
“Of course.” She set her glass on the counter. “I…I’ll just be a minute.”
She disappeared into the bathroom, grateful for the chance to freshen up. When she looked at herself in the mirror she saw a woman flushed with sexual arousal and something else. Happiness. She reached up and touched the tiny charm, knowing it would be her talisman until the business of the divorce was settled. God, why couldn’t it all be over now?
She smiled as she noted the scented soap and fluffy towels he’d set out for her. As she folded her clothes and set them on the edge of the tub, she gave in to a naughty urge and stripped off her thong and bra, too, slipping them beneath the jacket of her pants suit.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
The two-piece outfit felt as soft as an angel’s kiss against her skin as she drew it on, and when she looked in the mirror over the sink, she realized Luke was right. The blue did bring out the brilliance of the color in her eyes. A quick brush through her hair and a swipe of lip gloss, one last look in the mirror, and she was ready.
Deep breath, Julia.
She returned to the room to find a fire crackling in the fireplace. Music played softly on the stereo and Luke, half sitting, half lying on the couch, watched her with hungry eyes. He’d removed his jacket and tie and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. She loved the play of muscle in his arms and the glint of the firelight on the dark hair of his arms.
“Well?” She twirled in front of him. “What do you think?”
A slow, languid smile spread over his face. “Gorgeous. Just as I expected. How do you like it?”
“I love it.” She smoothed a hand over the fabric. “It’s like being wrapped in a feathery blanket. No wonder you sold so many of them.”
Luke put his drink down, stood up, and took her hand. “Dance with me.” He pulled her easily into his arms, nestling her head against his shoulder, their linked hands folded between them. They moved slowly, almost in place, in the same rhythm they’d been caught up in the last time.
Here in this cabin in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by snow and pine trees, warmed by the fire, and lulled by the music, she felt the world fall away. The rest of her life fell away and for the first time since her morning arrival at the airport she relaxed, tension sliding away from her body like a cloak someone thoughtfully removed.
“You smell wonderful,” Luke murmured in her ear. “I wish I could have bottled your scent and kept it with me to open every now and then.” He pressed her to him tightly. “God, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you, Julia. One night together and I couldn’t get you out of my head.”
“I missed you, too,” she said, feeling the steady thud of his heart against her.
“Did you bewitch me, Julia?” His lips moved against her hair. “Did you cast a spell?”
Her laugh was unsteady. “I’m not sure I’d know how.”
“Oh, I think with you, no knowledge is even required.”
His words made her feel giddy, excited. It was the kind of nervous energy one got from dancing on a thin wire.
Luke kissed her forehead, then her cheek, sliding his mouth until he found her lips. Gently he pressed his tongue until she opened for him and met him with her tongue. The kiss went on and on as if they were fused together, sensations of heat cascading through her body. The music drifting into the room was a counterpoint to the pounding of her pulse.
Luke slid his hands beneath the knitted band of the top, drawing a sharp breath when he realized she had not put her bra back on.
“Tempting me already?” His voice was just a tiny bit unsteady.
“Hoping to.”
