Page 65 of Luke

When he lifted his head, she cupped his face with her hands and brought him back to her, stealing another kiss from his lips before she let him go. "You taste like chocolate and coffee, two of my favorite things."

"So do you," he said with a laugh. "But you're my favorite thing."

Warmth ran through her at his words. Luke could definitely be charming when he wanted to be. "You're high on my list, too."

"Good to know, especially since I'm wondering if you kissed me the second time just to taste the coffee on my lips, my little caffeine addict."

She laughed. "You do know me well, but that wasn't the reason. I just…"

"What? You just what?"

"Missed kissing you. Last night reminded me of how much I missed it."

His eyes darkened. "I know exactly what you mean." He paused. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course," she said, as a nervous tingle ran down her spine.

He grabbed her hands, his fingers tightening around hers. "Today was the first time I've watched anyone I care about take a huge risk. I've never had to do that before. I've seen friends get into some dicey situations, but that was different. They were trained and prepared and knew what they were up against. But watching you go down that rope, I felt a worry beyond anything I've ever experienced. It is so much more difficult to watch someone face danger than to do it yourself. I don't think I ever knew that before."

Her heart swelled at the look in his eyes. "Last night when I was watching your movie, I wondered what it would have been like to be with you while you were taking all those tremendously dangerous risks. I don’t know if I could have lived through it."

"Well, I now understand that worry better. This afternoon, when you disappeared over the edge, all I could think about was that I didn't want to lose you. I didn't want the world to lose you. I didn't want Kaitlyn to lose you. You're just too important."

Her heart skipped at his words, the depth of emotion in his voice. "That's nice—"

He cut her off with a shake of his head. "It's not nice. It's love." He paused, letting the word sink in. "I love you, Lizzie. I don't think I've ever stopped loving you. Even through the anger, it was still there. I just buried it so I didn't have to keep hurting."

Her breath stalled in her chest. "I—I—" She wanted to say she loved him back, but those words had always been difficult for her. She'd been so destroyed by the father who had abandoned her that telling another man she loved him and then watching him walk away had been beyond her. That old fear was part of the reason why she'd walked away from Luke first, because deep down she'd known it was only a matter of time before he would go, and she hadn't thought she could take it.

"You can't say it, can you?" he said with disappointment.

"You know I care about you."

"You can say you love coffee, but you can't say you love me?" He shook his head in bewildered annoyance. "That's fine. I didn't say it just so you would say it back. I know it's not a word you seem able to use with me."

"And you know why," she reminded him, because unlike any other man in her life, Luke was the one who knew her backstory, who knew her fears, her scars.

"I'm not your father."

"I know that." What she didn't know was why she was stalling. It was three simple words. But what would come next? What would happen after she put her heart on the line? She'd been so brave earlier, but now she was back to being a coward.

"Aunt Liz?" Kaitlyn's voice came from the stairwell, then she appeared on the roof. "What are you guys doing up here?"

"Just getting some air," she replied, pulling her hands away from Luke's. "Are you going to bed?"

"In a few minutes." Kaitlyn paused, giving them both an uncertain look. "I kind of wanted to talk to Luke, if that's okay."

"It's fine with me," Luke said.

Realizing that Kaitlyn wanted to speak to Luke alone, Liz got to her feet. "I need to check on some things downstairs. Say good-night when you come back down," she told Kaitlyn. "Luke—we'll talk later."

"Sure," he said in a casual way that erased the intensity of the last few minutes.

Was that because Kaitlyn was there or because she hadn't had the guts to say she loved him?

She mentally kicked herself all the way downstairs. But it wasn't over, she told herself. She would talk to Luke again. She would tell him how she felt. Even if he left, even if he broke her heart…

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