Page 64 of Unbearable Attraction
LEENAH
The engagement celebration at The Griddle & Grind had been everything Leenah could have wanted—warm, genuine, and filled with the laughter of people who'd become her chosen family. But now, walking back to her cottage with Luka's hand warm in hers, she felt a different kind of anticipation building.
"Thank you," she said as they reached her front door.
"For what?"
"For asking me to marry you in the grove, with dirt under your fingernails and hope in your voice." She turned to face him, her engagement ring catching the porch light. "For making it about us, not some grand gesture designed to impress other people."
"I wanted it to be real," he said simply. "Like everything else between us."
Inside, Minerva greeted them with a satisfied purr, as if she'd been expecting this development all along. The cottage felt different somehow, more like the beginning of something than a comfortable ending to the day.
"Coffee?" Leenah offered, though what she really wanted was to keep talking about the future they were planning together.
"Actually, I'd rather just sit with you for a while. Process the fact that we're really doing this."
They settled on her couch, and the conversation that followed was unlike any they'd shared before. Not the careful negotiations of two independent people figuring out how to be together, but the open planning of partners who'd committed to building something lasting.
"I want kids," Luka said at some point, the admission coming out quietly. "Not right away, but eventually. I want to give children the kind of love and support my clan gave me before everything went wrong."
"What if they inherit both our gifts?" Leenah asked, curling closer to his warmth. "A child who can speak to spirits and channel earth magic? That's going to be complicated."
"All kids are complicated. But at least ours will grow up knowing they're loved exactly as they are." He tightened his grip around her. "No hiding what makes them special, no being shipped off to relatives who don't understand their abilities."
"You really think we can do this? Build the kind of family that survives supernatural politics and magical emergencies?"
"I think we can do anything together," he replied with certainty that made her believe it too.
Later, as the conversation wound down and comfortable silence settled between them, Leenah realized she wanted to show him exactly how happy his proposal had made her. Not just with words, but with actions that expressed what their engagement meant to her.
"Luka," she said softly, shifting to face him more directly.
"Yeah?"
"I love you. More than I thought I could love anyone. And I want to spend tonight showing you exactly how grateful I am that you chose to build a life with me."
The conversation that followed was tender and intimate, filled with quiet promises and gentle touches as they explored what their engagement meant beyond the practical aspects of wedding planning. This wasn't just physical attraction, though that was certainly present. This was the physical expression of their spiritual bond, deeper and more meaningful than anything either had experienced before.
Leenah led him to her bed after enough teasing had ensued and instructed him to lay down.
Leenah’s pulse hammered in her ears as she gazed up at Luka’s towering frame, moonlight dancing over the planes of his chestnut hair and broad shoulders. He stood at the foot of the bed, flannel peeled back from his arms to reveal skin dusted with cedar-scented sweat and the intricate claw scars on his forearm—a silent testament to battles fought and won. His deep amber eyes, flecked with gold, roamed her body, the heat in them making her ache.
“Leenah,” he murmured, voice low and rough, “you don’t have to do this.”
She shifted on the mattress, sliding the last of her black cardigan off one shoulder so her silver-charmed braid fell forward. “I want to,” she whispered. “I need to.” Her fingers traced the curve of her crescent-moon tattoo behind her ear, gathering courage. “Show me how much you want me.”
A rough, breathy chuckle rumbled from his chest as he stepped closer. The room—the small loft tucked above his workshop—felt too small for the magnetism crackling between them. Gauzy curtains trembled in the night breeze, and the scent of cedar shavings mingled with something more primal: raw desire.
Luka’s hands framed her face, thumbs stroking her cheekbones. “Lean back,” he instructed softly, and she obeyed, reclining against a scattering of pillows. He lowered himself to his knees, massive arms anchoring him to the mattress as he settled between her thighs. Leenah’s breath caught at the sight of him: his jeans hung low on powerful hips, revealing the V-line of his obliques and the dark hair at his groin. She could already see the glint of moisture at the head of his cock—thick, long, tipped with a rosy sheen.
“Gods,” she breathed. “You’re beautiful.” Her slender fingers closed around the waistband of his jeans. He lifted his hips to help her tug them down, revealing more—his massive cock standing proud, veins pulsing. She swallowed hard, eyes wide with awe.
Luka’s amber gaze locked on hers. “If anything hurts—” he began, but she cut him off with a gentle shake of her head.
“I promise you pain isn’t on the menu tonight,” she teased, voice husky.
She eased herself forward and closed her mouth over him, warm and wet. He inhaled sharply, hand landing at the small of her back to steady himself. Leenah held his hips, her lips sliding over the velvet underside of his cock, tasting him: a heady mix of cedar oil, skin, and something musky that made her pulse flutter. She savored the slight salt on his skin before taking him deeper, coaxing a low groan from his throat.
