Page 24 of Gwen's Delta
He waited until she was in her car and started the engine before walking over to his truck. When he was sure she was behind him, he led the way to his house.
His palms may have been sweating just a little, but he’d never admit that to anyone.
Chapter 7
Luke parked in the street and waited as Gwen pulled into the driveway. She would have to remember to tell Gramps about that. She could hear him now—“Someone raised that young man right.”
She parked and put on the emergency brake. The neighborhood seemed to be family-oriented with basketball hoops in the driveways and toys in the front yards. After confessing he never planned to settle down, the area seemed like an odd choice.
Luke’s house was an older two-story home painted a pale yellow with black shutters. It wasn’t a color scheme she’d have chosen, but it fit the house. The front yard was a mass of solid-green lawn disrupted by three enormous magnolia trees and the flower beds near the front door. Bright-pink impatiens and orange-and-yellow lantana grew among magenta azaleas and greenery she didn’t recognize. It didn’t look like the home of a badass soldier.
Gwen was so focused on the house that Luke’s gentle knock on the driver’s side window made her jump and drop the car keys she’d been holding.
“Are you okay?” Luke asked as he opened her car door.
Gwen reached for the keys and grabbed her purse. “I was admiring your home. It’s lovely.”
Luke chuckled. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry, you’re not the first one to doubt I live here. But when I bought the house, it was in foreclosure and needed a lot of renovations,” he explained as they walked toward his front door.
“Really? You did all this?” She needed to add Handy to Mr. Tall, Dark, and Sexy.
“That was the plan initially, but we were away so often that it was taking me forever.”
“Did the renovation fairies fix it for you?” Gwen teased.
Luke unlocked the door and let her enter first. After seeing the landscaping, the inside shouldn’t have been as much of a surprise, but it took her breath away. The floors were a dark hardwood, and the walls were a pale yellow. The combination was elegant, a repetition of the color scheme of the outside. Off to the right of the front door, an antique table held a vase filled with bright yellow-and-white roses that softly scented the air. It felt like she’d stepped into the pages ofArchitectural Digest.
“Wow. I’m really impressed,” Gwen said as she took in her surroundings. “Collecting rare books definitely fits you after seeing your home.”
“I’m not sure I get what you mean?”
“I’ve met a lot ofregularguys. None of them lived in a house that could grace the pages of a magazine. It’s not what I pictured; it’s very traditional. I figured you’d have a condo decorated in lots of brown leather. This is like an oxymoron. But not in a bad way.” She hoped she didn’t offend him. His home made a statement, but it didn’t fit what she knew of him.
“You’re right; it isn’t me—at least, not most of it. My interior plans were nothing like this, but it wasn’t leather, either.” Luke grinned as he led her farther into the house. “While I was away, my mother thought it would be wonderful to surprise me. After being away for a month, I walked in to find this. I thought I was in the wrong house.”
Gwen giggled as she imagined the look on his face when he opened the door—sort of like finding Oz on the other side of a tornado. “I can’t even…”
“Exactly how I felt. I knew she was trying to help, but I’d been looking forward to doing the work even if it was slow. She didn’t touch the library since she wasn’t sure what it would need. So, that room is all me.”
Therealhim. She’d bet the first edition ofRobinson Crusoethat there weren’t any antiques and flowers in his library.
“I can’t wait to see it and your collection,” Gwen said, curious to see his decorating style.
“It’s in the back of the house. This way.” Luke took her hand and twined their fingers together as he led her down the hallway.
His touch sent tingles of desire straight up her arm and down her spine, stopping to pulse in her core. If she couldn’t get a grip on her raging hormones, she’d be throwing herself at him before the afternoon was over.Focus, Gwen.
A painting on the wall caught her eye. “Is that a real Renoir?”
“Yeah. It’s my mother’s. She thought it would look great. Most of the art is from my family.” Luke sounded embarrassed to admit it.
Holy shit.Similar paintings covered much of the long hallway. If they were all originals, she hoped he had good security. Having money in his family was one more point in his favor. It guaranteed that he wasn’t interested in her wealth like the last guy she’d dated.
“I know all about family. I could tell you stories from when I bought my house. But it means they love us, right?” Just thinking about that near fiasco made Gwen sigh.
“Very true. I contemplated redecorating a few times, but I don’t want to hurt Mom’s feelings. She was so proud of herself. Whenever the guys come over, the shit starts, and that’s when I end up rethinking my choice,” Luke said with a wry grin.
“But she left the library for you, right?”
