“First, we sit and enjoy the view together.” I sighed contentedly as he snuggled closer. “Then I thought we’d check out a local winery, get a few bottles for our stay.”
Lucas smiled his approval. “And get you all loosened up. Love how vocal you get when you’ve been drinking.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, maybe that too.”
* * * *
On our way to the winery, Lucas gazed out of the window. He’d never been to the area, and I enjoyed watching him discover the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. There was something about the way Lucas reacted to his environment that I never grew tired of. His blue eyes were always at work, observing the smallest of details and formulating new questions about what he’d seen. The way his mind worked—how he approached a new experience with so much openness—was such a novelty to me. I was usually too worried about sounding stupid, but Lucas never hesitated.
“Have you been to a winery before?” I asked.
Lucas shook his head. “Nope, but I like wine.”
“We could see if they have a tour. You might enjoy learning about the winemaking process.”
“Yeah, that’d be cool. Do they grow green grapes or red?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s a biodynamic winery, and their sparkling white is supposed to be really good.”
Lucas grinned at me. “You didn’t tell me we were having Champagne.”
“Well, technically, we aren’t. Champagne is a growing area in France. Only sparkling whites from that area are considered Champagne.”
“Which region are we in?”
“Willamette, I think. I’m far from an expert.”
“So, you want to do the tour, too?”
“Sure.”
“Good. Maybe we’ll become that couple who holds fancy dinner parties and wine pairings. Does Matt like wine?”
I cast a side eye to him, but he wasn’t looking my way. I squeezed his thigh to get his attention. “Where did that come from?”
Lucas turned to me and blushed. “Just been curious about him since the party. He’s kind of sophisticated. I guess I figured this is stuff you would have done together.”
“No. Matt’s more of a bourbon guy. Our first date was actually at a beer and bourbon festival.” I smiled because the memory was a good one. We’d spent a good portion of the event checking out other guys together. I probably should have realized then we’d make better friends than boyfriends.
“Oh. That sounds fun.”
“And, Lucas…”
“Yeah?”
“I never brought Matt to this lake. I’ve never brought any other man to this lake.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Really.” I patted his leg again, and he laced his fingers with mine. He continued gazing out the window, but from the corner of my eye, I could see him smiling to himself.
Lucas was quiet for a few miles. We made the turnoff for the winery and the hilly vineyard came into view. “Wow. This is beautiful.”
Smiling, I traversed the curvy driveway to the parking lot. The tasting room was a large red barn and the entrance was marked by large gardens dotted with butterflies. I placed the car in Park and turned to see Lucas snap a picture with his phone. He admired me with a broad grin. “This is freaking romantic as hell. I love this.”
Lucas clasped my hand as we strolled through the gardens on the way into the tasting room. He took pictures of flowers and begged me to take selfies I pretended to object to. The sun shone brightly, casting Lucas’ blond hair with an almost-angelic glow. We arranged to do a tasting followed by a tour. Our guide patiently addressed every one of Lucas’ thoughtful questions, but I couldn’t have recounted even one detail of her answers. I spent the tour falling even more hopelessly in love with Lucas.
After the winery trip, Lucas drove me, tipsy and relaxed, to the local market and filled our shopping cart with the ingredients we needed for the dinner he’d planned.
“I’m going to grab the garlic and lemons. Do I need sour cream or yogurt for the dill sauce?” Lucas handed me his phone while we waited for the person at the fish counter to wrap our salmon steaks.
I navigated to the recipe’s website and double-checked. “Um. Says sour cream,” I said when he returned. A phone alert rang in my hand, followed by another, then another then about thirty more in rapid succession. “I’ll get it. Here. Your phone is blowing up.”
I found the sour cream and returned to see Lucas, open-mouthed and staring at his phone while holding our wrapped fish. “You okay?”
“Um. If I have bad news, would you want to know immediately or wait until we are in private?”
I surveyed the almost empty store. No. No. No. This trip would not be ruined by bad news. “Immediately,” I answered.
“Ken’s interview with me was published yesterday. It’s exactly what we discussed. He didn’t post your picture, only your first name.”
“Okay…”
“But my fans still identified you, and now your picture and full name are all over my feed.”
“What? How the hell did that happen?”
“I don’t know. I guess we gave too much information. They had your first name and that you work in construction. They know what city I live in and that we go to school together. Maybe someone from our class follows me? The pictures are from us on campus.”
“Well, I guess it’s not the worst thing that could happen.”
“There’s more.” He cringed.
“Oh God.”
“There’s security video of us from the library.”
“What?”
“I’m so sorry. I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t actually get naked, huh?”
“Yeah. I guess so.” I took the fish and put it in the cart. “Is this all we needed?”
“Babe…”
“It’s fine, Lucas. We discussed being more public. I wish it could have been on our terms, but there isn’t anything we can do about it now. Can we finish and get out of here? I’m losing my buzz.”
Lucas gawked at me but closed his mouth without saying what was on his mind. “Yes. I need some seasonings and the rice.”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Lucas didn’t bring it up again beyond saying he’d posted a message condemning the fans who’d shared my identity. He reported they felt terrible, hadn’t meant to upset him and removed their original posts.
Not that it did much good, since the pictures and video had spread like wildfire. Lucas used the inaccurate representations of us to fuel his fury, and by the time we’d arrived back at the cottage, he was more upset by it than I was.
“Calm down, Lucas,” I said.
“I feel terrible.”
“It’s really fine. I think I’m okay with it. I figure it’s like being unintentionally outed. At first, it feels like a violation, but then you realize you’re set free, and it’s not so terrible. Maybe your fans did us a favor. Let’s just enjoy these few days, and we’ll deal with it when we get back. I’m turning my phone off.”
“If you’re sure, I’ll turn mine off too. Let me text my mom and dad that that’s what I’m doing. Otherwise, they’ll worry.”
“I am. Now, it’s six o’clock. We’re on your time. Tell me what I need to do to make the dill sauce.”
Lucas smirked. “First, put this on.” He handed me an apron from the pantry. I lifted it to loop the fabric around my neck, but he stopped me. “No, baby. I want that to be the only thing you wear.” He winked at me, and like that, we were safely back in our bubble.
The next morning, I lived out the fantasy I’d been dreaming about since I’d booked the cottage. I woke with Lucas in my arms. He shifted his body into me and prolonged the moment of wakefulness with gentle, sensual kisses. He pulled back long enough to touch my face and smile for me. My smile. The one he saved for me alone.
Lucas rose to open the curtain then he left our room and returned with coffee, yogurt and fresh strawberries. We ate together in bed, watching the sun rays dance on the lake
.
“This place is beautiful.” Lucas sighed, and I popped a strawberry into his mouth and kissed him, smiling uncontrollably while he swallowed the too-large bite.
“I can see us living here,” Lucas said and lifted the last strawberry dipped in yogurt to my lips. I licked the fruit and took a small nibble, and he popped the remainder of the fruit into his mouth. The confession took my breath away. I was struck by the realization that I didn’t just want Lucas’ help. I needed his approval. My dream house wouldn’t feel complete if he wasn’t a part of it. The feeling was terrifying, exhilarating and horribly addictive—much like everything I felt for Lucas.
“Should we take a bath?” he offered. I nodded. Neither of us had a bathtub big enough for two full-grown men, so we’d never tried before. Lucas jumped out of bed with enthusiasm.
“I wish we’d brought some bubble bath,” he shouted over the running water.
I smiled to myself. “Check my toiletry bag.” I heard rustling and a squeal of excitement when Lucas found the Lush bath bombs I’d bought for the occasion.
“You’re so fucking romantic,” Lucas shouted. “Get your ass in here.”
I found Lucas in the ginormous tub. The water had barely risen to stomach level and his abs looked sexy as fuck surrounded by the sea-blue water from the bath bomb. “Get in here, lover.” He let his legs fall open and I eased myself slowly into the hot water and situated my back to his chest. He used his foot to turn off the water and closed his legs around my waist.
“We need one of these in the dream house,’ Lucas kissed my neck and soaped my chest.
I twisted to meet his lips. “Absolutely.”
Settling back in the water, I played with his hand and enjoyed the feeling of him wrapped around me. “What else do you want?”
Lucas thought quietly for a minute. I half expected him to suggest a sex dungeon from his porn set or, at the very least, something that would have to be kept hidden from my parents when they came by.
“Can we make sure there is a guest room on the first floor? My dad has started having trouble with stairs this year, and I’d really like to make sure they can visit us. They’d love it up here.”
I twisted in his arms and hauled up to kneel between his knees. He peered upward with a reserved smile. His vulnerable gaze spoke to me. It said he wanted everything. The house, the future…all of it with me. He was ready for whatever adventure life had in store for us. I brushed the strands of wet hair out of his face and kissed him.
After our bath, we launched the kayaks the owners kept for renters. I helped him adjust his foot pegs and walked him through how to hold his paddle. With a few corrections to his posture and form, Lucas took to it quickly. Before long we were gliding along the water, enjoying the best the Pacific Northwest had to offer—clean, crisp air and natural forest. Lucas was quiet, but I enjoyed the silence and took pleasure in watching him take in the scenery and knowing that, like me, he was envisioning our future together.
After an enjoyable forty minutes, my arms ached from exertion, and I suggested we turn back. “Can we rest a bit?” Lucas asked and pointed to small inlet edged by cottonwood trees.
I followed his lead, and we made our way to the small shoreline. Lucas plopped himself on the grass, lay back and lifted his arms into a stretch. I smiled, admiring him. “You’re so beautiful,” fell spontaneously from my lips.
Lucas gave me my smile and laughed. “Back at ya, baby.” He patted the grass, inviting me to join him on the ground. He settled my arm around him and rested his head on my shoulder briefly before turning toward the densely wooded area behind us. “Does someone live here?”
“No, this part of the lake isn’t available to build on. It’s private property though, so we shouldn’t linger too long.”
Lucas looked at me expectantly, so I elaborated. “Someone owns the land, but they can only use it for water access. This part of the lake has zoning restrictions. There are environmental issues that make it cost prohibitive. You’d have to run utilities around the protected land.” I pointed west where a nature preserve had been established for some owl species.
“So, where can you build?”
“Just the stretch where the cottage is. There are probably forty or so undeveloped residential lots on that part of the lake, but I’ll probably consider other lakes. Pricewise, this is out of my reach.”
“Out of curiosity, what would land like this go for?”
“This land? It’s cheap since you are really restricted, but the houses near where we are? You’re looking at least a hundred and fifty to two-hundred seventy-five thousand dollars per lot if you want lake and road access.”
I laughed at the whistle Lucas let loose. “What would a house like the one we’re staying in cost?”
“It’s easily a half-million, probably more.”
His face fell, and I nudged him. “Why? Were you going to buy it for me?”
With a playful shove, he put me on my back and climbed on top. “Maybe I was. Would you let me?”
“I want to build my dream, not buy someone else’s.”
“So, realistically, what’s the timeline?”
“Um. I’d like to have the land bought in the next five years. Then depending on what had to be done, start running utilities and clearing the land. My goal is to have it be live-in ready and all paid off by my retirement.”
Lucas gazed at me, and I sensed the moment my dream became ours. My chest ached with love for him, and again, I wondered how it was possible to feel so connected to another human being.
His broad smile turned playful. I hauled him down and kissed him. I’d swear when our lips touched I could taste the next fifty years of our lives.
“I love you,” he shouted, and we laughed as his voice echoed back.
I sat up and hugged him to my chest. “You did it,” I whispered in his ear. He pulled back and stared down at me, his eyebrow raised in question. I kissed him sweetly on the lips. “You changed my mind.”
“About?”
“You. Me. Everything.”
Lucas smiled in smug satisfaction. “Only took me three months. That’s not bad.”
“And I know you enjoyed every minute.” I recalled his words to me after our first class.
“Nah. Thought it be more of a challenge. All I had to do was”—he snapped his fingers—“and you were mine.”
I laughed, but he wasn’t wrong. Despite all my attempts at resistance, I never did enforce any of the rules we’d agreed to. “Don’t be cocky.” I tackled him and rolled him on to his back. After climbing on top of him, I kissed the hell out of him.
“Or what?” Lucas asked, his tone just begging for Daddy to come out and play.
“Or I’ll have to spank you when we get back.”
We played around together, kissing and talking. We stayed much longer than intended. We talked about the house and what we wanted from our future. Our conversation dove deeper than others we’d had. Lucas talked more about his mom and dad, his struggles with depression and some of his past relationships. I told Lucas about the conversation I’d had with Matt and his theory on why we hadn’t worked.
“Was the sex boring with Matt?” I could tell Lucas wanted me to affirm his assumption, but since we were being honest, I didn’t.
“Not boring, just missing something. I’ve always had some hang-ups, and I think I could tell Matt wasn’t happy. To be honest, his porn-watching used to bother me, and the sexy underwear he kept buying me felt like pressure to be something I wasn’t. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I think I stopped trying to make him happy in bed because he wasn’t giving me what I wanted in the relationship. After a while, it kind of became the way I kept things even—like he wasn’t giving me what I wanted, so why would I give him what he wanted. In the end, all it did was make us both miserable.”
“Do you feel like that with me?” The concern in Lucas’ voice eased my anxiety.
“No,” I clarified. “It’s different with you.�
�
“Why?”
I thought for a minute. “I don’t know. I just want to be sexy for you.”
Lucas smiled. “I want to be that for you too. Sometimes if I push you—like in the shower—it’s because I don’t want us to have boundaries with each other, but I would never want you to do something you didn’t want to do.”
“I know.”
“Good, because I think you’re more like me than you think. Someday, when you’re ready, I think you’re gonna find you love being on the other end of the paddle.”
I laughed. “If you say so.”
Lucas smiled my smile and pressed a palm to my crotch. “I think one day I could order you to take out your dick right here and stroke yourself, and you’d follow without thinking twice.”
“Lucas,” I whined and stilled his hand.
“I think you want to be a little slutty with me. I know it gets you hard.”
I glanced around. There were no houses in view and no boats on the water in our line of sight, but still, my heart raced. “Maybe,” I said unconvincingly.
“Kyle, do it.”
“I thought I was the daddy in this relationship?”
Lucas tucked his lip between his teeth and cast an intense stare my way. “Sometimes you should let me be in charge. You may love submission.” He removed his hand from my lap and cupped my neck. “I don’t need it, but sometimes, I think you might. One day I hope you’ll let me give you what you need.”
“Maybe,” I sighed. If anyone could change my mind, I had no doubt it would be Lucas.
Lucas stood and hauled me up and into his arms. As if sensing the conversation had ignited enough of a spark in my mind, he suggested we head back. We finished our conversation on the deck, sipping wine and sharing everything from our views on politics and religion to pets and embarrassing moments of our youths. I smiled knowing that somehow, no matter how long we were together, being in Lucas’ company and talking about everything and nothing—with no rules, no safe and unsafe topics—would always be the best part of my day.
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