It was perfect. But I didn’t know what to talk about. We were well beyond a first date. I didn’t want to ruin the mood or break this spell we seemed to be under. Starting a serious conversation seemed wrong, yet I wanted to know more about him. Where did he go when he was on leave? It wasn’t here in town. Why did he stay in so long when he had only wanted to do four years? I had questions, lots of them. But I was too afraid to start asking them, not of the answers but that he would shut me out. That had been a problem when we were together before. Luke would come home, and I could tell he was bothered by what he had seen and done, but he wouldn’t talk to me. Then after he got injured, he refused to talk to me at all and everything ended.

I wanted to crawl onto his lap and make out with him and forget all that was troubling me. But I also wanted to crawl into his mind and find out what it was that had hurt him so much that it took him away from me all those years ago. I wanted to trust him again, completely, without these doubts that kept me up at night.

I studied his beautiful face, lit only by the candles and the setting sun. The burnished orange glow of the remaining sunlight brought out the dark auburn hues that hid amongst the dark brown of his hair. His golden skin and shining eyes had me in thrall. He was almost too beautiful to look at. His gaze was steady and sweet on me, and his hand held mine firm and safe in his grip. But was this safe?

I knew we both came into tonight expecting something to happen. The anticipation was almost palpable in its intensity. I swayed toward him in my chair. He leaned forward, reaching out to cup my cheek in his big palm. I leaned into that soft touch, that touch I’d rejected once before and immediately regretted. That regret had burned through me that day, and I hated the thought that I’d hurt him. I turned my lips into his palm and kissed it. His eyes closed briefly as he sifted his fingers into my hair and pulled my face toward his. I was willing, already swaying even further, ever nearer until our lips touched. Once, softly. Twice, deeply. And the third time I wished would never end.