“I don’t like you upset.” He sits up and rests his elbows over his thighs. “You mean a lot to me, Autumn. You don’t know how much I needed all these things.” He cocks his head slightly toward the box. “In the darkest days, when life around me seemed so gloomy that it felt easier to be out of it than be in it, the smell of sandalwood reminded me that weeks later you’d send something new.”

I’m lost for words when he pulls out a small felt Christmas ornament I made for him.

A melancholy smile touched his lips as he twirls the ornament between his fingers. “What I’m saying is everything you do means a lot to me. But—”

I jump into his lap and kiss him, stopping his words before they’re out, capturing them between us so they can’t get lost.

“Do you remember these?” Lukas pulls back, and I need a few seconds to remember the two condoms in his hand.

“Are they—God, why do you still have them?” My face heats up.

“Do you really think I’d use my little wife’s condom gifts on other women?” A small smile ghosts across his face.

“They were a mistake,” I yell. “How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“Uh-huh.” He just shakes his head. “It’s about time we try these,” Lukas mutters and settles me on the bed.

When I think he’ll just push the letter box out of the way, he holds it carefully in his arms and closes the lid before securing it under his nightstand.

When he returns to me, some of that playfulness is gone from his face.

“You are in my bed tonight. No one has forced us to be here. It’s just us. No promises. No expectations.”

His finger skims downward from my forehead to the side of my face, tracing my lips. When I kiss it, Lukas’ dark gaze bores into my face. His whisper touch, which until now was giving me shivers, suddenly becomes insistent.

His finger presses on my bottom lip, and when I lick it, he releases a groan. His eyes close for a moment, and it’s the absence of his gaze that gives me the courage to lean forward so his digit slips past my lips.

My front teeth dig into the pad of his finger, and Lukas’ eyes shoot open. There’s an inferno blazing in them.

My mouth hollows as I suck on it, and his heart beats so fast that I can feel it under my hand resting over his chest.

I’m not sure if his lips really trembled or if it’s my imagination, because a second later, he’s kissing me. His finger is still in my mouth as he ravishes my lips.