Come Away with Me (With Me in Seattle 1)

“I have a question,” I call to him in the bathroom.

“Shoot,” he calls back.

“Did you have a butt-double in your movie?” I pull my dress over my head and begin finger-combing my hair, tying it back in a ponytail.

“Uh…” I hear water running in the sink and he pokes his head out the door.

“No.”

“Oh.” How do I feel about this?

“I thought you didn’t see the movies?” He flashes his half smile at me. Swoon!

“I didn’t. That was a particularly favorite scene of Jules’.” I explain.

“Ah.” He disappears back into the bathroom for a few minutes then reappears in fresh red boxers – drool! –and pulls on his discarded jeans and white button down shirt.

“I don’t know how I feel about that.” I murmur as I watch him dress.

“Why?”

“I don’t think I like it that everyone in the free world has seen your ass.”

He pulls me off the bed and against his solid chest, linking his hands at my low back.

“Why, Natalie, are you jealous?”

“Of about a hundred million girls ogling you?” I raise an eyebrow.

“What’s to be jealous of?”

“Absolutely nothing.” He gently sweeps his lips over mine in that way he has that makes my knees all weak.

“Your hands and eyes are the only ones I want on my ass, baby.”

“Okay,” I whisper against his mouth.

“If I’m going to stay here this weekend,”

I step back out of his arms and grasp his hands in mine. “I need to run home and grab a few things. I hadn’t planned on a weekend vacation.”

“Let’s go do that now, then come back here.”

“You want to spend all weekend here at the house?”

“Most of it, yes.” He brings my hands to his lips. “We can hang out here today, do whatever you want. Let me cook for you and take care of you.”

My jaw drops, I’m unable to articulate words.

“And tomorrow, I want you to go to my parents’ house with me for dinner.”

“What?”

“They do a family thing every Sunday, and I think my brother’s in town for the weekend.”

“I can’t meet your family!” I pull my hands out of his and wrap my arms around my stomach. Meet his family!

“Why not?”

“You’ve known me less than a week!”

“So?”

“So? So! Luke…”

He quickly grabs my hands again and smiles lazily down into my panicked eyes.

“It’s just some burgers on the grill, Nat. It’s no biggie. I want you to meet my family.”

“Aren’t we moving kind of fast?”

He scowls and looks down at our hands then back into my eyes.

“You’re staying the weekend with me. Part of my weekend is spending an afternoon with my family. I want you to come.”

He wants me to meet his family! I just can’t quite wrap my head around this.

But he looks so hopeful, and I must admit, part of me is very curious to meet his parents and see where he grew up.

“Okay, I’ll come.”

His eyes light up with boyish excitement. “You will?”

“Yes, I can’t seem to resist your charms,” I mutter sarcastically.

“Come on,” he slaps my ass and ushers me toward the stairs.” Let’s go get your stuff before I rip that dress off you again.”

***

I am sitting at Luke’s dining room table editing photos. We spent an hour or so gathering my clothes, necessities and my computer, camera and memory cards from my house, then spent another half hour cleaning up our breakfast.

Things would have progressed faster had we not been too busy touching, kissing and stealing glances at each other the whole time.

Suddenly, Katy Perry’s song Teenage Dream makes a whole lot of sense.

I gaze across the brightly lit living space to Luke’s couch, where he’s lounging casually, his bare feet crossed at the ankle, a stack of movie scripts on the ottoman. He’s got one of the scripts open on his lap, and he’s biting his thumbnail as he reads.

Visions of me straddling his lap and throwing the script over the back of the couch make me smile, but I turn back to the image on my computer screen.

I’m editing the photos I took while Luke and I were at the falls the other day. There are about twenty five of them that are my favorites, and I’ll print and frame them, offering them for sale around town.

As I close the file containing the falls photos, I sense Luke get up and head for the kitchen.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“Just some water, thanks.” I smile at him and open the next file of photos to edit.

These will be much more fun.

The couple I photographed yesterday fills my screen. Luke steps behind me and sets my water on the table.

“Wow.”

I look up and grin. “They’re good looking, aren’t they?”

“They are. They need to loosen up a bit.”

I laugh. “The first twenty images get tossed out of every shoot. It takes at least that long for the client to relax.”

I page through about twenty photos and stop.

“See? They don’t even know I’m there anymore.” The blonde woman is in a black barely-there teddy. The dark man is sitting on the bed, legs crossed, and she’s straddling his lap, arms around his neck and fingers in his hair, kissing him.

“Yeah, much better.” He starts to rub my shoulders as he watches me work.

“When did you take these?” he asks.

“Yesterday.” I lean into his hands and moan. He’s amazing with his hands.

“After our fight.” It isn’t a question.

“Yeah. Oh God, don’t stop doing that.”

He kisses my head and I feel him smile. “I prefer hearing those words come out of that sexy mouth of yours when you’re naked.”

I laugh and lean my head back, looking up at him upside down.

“Later. I have to finish these. The client’s already getting a refund, and I want them to have their pictures as soon as possible.”

“Why are they getting a refund? Nat, they’re fantastic.”

“Because it wasn’t my usual fun session. I feel bad.”

“I’m sorry.” He kisses my head again.

“Don’t be. They’ll be happy with the shots, and with getting their money back. Give me an hour.”