He plucked my empty glass from my hand and offered me his arm. He ushered me back down the stairs and walked me around all of the commotion on the second level balcony of the home. I caught a small glimpse of Bianca in that same corner, only this time she was entangled in the man she had been talking with. I smiled and shook my head as we walked by, and slowly Lucas guided me through the house. Through the hallways. Out the back door and onto the cement patio.
Once he closed the patio door behind us, it was as if all the riff-raff had been stuffed into another universe.
“Why is no one else out here? It’s beautiful,” I said.
“Because the food, drinks, music, and beds are all inside,” Lucas said.
“Well, I prefer it out here.”
“Then you’re in luck, because so do I.”
I slipped my arm from his and the two of us started for the hedge maze. The entrance loomed off in the distance, darkened by the nighttime sky that hung above us. I slid my fingertips along the perfectly-trimmed hedges while Lucas followed beside me, taking his time and keeping in-line with my steps as I took everything in.
“Do these hedges bloom into anything?” I asked.
“Nope. They are evergreen, though. So even if Charleston experiences a harsh winter, the backyard still seems full of life.”
“I bet the winter snow looks wonderful on green hedges.”
“I bet it does.”
“What’s at the center of it? It has a center, right?”
“Want to follow me and find out?” he asked.
I looked over at his outstretched hand and every part of me wanted to take it. To thread my fingers with his strong, callused hands and have him guide me to the center of it. I wanted to get lost with him and I didn’t even know why. I hardly knew him. I hardly knew anything about him.
But it felt as if I had known him for ages.
I slipped my hand within his and he tugged me faster down the aisle. We raced around corners and I kept up as best as I could, giggling as we ran throughout the maze. His strides were long and it took two of my steps to keep up with one of his. He held my hand tightly as we came closer and closer to the middle, and I could hear the sound of rushing water.
“What in the world is that?” I asked, panting.
“Come on. We’re almost there.”
Sweat dripped down the back of my neck as my feet stumbled underneath me. And before my knees even hit the ground, I felt a pair of strong arms scoop me up. Suddenly, I was being raised up, floating in midair as my body rested against something firm, stout, and strong.
“Are you all right?” Lucas asked.
The rumbling tone of his voice made me physically sigh into his neck. His beautiful neck that held my face in the crook of it so nicely.
“Mhm,” I said. “I’m okay.”
“We’re almost there. Let me carry you.”
The second the smell of chlorine hit my nose, I knew exactly what was in the center of the hedge maze. What I wasn’t prepared for was how beautiful the layout would be or how incredible the hot water would feel against my skin.
Or how eager I would be to feel Lucas’ skin against mine.
SIX
Lucas
I couldn't believe I’d found the girl from the tavern standing there, looking beautiful and peaceful amongst the old books of the home. But as I cradled her against me and walked her into the center of the garden, my cock began to throb. Feeling her breath against the skin of my neck was too much for me. The heady feeling and the way desire for her poured through my veins was too much for me to bear. I took a peek at her ankles to make sure she hadn’t actually hurt herself, then I walked us the rest of the way into the garden. I knew she would enjoy it, if only she would look up.
“We’re here,” I said.
“Hmm?”