Chapter Eight:
The ding of the elevator drew Luke out of his melancholy. It had been days since he began sending Elle flowers, and though every part of him wanted to show up at her doorstep and proclaim his love, he realized that maybe that would be too much, and he should allow her to come to him, when she was ready, on her own terms. So he sat, day after day at his desk, as he’d had it moved so that it was not only on this floor, but also so that it was by the window that they had shared their first kiss at, and he waited. Writing little notes to her, that would be included in the next shipment of flowers he was planning on sending.
But the dinging of the elevator had him rising from his chair and practically running towards the doors before they even had a chance to open. He held his breath, as he had been disappointed a lot this past week, with visits from his brothers, his secretary, and anyone else who had an appointment to see him, but every time those doors opened he was prepared to lay eyes on her lovely face, and every time he had been disappointed. But something told him this time was the charm, that this was the moment, and he wasn’t proven wrong, because there she was, in all her glory. Just dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans and a green sweater, she was even more beautiful standing there, mouth agape and eyes widened, than she’d been the night of the party.
Luke didn’t even remember moving towards her, but then all at once she was gathered in his arms and he was holding her close, cradling her head, his fingers encased in her satiny curls. He just breathed in her scent, a lovely mixture of peppermint and honey. He hadn’t noticed before how well she fit against him. She was the perfect height, where he didn’t need to bend too low to capture her lips, and she didn’t need to stand on her tiptoes for him to detain her in a toe curling kiss.
Smoothing her hair back from her face, he stepped back and looked her over quickly, trying to absorb as much detail as possible, afraid she was a ghost and that she was not truly there with him. But the gentle squeezing on his arm told him that she was solid, and real, and there. He couldn’t hold back, and the next thing he knew he was pressing her against the closed elevator doors, and was attacking her lips with a fervor. She tasted of sweets, and he’d never realized how much of a sweet tooth he had until that moment. His hands, which were holding her waist tight, began to make their way up her sweater, and she began moaning softly against his lips as his tongue began to duel hers. A fire began building inside of his body, growing hotter and hotter until he couldn’t take it any longer and he pulled away lest he lose all control.
They were both left breathless and amazed at what had transpired. Luke knew that if she kissed him like that, then maybe his wooing had worked, and she felt something for him, too. She leaned against the cold metal of the elevator doors, her hair mussed and her lips puffy and red from the fury of their passion. It was her eyes, hooded and dark with longing and passion, that nearly sent Luke over again; ready to assault her with passionate kisses and caresses. But instead, he set right his own clothing and held out his hand. Without hesitation, she placed hers in his and he quickly entwined their fingers together. Gently, he pulled her towards the large bay windows.
Letting go of her hand for only a moment, he reached behind his desk, pulling forth a fully laden picnic basket. “Where did that come from?” Elle asked, amazed, as Luke captured her hand once again, and he led her to a spot cleared of all cumbersome plants and furniture, one that offered an amazing view of the sea, and he laid a blanket down. “I packed a picnic every day in the hopes that you would show up. I wanted to be prepared to take you on a romantic first date the very moment I had you in my sights.” Luke let out a chuckle at the blush that alighted on Elle’s cheek.
“What did you do with the picnics that I did not show up for?”
“Well, there are a lot of confused and grateful passerby who I might have gifted the unwanted meals with, when you didn’t show up. Someone had to enjoy my excellent cooking.”
Elle giggled and leaned her head against his chest, letting out a content sigh. She felt happy and relieved that it had not been an awkward reintroduction. Watching as he pulled a meal from the basket, all the while trying to keep her head on his chest and their hands still tangled, finally she took pity on his struggle and helped set out lunch.
After a meal filled with laughter and flirting, Elle felt confident that she had made the right choice in coming. With every smile he gave her, and every caress, it was like a healing balm on her aching heart, and the weight of anger and guilt that she had carried like a mountain on her chest, for the past year, seemed to disappear completely when in Luke’s presence.
“I wanted to apologize; I pushed you and made you uncomfortable, and that is something that I never wanted to do.”
Elle was touched by the sincerity in his voice and the sadness in his eyes at the perceived notion that he was the one who had caused her harm. It was that apology, that simple act of sincerity, that she knew she would never have received from her father or her brothers, and that showed her he was different, and when she realized that, her heart seemed to warm and burst forth with new vigor and emotions, so much so that it brought tears to her eyes.
“Oh no, why are you crying? I am sorry, I say the wrong things around you. I can never get my head on straight. Did I do something wrong? Was it something I said?”
The gentle tones and touches with which he handled her caused fresh tears to burst forth, as well as a smile.
“You did nothing wrong.” She cupped his cheek and turned him so she could look deeply into his eyes, much like he had on the night of the party when she’d spilled her heart ache to him. “You have done everything right, and it is I who needs to apologize. I would like to change my answer to the question you asked me at the party.”
“What question?” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“The question, if I believed in love at first sight.” Luke’s eyes widened in response and he held his breath, waiting for her to continue.
“And I have to say that I didn’t. I was lost in a swarm of grief and anger. I never wanted to feel the pain of loss and rejection again. But you changed that; as soon as I laid eyes on you, you began to heal my fractured heart. I loved you from the first moment I saw you, even if my mind was not ready to admit it yet.”
With that declaration, Luke pulled her onto his lap and placed loving kisses across her face, just like he had wanted to do the first time he saw her sprinkles of freckles. Her giggles and mock protests to stop warmed his heart, and he knew that he was one of the lucky few in the world to have found his other half. With that, he reached into the picnic basket that sat on the edge of the blanket and pulled out a black velvet box.
Elle stilled in his lap as her eyes took in the sight and enlarged; her mouth opened and closed in shock. Luke opened the box, showcasing a beautiful solitaire diamond, on a shining golden band. Capturing her gaze, Luke took a chance. “I know this is fast; we have not known each other long at all, and many will see that based on that alone we cannot truly be love. But I don’t care. I have been looking for you my whole life, and I promised myself that once I found the woman who completed me, I would never let her go.” Shifting Elle off of his lap, he moved to one knee, continuing to hold her tearful gaze. “I found you, and from the first moment I saw you, I knew you were the one for me. Every moment I have spent with you since then has only reaffirmed these feelings I have inside of me. I cannot promise to be perfect, but I do promise to love you with all that I am. To be a protector of your precious heart, and to treat it and you with all the respect and love it deserves. I am asking you to give me a chance; we do not have to marry right away. In fact, we can never marry; all that I want is the promise that I can spend the rest of my life by your side, loving you. So, what do you say Elle Cinder, will you do me the honor of one day becoming my wife?” Luke’s eyes shined with unshed tears and his heart pounded as he watched Elle try time and time again to get the words out, until final
ly, with a choked back sob and tears running down her face, she said, “Yes, a hundred times yes. I will marry you. I fell in love with you the first moment I laid eyes on you. I was just too stubborn and hurt to admit it. I love you, Luke Charmant, and I cannot wait to be your wife.”
Luke wasted no time in pulling her into a tight embrace. Falling to the floor, he didn’t care who came in in that moment as he switched from joyously laughing and smiling to kissing her deeply, her tears of happiness mixing with his feelings of elation and passion.