The day had been a lazy day for both Luka and me. We spent half the night making love and continued on into the morning, only taking breaks to let the dogs out when the need arouse.

I had never felt more sated in my life. My ass was still tender from the kiss of his belt. Though he had only spanked me the one time I knew it would forever be etched in my memory.

Luka showed me that he could be both tender and domineering. I found I enjoyed both parts equally. I had never come apart the way I had under his careful ministrations but I had also never felt more loved than I had in his arms as he took his time exploring every inch of my body.

I was easily falling head over heels for this man. I could tell by the light in his eyes when I caught him watching me that the feeling was mutual. It had only been a few days, still too soon to say those three little words, but I felt them. I knew it to be true and I felt them with all of my heart and soul.

I didn’t care what society mandated. I had never been one to give into the thoughts of destiny and fate but I believed we were brought together for a reason.

The pups had become restless after being locked in the house for the better part of the morning. Luka had thrown on his jogging pants and shoes to take them for a run.

While he was off with the dogs I made good on my promise to call Sam back.

“Oh my gawd girl, you are not going to believe this.” Sam gushed out the moment she picked up the phone.

No hello, how are you doing? That wasn’t Sam’s way.

“What am I not going to believe?” I asked snuggling into the corner of the couch, the phone pressed to my ear.

“Devon, he’s back and Emily is with him.” Her words hit me hard.

Not because Devon and Emily were together, but because Devon had never once tried to reach me and let me know that Bob had been taken care of.

“Are you sure?” I asked, unable to believe what I knew to be true.

“Yes, I stopped by the office to… umm…” I knew why she stopped by.

Rolling my eyes, I decided to let her off the hook.

“You stopped by the office to be nosey and you saw the two of them.” I said with a shake of my head in.

“What did you expect me to do?” She shouted indignantly.

“Well, I expected you to leave it alone and not stick your nose in it. Just like I asked for you to do last night.” I reminded her.

“Yeah, well, anyways. So I asked him why he was back and how long and if he told you.” She said in a rush of words.

Clearly she had a lot to say and didn’t plan on taking the time to catch her breath until everything was out there.

“Okay, I’ll bite. What did he say?” I flicked the phone on speaker as I made my way to the kitchen.

I knew Luka would be hungry after he came home from his run. Plus I may or may not have wanted him to have the energy for another round or two. They say the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach.

“He said that Bob had left and there was no reason for them to stay hidden. He said he had a company to run and he could just as easily keep Emily safe at his house as he could at his sisters.” I could hear her eyes rolling through the phone.

“Where did Bob go?” I asked confused about where Bob would run to. He had been hell bent on getting to me to get to Emily. With Emily back in Miami I didn’t see why he would need to go anywhere else.

“I don’t know. I don’t even know how he knew Bob had left. But apparently Emily had filed for a restraining order and a divorce; they have already had him served. Devon knew a few people so they were able to expedite the process. I guess they plan to get married once the ink has dried.” I could hear the disdain in Sam’s voice a mile away.

“Well, whatever makes them happy.” I said as I drug out the fixings for grilled cheese.

I was no culinary chef but I could make a mean grilled cheese, actually that was just about the only thing I could cook.

“Aren’t you even the least bit upset?” Sam asked perturbed.

“Nah, I mean, in the beginning I was, but now. Now, I just feel sorry for them both.” I admitted.

“You slept with him, didn’t you?” Sam accused.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I pretended to play stupid.

“You like him and you slept with him. Admit it.” Sam demanded laughing.

“Fine, if it will shut you up. Yes, I slept with him and I like him, a lot.” I admitted feeling the flush creep up my cheeks.

“Like a lot, lot, or A LOT, Lot?” She asked forcing me to answer.

“Like A LOT, LOT. Oh em gee, Sam. He makes my heart do funny things and gives me butterflies. He’s amazing.” I gushed out unable to help myself.

“So, are you in love with him?” She asked forcing so many answers out of me that I was unwilling to give voice to just yet.

“We’ve only known one another a few days, Sam.” I deflected.

“Answer the question. Are you in love with him?” She badgered.

“I think I am. I mean. I know society dictates that we have to have known one another for a certain length of time, but I can’t help it. I mean, everything about him turns me on. He’s gorgeous, sweet, thoughtful, smart, a damn good cook, and he got us puppies.” I gushed.

“He’s good in bed, isn’t he?” I could practically hear the wicked smirk in her voice as she asked.

“Amazingly good in bed.” I admitted, ducking my head as I squeezed my eyes tight in embarrassment.

“For someone to look that good I knew he would be amazing in bed.” Sam said smugly.

“Wait, how do you know what he looks like?” I asked in confusion.

I never sent Sam a picture of Luka. There was no way she would know what he looked like.

“Are you kidding me? He’s Luka freaking Maddison. Everyone knows what he looks like.” Sam practically screeched into the phone.

“Well I just met him and until then I had no clue who he was or what he looked like.” I admitted, confused about what she mean.

“Luka Freaking Maddison. You mean to tell me you had no idea?” Sam yelled into the phone as though by her yelling I would immediately understand.

“No Sam, I’m telling you, I have absolutely no clue who he is other than what I’ve told you.” I admitted, now getting angry at the confusion.

“Well, I’m not telling you, because if I do you’ll just mess it all up. You always do.” I heard Sam sigh heavily through the phone.

It was clear this conversation was going nowhere good. It was time to nip it in the bud before things got out of hand.

“Love ya Sam, I’ll call ya tomorrow.” I spoke into the phone as I flipped the sandwiches on the griddle.

“Love ya too. Don’t fuck this one up.” I heard her sigh again before ending the call.

“What was that about?” Luka asked startling me. I never heard him enter the house, which isn’t surprising.

He had a knack for sneaking around unheard. The two pups at his feet, I had no excuse for. I didn’t hear them enter either.

“Sam’s just being Sam.” I replied trying to put some cheer in my voice.

I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. I wasn’t sure if I would ever be ready. The fact that Sam was so sure I would mess everything up meant I wasn’t going to like what I heard. I wasn’t going to like it one bit.

“How does Sam know what you look like?” I asked as casually as I could as I walked our plates to the dining room table.

Luka didn’t answer, instead I found him with his head hung low. I felt a stabbing pain in my chest. I knew immediately by the look on his face I wasn’t going to like the answer.

Had he and Sam slept together? Had he been one of her casual flings? I felt like there was a big piece of the puzzle missing that I wasn’t aware of.

“How much did she tell you?” He asked, his voice filled with pain.

I felt the binds around my chest constrict, making the pain in my chest nearly unbearable.

“You slept with her?” The words left my lips before I could think of it. I felt my body crumpling against the counter.

“No!” Luka wrapped his arms around me, pinning me to his chest.

“I’ve never seen her or met her in my life, Ducky. I promise.” I could hear the honesty in his words.

“Why does she know what you look like?” I asked again, begging for answers.

“What you told her, is it true? Do you feel something for me?” He asked, his eyes held on mine.

He had heard our conversation. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks.

“Every word.” I admitted.

Luka’s lips crashed against mine. There was no sweetness, no finesse. His kiss was hungry, demanding, it felt like a goodbye kiss, a kiss that would shatter your soul.

“I feel it too, Ducky.” He admitted. I could see the love radiating in his eyes.

“Why does Sam know what you look like?” I needed the answers. I needed him to tell me.

Luka ranked his hand through his hair nervously, seeming uncomfortable with the question.

“I don’t really know how to answer that one.” He replied, looking sheepish.

“How about you try with your words?” I gave him a tight smile.

I shouldn’t care how Sam knew him. It shouldn’t matter. But somehow it did. It mattered to me.

“She could have seen my face in a lot of places. I’m not really sure where she saw me.” he replied avoiding the question.

“Why would she have seen your face at all?” I asked pulling away from his embrace.

“Because the tabloids love to follow people. They love to air their dirty laundry and tell everyone all about their lives, the good, the bad, and especially the ugly.” He replied.

I tried to rack my brain for images of him. I couldn’t recall ever seeing his face. I knew Sam was more for reading tabloid gossip than I was but still, maybe I should have seen him from the way he spoke. Looking into his eyes I can’t imagine ever seeing his face and forgetting it. There was no way I could forget a gorgeous man like him.

“I don’t follow. You’re going to have to give me more.” I watched as his brows furrowed in confusion at my words.

“You’ve never seen me or heard my name before?” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

“No, I’m pretty sure I would have remembered.” I replied now further confused.

“This is giving me a headache, just tell me already.” I said. Turning off the stove I walked to the dining room table, sinking down into the chair deflated and thoroughly confused by the whole mess.

Luka followed behind, the pups at his heels.

“A few years ago I was engaged to be married. I thought the girl was really into me. I thought she cared about me as much as I cared about her. About a week before our wedding she was caught sleeping with one of my friends. The tabloids plastered it all over the papers for weeks. I felt like my world was falling apart and everyone had a front row seat. I packed my bags and moved, never looking back. I’ve been out here since. I can’t live that life again. I just want to live my life in peace and quiet.” The sorrow that haunted his face had my heart aching to console him.

“When I caught you in my bed I thought you were another girl, someone who was able to track me down and try to seduce me. It didn’t take long for me to figure out how very wrong I was.” His mouth curved up on the edges, warming my heart.

“You came into my life like a wrecking ball, flipping everything on its head. I contacted my lawyers about you, I even have them looking into the land like I told you I would. I got a call from them while I was out. I understand if you want to leave. I only hope that you won’t.” The small smile that had curled his lips had wilted, taking my heart with it.

“The attorney or the listing agent got the numbers confused on the parcels; your land is in your name, only it’s on the outskirts of Carson City, not Columbus. There is a small house on the land. It’s not livable, but it’s there. If you want I can take you. But I’d like for you to return home, here with me.”

My head was spinning. I wasn’t sure which way was up and or which way was down.

“Are you rich?” I don’t know why the question spilled from my lips but it did.

It was the only reason I could think Sam thought I would screw it all up. She knew how I felt about rich people.

“Does it matter if I am?” He shot out, clearly upset by the question.

“Seriously just tell me.” I begged.

The hardened glare Luka shot me told me everything I needed to know. He was rich. Only instead of me being upset by the fact, it was him. He was upset.

Oh- he thought I was only into him for his money. I began to laugh at the absurdity. Luka taking my laughter the wrong way spun on his heels exiting the house.

“Luka.” I called after him, laughter still spilling from my lips.

It was no use, Luka was gone, there was no way I would be able to track him down. He knew the desert better than anyone, especially me. I just needed to give him time to cool down.

I picked up the phone dialing Sam.

“Girl, there’s no way I’m going to leave him. I don’t care if he has money or not.” I laughed into the phone as she answered.

“Why are you laughing?” She asked confused.

“Because, the two of you. You both thought I was going to leave him because he has money.” I replied.

“Sash, Where’s Luka?” Sam asked concerned.

“He took off, I’ll explain it to him when he gets back.” I replied rolling my eyes.

“You laughed at him for having money?” She asked.

“No, I laughed because just like you, he thought I was going to leave him for having money. Just like his ex.” I answered still chuckling.

“Sash, his ex didn’t leave him because he had money. She only got with him because he had money. He is like one of the richest guys in the world under thirty. She used him and made a spectacle of his life. It was all over the papers. She trashed him hard and then released sex tape after sex tape to get back at him for wanting her to sign a prenup.” I felt my heart hitting the ground.

How had I read the situation so wrong?

“Sam, you know I would never do that. You know I would never willingly hurt him. I love him. I don’t care if he’s dirt poor or even if he does have money.” My heart constricted in my chest.

“I’m not the one you have to convince. Right now he’s hurt and rightfully so. I read the papers as they ripped him apart. His ex spilled all of his dirty secrets, smeared his name and tried to destroy him just to get to his money.” I could feel the tears of shame bleeding down my face.

“Sam, I have to go find him. I’ll call you later.” I hung up the phone as the front door slammed shut.

“Oh my god, Luka, I’m so sorry.” My blood ran cold at the sight of the man standing before me.