Page 53 of Ruin Me Sweetly

“I love you,” I mouthed.

His other hand rose to rest against the white linen at the centre of his chest, before sliding over his heart.

Just a small, simple gesture. But I knew the depth of his love, unlike any other I’d known.

It was fate.

❧ ❧ ❧

Luke opened the door for me, and I stepped into his home. The sculpture was gone, as well as the awful mirror wall. The foyer now looked more like a stately home entrance than a modern showhouse.

Warm light spilled from a chandelier overhead, catching on brass fittings and throwing soft gold across the walls, and the faint scent of fresh paint and sawdust still lingered beneath something richer—beeswax polish, maybe, or the wood itself.

The harsh white flooring had been replaced by deep, dark polished wood, cool and smooth beneath my sandals. It matched the ivory walls perfectly, and when I turned, I gasped.

There was a grand staircase now, tucked into the corner and split across two levels, curving gracefully upward into shadow. The carpentry work on the bannister was astounding—hand-carved, intricate, the kind of craftsmanship that took months, not weeks. I crossed the floor and touched the polished wood, cool beneath my fingertips, the grain smooth as glass. It was more like a pillar than the beginning of a bannister.

No wonder he’d kept us away.

“Do you like your new home?” Luke murmured, coming to stand behind me, his breath warm against my ear.

I could still smell the faint scent of wood and paint in the air, mingling now with the clean, familiar note of his cologne.

“It’s like a different house. It’s stunning,” I said, unable to disguise the awe in my voice. “This is why we stayed in the pool house before we left for our honeymoon.”

“Yes, I wanted it to be a surprise for you.”

I took a deep breath and turned to face him properly.

“It’s perfect,” I whispered. “I love it, but I don’t want to be swept away by your wealth.”

His arm tightened around my waist, and I leaned my head against his chest, listening to the steady thud of his heart beneath my cheek.

“I know, darling. You’re crazy for my cock.”

My slow smile became a grin, and I hugged him tighter.

He was utterly impossible.

In a few days, we’d all be living under one roof. Amber wanted to spend a few more days at home first, which was fine—I understood her hesitancy. There was a lot of change happening all at once.

Luke’s hand came to rest on the small bump that had only just begun to show over the last few days.

“Would you like a grand tour?” he murmured, his palm warm through the thin fabric of my dress.

I glanced up at him.

“Just the bedroom.”

He wiggled his eyebrows like a lecherous wretch.

“I need a nap. I’m exhausted.”

His expression turned serious at once, and he began ushering me toward the stairs, one hand hovering at the small of my back the whole way up.

I’d have laughed, but I was already falling asleep on my feet. The early flight and the long day of travel were finally catching up with me.

The bedroom, when we reached it, was softly lit—curtains partially drawn against the last of the afternoon light, the new bed impossibly large beneath crisp white linen, the whole room smelling faintly of lavender and something clean, unlived-in still, waiting to become ours.