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1724 Words
Seeing his face as he stepped out of the office of the Senior Registrar, Johanna immediately understood that his plan had worked. There had been a shadow of doubt in her mind telling her the older man wouldn’t take the monetary bait, but it seemed as though there was nothing to really worry about. Lukas mentioned it to her secretly, telling her in confidence that a good bit of palm grease would sway anyone to their side without much argument.
As he reached out to her, their eyes met. No words passed between them, but she knew what he sought from her in that moment. Taking his offered hand, she allowed him to pull her into a gentle, yet firm embrace. It was as if he needed to reaffirm his earlier promises. Her heart still went crazy, and blood rushed her face when he touched her or even looked in her general direction. The adorable way he seemed to take comfort from her presence alone made her feel like royalty, as if she was his safe harbour in the vastly stormy seas of life.
The hallway outside the office was filled with the distant buzz of the overhead lights and the sounds of the other workers busily fulfilling their daily tasks. The quiet hum of voices fell just short of their hearing range, becoming nothing more than whispers lost on the stale air. Somewhere in another room, the clunk of the air exchanger reached them, the sound of the mechanics seemingly helping Lukas relax that much more.
He sighed, the sound a mix of contentment and plotting. “Where did Oma and Aunt Helga go?”
“The waiting room. I… um, refused to leave until you came out. Did it go as you planned?” She asked, daring to hope as she looked up into his grey eyes. The clearness that met her gaze made her gasp as he tucked her head under his chin and sighed again.
“Yeah, it worked. Turns out people really can be bought if the price is right. The old man who once ruled the mob I work with taught me and my teammates that, but it’s the first time I’ve ever had to use it,” he replied. When she tried to pull away, he tightened his grip on her. “No, please. I’m trying to center myself, and you’re helping.”
Confused, she pushed him back. Searching his gaze, she said, “I don’t understand. How am I helping?”
“Holding you while I center myself is doing something called grounding. If I’m grounded, I can think a little more clearly about the next steps we need to take.” He told her softly.
Her heart fluttered as he leaned against the wall, his arms still locked around her as he closed his beautiful eyes and took several deep breaths. Knowing that her presence really did help him, she tried not to make a big deal out of it. “Lukas, talk to me. tell me something that’s on your mind. Please.”
Laughing huskily, he pressed his lips to the crown of her head. “What’s on my mind? You really wanna know?”
She smiled, feeling his chin rub against her head as she nodded shyly. “Yes.”
“Alright, well, for one, I’m drawn to the fact that you have a very unique eye colour, Anna.” He said calmly.
“I do?”
He nodded, relaxing a little more. “Teal eyes account for only about two percent of the world’s overall eye colours. It’s the perfect blend of blue and green mixed with just the right amount of melanin and light refraction. If any of this is over your head, tell me.”
Johanna laughed. “I’m a lot smarter than my family ever gave me credit for, Lukas. I plotted against them, remember?”
“Yes, and I appreciate everything you did to make sure I knew the truth and had time to counteract their unethical measures.” He said.
Enjoying the warmth of his tender embrace, she barked a soft laugh. “Mama used to say my eyes were those of a demon because the family only ever had green or blue, but never both.”
“It’s your most striking feature, Johanna. An incredibly rare and gorgeous one at that,” he murmured. “Asking what was on my mind kind of opened Pandora’s Box of thoughts for me, but there’s a few prominent ones I need to address. You see, it occurs to me that I’ve never asked permission to stay with you at night or call you by anything other than your given name.”
Pulling away, she laughed as she looked up at him. “Are you being serious right now? I haven’t said anything about it, and why would you need my permission?”
“Autonomy, sweetheart. Remember? I promised you I wouldn’t take from you, right? Well, freedom of choice and to have your own opinion are lines I won’t cross. Ever. That’s not how my father raised me,” he confided, his tone soft as he stroked her hair.
A shiver stole through her, and she nodded silently.
“Honestly, I like how you react to me now. It’s much better than the way you were when we first met.” He told her, cupping the side of her face gently. Searching the eyes that haunted his every waking moment, he inched closer to her. Her breath hitched, and he watched her pupils dilate. “Stop me…”
Knowing why he was suddenly talking like he was holding himself back as much as possible, she countered with: “What if I don’t want to?”
Without warning, his lips captured hers in a sensuously slow, toe-curling kiss. His free hand sank into her long brown waves, tangling in the tresses as his other hand settled on her waist, his fingers digging in ever so slightly. Breaking from her, he bit his lip, pressing their heads together as he worked to regain his inner balance. Seeing the dazed light in her eyes, Lukas breathed a nervous laugh.
“I overstepped,” he wondered, waiting for her to reply.
Swallowing tightly, Johanna shook her head. “N-no. I just… I wasn’t expecting you to be so… so gentle about it.”
Her hands reached up, her slender fingers toying with the soft curls of the hair at the base of his neck. She heard his sudden, sharp intake of breath as his eyes fluttered closed, felt his body tense before leaning into her touch as if she was his drug of choice. His grey eyes opened, his tongue darting out to lick his dry lips as she watched his reactions carefully. “Lukas?”
“Please… stop…” he breathed, his voice strained with emotion. The sheer coating of sweat that broke across his skin spoke volumes, letting her know his self-control was already stretched well past it’s limits. “Johanna, please. I won’t be able to hold myself together, mein schatz.”
Thoughts grinding to a screeching halt, she stared at him in awe. It wasn’t his strained plea that caught her off guard, but the way he said it along with the tender, heartfelt endearment he’d used. “I’m… but why? Why call me a treasure?”
He barked a laugh, momentarily forgetting his internal struggle to remain celibate until marriage. “Because I came to Germany to plunder the village for a bride, and found someone worth burning the world for, Johanna. It took me a long time to understand what my father meant about it, but finding that one person who makes every single hardship look like child’s play.”
Tilting her head to the side, she heard the distinct sound of Helga’s heels on the floor. The woman was probably coming to check on how things were progressing. “Your aunt is coming.”
“Don’t care,” he said, pouting cutely. “So, while we have a moment alone, wanna tell me what’s on your mind?”
Her eyes meeting his squarely, Johanna smiled, “I don’t mind if you call me Anna, Lukas. I didn’t mind when you kissed me, either. I… you make me feel safe.”
“Anything else you’ve come to like about me?” Lukas pressed, feeling his heart race at her unexpected words.
A blush covered her cheeks, turning them an adorable shade of pink. “Um, yeah. I like how you embrace me, how you always ask my opinion, and how you treat me as someone would a precious jewel. Even at night, when the bad dreams hit without warning, I can rest easy knowing you’re there to comfort me.”
His throat tight, he swallowed the lump that was trying to form. “You are precious, Anna. People like you are incredibly hard to come by, making them as rare as red diamonds. You talk like I’m a hero, but I’m as far from one as a man can get.”
“Oh, I know,” she giggled. Staring at him, she found herself lost in his stormy eyes. Stroking his temple, she said, “So tumultuous and unnerving, yet strong and calming – that’s what I think of your eyes. As for you being a hero? Hero’s wouldn’t burn the world for one person, Lukas. No, you didn’t wear armour, but you were my shield from the very beginning. The daring, dark, and distempered blade of courage and care I didn’t know I needed.”
******
Around the corner to the main hall, Helga covered her mouth with one hand while the other braced herself against the interlocking panels of the wall. The conversation between her nephew and his girl without anyone present showed her exactly what they were dealing with when it came to Lukas. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but she had to know the truth.
Yet, what she learned in the short span of a few moments through their subtle interactions and the softly spoken words of revelation was more than she was expecting. It gave her a much better idea of the way her youngest brother’s child had turned out – a steadfast, courageous, and contemplative man with a heart of gold.
- Writer
