Her Heart's Desire (Sunflower Series Book 1) (23 page)

Contented, Lia sighed. She floated like one
of the balloons.

Lucas squeezed her hand. “Happy Birthday,
Amelia.
I
have a special surprise for you later.”

“Lucas, I have a special surprise for
you
later, too.”

Chapter 18

The band played a final song while Lucas
stood with Amelia at the top of the stairs. Only a few more minutes
and he’d have all of her attention. In the meantime, his face hurt
from smiling. Standing still took all his concentration. He wanted
to scoop her up and whisk her away. Instead, he remained glued to
the spot beside the woman he loved while she thanked each departing
guest for sharing her birthday.

“
I’m so glad you came.
”

“
Thank you for the dance
.”

“Yes, I’ll come into town, and we’ll have
lunch next week.”

Whiffs of smoke trailed upward and curled,
creating a slight haze in the room as Megan blew out all the
candles. Craig opened a few of the tall windows to clear the air.
Lucas stiffened when Zoë headed in his direction.

“You go on with Lucas.” Zoë shooed at her
like she might shoo chickens. “Craig, Karl, Megan, and I will clean
up. Craig said he’d drive Megan home. Helen will take the leftover
cake and box it up. I’ll drop it by the farm tomorrow after Seth
leaves.”

“You’re so great.” Lia hugged her friend.
“Fabulous party!”

“I’m hoping you two are off to have a private
party of your own,” Zoë said, kissing Lucas’s cheek.

Lucas rolled his eyes. Girl-talk made him
squirm inside.

Zoë’s eyebrows lifted. Her smug smile
stretched as wide as the Missouri River.

He gritted his teeth at her teasing. She
understood full well his discomfort and held back a snort. Before
the conversation delved any deeper into his private longings, he
had to get Amelia away.

“Mr. Dwyer, will you give a woman a lift
home?” Amelia asked, wrapping her arm around his. The gentleness of
her touch soothed his tension. If he managed to hold on a few
minutes more, his reward was the rest of the night with Amelia.

“Let’s go.” Lucas linked fingers with hers
and led her downstairs. His mind drifted to the memory of when he
and Amelia had last made love—in her bed. She surprised him the
other day. A private party that showed him how much he meant to
her. His hands now tingled with longing to caress her creamy,
smooth skin. A few kisses wouldn’t be enough. He had to have more.
If she agreed, he planned to share the night, the refreshing
outdoors, and the stars, while camping in the back of his truck in
the middle of one of her fields. He’d dropped off the cleaned
pickup at Amelia’s farm before heading to the party earlier.

“Look!” Amelia pointed upward.

“An image burned in my memory,” Lucas told
her. Amelia, radiant against a dark sky with stars shining like a
halo around her. He had relied on memories of her to get through
the worst days when he fought overseas. This one, he’d never
forget.

Lucas tugged on her hand, leading her to the
parking lot across from Rockets.

“Whatcha thinking?” Amelia asked.

“I drove Megan’s car. It’s over there.” Lucas
pointed.

Once inside the car, away from possible
prying eyes, Lucas reached over, captured Amelia’s face, and
stroked the smoothness of her cheeks. “I’m bigger on showing than
telling.” His lips met hers, soft and pliant. Kisses from her were
his lifeline to love and contentment. He wasn’t a man with big
ideas or fancy cravings. Solid. Simple. True. It was how he lived
his life. Those three words were ones he wanted carved on his
headstone. The way he wanted to be remembered.

Raining kisses on her cheeks, nose, and
forehead, he savored the sweetness of her. When he let go, Amelia
melted into the car’s seat. “Ahhh.”

Her purring over his kisses boosted his
spirit and his anticipation. And with a few more, he might be able
to wind her up the same way she did him, full of naked desire.

“Take me home, Lucas.” Her voice seduced him.
She buckled her seatbelt and rested her head back. Her eyes
remained closed. She licked her lips. Maybe it was a subconscious
action, but he wanted to believe it was because she savored the
taste of his lips.

Putting the car in drive, he sped from the
parking lot, traveling familiar country roads. He slowed when he
recognized a deer by its glowing red eyes by the side of the
road.

Amelia reached across the console and rested
her hand on his forearm. Excitement shot through him. He loved
everything about this woman. The caress of her touch. The softness
of her lips. The smoothness of her skin. He reveled in her passion
for her art, for her farm, for her family and friends. She was
strong. Determined. Optimism was truly her middle name.

“I have a private party to attend tonight,”
Amelia whispered, her eyes still closed. She appeared completely
relaxed in the seat beside him. “Only, I’m not the guest of
honor...you are.” He felt her squeeze on his arm. She stroked her
hand up and down.

He forced himself not to press the
accelerator harder, but imagined metal bumping the floorboard. Lia
wanted him!

It might be her birthday; however he would be
the recipient of the best gift of all. Amelia. Her heart and her
body. That made him the richest man in the county.

Turning right, starting up the hill, his
gazed scanned the horizon. It appeared to slip beneath them. Before
them, only an endless sky with stars shimmering like jewels.

“Amelia, look,” he said quietly, slowing to
fully appreciate the view.

“Oh, Lucas, I’m going to emboss this moment
in my memory. It’s totally perfect.”

“Look!” Lucas pointed. “A falling star.”

Amelia squinted her eyes tightly before
opening them. “I hope my wish comes true.”

“
I’m
wishing your wish comes
true.”

Amelia leaned over. Her kiss on his cheek
filled him with surging anticipation. He hit the gas. Tires spun on
the dirt road. The car shot forward. “I have a surprise for you. I
intend to make this a very happy birthday, Amelia.”

They reached the house in a flash. “Go
change. Something comfortable,” Lucas ordered. “We’re going
exploring. You get to discover your birthday present from me.”

A glowing smile lit Amelia’s face. She dashed
from the car to the house. When she opened the door, Jack shot out.
He ran straight for Lucas.

“Come with me, boy,” Lucas said. He leaned
down to pet Jack before opening the trunk. Pulling out rolled up
jeans and a t-shirt, he said, “You can go with us tonight, but you
have to stay in the cab of the truck.” The dog followed him into
the house. Lucas helped himself to the downstairs bathroom where he
changed his clothes. When he entered the hallway, Amelia waited for
him wearing a smile that radiated tenderness. He loved this woman
fiercely. Her loveliness wrapped around his heart.

“I’m ready,” she whispered.

“Let’s grab an extra flashlight.” He headed
toward the pantry where the Brittons always kept theirs.

“Come on.” Amelia tugged impatiently on his
hand. Excitement danced in her eyes. “I see you’ve recruited Jack
to join us.”

At a trot, they followed the path from the
house toward the creek. Lucas loosened his grasp on Amelia’s hand,
but she grasped his tighter. The cool breeze hinted of fall. Wind
chimes harmonized, their music floating across the fields. Frogs
croaked, deep and low, like the bass in a jazz combo. Rustling corn
whispered a lullaby. Scents of freshness and rich, dark earth mixed
with hints of honeysuckle. As they drew near the creek, a symphony
of sounds stirred around them while Jack ran on ahead, disappearing
beneath the cover of draping tree branches.

“I want to show you something,” Amelia said.
She slowed as they neared the wall of branches blocking the path to
the creek.

Lucas pushed foliage aside, and Amelia
stepped through to the shelter of an umbrella of greenery. He
followed her into a creekside cocoon where Jack chased
fireflies.

“Look.” Amelia lowered her chin, and she
peered up at him shyly. “Here.” She pointed to a post on the bark
of the ancient tree. It was old when they were kids, surviving
years of changing seasons, creek flooding, and ice storms.

He leaned in closer for a better look, then
focused a beam from the flashlight on the spot. Carved into the
bark of the tree, an old wound, scarred and healed over, were the
initials AB + LD encased in a heart.

“Amelia Britton plus Lucas Dwyer,” he
whispered.

“I was fourteen.”

“We were both kids.”

“But I knew. Lucas. I knew I loved you.”

Lucas reached for her, pulling her close. Her
breath hitched. When she relaxed, he folded his arms securely
around her, joy folding around his heart. Holding her close, he
rested his chin on top of her head. “I’ve waited a long time to say
these words to you. I wanted the timing to be right.”

“Shhh.”

“I love you, Amelia. Only you.” He lifted her
chin and kissed her nose before claiming her soft lips. Her arms
circled his neck, and she clung to him as her kisses turned deeper,
more urgent.

“I love you more,” she whispered back before
kissing him again.

His heart swelled. Delight shot him to the
sky, and there he joined the brilliant stars. He leaned against a
low hanging branch to steady himself, never breaking contact with
her. She pressed her body closer to his. There was no way she could
miss his hard bulge between them.

“Wish I had thought to bring a blanket,”
Amelia said, taking a breath. She tugged on his bottom lip with
hers and rocked her pelvis against his. The grass might be soft,
but not a place for making love with her. His need for her hit a
fevered pitch.

“Come.” He pushed through the brush and led
her along the path with Jack nipping at their heels. Jogging slowly
so she could keep up, he made several turns to keep her off
track.

He cut through a cornfield to a field of
sunflowers visible under the moon’s glow. After several minutes,
which seemed like an hour, the final destination came into view.
Her surprise waited around the next corner.

At the top of the rise, they stood together
bathed in the moonlight. Below them, a field of sunflowers,
surrounded by acres of tasseled corn spread out like the train of
an evening gown. His truck sat in a small clearing where he’d
parked it to capture the view. A royal blue tent, the center pitch
high enough for them to easily sit up, covered the bed of the
pickup. He held his breath waiting for her to speak.

“I don’t understand.” Amelia stopped beside
him.

“A night under the stars.”

“Alone? The two of us?” she asked
eagerly.

“Well, I promised Jack he could stay. I’ll
put him on the backseat and open the window so he won’t feel left
out.”

Amelia made her way to the rear of the pickup
and hoisted herself on the tailgate. “An air mattress, sheets,
pillows,
and
a quilt. Soft lights and music. You are a man
with a plan.” She grinned and batted her lashes. “I like that about
you, Lucas Dwyer.” She opened her arms. “Now come over here and let
me show you how much.”

Her flirting set off more flares of desires.
He hugged her tightly.

“Let me get Jack situated,” he whispered,
hating to tear himself away from her. He opened the back door to
the crew cab, and the obedient dog hopped in. By the time Lucas
walked back to the rear of the truck, he discovered Amelia had
peeled back the bedding. He remained very still. Silhouetted by the
beam from a flashlight, Amelia with her back to him, knelt on the
air mattress clothed in only her bra and underwear. His breath
caught in his chest. When she reached behind and unhooked her bra,
it was the sexiest move he’d ever seen.

Tossing the bra aside, she turned and glanced
over her shoulder at him. He caught sight of her slender shape and
full round breasts. Every muscle in his body tightened.

“Don’t tell. Show.” She crooked a finger in
his direction.

He backed up. With a step and a hop, he
landed on the tailgate. Kicking off his shoes, he jerked off his
jeans before dropping to his knees. He tossed his t-shirt in the
corner.

“Woman,” he thundered. “I want you. I love
you.”

“I’m yours.”

Amelia relaxed into the bed and stretched her
legs long. Raising her hands over her head, she laced her fingers
together. This Amelia was seductive and wanton. He intended to
satisfy her every need. Running his hand down her arm, around the
curve of her jaw, drawing a line from the hollow of her neck to the
spot between her breasts, he stroked her skin.

Moving on to removing her panties, sexy and
silky, he never imagined the always-proper, ever-decent, perfect
girl-next-door, Amelia Britton owned such things. He smiled hoping
for many days of opportunity to remove more of them from her
body.

She surprised him when she lifted up and
pushed on his chest, forcing him back against the mattress. Just as
he had done for her, she gave back to him. Her soft warm hand
stroked from his arm to the curve of his jaw. Only after she
reached the hollow of his neck, she traced a line all the way down
to his erection. When her soft hand cupped him, he groaned. She
removed the barrier separating them, tossing his briefs aside.

“Amelia, I can’t take much more, honey.”

“Lucas, darling, there’s no more
waiting.”

He arched over her. His entry to the heated
softness between her legs was sweetness beyond his dreams. They fit
together perfectly, like jigsaw puzzle pieces.

He nipped at her breast. She squirmed beneath
him, undulating her hips. Together, they moved. She matched his
pace. A slow rock. The pace quickened.