On Love's Own Terms by Fran Baker Read Free Book Online

golden hair, she slipped out of her sandals and wiggled her bare toes in the grass. Looking at her get-up, he just grinned.
    While they worked, they talked, recapturing the platonic friendship of their youth. Old identities receded in the heat of the afternoon sun and the warmth of conversation. They weren’t former spouses; they were friends. As such, they shared the task as well as the satisfaction of seeing it through to the end.
    The staining done, Bonnie returned his work shirt and bandana before retrieving her sandals. Luke put the brushes to soak in turpentine, then set the chairs inside the shed to dry. They headed into the house where she prepared a pitcher of iced tea and he began thawing the steaks he intended to cook for dinner. Fixing sandwiches no sane person would look at twice, much less eat, they devoured the double-decker monstrosities with vulgar speed.
    Content beyond description, Bonnie poured each of them a second glass of tea and made a few additions to her grocery list. Luke sat and smoked a cigarette. The silence wasn’t a bit awkward. Words weren’t necessary.
    Neither of them knew in the waning light of a wonderful day that the calm merely preceded another storm.
    “I guess I’d better plan on spending tomorrow in Atlanta.” Bonnie folded her list and propped it against the plastic napkin holder in the center of the table. “According to Darlene, the market here doesn’t stock even half of what I need.”
    “I’ll take you,” Luke volunteered.
    “I thought I’d just go in with the kids and do my shopping while—”
    “There won’t be room in Dave’s van for you, because they’re moving the dining room buffet,” he said. “Anyway, I have to drop by my office and sign some bids we’re submitting on future projects.” He smiled in a most disarming way. “Unless you relish the idea of riding to town in a silverware drawer tomorrow morning, I’m your next best bet.”
    “Okay,” she conceded, “but I want to see their new house.”
    “You will,” he promised. “In fact, I should stop by there anyway and see how the construction crew is coming along with the finishing touches. I’ve been working them overtime so it will be ready for Darlene and Dave right after their honeymoon.”
    “Do you think they realize how lucky they are?”
    “I doubt it”
    “It’s partially our fault if they don’t,” she remarked softly.
    “I suppose.” He seasoned his gruff admission with a smile.
    Bonnie stared into space, her mind’s eye focused on the bungalow where she’d lived with Luke. How proud they had both been the day they’d signed the rental agreement! Regret burned in her heart. They’d taken immediate possession, but they had never managed to make their little house into a real home. Near tears, she pushed away from the table.
    Luke grabbed her wrist, his thumb gently caressing the pulse point. “Let’s go upstairs and make some better memories, Bonnie.”
    She shook her head. He didn’t accept her denial. In one agile motion he stood and pulled her up with him. Taking her other wrist, he lifted her arms and locked them around his neck before enveloping her in his embrace. Her breathing was shallow as their bodies came together in a perfect fit.
    Something old sparked something new, a fragile flame of restraint that heightened the anticipation. His mouth teased hers, sampling its sweetness without fully tasting of it. She parted her lips, inhaling his breath and feeling its warmth fill her senses. He fed his hunger with tender love bites, torturing her until she could take no more. Her breasts flattened against his hard chest as she pressed closer, demanding the satisfaction of his kiss.
    “God!” he growled. “I want you so much, it hurts.”
    Wordlessly, Bonnie told Luke of her own consuming ache. She rose up on tiptoe and drew his head down. Her small show of aggression produced the results she desired.
    Their mouths met and mated. His tongue sought her secrets,