He raised his deep blue eyes to mine. “Finally home,” he said, his breath warming my skin. I smiled and waited as he hopped out of the car and walked around to open my door. The ride from our wedding reception in Boston had been long, but it was nice to have time to unwind after the whirlwind day. Not that my mind had been able to fully relax, thinking about the momentous night ahead of us. I remembered my best friend Aubrey’s words when she’d hugged me goodbye at the reception – “Have the time of your life, Em.” Smoothing the front of my white strapless “going away” dress, I thanked the driver and stepped out into the cool summer night. Sergei wrapped his hand around mine, and the gesture felt different, just as all the looks and touches we’d shared during the ride had. There was an added electricity between us, a new level of tension that made my body buzz with anticipation. Sergei and I walked up to the porch, and he unlocked the door of the townhouse and motioned inside.
