23| red wine

D I A N E

"Diane?" I heard Luka's voice through the door, and it took me a moment to respond. My mind was still reeling from the discovery, and I wasn't sure what to say.

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I couldn't help but the thought of it not being a simple coincidence. I was welcomed with another knock. I cleared my throat and tried to sound as calm as possible.

"Yes?" I called out, my voice shaking a little.

The door opened, and Luka stood there, concern written all over his face. "Are you okay?" he asked, stepping into the room.

I nodded, forcing a smile. "I'm fine,"

"Although I haven't found anything you can come in," I said, my voice steady.

He entered, his emerald eyes boring into mine. Luka opened the very last drawer and I couldn't help but flush in embarrassment. 

I tried brushing it off with a smile as he handed it over to me. He looked over at me, watching me intently. "Were  you looking for something else?"

"Why would I be looking for something else?" I tried covering the fact that I just saw that picture and my façade was working pretty well.

"Forgive me," He quickly said, his eyes softening. "Can I somehow make it up to you?"

"There's nothing you have to do because I've done nothing," I said.

"I know you wouldn't," He said, opening the cabinet with the image. My heart skipped a beat.

"This cabin belonged to my mother," he said, his voice full of emotion. "She loved it here. She spent so much time here, and she always said it was her place of peace."

I stared at him, my mouth agape. I never knew he had a mother, or that she had died. The revelation hit me like a ton of bricks, and I wasn't sure how to respond. "I'm so sorry, Luka," I finally managed to say. "I had no idea."

He looked at me, his eyes full of pain. "It's okay," he said, his

"And her lover," he continued, his tone shifting. His eyes fixed on the man in the picture, and I could see the anger rising in him. "He was the one who caused her death."

I was stunned. "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Luka's eyes darkened. "He was driving the car that crashed, and she didn't survive the accident," he said, his words cold and hard. "But he did."

I didn't know what to say. I had no idea that Luka had been through such a tragedy, and it made my

I tried putting the puzzle pieces together but there was so much missing. "Anyway, you in the mood for some spaghetti?"

"You cook?"

"Oh darling I'm an expert," He said, putting on his apron. I smiled, my arms crossing over my chest as I watched him intently

"Well, I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I can make a pretty decent spaghetti," he said, his tone lightening. He tied an apron around his waist, and I couldn't help but smile. "You ready to be my sous-chef?" he asked, a mischievous grin on his face.

I laughed, shaking my head. "Of course,"

I watched as he started pulling out ingredients, his movements confident and skilled.

□□□

I took a sip of the rich, full-bodied red wine, savoring the complex flavors.

I was so hot in the cabin that I had to push the blankets off me, fanning myself with my hand. But as I did, the blankets caught on fire! My eyes widened in horror as the flames spread, licking at the fabric hungrily. I stumbled to my feet, frantically searching for something to extinguish the fire with, but I couldn't find anything.

"Help!" I shouted as I struggled to put out the fire, I felt a pair of strong arms hold me back. I froze, my heart hammering in my chest. "Stop," a deep, masculine voice commanded. "You'll only make it worse."

I found myself staring into a pair of green eyes, their gaze intense and focused. "Are you all right?" the man asked, his expression serious. I shook my head signaling no.

He turned to face me, his green eyes meeting mine. He folded the blanket that I had almost set on fire. "I'm sorry, " I said, flushed with embarrassment.

His gaze ran over my face, his eyes lingering on mine. His finger traced the line of my jaw, and I felt my heart skip a beat.

"You're one special person," he said, his voice soft.

I cleared my throat, tearing my gaze away. I brushed past him and placed the blanket on the couch, trying to focus on anything other than the intensity of his gaze.

"How about some wine?" he asked, his voice breaking the silence.

"Yeah sure," looking over to the other glass that I had finished but I needed one after I heard about what just happened.  "White or red?"

"Red," I said, opening the first aid kit.

"You don't drink?" I asked, surprised.

"No," he said, his voice calm. "I've never been a fan of alcohol."

His response made me think of someone else who didn't drink, who just smoked cigars and my heart twisted in my chest.  I pushed the thought away, determined to focus on now but not without the image of Luka dragging me outside the ballroom, I was bound to ask him what was, hoping that it was all in my head.

I took a sip of the wine, my vision blurring for a moment. I blinked hard, trying to clear my head.

Luka sat down on the couch, shirtless.

The wound was still fresh.  "You need to get the bullet removed," I said, applying antibiotic ointment to the wound. But Luka just shrugged, as if it was no big deal. "I'll be fine,"

I kept on cleaning the wound, and my vision started to blur again. I tried to blink away the fuzziness, but it was becoming more difficult to focus. I took another sip of wine, hoping it would help.

I found the bullet lodged in Luka's shoulder, and I exhaled in relief. It was a through-and-through, which meant the bullet hadn't lodged in any vital organs. I cleaned the wound as best I could, hoping I was doing a decent job. But my vision was becoming increasingly blurry, and I felt dizzy.

I rifled through the first aid kit, finding a pair of tweezers. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I was about to do. Carefully, I extracted the bullet from the wound, setting it aside. Then, I grabbed a needle and thread and began to stitch up the wound.

Suddenly, everything became unbearably hot. My clothes were sticking to my skin, and my forehead was drenched with sweat. I put a hand to my head, trying to steady myself. My ears were ringing, and I felt lightheaded. I heard Luka say something, but I couldn't make out the words.

I felt a hand close around mine, and I was pulled close to Luka. My head was spinning, and I couldn't focus on anything but the sound of his heartbeat, strong and steady beneath my hand. I felt lightheaded, and my legs were shaking.

And then, I felt his gaze on me, his eyes intense and unwavering. "You're gorgeous, " He whispered. My heart was pounding, and I couldn't look away. And then, I felt a soft touch on my neck, then on my cheek.

I pushed him away.

What the hell was going on?

Suddenly,  the emerald eyes were replaced by cloudy ones. I smiled, as I came face-to -face with him.

I smiled.

He was here.

I found myself responding to his kiss, my body moving on its own. I felt like I was in a dream, but I didn't want to wake up. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. I was drowning in his kiss, and I didn't want to come up for air.

It was like all my senses were heightened, and I was completely lost in the moment. Everything else faded away, and it was just him and me.

"Isaak?"

"Yes mi amor?"

"Make love to me,"