Chapter 120

Serena's POV

In the beautiful, tranquil night, our lips met in a passionate kiss.

Lucas seemed frozen for a moment, allowing me to kiss him with nervous inexperience. I noticed his throat move as he swallowed hard. Then his fingers slowly lifted to pull my body tightly against his chest. He lowered his head, deepening our kiss.

In that moment, the world around us seemed to fade away. There was only us, deeply intertwined with each other.

My legs went weak - literally weak from Lucas's kiss. Without hesitation, he lifted me up effortlessly. I gasped in surprise. The next moment, he had placed me on the dining table nearby, his lips finding mine again, refusing to give me even a moment to catch my breath as he kissed me endlessly.

The night seemed to grow deeper. Lucas had swept aside all the tableware. I could see the desire darkening in Lucas's eyes, so intense it felt like it could burn right through me.

I felt nervous, my breathing heavy, making my chest rise and fall noticeably. I had no idea how much I was tempting him, how hard he was fighting himself not to give in, with desire so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife.

Lucas's body gradually leaned down, moving closer to me. I pressed my lips together tightly. I could feel how much he wanted me, how much he desired...

I clenched my fists. A flash of memory from my nightmare at eighteen suddenly crossed my mind. Fear flickered through my eyes, but when Lucas truly came close, I chose to close my eyes. My fists tightened, but I made no move to push him away. I was trying to accept it, trying so hard to accept...

After what felt like forever, the expected didn't happen. The weight pressing against me suddenly disappeared.

THUD!

When I opened my eyes again, I saw Lucas had plunged into the ocean beside us, creating a dramatic splash. After entering the water, he began swimming back and forth frantically, forcing himself to calm down.

My heart trembled. I didn't know what would have happened if Lucas and I had done it - perhaps I would have accepted it, forced myself to accept it, constantly telling myself that Lucas was Lucas, different from that man from my past. But in this moment, seeing Lucas restraining his desire for my sake, I let out a huge sigh of relief.

I wasn't actually as brave or fearless as I thought. If Lucas and I had crossed that line tonight, I wasn't sure if I would regret it, but I was certain I would have carried an emotional burden.

And Lucas didn't let me bear that burden.

I got up from the dining table and walked toward the ocean's edge. Lucas had been in there too long.

Standing on the beach, I called out to him, "Lucas!"

He emerged from the water. He had removed his black suit jacket, and his white shirt was completely soaked, clinging to his body, clearly outlining his muscular frame.

"Can you come out now?" I asked.

"Almost," he replied.

"Come on up," I reached out my hand to help him.

"You probably shouldn't touch me right now, Serena." Lucas warned.

My fingers twitched slightly. I certainly understood his implication.

"I'll come up myself," Lucas said as he emerged from the water.

The ocean was quite cool at night. As he came out, I could clearly feel the coldness of his body.

A sea breeze blew past at that moment, making Lucas sneeze. He looked somewhat disheveled.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"And whose fault is this?" Lucas grumbled.

"Let's go back," I said, my mood genuinely light and happy.

We walked back to the beach house one after the other. Lucas headed straight to his room, planning to warm up with a hot shower.

"Lucas," I called after him.

He turned around.

"Thank you," I smiled, truly moved by everything he had done tonight.

Lying in my suite at the beach house, I found myself unable to sleep. The memory of Lucas's kisses still lingered on my lips, and the way he had pulled back - jumping into the cold ocean rather than taking things further - kept replaying in my mind. Such restraint from a man of his position and power was... unexpected.

A smile tugged at my lips, though I felt a twinge of guilt knowing he was probably freezing after that impromptu swim.

Sleep continued to elude me. I was surprised by my own reactions tonight - how I hadn't pushed him away, how I had been willing to let things progress despite my past trauma. With Lucas, everything felt different. Safer. The way he had read my momentary fear and immediately pulled back, putting my comfort above his desires... it spoke volumes about the man he truly was.

When morning came, we both showed signs of our sleepless night - the slight shadows under our eyes, the way we moved just a bit more slowly than usual.

"I should probably apologize for earlier," Lucas said over coffee, his voice carrying that distinctive low timber.

"For what exactly?" I kept my tone light, though my heart raced at the memory.

His lips curved into a self-deprecating smile. "For nearly losing control... though I'm more surprised you're not angry with me."

"Maybe I'm not angry because I trust you," I replied softly, surprising myself with the honest admission.

His eyes darkened at my words, and he set down his coffee cup with deliberate care. "Did you... have trouble sleeping last night too?"

"I just slept too much yesterday," I deflected, suddenly finding my breakfast extremely interesting.

"Is that really why?" His knowing smile made my cheeks warm. "You're quick to deny it."

He looked devastating in his casual morning attire - a light blue button-down with rolled-up sleeves that did nothing to hide his athletic build. The memory of how that shirt had clung to him after his ocean swim made my mouth go dry.

"We should head to the airport after breakfast," he said eventually.

"Already?" I couldn't keep the disappointment from my voice.

"Unless you'd prefer to stay longer..." He left the suggestion hanging, his grey eyes intense as they held mine.

The invitation was tempting - so tempting. But we both had responsibilities waiting for us back in Manhattan. The StarRiver Group wouldn't run itself, and I knew Milo and Stella would be eager for their father's return.

Still, as we prepared to leave, I couldn't help but feel that something fundamental had shifted between us.

We were no longer just two people thrown together by circumstance and mutual attraction. Last night had proved that what was growing between us went deeper than that. And for the first time since my disastrous relationship with Ian, I found myself looking forward to wherever this path might lead.