Buried Passions Page 17

  Lifting the bronze urn from the dresser, I carried it downstairs, closed and locked the front door before heading out the back, locking up as I went, and out to the garage where Uncle Samuel’s car, my car, sat waiting for me. I set the urn on the floor of the back seat and lifted the overhead door, backed out, and headed to the cemetery.

  Luka was there, as I expected him to be. The lawn was newly mowed, filling the air with the unmistakable scent of fresh grass. Luka was using an edger to make everything look neat. I stood near the side, watching Luka work, and I knew the second he saw me.

  He stopped moving, the trimmer going silent. “You here,” he said with a grin, striding over, avoiding the stones as he picked up speed.

  “Yes, I’m here.”

  Luka crushed me in a hug that threatened to break a few ribs, and then he kissed me like he was starving and I was an all-you-could-eat buffet. Hell, as far as Luka was concerned, that wasn’t too far off. “How long you stay?”

  “As long as you’ll have me,” I told him, then waited for it to sink in.

  “You stay… for real? What about part?” Luka hugged me again, quivering with what I hoped was excitement.

  “I turned it down. It isn’t what I want to do any longer, and I finally figured out that it wasn’t going to make me happy.” I cradled his cheeks in my hand. “You make me happy.” I leaned in and kissed him.

  “What you do without job?” Luka asked.

  “I have lots of plans, and I’ll tell you all about them. But I have something I need to do first. So why don’t you come to the house when you’re done with work and I’ll share all my plans.” I hugged him again, unable to believe how freely and easily I could breathe and how right this felt. It was what I needed to do. The air here was clean, and the breeze rustled the leaves of the trees as I pulled open the back door of the car and lifted out the urn. I kicked the door closed and, with Luka following, carried Uncle Samuel through the cemetery until I found William’s simple stone marker and set Uncle Samuel next to it.

  “That’s where you belong. I know you weren’t together very long, but I hope you’re together wherever you are.” I intended to see that they were next to each other. All I needed to do was arrange the interment and get a stone. I thought one that matched William’s would be perfect.

  “Is there room?”

  “Yes.” I’d make it if I had to, but I figured I could bury Samuel on the edge of William’s plot, considering that Samuel had owned it. I wanted them together.

  “I hope he happy,” Luka said quietly as we stood there together. “He deserve it.”

  I slipped my hand in Luka’s. “Yes, he does.” I turned to him. “And so do we.” Leaning closer, I took a kiss right there and knew Uncle Samuel would be pleased in so many ways. He said to be true to who I was and to have the courage to be happy, and that was what I intended to do.

  I SAT on the porch with my computer on my lap, working on an idea as darkness fell around me. I stretched, cracking my back, realizing I’d been sitting in the same place for hours. Soft humming reached my ears, and I sat back, closing my eyes, listening as it got closer and then stopped. I saved the file and set the computer aside, raising my gaze as Luka stepped up on the porch. I shifted on the love seat, putting my feet on the floor to make room so Luka could sit, then leaned against him.

  “How was work?” I asked softly. Now that the light from the screen was gone, it was dark on the porch, and the streetlight came on, casting its leaf-shrouded glow.

  “Good. Billy and Darryl are good. They treat me well.” He smiled. “Billy is helping me speak better.” His words were tentative.

  “So I hear.” I nestled closer.

  “What did you do today?” He rested his head against mine, and I clung to him.

  “I made up the master bedroom for us, and then I worked on my new project.” I smiled as I thought of it and lifted my gaze to his face in shadow. “When I realized I didn’t want to take a part that would have me spend the next nine months on the road, going from city to city, I had to come up with something else that I wanted to do. So, I’m going to start a theater company here in Carlisle. I have lots of friends, and I can bring in talent to help augment a local cast. There is a theater downtown with a stage, so we can put on simple shows, and I thought one of the plays should take place here in town, so I’m writing it.”

  “You write a play?” Luka hugged me a little tighter.

  “Yes. Do you want me to read some of it?” I asked, reaching for the computer and opening the file. “The play starts with a dark stage, curtain up as a man in casual dress walks on, a single spotlight following him. The rest of the stage is completely dark, so nothing can be seen. He looks around, smiles, and then turns to the audience, doing a few quick dance moves that end in a pirouette before coming to a stop. He leans against the only prop to be seen, a tree, and turns partially to the audience. ‘I inherited a cemetery… and it changed my life.’”

  “Tell me more,” Luka said.

  I chuckled, closing the computer screen. “How about I show you.” I tugged Luka closer, and our lips met in a deep kiss that grew heated in seconds. It was easy to forget we were outside, but a man talking quietly to his dog as he walked burst us out of the bubble that had quickly surrounded us. We pulled apart, and I grabbed my computer before heading inside. I just placed it on the table along the wall in the hallway before Luka pressed himself to me, quivering with excitement that sizzled around me.

  I barely got the door closed before Luka pushed me to the wall, the wainscoting pressing against my back, though I hardly noticed. Luka was right there, the heat from his chest adding to my own, energy crackling around me so intensely, I could almost see it. Not that I was looking. Luka’s gaze was so intense as his eyes shone in the near darkness, long shadows cast by the only light trickling in through the open kitchen door. This was heaven, and I couldn’t put into words how right it felt. I had come home to this house and to the amazing man against me, his lips tasting mine, gliding softly along my own. I blinked to make sure this was real, and then Luka drew his face closer, his gaze intensifying. Holding my breath, I waited and then closed the distance between us, cupping Luka’s head in my hands just to hold him, to add one more point of contact.

  Luka tugged at the back of my shirt, pulling it out of my pants, and then fumbled with the buttons. I heaved breath into my lungs, kissing him again as the fabric parted and Luka pushed it down over my shoulders. I released him long enough for the shirt to tumble off my arms to the floor, then wound my arms around him once again. I needed to get as much of him as possible.

  All that kept running through my mind was how close I had come to walking away. I knew there were things we needed to work through and talk about. Hell, we needed to truly see if we were compatible and could be together over the long term, but I had to know. Uncle Samuel had loved one man enough that once he lost him, he never let anyone else in his life. Uncle Samuel had said he was afraid, but I wasn’t going to make that mistake. If nothing else, Uncle Samuel had taught me to grab hold of what was most important, and that was the man whose shirt I was tugging off at that second, needing his skin next to mine.

  “More…,” I whispered urgently as Luka kissed along my jaw. I pressed my head back against the plaster, Luka’s lips tracing my jaw, pulling away only long enough for him to get his shirt over his head.

  Luka’s scent surrounded me, drawing me in like the finest perfume, except it was just him, without any other adornment, and it was divine, heady, enticing…. Hell, my brain stopped forming words.

  “Luka…,” I whimpered as he pulled me away from the wall and we hurried to the stairs. I nearly tripped in my haste, but made it to the top and down the hall to the master bedroom. Luka tackled me as I lunged for the bed, and we tumbled onto it together. I chuckled, and he laughed as I held him.

  “What funny?” Luka asked, and I laughed harder.

  “Sex is fun, and laughing in bed is good.” I cupped his cheeks
again, loving the roughness on my hands. “I’m happy. You make me happy.” There was no other way to explain it. I brought him closer, the chuckling cut off as he took my lips, tongue tracing the edge when I parted them.

  “How you know this right thing?” Luka asked.

  I shrugged. “It feels right.” I stilled and locked my gaze on his. “I was miserable the entire time I was away. I knew you were here, and the more I thought about going away for months on end, the worse I felt. My heart wasn’t into going on tour, and then when I thought about you, and, of all things, the cemetery and this house, I was calm again.”

  “But you come back… for me. What if it go bad?”

  I knew my actions seemed impulsive, but they were well reasoned. “I came back because it was what I wanted to do. I didn’t hurt anyone when I left, and I made sure I did it professionally. They will understand, and I could go back if I decide I want to. But this place, the people—all of it—felt like home. I haven’t had one of those in a long time, and I want to have one… with you. So, we try. Okay?”

  Luka smiled. “We try hard.” He flicked his hips, and I groaned both at the sensation and at his pun. “Really hard.”

  I smoothed my hands over his cheeks. “I like hard. Really hard. So that’s what I want. I want to feel you in the morning and all day tomorrow.” I inched closer. “You remember that first time in the shed, during the storm? I want excitement, passion, everything… I want you.”

  I closed the distance between us. I wasn’t honestly sure how I got out of my clothes, but I did and Luka did as well. They ended up strewn over the floor and even flung on the dresser. I didn’t care. All that mattered was Luka on top of me, my tongue laving his skin. I needed to feel and taste him in every way possible.

  “Take me, Luka….” I had placed condoms on the bedside table, and the rip of foil sent an anticipatory thrill through me that only increased under the skilled application of Luka’s tongue and fingers, adding delight on top of heat, my head spinning, body craving more. The scope of my senses narrowed more and more, down to only Luka and how he made me feel. That was all that mattered, and when he joined us together, his lips near mine, his cock filling my body, I swore I could feel his heart beating in time with my own. Each touch was a myriad of sensations rocking me to the core, until it became impossible to hold back any longer.

  “I love you,” I whispered, just before falling off the edge into an oblivion of ecstatic passion that washed over me, changing to near-divine happiness that I wished I could hold on to forever.

  “God,” I murmured as the float of postrelease drifted away. It was dark, and I held on to Luka as tightly as I could. “Will you stay? Tonight?” I suddenly realized that I’d made a lot of assumptions, one of them being that Luka wanted what I did.

  “Yes.” Luka slipped out of me and quickly took care of things before settling on the bed next to me. “I stay. I stay a long time, long as you want.” Luka wound his arms around me, encasing me in warmth.

  I was at home. I felt like I belonged and had a place where I could build a life, a real life. Life didn’t come with a guarantee—neither did love. That’s what made it so special and so heart-poundingly exciting.

  “I love you too,” Luka whispered as my eyes drifted closed.

  Who knew the path that my life or any life could take. After all, I’d been on one path, and now my life was headed in a completely different direction, all because of my uncle, a cemetery, and the amazing man falling to sleep with me in his arms.

  Epilogue

  I LOVED summer, especially days like this when the humidity and heat had given us a welcome break. A year of hard work brought massive changes to our lives. In a lot of ways, the twelve-acre Ashford Cemetery was the same, and yet it wasn’t. As I stood near the neoclassical mausoleum that was at the center of the grounds, I turned in every direction. The lawn was mowed and the grass around the stones trimmed. Stones that had toppled were righted once again, and monuments had been repaired. I felt strongly that the people whose family members rested here, just like my own, deserved to have their memorials kept in good condition.

  The mayor and borough council members had visited the cemetery. They were thrilled with the condition of the grounds and even offered to help support some of the stone restoration costs. That was a far cry from their offer to take over the grounds, and their support had been much appreciated.

  “It looks nice,” I said as Luka approached. “The grass is growing well where we cleared things out last year.”

  “I fixed that monument over there last week, and I repaired this one too. And some broken ones that I have finished with. I want to put them back today.”

  “Let’s do that.”

  We worked together to reset the repaired marker where our records said it should be. Every inch of the cemetery grounds had been photographed, every stone cataloged, so we could decide which needed restoration and so we could document the condition of the grounds. Open areas and unsold plots were identified. Luka turned out to be a master of organization and a stickler for detail, and six months ago, he’d taken over the day-to-day management of the cemetery, working with one of the local funeral homes that acted as our agent for all sales. Luka and I had managed to make the cemetery self-sustaining, and that was a huge accomplishment.

  “I think that’s enough for today. Tomorrow I will mow the back section.”

  There were always things to do, that was for sure. The work didn’t seem to end.

  “It’s supposed to rain,” I told him, and he shrugged.

  “Then I mow some now.” He hurried away, and my gaze followed him the way it had the very first time I’d seen him.

  He still fascinated me, and I learned more about him every day. Some things surprised me, like his ability to manage a million details all at once and keep them clear in his head. He knew every stone and concrete plot border on the grounds and seemed to have a plan for each of them.

  Mostly I loved watching him, knowing that he loved me.

  Luka turned to look back at me, and I smiled and waved, caught, but I didn’t care. He was mine to look at, and at night, he was mine to feel and show how much I loved him.

  When Luka disappeared into the equipment shed, I wandered to the back of the grounds and stopped at a pair of stones, nearly identical in size, though one was older and more stained. I came here quite a bit when I needed to think. “I hope you’re happy. I did exactly what you said. I had the courage to do what you told me to.” Birds sang in the trees nearby as I spoke with both Uncle Samuel and William, side by side now.

  The lawn mower engine started, the hum floating over the land, and I sighed, staying with them for a few seconds longer. As Luka came closer, I approached him and took a kiss.

  It might seem strange to some people to have a connection with a cemetery, but it was here where I met Luka and this was our place—essentially the place where we fell in love.

  “I have to go back to the house, but I will see you a little later. I have a few calls to make and things to get set for tomorrow.” I kissed him again. “Call me and I’ll be back to get you.”

  “I work tonight at Café Belgie,” he said. “I see you after.”

  “Okay.” I hugged him again and hurried to the car. I turned back just to watch before leaving the grounds. I would never get enough of him. I hadn’t even after he moved into the house with me six months ago.

  THE REST of my day was a blur of activity and phone calls. My local theater group had been working for months to get ready for our first performance, tomorrow night. There were a million details, and I wanted them all perfect. The final dress rehearsal had already been completed, so now it was all business, publicity, and ticket sales.

  I loved every second of it.

  By the end of the day, I was happy and exhausted. Everything was as set as I could get it, and I sat on the front porch, working on my second play. This one was taking longer, but that was fine. We already had some excellent works lined
up for the company for the next year, so there was no real rush.

  I set my computer on the table and lay back on the love seat, letting the quiet wash over me, settling my mind as darkness crept closer. I closed my eyes, taking in the sounds, content with being serene and happy.

  “Jonah,” Luka said quietly from next to me.

  I slid my eyes open and slowly sat up, accepting a deep kiss. He smelled like food, and then Luka’s richness come through and nothing else mattered. I loved the sight, sound, and toe-curlingly delicious scent of him.

  “How was work?” I gave him room, and he sat down.

  “Good,” he said and leaned against me. Just another of the things I loved about him. He was strong for me, but he also let me be strong for him. “Tomorrow….”

  “I know. It’s Hana’s second birthday.” I reached to the table. “This came for you a few days ago. I was going to wait until tomorrow to give it to you, but now is good.” I pressed the cardboard shipping envelope in his hand.

  He opened it and pulled out a CD with his name printed on it. “What is this?”

  “Read the front of the envelope.” I waited while he used his phone to illuminate it.

  “Harun, my brother?”

  “Yeah.” I reached for my laptop and opened the drive. Luka placed the CD on the tray, and I closed it. “This is for you.”

  Music played, and then a picture of a gorgeous little girl, brown eyes shining at the camera, smiling a huge smile, filled the screen. “Now you’ll have lots of pictures. Harun sent hundreds.” The image changed to a baby, just a few days old, and then it changed again and again, every few seconds, the child getting older, her first teeth, taking her first steps, birthday cake, eating, playing, each one showing Hana aging, until the final picture, identical to the one that had first appeared.