Until Then (The Blue Collar Boys #1)

20. Greer

20

Greer

L ounging on my vibrant green lawn, the sun kisses my skin, casting playful shadows over my body. Peering over the rim of my sunglasses, I spot Luke sitting on that big ole stump. He’s focused on oiling his axe, his forearms flexing with each deliberate movement. A bead of sweat glistens on his cheek, and he dips his chin, wiping it on his shirt.

My phone buzzes. His eyes lock on mine, catching me as I dab the corner of my mouth. The wink he gives me kickstarts my inner vixen. I unlock my phone, trying not to go up in flames.

Sutton : Meet me at Ground Up, okay?

Me : What if I’m busy?

Sutton : We all know you’re still in your pjs and buried in a book.

Sutton : My guess is you’re in lizard mode outside.

Me : You think you know me so well.

Sutton : I do. So, are you coming? Navy’s about to murder someone so . . .

Me : Yikes! Be there soon.

I toss my phone aside, then I lie flat on my giant beach towel, collecting a few more minutes of the mid-July heat. Sutton was wrong about one thing; I’d opted for my swimsuit instead of pj’s because this body of mine needs a tan.

I stretch my arms above my head and roll to my stomach, resting my head on my hands. Doing nothing has never felt so good. I'd dreaded summer, afraid of being alone with nothing to do as my thoughts barrel toward the day Death changed everything. But something changed; I changed. The loneliness I usually feel during summer has faded. For once, I have friends who seek me out, challenge me, encourage me. It’s easier to sit with my emotions and talk about what's on my mind. For once, I’m not so scared to come out and play.

“It should be illegal,” Luke says, “for you to be looking this sexy so early in the day.” He abandons his axe and prowls toward me. His large hands span the width of my lower back before tracing up my spine. He rests a knee on either side of my body, settling his weight atop my ass. He runs the backs of his fingers along my heated skin before settling them into my hair. I think I stop breathing.

Luke slightly grips my hair and turns my face, pressing his mouth to the corner of mine. His tongue seeks and claims mine. Unable to take it any longer, I break our kiss and push him back so I can roll over. Shivers dust my heated skin as his hands traverse the outside of my thighs. My knees naturally part, and he leans forward, pressing his weight into me. Yep, I definitely stop breathing.

“Fuck.” He moans against the curvature of my neck as he brings my thighs to wrap around his waist. When the hard length of him presses against my center, I somehow manage a stuttering inhale.

“What are you doing to me?” he whispers as I lift up and kiss the slope of his neck. His hips press into me, sending a wave of desire from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.

“Nothing yet.”

He pulls away, resting on his left forearm, and palms the side of my face. Amber eyes bore into mine, suddenly serious.

“Luke . . . ?”

“Yeah?”

“I want you,” I whisper.

“Fuck, sweetheart, I want you too. I’ve been trying not to bother you, but watching you over here is sweet torture. And this”—he tugs the ties of my yellow bikini—“is my new favorite thing, but it's driving me absolutely insane.”

“Take it off.”

His hand disappears behind my neck and pulls the ties. Cool air trickles over my skin as he pulls my top down. Warm hands glide over my ribs, teasing and kneading my bare breasts. His cock is heavy and hard where it rests against my pubic bone. I push my hips against his, seeking friction.

“What do you need?”

“You.”

“You have me. Always.”

Smiling, I bring his face to mine as my hands glide over his shoulders and down his chest. Bare skin greets me, and his eyes close when I push his shirt up. With one hand, he reaches behind his neck and pulls his shirt off in one fell swoop. With my legs still wrapped around his waist, Luke sits back on his knees, allowing me to see all of him. My heart beats erratically as I take my fill of his bare torso. For the first time, I reach for him, but my simmering nerves make me hesitate.

“Is this okay?” I’m unsure which part to touch first.

He takes my hands and places them on his stomach. I take that as permission and slowly trace the expanse of his abdomen. Luke’s body is firm, strong, and corded with muscle—muscles forged through everyday hard work.

When I trail my fingers through his chest hair, his nipples contract with desire. My touch remains featherlight as I drag a finger over the sensitive peak. He closes his eyes.

The sun’s warmth seeps into our skin as my hands move down his body. My fingers move along the waistband of his shorts. When I peek back at his face, Luke’s eyes are full of fire. My fingers dip beneath the waistband.

I palm his hard length, pulling a needy moan from him. After our shower adventure, I knew he was big, but now that I have him in the palm of my hand, I’d underestimated just how big. The skin is smooth, and a large vein runs along the top of his shaft. I close my hand, squeezing hard as I stroke him from root to tip.

“Goddamn, that feels so good.”

“Yeah?” I pant.

“I need to touch you.”

“So touch me.” He captures my mouth and pours every ounce of desire into me. Without hesitation, Luke glides his hand down my body, squeezing my breast.

“I fucking love this,” he says, his fingers grazing over the soft curve of my lower tummy. My body responds, arching into him. I squeeze him harder. He doesn’t ask this time as he pushes his hand beneath my swimsuit bottoms and glides his fingers through my damp center. “You’re soaked, sweetheart.”

“Is this—am I doing this okay?” I gesture to his cock. He groans and pushes his pants over his hips. I cover the crown and beads of pre-come stick to my palm. He thrusts into my hand while sliding his finger into me.

“It’s incredible. You are incredible.” Thick fingers fill me, sparking every nerve in my body. My cheeks tingle, and I know I’m panting like I’ve run a marathon. “Just breathe, sweetheart,” he coaxes, leaning down to take my mouth.

Inhale. Exhale.

We are a tangle of tongues and limbs and hands as we savor each other’s bodies. I grip him harder as he thrusts his finger in and out of me.

“I’m gonna come,” I moan. My pace quickens, and our labored breaths fill the atmosphere around us.

“Me too.” He grunts against my neck. “Come for me.”

I detonate on his command, euphoria spreading throughout my body as I plummet into my orgasm. His cock thickens in my hand, his thrusts growing more erratic. He’s close.

“Let go, Luke.” With a final thrust, Luke sucks the skin at my pulse point and releases onto my lower belly.

“Holy fuuuck.” He strains, his whole body convulsing as I continue to stroke him. “Baby, you gotta s-stop.”

With a final tug, I slow my hand and release him. He’s slow to remove his fingers from me. I combust when he places them in his mouth and sucks off my essence. My tongue darts out to wet my lips, and he gives me a devilish smirk.

Luke tugs his shorts back into place, then uses his discarded T-shirt to wipe off my stomach. He then lays my swim top over my bare breasts before collapsing next to me. Our skin glistens with perspiration, but that doesn’t stop him from snuggling into my side, his arm slung over my lower stomach.

“That’s one way to say hello,” I say, then chuckle.

“Mm-hmm. Definitely ranks at the top of the list.”

“It’s a good thing you’re my neighbor or else they would have surely gotten a good show.”

“Good thing because no one sees what’s mine,” he says.

My heart slams against my chest. Mine.

“What are you doing today?” I run my fingers through his chest hair, loving how it contrasts with the smoothness of his sun-kissed skin.

“Nothing much. Why? What’s up?”

“I’m going to Ground Up to meet Sutton. Wanna come?”

“Just did.” He cackles.

“True story,” I say through a fit of giggles.

Once he’s got his laughter under control, he pulls my palm to his mouth and kisses the center. Turning and twisting our hands together, he kisses the freckles on my arms, his own game of connect-the-dots.

“I’d love to go with you,” he says, breaking the easy silence, “but I’ve got a few errands.”

“Okay,” I say, kissing the center of his chest. He pulls me on top of him.

“Does that mean I have to let you go?”

“No, but I should probably put some clothes on so I can go and then get back home to you.”

Now that my body has floated back down to earth, I bask in his warmth and strength. Never in my life have I done something like this out in the open where anyone could see. I tense as the fire ignites again. “Oh!” I blurt, if only to soothe the desire rushing through my body. “Can I get your help later?”

Luke pops up. “You want my help?”

“I do.” I smile. “I want to paint my workout room and could use you to be tall for me.”

“I can do that.” His goofy grin gives away his eagerness.

“Great, I’ll text you later.” I sit up, and my bikini top and his shirt drop to my lap. My breasts hang heavy and he leans forward to capture my nipple between his lips. He sucks deeply, dragging a sharp inhale from me.

“Yeah.” Luke winks. “You text me.”

“Excuse me, but have you seen my friend anywhere? Her name is Greer?” Sutton waves her hand in front of my face, pulling me from my haze. Ground Up hums with energy this morning, but I’m too distracted by thoughts of Luke to focus.

“Huh?” I say. “Sorry. What were you saying?”

“Housewarming party.”

Because, of course, my mother and Sutton have become best friends now, too. I’d kind of hoped Mom would forget about the housewarming party idea but, alas, here we are.

“Do I have to?” I whine.

“No, you don’t, but it’ll be fun. Plus, we have even more to celebrate than just your new house.”

My brain fog clears immediately. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing. Just that I have a buyer for your house.”

“For real life?”

“What’s for real life?” Navy asks as she steps up to our table. Idle chatter and noise fill the busy shop. She’s hardly had a moment to stop moving and join us.

“I found a buyer for Greer’s house,” Sutton answers.

“No shit? That’s awesome.”

We placed the house on the market at the end of June, but I didn’t think it would sell this fast. My heart and mind war with conflicting emotions.

“That’s awesome, right, G?” Sutton asks.

“Yeah.” I nod. “I think.”

“You think?” They parrot.

“I guess I knew it would sell eventually, but I didn’t think it would sell this fast.”

“I’m not the top realtor in the region for nothing,” Sutton boasts. “You still want to sell, yes?” Her steady gaze holds a gentle intensity.

Another weight lifts from my shoulders as I answer honestly, “Yeah, I do.” The matching smiles they give me tell me they’re proud of me.

“Do you want to see it one last time?” Sutton questions. I ponder it for only a moment, but I know there’s no need for me to see it again. A house is just a house. The memories I had from that house will always be with me.

“No, I don’t need to see it again.”

“So, I’ve been wondering something . . .” Navy's voice fades as she crosses the café to wipe down tables.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“How come you don’t have anything of yours and Brian’s at your new house?”

“Oh, um, I’m not sure.” Guilt settles into the pit of my stomach. I’ve been so distracted this summer that I have not thought about my storage room since I moved in. I know they would understand, but I retreat, not yet ready to dive into this particular conversation.

Navy glares at me with a scrunched forehead. We both know I’m lying, but she doesn’t press me for the truth. My phone pings with a text from Luke.

Luke : I’ll be home later. We still on for painting?

Me : Yep. I’ve got dinner covered.

Luke : Lucky me. See you soon, love.

Love. My heart fucking soars.

“Oh, shit,” Navy says, interrupting my daydream.

At her exclamation, I realize she and Sutton are both staring at me with goofy grins on their faces. “What?” I ask.

“Don’t give us that innocent what, “ Navy says. “You know exactly what. You are head over heels in love with that man. ”

“Ha!” I say. “No, I’m not in love with Luke.”

“Yet,” Sutton adds, eyes widening with excitement.

While I’m not there yet, I get closer every day.

Falling for this man is inevitable.

After spending a few hours with the girls, I return home, excited to start on my first official house project. Over an hour in, I realize just how much it sucks. In fact, I'm pretty certain DIY projects should come with the warning label: Can Be a Massive Pain in the Ass. The ladder wobbles as I stretch a few extra inches to swipe the brush along the corner where the wall meets the ceiling.

“This was a spectacularly bad idea, wasn’t it?” I say.

Duke whines in response.

Here I thought it would be a fun project to paint my workout room, and now I’m dangling off a ladder. Luke agreed to come over to help, but I haven’t heard from him since earlier. The ladder teeters as my hips press into the top.

“C’mon arms. Just. A. Little. More.” With a quick swish, I cover the last patch of bare wall.

“Well, it’s not perfect, but that’ll do, pig. That'll do,” I say in my best Farmer Hogget voice.

After setting the paintbrush on the tray, I go to step down the ladder, but as luck would have it, my foot catches on the last wrung, and I topple backward into the handlebars of my spin bike. Pain blooms instantly, and I know I’m going to have a giant bruise on my hip. Duke can’t be bothered and leaves me for the comfort of his bed.

“Some help you are.” As I step away from the ladder, pride fills me as I take in my little project. Working out is essential for my mental health and now I have a perfect sunshine-yellow room to use.

I clean up my paint supplies and tackle a few more minor projects on my list. Entering my bedroom, my eyes immediately look toward Luke’s house, but his windows are still dark. I’m tempted to text him and see if he’s alright. He was supposed to help me after all. But I don’t want to come off as that kind of girlfriend. I push the nervous gremlins in my mind back into their corners.

Scanning my room, I take one last look at the picture frames filled with people I don’t know. I pull out several photos from a manilla envelope and set about filling my new house with memories. There are photos of the girls and me in our comfies baking cinnamon rolls; another from when Mom, Dad, and I went hiking; and even a group photo of all of us from the lake on the Fourth.

My favorite is one Navy took of me and Luke on our first date. He’s got me tucked into his body, holding my hand against his chest. He’s looking at me the same way he looks at me when I catch him staring, like I’m his whole world.

I shower quickly and check my phone. Again. There’s still no answer. This time, I can’t quell the nervousness that seeps into my heart. I try distracting myself by whipping up dinner. I love feeding Luke, so I make him a plate and place it into the fridge for later.

I zone out completely washing dishes, but I’m unable to wash away the fear sticking to each nerve. Eventually, I snuggle into the couch, and Duke squeezes in next to me. I call Luke this time. No answer.

Inhale. Exhale.

I turn up the TV volume in a weak attempt to drown out the roaring in my mind. Minutes tick by, but still, I don’t hear from Luke. Why isn’t he home yet? He said he’d be here. Why isn’t he answering me? The movie plays idly in the background as my thoughts rage, a tempest of worry.

Me : Are you okay? I’m worried.

No response. I give up on the movie and choose the safety of my bed. Before laying down, I open my curtains, hoping maybe I’ll see when he gets home later. I bury my face in the pillow Luke used, inhaling his masculine scent, hoping it’ll calm my racing thoughts.

Inhale.

Exhale.

There’s no stopping it now—every worst-case scenario blasts through my mind. My thoughts spiral and coil and twist until, eventually, I fall into a fitful sleep.