Chapter 38
CLARA
Being in bed with Luke was exactly where I needed to be.
His blue eyes locked on mine, like shining sapphires blazing with the passion I lit inside him.
His hands slid over my body as if he were trying to feel all of me at once but didn’t have enough hands.
But most of all, his lips tasted like heaven when we kissed.
Luke pulled back a little and smirked.
“What?” I asked.
“Well, this is going to sound like we’re back in high school, but do you think your parents will be coming home anytime soon?”
I smiled back at him mischievously. “They better not because I’m not stopping.”
Before he could reply, I pushed him on his back and straddled his hips, already feeling him hot and ready through his jeans. He gazed up at me, eyes aflame. I ground my hips over him and a groan came out of him that sent heat spiraling to my core.
I leaned over him to kiss him again and his hands slipped beneath my sweater. Luke made quick work of unhooking my bra, and his rough, callused palms cupped my breasts. It was my turn to moan like I was in pain, the exquisite feelings too much to bear.
My nipples hardened into sensitive points and he teased them until they ached like a raw nerve. Every touch had me squirming over his steel cock, and that awoke a whole different symphony of sensations in my body.
I undid the buttons on his shirt and pulled it open so I could lick his chest. I didn’t even care if he liked it. Tracing my tongue over the hard lines of his muscles electrified me.
Luke let me have my fun, busying himself with hiking up my sweater. I disconnected from him just long enough to get it off me, followed by my bra. Luke drank in the sight of me in the dim light of the basement.
I felt self-conscious, bare in front of him, exposed. But the look of hunger in his eyes gave me courage. I sat up straighter, thrusting my breasts out and raising my chin.
“Holy hell, Clara,” he said breathlessly. “I’m a lucky man. I missed you so much.”
“Oh yeah? Show me how much.”
Luke’s eyes lit with the challenge and he flipped me over on my back. His mouth found my tits, licking and sucking at my flesh. My head pressed back against the pillow, and the moan that came out of me made me glad no one else was home.
While he feasted on me, his hand slid down into the waistband of my jeans. He stoked me through my underwear and I gushed at the feeling. My hips lifted from the mattress, eager for more.
Luke chuckled darkly. “I love how you move under me, but I’m going to take my time with you tonight.”
The words alone were enough to set my body on fire. When he pressed a finger to my clit ever so gently, I exploded, coming faster than I ever had before.
I clenched my fist around Luke’s arm as my whole body tightened up and released. Pleasure cascaded over me in tidal waves, washing away all rational thought and all feelings of self-consciousness. The sounds that came out of me were anything but ladylike.
Luke seemed to love it, though. He trailed featherlight kisses down my neck and he pulled his hand out of my pants to stroke my arms and my breasts, again with a light touch. “That’s it, gorgeous. Come for me.”
When the white lights stopped flashing in my head, I opened my eyes and looked at the sexy man leaning over me. His chiseled jaw framed a roguish smile. The hard lines of his chest made me want to see the rest of him naked, and I told him so.
Luke hopped off the bed and shucked his pants and boxers off. “Your wish is my command.”
I didn’t really hear what he said, mesmerized by the sight of him in all his glory. “Stop talking and come back here.”
He laughed and knelt on the mattress beside me. “My turn.”
Luke almost tore my pants from me until I helped him with the button. He did the rest, unwrapping me like a Christmas present. To that end, I had worn a cute pair of panties with a red bow printed on the front.
When his eyes landed on them, he laughed and shook his head. “I fucking love you, Clara.”
“Good, because I fucking love you, too.”
He pulled the panties off with his teeth and then he buried his face between my legs. My thighs clamped around his head and I tried not to hurt him while he rocked my world.
I panted and moaned and tried not to fall off the bed.
Then he slid on a condom and was kneeling between my legs, lining up his thick cock at my entrance. Our eyes met and he slammed it home to the hilt easily, as wet as I was. I hissed and shut my eyes, blinded by the feeling like I might break apart at any second.
He kissed me and time stopped. We became one, connected physically and on a deeper level I didn’t know was possible. His hips moved with a slow, steady rhythm, taking his time and letting us both enjoy the moment.
Luke sucked on my neck and teased my nipples, too, not content with just one part of me at a time.
He seemed to want all of me at once, like he would devour me whole if he could.
I stroked my hands over him too, feeling the tensing muscles.
I scraped my nails over his skin, which made him growl like it drove him wild.
His hips moved faster, building up to a crescendo.
I angled my hips up so he could hit the deepest spot, and he did. My heart jackhammered in my chest and I was breathing like I was running a race. He pushed me closer and closer to the edge and I lay back, letting it come closer.
Then I went flying out into thin air on wings of pleasure, feeling weightless. My soul shattered into a million pieces and reformed again, brighter and lighter. Luke thrust one more time inside me and I felt his cock twitching.
We held each other as we came. Luke collapsed beside me, still trying to catch his breath. I wasn’t doing much better.
We cuddled for a while, lost in each other. Luke kept giving me little affectionate kisses all over me, not trying to go for another round. Just like he couldn’t get enough of me. That was all right. I certainly couldn’t get enough of him.
When I got a text saying my folks were on their way back, we quickly got dressed. Luke kissed me one more time, filling it with affection like it would have to tide me over until we could be together again.
He headed off into the night. I watched his rental drive away until the red taillights disappeared around the corner. The cold couldn’t touch me after a night like that with Luke. He filled me with warm light.
All alone with no one to see me, I threw my head back and laughed with joy into the night sky.
After all the hell and pain, I finally felt like I had made it through to the other side.
All the knotted-up tension and tangled emotions came out with that laugh.
It had a slightly manic edge to it, like I couldn’t really believe Luke and I had reconciled.
Our differences had seemed insurmountable, but past trauma had been skewing my vision. I had been seeing Luke’s actions through a distorted lens and assumed the worst about him. I would be forever grateful he didn’t give up on me.
I hadn’t asked for a miracle, but I got one.
The next day around noon, Luke came back to my parents’ house to pick me up. Mom and Dad insisted on walking me out of course, to hug me and say goodbye. And also to grill Luke a little bit.
Mom had been pleased as punch when I told her about Luke and me. My father was a little more hesitant, not about Luke but just about how fast everything seemed to be moving. I couldn’t totally disagree with him on that.
Things with Luke had been something of a whirlwind, but it wasn’t like we had just met at Thanksgiving. We had known each other for years, and Luke had admitted he also had a bit of a crush on me in high school. Eat your heart out, Dixie.
Also, I couldn’t help but think relationships moved fast when two people were meant to be together. When two pieces fit perfectly, they slid right into each other. And Luke and I fit perfectly.
My mom hugged me again. When she pulled away, her eyes shimmered with tears. “You call me the moment you land, okay?”
“I promise,” I said. “But please don’t cry. I’ll be back for my stuff before you know it. Right now, I’m just going to see about that job offer. If that works out, I’ll be able to make some more concrete plans on what my life will look like. As soon as I know, I’ll tell you.”
“Okay, good.” Mom nodded and turned to look at Luke affectionately. “And you, promise me you’ll watch out for her.”
“I will,” he said.
I groaned. “Mom, I don’t need protection.”
“She really doesn’t,” Luke said. “But I’ll watch out for her anyway.”
Mom hugged him while my dad wrapped his arms around me. He was as big and gruff as Nic, but he was a big old teddy bear, at least when it came to me. I loved my father dearly.
“If you ever need anything,” he said to me. “I’m just a phone call away.”
“I know, Dad,” I said into his chest. “Thank you. It’s always nice to know I can still depend on you if I need to. That being said, I’m glad I don’t have to move into the basement.”
He laughed, his whole chest rumbling with it. “I was looking forward to it, but that was just me being selfish. I know you need to go off and do big things like you always wanted. And when you get hired on that play, your mother and I will be there on opening night. You can count on that.”
It was my turn to get misty-eyed. “Thanks, Dad. That means a lot to me.”
He let go of me reluctantly and extended his hand to Luke. He shook it with a firm grip, and they locked eyes, seeming to have a whole secret man conversation with just a look and a solemn nod.
Dad nodded and stepped back. “Good man.”
Luke nodded back and put his arm around my shoulders. “You ready to go?”
I nodded. “Ready.”
He put my suitcase in the back of the SUV next to his. We got in, and he rolled down the window so we could say bye as we backed out of the driveway. In the rearview, I saw my parents waving at us until we turned down another street.
“I’m going to miss them,” I said.
“Say the word, and I’ll fly them up,” Luke said with a shrug. “I’ve been trying to get my own parents to visit me in the city but it never happens.”
“Why not?” I asked.
Luke smiled fondly. “My mother claims she’s allergic to flying.”
“What?” I chuckled in confusion. “Is that a thing?”
He shook his head. “I think she’s just afraid to get on a plane. She only flew once, on my parents’ honeymoon. Dad flew her out to Niagara Falls, and she said never again. They had to drive back to Texas.”
“That’s kind of sad,” I said, shaking my head.
“Well, I always got the impression that my father really enjoyed the road trip back.” Luke grinned at me. “I think that’s when they made Troy.”
I laughed. “Well, I guess that’s a silver lining.”
“Yeah, and they’ve been all over the country. They just drive. I’ve been thinking of getting her to take a train to New York. I know she’d have fun once she’s there.” Luke shrugged. “I’ll have to work on that. For now, the only lady I’m worried about getting to the city is you.”