Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
Waverly
“What the fuck, Waverly?” He rears back like I punched him. Because I did.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. The thoughts I had years ago, the constant insecurities, they all come roaring back. He thinks I’m trash. His slut to hook up with over the summer. Nothing more. Just tits and a few holes.
He reaches for my wrist, rage and hatred radiating off of him. And I am acutely aware of how vulnerable I am. Naked and bound to his bed. I flinch and he doesn’t react. His hands work fast, unhooking me from the cuffs.
“Why would you believe them? You chose them, my fucked-up family, over me?” Every word is laced with the painful truth.
He unhooks my feet from the straps and I’m no longer open and vulnerable. With control of my body I should feel more confident, but the thought of losing him makes my insecurities bubble up instead. “I reexamined the evidence, ignored the complete lack of credibility, because”—I take a deep breath—“they included me more than my own family.” I reach out for his arm, expecting him to flinch, to pull away, but instead, he sits on the bed and his head dips low. “My whole world was thrown upside down. My life plan vanished. I was lost and confused.” I rest my head on his shoulder. “I made the wrong choice.”
“I never flew back to sort it out. I believed the lies, too,” he whispers.
My heart sinks. We both were too hurt and insecure to trust the other. The lies were easier to believe because we were scared of a happy future together. “I had gotten into Washington University.” I walked away from the program and stayed close to home.
He groans with an ache like I’ve stabbed him in the heart. The endless timelines of what could have been hurt as much as the rejection. Because the rejection was wrong, and we were robbed. Violated.
We were victims of a time assault and robbery.
I crawl toward him and touch his back. His head still hangs low. Lukas spent his whole life being rejected, shunned by the people he loved the most. He spent the last five years thinking I was one of them. I am not about to let him think I don’t want him now.
“I begged you to wait two more days to return to Seattle so we could fly together.” I wrap my arms around his neck and press my breasts against his back.
“Huh?” he says.
My lips brush between his hairline and his neck. “We spent the summer getting me ready for school. Trying to figure out what I would bring with me and what I would leave at your place.”
My hands slide across his chest and stay over his heart. It’s racing but he doesn’t move. He whispers, “What are you doing?”
“You were proud that I stopped microwaving my tea and used a kettle instead. You came so close to smiling at me.”
“Wait. Do you microwave your tea?” He lifts his head. “What are you, a savage?”
“Not anymore, you broke me of the habit.” I press ahead. “You used to complain every time we went food shopping. Then we would stop by a bakery and get your blood sugar up. About three months in, I realized you were faking it to get cookies.”
He huffs a laugh. “You offend my honor.”
“That’s what you said when I called you out.” I snake myself around his body and sit on his lap. He puts his hands on my hips and holds me steady. Looking at his face, I can see how the weight of his sorrow still hangs over him. He won’t look me in the eyes, but I know they’re red and watery.
“We spent our first Christmas together. We watched the Doctor Who Christmas special. Which you always claimed you didn’t like.” I whisper, “I think you secretly are hoping The Doctor will return and make you his companion.”
His lip raises ever so slightly at the corners that I almost miss it. “I don’t need The Doctor to take me on dangerous and random adventures, I’ve got you.”
“Damn straight you do.” I dip my head down and tilt it to the side, hoping to catch his eye. “My first year went off without a hitch and I was able to get an apprenticeship. We would meet for lunch once a week.” I perk up. “Oh, and the tattoo shop won Seattle’s Best for Tattoos.”
He squeezes my hips. “I know why you’re doing this, but it’s not fixing anything.”
I break the spell and his sad eyes catch mine. Playing with his hair, adjusting slightly to be closer to him, I say, “No one else knows about our history. Why can’t we write our own story?”
“Because it isn’t true or real.”
I lean back a little and roll my eyes. “When has reality ever stopped anyone from telling a good story?” I brighten up, realizing our story needs some side characters. “Oh, we got a cat. It was cold and rainy, per usual, and trash day. We saw this little tiny bundle of fur. You told me to leave it, but I ignored you. I scooped it up and brought it back home. You kept your distance from the cat, until you noticed it wasn’t drinking or eating. So, you grabbed the cat and took him to the vet. Two thousand dollars later, you grumbled and whined the whole ride home, but when Mr. Noodles fell asleep on your chest, you never talked about the money ever again.”
“Mr. Noodles?”
“Yes, he’s very formal. A tuxedo cat.”
Lukas exhales. “I seem to be bitching and whining a lot in this story.”
“It’s the details that make it more believable.” I smile and wiggle my eyebrows.
He slaps my ass, but there’s a sliver of humor and it’s enough to make me keep going. “Oh, and our kink game is on point! At first you were a little nervous to bring it up, but I immediately jumped on board the sexy train. We spent the first two years learning what the other liked. I was very enthusiastic. And when we joined one of Seattle’s sex clubs, we became rock stars. People cheered when we walked in, because they knew we were going to give them a show!”
Lukas raises an eyebrow, “You’re not ready for a club yet.”
I shake my head. “Well not now , but in this story we’ve been doing the bondage stuff for years. We’re good. No training wheels needed, I’m on expert mode.”
He lifts his head and laughs, and it’s better than when he moans my name. “I suspect you’ll be off your training wheels soon in real life.”
“I’m a fast learner.” I’m trying to gauge his mental state. “Do you want a turn at the story?”
His fingers dig into my hips then he relaxes, and one hand starts to slide up my spine. It’s soft and affectionate. I hum in satisfaction, a signal he should keep going.
His voice is quiet. “We were having a party. One of your coworkers left the door open and the cat ran out. It took us a little while to realize he was gone because he normally hid when we had people over. We searched all night for Mr. Noodles. We found him on the side of the street where he first came into our lives. This time we were too late.”
“You have control of the story for exactly two seconds and you kill our cat?” I frown. “Stick to visual arts because plot is not your strong suit.”
There’s a twinkle in his eye and a flash of a smirk when he lifts me and rolls me onto my back, his body hovering over me. He lowers his body on me like a protective armor. “You are getting cold, I need to warm you up.”
I am a little chilly, but I didn’t notice how cold until his warm breath caresses my neck.
He kisses my shoulder as he speaks. “You cried for days, and Seattle lost its magic for you.” Oh, he’s continuing the story in the saddest way. Cool. His hand inches down my side to rest on my hip, then continues its journey until it lands on my thigh. “The tattoo shop was thriving, but I needed a new challenge. And you wouldn’t admit it, but you missed your family. Plus you hated Carl, the coworker who killed our cat…”
“He’s such a bag of dicks.” I pause.
Lukas nods. “Anyway, when an offer came for me to open a new shop, I took it and we returned to the East Coast. It took a year to get the shop exactly how I wanted it and you were completely supportive. Plus you were happy to be with your family…”
“Oh, and you got to go to family dinners,” I interrupt. The Four Families are going to love him.
He kisses me on the nose. “Stop interrupting.”
I try to appear remorseful, but I can’t tell if it’s working “You were my rock during the first year. You reunited with my sister and her boyfriend, now fiancé. They asked us to be in their wedding party.”
Ok, he’s bringing us to the present time. “But even though you’re home and surrounded by family, you’re still a little lost. You’re happy with me, but there’s something else clawing at you. Another difficult project. While prepping for Angie’s wedding, you found this incredible hotel, and the spark returned.”
He grabs my wrist and places it over my head and, without prompting, I bring up my other arm.
Lukas says, “Good girl,” and my body is on fire again. He grips both wrists, and the added pressure fuels my desires again. “Now we’re about to start on a whole new adventure together.”
His other hand slides between my thighs, stroking the growing wetness. Every nerve electrifies as his fingers send me to the edge much faster than before. “And do you love me in this version of the story?” I whisper, followed by a gasp as he slides his cock inside me.
He fills me completely, and between him and the butt plug I feel full and whole. I arch my back and moan as he remains still and lets me get used to his invasion. With one thumb on my clit and the other pressing my wrists into the bed, I’m completely at his mercy.
Lukas sinks his lips onto mine and claims my mouth as he’s claimed every part of me. “In every version of our story I love you. I never stopped.”
I feel his love, his fears, and all I want is him to feel mine. I love him. I’m scared to be without him. I can’t imagine my future without him.
“I love you, too.”
I cry out as he drive into me. Each deep thrust sends me closer to the edge he’s put me on so many times tonight, sometimes letting me fall. He circles my clit with his thumb, and everything is too much. He’s all consuming. He’s my world, my heart, my future. I cry out his name as I come.
He follows after a few more hard thrusts.
I flatten into the mattress and I never want to leave.
He rolls off and starts cleaning me up. “Lukas?”
“Yes, love?”
“Do you have any cookies?”
“No, love.”
I frown. I guess it was a one-time thing. “Oh, okay.”
“I have chocolate cake.”
YESSSSSSS!
“And tacos.”
I might have to marry this man.