Chapter 22 The Calm Before The Storm
The Calm Before The Storm
Harper
Something wakes me. I sit up, confused. All the lights are on, and I’m on the couch. The TV is still working its way through season three of Friends. I pick up my phone from where it fell to the floor. Maybe that’s what woke me.
I glance around, but nothing is out of place. I hold my phone above my face as I lie back down on the couch. More messages have come through. Pictures on the girls’ group chat.
Penny:
OMG you’re missing the best party. Wish you were here
Nice way to treat a new friend who’s grounded. Not that I’m really grounded, but she doesn’t know that.
DEATH (Luke):
Where r u?
I scrunch up my face at that. Home. Where does he think I am? I look at the time stamp and it’s from around fifteen minutes ago. I’m tired and don’t want to type anything that might get me punished, so I ignore his text, hoping he’ll assume I’m asleep.
I shrug out of the sweatshirt and leave it with the blanket on the couch. Yawning, I turn off the TV. I grab my trusty pinata stick because I’m going to sleep with this bad boy all night, even if it is covered in purple and pink ribbons.
It’s really stupid late now, and I’m pretty sure I can just crawl into bed and go back to sleep.
Leaving the kitchen light on, I turn out the others. No more knocks on the doors, and I’m sure Bob has long since gone to bed. The guys are probably out partying. Maybe Luke even texted because he’s drunk and wondering why I’m not at his beck and call.
I snort laugh a little on the way up the stairs. My laptop is open in my room, and all the horsemen’s rooms are still empty. Not surprising. I feel a pinch in my gut, as I can’t help thinking about them getting laid tonight.
How would I even know unless someone else brags about it? I close my laptop, angry that they’re probably partying hard somewhere and someone else is likely getting them off. I rub at the ache in my chest. Not that I want to get them off, but they made a promise.
I climb onto my bed and pull the covers over me. What dicks! They couldn’t even keep it in their pants for less than a week. Maybe Kenz is right and I’ll have a boyfriend by the end of next week. He’ll protect and care for me.
The horsemen will have to find someone else to torment for the year. I sigh and close my eyes. At least my first kisses were really hot kisses.
I must have dozed off for a few minutes because suddenly the bed dips next to me. For a second, I think my cat is there and then I remember Mr. Snuggles died last year.
My heart thumps hard in my chest. My pinata stick falls, clattering on the floor next to me. The sound startles me into action. I jolt like I’m going to leap out of bed and run for the door when a hand closes over my mouth. I get out maybe half a scream.
“Harper, it’s me.” Luke’s harsh whisper cuts through the panic. I grab at his hand covering my mouth. He removes it and I inhale.
“I lost a year off my life, asshole. What the fuck are you doing in my bedroom?” I spin on the bed to face him in the shadows of the dark. I shove at his shoulder, still more freaked out than worried.
He groans in pain, and everything in me chills out.
“Are you hurt?” I reach out to where I shoved, but his fingers wrap around mine to keep me from touching it again.
“The Tigers decided they didn’t like me very much.” Luke doesn’t release my hand but holds it on the bed between us. “Where were you? Your camera was on, but you weren’t here.”
“I fell asleep downstairs after some kids messed around outside my house and freaked me out.” I sit against the headboard of my bed. “The neighbors checked out the place, but I still couldn’t calm down.”
“Where’s your mom?”
“She got called in.” Somehow, in the darkness, it’s okay to let Luke know we’re here alone in my bedroom, completely unsupervised. My brain is slow to grasp things when I first wake up, but now I’m realizing all these things.
I’m in my sleep shorts and a sleep shirt, while Luke Foster sits next to me on the edge of my bed in jeans and a t-shirt. The room has a little light thanks to the streetlight that cuts through my curtains, but otherwise we’re bathed in darkness.
Awareness slices through me. The air suddenly feels thicker, and his hand against mine is sending warmth and tingles up my arm. I should pull it away, but it’s nice to have someone here. The creepiest thing about the noises was being all alone. No one here to help me.
“Where are the others?” I need to say something to unravel this tension welling inside me.
“Jason’s party.” Luke sighs. “I should probably go.”
His hand starts to slip from mine, but I grab it. “No.”
What the fuck am I doing? He stops moving and waits for me. I don’t want him to leave. I drop my gaze to our hands.
“I—fuck it. I’m scared and don’t want to be alone. I’m tired and want to sleep, but every little noise freaks me out. My mom won’t be home for hours and I’m here alone.” I keep my head down as I admit this to him, of all people.
I hate admitting any weakness. He could turn around and use it to torment me.
He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t move away either.
“Would you…” I take a deep breath. I can’t believe I’m saying this. “Would you mind staying with me?”
He tips my chin until our faces are aligned, even if I can’t make out his eyes in the dark. “I can stay.”
My bed is a queen, so we won’t even have to touch. I mean, he could sleep on the floor, but that seems pretty petty after I begged him to stay. “Thank you.”
Luke nods and leans down to take off his shoes. I try to control my breathing as he stands and removes his shirt. His jeans come off next. In the darkness, I can just make out his form—not the details, but I’ve seen him this stripped down before.
Just never in the same room as me.
Scooting down in the bed, I move over to the side so he can slip in. I’m a ball of nervous energy as he lies down beside me. Both of us stare up at the ceiling. I realize I’m holding my breath and release it.
This is weird. Maybe it’s too weird. Maybe I should suggest we go downstairs and watch a movie. We can just stay up all night and I’ll sleep tomorrow.
“Stop worrying, princess. I won’t maul you in your sleep.” Luke’s deep voice flows over me. “Boundaries.”
I need to talk. I need to get all the energy out. “What were the guys doing at the party?”
“Fucking as many girls as possible.” His voice carries no inflection.
Not believing him, I roll onto my side to face him. “Well, then this whole ownership thing is over.”
He keeps his gaze on the ceiling. “That would mean fewer boundaries.”
“Good for you. Bad for me.” The light from the window gives me just a hint of his features. I swear I see a flicker of a smile on his lips, but I don’t want to turn on the light. It would ruin the illusion that this is okay and safe. Being in bed with Luke Foster.
“Terrible for you.” His hands go behind his head. His arms are sculpted muscles. My fingertips itch with the need to check to see how they feel. His warm skin, the solid strength beneath.
“Was it a good game?” I switch the topic before my mind wonders what kind of terrible things Luke would do to me. Like hold me down and kiss the hell out of me. Spank me for the hell of it. Pretty much anything with a little hell.
I bite my lip. My breath catches. No one is here to stop us from going too far. To pull us away if the passion takes over.
“They’re normally an easy team, but they have some good defensive tackles this year.” Luke seems to be ignoring the undercurrent of tension.
I inhale. “I heard you got hurt?”
His head swivels my way. “Worried about me, princess?”
“Who could hurt Death,” I reply breathily.
“They definitely tried.” Luke exhales and his minty breath teases my nose.
Something clicks in my brain.
“Wait. How did you get in if I have the place locked up tight?” Panic builds inside me. If Luke could get in, those people from earlier could too. They tried the handles. I start to sit up, but his hand holds my shoulder down.
“It’s still a secret, but no one else can get in how we do.” His hand is hot and heavy on my skin. I can feel the trickle of desire burning brighter from just that touch. Instead of easing me, it makes me more anxious.
“Somehow, that’s not reassuring,” I grumble.
“I thought you were tired.” He shifts a little in the bed, but I try not to pay attention to the fact he’s only wearing his boxers and is in bed with me. Alone. In my house. Alone. He shifts again, probably trying to get more comfortable.
“I was tired. I am tired. You startled the sleep out of me, I guess.” I shrug. “Maybe we can go downstairs and watch a movie? I’m sure a nice zombie film or two will help me relax.”
“Right, while we’re at it, let’s put on some good old-fashioned slasher flicks. That way, you’ll never sleep again.” Luke’s voice is deep. “Maybe we can just find a show on serial killers to help lull you into dreamland.”
“Maybe not.” My voice has risen in pitch. “But maybe we could walk around the house to make sure everything is still locked up?”
“Whatever you need, princess.” He throws the covers back and grabs his jeans to pull on. His hair flops over his eyes as he looks down at me. “You coming?”
Fuck. Yeah, maybe I’ll be able to sleep after a stroll around the house. I push the covers off and stand. He holds his hand out to me and I take it.
Opening the door to the hallway, he turns on the light. Gripping his hand tight, I follow closely behind him as he opens doors and turns on lights. Logically, I know there isn’t anyone else in the house, but earlier spooked me. Enough that I’m walking closer and closer to Luke.
He leads me downstairs. We open every door and walk through every room. After he checks the back door, he turns and grabs my hips, lifting me onto the island. He steps between my legs and tips my face up to his.
“All good, princess?” His hands trail up my bare thighs to rest on my ass and drag me in against him. “No more worrying about the boogeyman?”
My breath quickens as I search his light blue eyes. The hard press of his cock between my thighs stirs the desire these boys have worked relentlessly to awaken. I grip his bare shoulders, but I’m not sure if I intend to push him away or pull him closer.
This right here is dangerous. Luke is dangerous. Us being alone is dangerous.
Earlier, I feared something getting in, but this danger I’ve asked to stay with me. I’ve let him in willingly and now I have to pay the price. The cost might be worth it though.
My gaze drifts over his naked chest. A huge bruise is forming under one of my hands.
“Do you need some ice?” My fingers skate over it, feeling how it must ache. I swallow and lift my gaze to his again. “Does it hurt?”
“All the time, princess.” His lips capture mine and he drags me into him.
This time last week, this kiss would have shocked me to my core. But now, after kissing four guys for most of a week, I just want more.
I tangle my hands in Luke’s silky hair as he deepens the kiss, sliding his tongue alongside mine and building that winding tension inside me. He grinds his cock against my pussy, and I moan at the aching need.
He rests his forehead against mine. Our breathing is chaotic as his fingers clench into my ass almost painfully. When I tug on his hair, he meets my gaze.
“Why did you avoid me today?” The words slip out before I can think them through. My eyes widen. I just questioned a horseman. Yes, I’ve been wondering, but I had no intention of actually asking him that. And now I’m trapped, waiting for his answer.
Maybe I can backtrack a little.
“If it was because of the game, I totally understand, but the others didn’t feel compelled to avoid me. Then again, they aren’t the quarterback, and it must take a lot of concentration to do what you do out there on the field. And you’re very good at what you do.”
He touches his lips to mine, stopping my babbling.
This isn’t a normal kiss for us, but maybe it’s normal for most people.
He threads his hands into my hair. Instead of taking, his mouth glides against mine.
He brushes his tongue along my lower lip, and I gasp, parting my lips for him as tingles of awareness race through me.
This kiss is gentle and exploring and so damn dangerous.
This is the type of kiss that could destroy me.
When I slide my fingers into his silky hair, he tips my head back and deepens the kiss.
His lips are soft as he moves them over mine, continuing to taste me.
My heart skips a beat as I lose myself in his kiss.
It’s not a battle right now. He kisses me like I mean something to him, like I’m not just another conquest.
He eases his lips away from mine and for a moment we share our breaths as we hold each other’s heads close.
My insides twist at the unfamiliar feeling growing inside me.
They’ve made me feel desire and passion, but this longing, this need to hold Luke, to be close to him, is like nothing I’ve felt before.
It’s not a fire burning through me, but a low flame of something new.
Something I’m not ready to look at too closely.
After a moment, he steps back and holds his hands out to me. “Come on.”
I search his eyes, trying to figure out what that kiss means.
Not getting anything from him, I take his hands, and he helps me down. Keeping hold of one of my hands, he leads me back through my house up to my room. My heartbeat eases as he only holds my hand. Once in my room, he shuts the door, locks it, and gestures to the bed as he turns off the light.
I climb in. Will he kiss me again? I want him to. I want to drown in the taste of him. He walks around the bed to the other side and takes his jeans off before he climbs in. His arms drag me to the middle, and his warm front nestles against my back.
“Go to sleep, princess.”
He never answered my question, but now he’s spooning me. When he doesn’t move to do anything else but hold me, I breathe out the worry. He feels so safe and warm, like nothing bad can happen to me here in his arms. My eyes grow heavy and before I know it, I’m out.