Chapter 11 #4
“Yes, she was. Your Grandma Loretta was always showing her things in the kitchen. I never thought she had paid attention, but she fooled me, right?”
“She used to make me waffles.”
“I didn’t know that.”
He came and sat next to me on the bed. “I guess I miss her, some.”
“Me too.” He leaned against me and I kissed his head. We sat for a few minutes, remembering.
Charlie stood up and pulled my hand. “Are we going to Mackie’s house?”
“I need to get dressed.” I went to the closet, and took out Cassie’s black dress.
He groaned. “I’ll be in my fort.”
∞
I tugged nervously at my dress. I didn’t remember it being so short.
“Stop fidgeting,” Annie said under her breath. “Play it cool, Emmy!”
We were sitting on barstools overlooking the water, cocktails planted in front of each of us. Annie looked absolutely beautiful. Every man in the place had done a double take when she walked in.
“Ladies,” a man said, and I swiveled to look at him. “Can I get you something?” This was the third one already!
Annie threw him a dazzling smile. Lordy, those perfect Whitaker teeth. “We’re all set here, but thanks!” She turned and gave him her back, so I did the same.
“Too short,” she said to me. “You need someone taller.”
“Annie, I’m not looking for anyone right now. And he was after you, not me. Guys aren’t interested in me like that.”
“Are you out of your mind, Emmy? You could have anyone here!”
I scoffed. “Whatever.”
“Have you ever looked in the mirror?” She rolled her eyes. “You’ve had lots of boyfriends, right?”
“Um, not really,” I said.
“But you’ve had plenty of people ask you out,” she stated.
I thought back. Had I? “Well, I think a lot of guys wanted me to help them study, or talk about classes. But not a lot of romantic interest.”
She stared at me. “How did Luke get your number?”
I thought back again. “He needed it to get in touch with me, because he had fixed my bike tire and didn’t have a way to tell me.”
“Smooth,” Annie nodded.
“Really? That was just to get my number?”
She patted my cheek. “Emmy, you have a lot to learn! And I’m sure all the guys before him just wanted your help with their math homework.
” Her eyes strayed past me. “Oh look, there’s Neil Gassman!
From the team!” She waved him over. “Neil!” He came over and stood talking with us for a while, and then a table opened up, so we all moved there.
I was on my second gin and tonic and I was feeling unusual.
As if my head was floating, a little. But Neil was super charming, and Annie and I laughed like crazy. This had been a great idea!
Then Luke walked in. Of all the gin joints…
Annie raised her hand and waved at him. She didn’t seem at all surprised that he was there.
Luke saw us, and saw Neil. A ferocious scowl spread across his face and he stalked over.
“Annie, did you tell him we were here?” I demanded. “What the heck?”
“I did, and I’m not sorry! So there.” She stuck out her tongue. “Go talk to him, please?”
I stood up, and held onto the table for a little support. Wow, liquor was really strong, and went down really easy. Luke reached our table.
“Annie, Emily.” He glared at Neil. “Sorry, I’m not sure who the hell you are.”
“Luke!” I gasped, but Neil chuckled.
“I’m no one you need to worry about, man. She’s been talking about you for an hour.”
I had? Or did he mean Annie? Things were confusing.
Luke held out his hand to me, and without thinking, I took it.
I made a face at Annie as we left the bar, but she was engrossed in something that Neil had said, and was laughing hard, her hand on his arm.
We walked out into the parking lot and I shivered a little in the cold night air.
Luke shrugged off his coat and put it around my shoulders, then took my hand again.
“Let’s go for a walk on the beach, so you can clear your head,” he said.
I kicked off my shoes and carried them. It felt so, so nice to be close to him again. The wind off the lake seemed to blow some of the gin cobwebs out of my thoughts.
He stopped and looked at me. “I’ve missed you this week. A lot.”
I nodded, and my eyes filled with tears. “Me too.”
“Emmy, I’m sorry about what I said. I was just lashing out at you.
I’m sorry. It was hard to hear that you don’t trust me.
Yet.” I started to speak, but he held up his hand.
“Wait, I’m trying to say that I understand.
I know just a little bit of what you’ve gone through in your life, and it makes sense that it will take you some time.
” He grimaced. “Even though it’s not really my nature, I’m going to be patient.
All right? No pressure from me. We can go any pace you want. ”
I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, too. I do trust you. I let you take Charlie in an airplane. I left my brush at your house. We…did it.” I didn’t want to have to spell it out. Luke cracked a smile. “I just got a little freaked out.”
“A little?” He raised an eyebrow.
“You told me you love me! And Annie wanted me to decorate your house, and you were talking about us renovating it, and then the car, and I…ok, I really freaked out.” I took a deep breath.
This was hard. “Sometimes it feels like the only person that I’m sure will never let me down is Charlie.
” Luke started to interrupt and now I held up my hand.
“And I know you, Luke. In my mind, I know that you wouldn’t let me down either.
And thank you for saying that you’ll be patient with me, because I’ll need it.
” I rubbed the ache in my chest. “But I have a hard time accepting this, sometimes. Me and you, all of this. Because I’m really, really scared,” deep breath, “because I love you, too.” He put his forehead down to mine, looking into my eyes. I had said it.
“Can we make up?” he asked, pulling me to him, sliding his hands down my back.
“Yes, please,” I said, and then he kissed me, lifting me against him and plunging his tongue into my mouth.
We managed to make it back to the parking lot, stopping every few steps to kiss and grope each other, so that by the time we got to his car I was untucking his shirt and trying to reach down into his pants.
“Emmy, I’m not going to be able to drive, hang on,” he panted.
“How about the back seat? You have a big car.”
Luke’s eyes widened. “Get in,” he ordered, then sat in the pitch-black parking lot with me in his lap, my knees straddling his hips. He unzipped his pants and his shaft sprang free of his boxers, and he literally tore off my underwear. I had no idea that would be such a turn-on.
“Rub against me,” he told me, holding himself upright.
I moved my hips in circles, working him through my folds.
Oh, he felt so good. I moved faster, up and down and stopping with my legs splayed wide to massage my clit against him.
“Luke,” I gasped, “I think—” He pushed his fingers inside me from behind, grasping my ass and holding me tightly to him, and the orgasm shook through me.
I leaned my head into the crook of his neck and struggled for breath.
Then, carefully, I climbed off him, knelt down, and took him in my mouth, licking along his hard length.
I sucked him in as far as I could, swirling my tongue and moaning as he reached down my dress and grasped my breasts.
When I tongued along the ridge under the head, Luke pumped his hips then came in my mouth, groaning my name and holding the back of my head. I rested my cheek against his thigh.
“I think we should go back to your house. I want to run my hair all over your naked body.” I told him.
He was already zipping his pants and getting into the front seat.
“Let’s go. Now.”