25. Luke
Luke
When I pulled up to my parents’ house and saw Blake in the driveway with April, I couldn’t help but stare.
I love everything about Blake’s go-to look, the sexy clothes on the more revealing side, her bright red cherry lips, and dark brown eyes as they shine in the light.
But fuck me. Seeing her in this understated, slouchy attire, void of makeup, with her glasses on, fuck!
What I wouldn’t give to see what she looks like after a long night tangled in the sheets, with the sun peaking through the windows.
I bet she is a vision in the morning glow.
I was so overtaken by her, I almost lost all control, words falling from my lips the second I got out of my car before I could stop them.
The rest of the night, however, was full of tension after April learned we had been hanging out.
Since my feelings for her almost slipped, and once I let her peek into my burning desire for her, I can’t seem to turn it off, no matter what setting we are in.
So now, I’m walking into the bar to meet her, not only because I owe her an explanation, but because all I want is more time with her.
Before approaching the back corner of the rooftop where she’d texted that she had got us a table, I stopped and ordered a round of drinks.
Blake is sexy and sultry, and it seems to bleed into everything in her life, including her favorite drink, apple whisky, on the rocks with a splash of ginger ale.
She made it one Christmas, and I drink it often while thinking of her, so I ordered two.
As the bartender makes the drinks, I stare across the bar at Blake, watching the people around her scurry about, with a sly smile on her face.
People watching is her favorite. It’s one thing she loves most about her job.
The incandescent string lights hung from the wood beams overhead cast a warm glow across her face, and she looks breathtaking.
Each flicker cascading across her face lights up the chocolate color of her eyes, making them twinkle.
The table is high, so she’s propped her feet up on the foot rest at the bottom of the table, the angle highlighting the curves of her thick thighs wrapped in her leggings.
Just as my eyes trail up the length of her body, my eyes meet hers, a playful smile spreading across her lips.
Fuck.
After the bartender hands me our drinks, I make my way to her, timid like a teenage boy caught with his dad’s Playboys. “Hey you, see something you like?” Blake teases as she takes her drink.
“Obviously,” I respond, deciding it’s time to be candid about my feelings, skirting around them is becoming not only exhausting, but impossible at this point.
“Have a thing for oversized shirts and slipper shoes?” She laughs.
“I have a thing for thick thighs in leggings,” I declare with a smirk, “and when they’re attached to the redhead sitting across from me, they entice me even more.”
She takes a long sip of her drink and then exhales. “Let’s cut the shit Luke, why did you ask me here?”
“I made shit uncomfortable today,” I exhale as well.
“You sure as hell did.” She has nothing else to add, she just takes another pull of her drink.
“Should we just get to it, then? Address the elephant in the room,” I ask.
“There’s no elephant, Luke. Obviously, we’re attracted to each other, but you’re April’s brother, and she would never speak to me again if I had a one-night stand with you.”
I scoot closer and lower my voice, wanting my words to be for only her to hear.
“Blake, I am extremely fucking attracted to you, but for me, it is so much more than your looks. It’s everything about you.
” I want to be sure my intentions are crystal clear, “I love your confidence, how sexy you are in anything, anywhere. The way you bite your lip when you’re thinking hard, and how you paint them red.
But even more, I fucking love the way you puff your chest out when you’re mad, the way you wrap your arms around yourself when you get upset, as if you’re comforting yourself, your ambition, your get-shit-done attitude, and the fact you don’t take anyone’s shit. ”
“Luke,” she cuts in.
“I’m not fucking done,” I say with a bit of a warning in my voice.
I take her hand in mine and shake my head, trying to reassemble my jumbled thoughts.
“Fuck Blake, everything about you gets me going. But, most of all, it’s the slight hint of honey and vanilla as it invades my senses when you’re around. I want to bury myself in your scent.”
My cock stirs. As I reach over and place my hand on her thigh, I feel her shift slightly beneath my touch, her muscles tighten.
“My feelings for you have been building for years, five if you want to put a fine point on it. I’ll be honest, Blake, it was part of what ended my marriage.
A husband should love his wife unconditionally and worship her.
Instead, I found myself on more than one occasion left with the aching feeling in my gut, she wasn’t you.
So stop fucking downplaying what you mean to me, B.
I’m not some douchebag looking to get my dick wet.
I know you have had your fair share of one-night stands, and to be honest, your blatant love for sex is hot as hell, and one of the many things I love about you.
I know everything about you and I know your fucking worth.
So, I’m going to finish what I tried to tell you at my parents’ house. ”
I pause waiting to see if she will let me finish.
To my surprise she doesn’t try to dodge the conversation, she looks at me, wanting me to continue.
“If I were lucky enough to make you mine, you’d be mine forever, B.
I wouldn’t just fuck you one night, I’d fuck you, and worship you every fucking night for the rest of my goddamn life.
” I sit back and adjust my cock as it’s pushing hard against my zipper, not caring if she sees what she does to me.
She swallows and opens her mouth to speak, but then takes a drink before she starts, “You were with her for a long time, Luke. You don’t stay with someone for that long if you don’t love them.”
She’s deflecting, and I’m not sure where her confidence went that I’m used to, but I don’t fucking like it.
“Blake, I’ve had a thing for you for a long time.
You are special, and when you and April came home for Christmas, right after you turned 21, everything changed for me.
You walked in, and it had been a while since I had seen you, and, Blake, you took my breath away.
My marriage was already in shambles, so I chalked it up to a harmless crush, a craving for the connection I was missing in my marriage, and I forced myself to forget you. ”
I empty my glass, needing the courage to continue. I’m already in too deep to back off now.
“I went home and tried to focus on Noel, but unfortunately in our line of work, time passes faster than you realize. We were each so busy trying to make a name for ourselves, and throughout that she turned cold. I know it sounds like an excuse, but we grew apart. We worked opposite shifts, and before I knew it we were in marriage counseling, I moved out, and then back in. It took me years to admit it was over. We’d been together for so long, it was just comfortable and predictable, and I didn’t know how to leave.
I thought about you often, but assumed it was only because I was missing something so vital in my marriage. ”
She looks away, and I reach out for her hand to redirect her attention to me.
“Then I came home one night after getting sick at work and walked in on her fucking a resident in our bed. I wasn’t even mad, the opposite actually.
I was relieved. When I saw her with him, the only thing going through my head was you.
I was finally free from the shackles of my loveless marriage.
We both deserved more than we could give each other.
I tried to stay there, I really did. Noel and I actually worked better together after the divorce, but I decided I needed to be here. ”
“So, you came here for me?” she asks skeptically. “ I thought you said you couldn’t bear seeing her everyday.”
“No, I came here because I needed my family after I got divorced, and I didn’t want to be around her.
We had history, and it was hard, but I hoped I’d see you.
There are a lot of fucking hospitals closer to my family, Blake, but being 45 minutes away from them is still a hell of a lot closer than Denver.
It’s not a coincidence I work at the one across the street from the bar you work at,” I answer honestly.
“Stalker! You did come here for me,” she laughs, taking another drink of the amber liquid filling her glass.
When she sets the glass down on the table, her eyes meet mine with a soft look, the brightness usually there, dimmed like a fading twilight, and then she continues, “Luke, why are you telling me this? Why now?”
“It feels like the right time.”
She swallows, and then she bites her goddam lip. I quickly reach out and push my finger against the skin below her lip, gently pulling her lip from her teeth. “Don’t fucking do that, Blake.”
“Luke, I’m kind of off the market right now.”
I quickly pull my hand away from her. “You’re seeing someone?” I ask, confused. I haven’t seen her with anyone. She hasn’t mentioned anyone.
“No,” she clarifies, and after a long exhale, she continues, “Luke, I know Cash.” I know my face looks puzzled. “My friend Ana married his old college teammate, Knox. I’ve told you about Knox.”
“Yeah,” I respond, still confused.
“I told you I was a bridesmaid in their wedding, well Cash was there as a guest. We hooked up, and he was a total prick about it. I thought we made a connection, but he left abruptly and the next morning he was in a booth behind me in the restaurant, and… Well… he just thought I wasn’t worth the effort, not game day material. ” She pauses.
“What the hell does that mean?” He sounds like way more of a prick than he lets on.
“Who knows, probably some baseball euphemism for girls who aren’t good enough. I’m not exactly sure what I expected after a one-night stand.”
“One-night stands are pretty common, B, and since when do you shame yourself?” I ask, my blood boiling beneath my skin.
“It wasn’t just that night; when he ended up being part of the group that was camping, he begged me not to say anything and I brushed him off.
I guess it pissed him off, because when I came to see you at the hospital I ran into him in the hallway and he was a real ass.
The second he saw me he said I was a fucking bitch. ”
My anger builds towards a guy I thought I liked, before he made my girl feel like shit.
My girl. Only she’s not my girl.
“After we hooked up I did a lot of reflection, and I have to change, you know? If I want a relationship, I can’t be the one-night stand girl.
I’m taking a break from men so I can work on myself.
” She won’t look at me, she just swirls her glass in her hand, watching the amber liquid swirl within its walls.
I imagine it mirroring her inner turmoil. Rage fucking boils inside me. Look at what he did to her! He touched her, was inside her, and treated her like anything other than fucking gold. I could fucking kill him.
“Blake, look at me,” I coax, using my index finger to pull her chin up so her eyes are on mine.
Trying to soften my tone, I take three quick breaths.
“He’s a fucking fool,” I breathe. “Like I said before, having fun and fooling around isn’t uncommon, and definitely not something you should be ashamed of.
Men do it all the time, and don’t slut shame themselves, and neither should you.
There is nothing wrong with knowing what you like and taking it.
Fuck, I might fucking kill him for doing this to you, making you feel this way,” I snarl as I stand from the table.
“Luke,” she demands, pulling me back down. “Sit down. No need to go all cavemen on his ass. This isn’t a rescue mission.”
“Look what he did to you, Blake. He made you think you are anything but perfect, not worthy of a relationship. Fuck. That. You are fucking perfect, and if anything, I can’t think of a fucking guy out there truly worthy of your time.”
“Not even you?” she asks, laughing.
I take a grounding breath, allowing the surrounding noises to quiet the anger building inside me.
“Even me,” I tell her honestly. “But I’d spend my whole life showing you I could be.
” I finish the water next to my empty drink in one gulp, and walk to the bar to order us another round, wondering how the fuck we move past this night of built up confessions, and where the hell we go from here.