18. Emory
18
EMORY
Luke wastes no time peeling my leggings and panties off. He eyes me, licking his lips as if he’s been living on a deserted island and I’m his first meal in months. He crashes his lips to mine, grinding his still-clothed cock against my bare pussy. I’m so desperate that I can’t help but match his movements, rubbing up against him, chasing the friction.
“Shit, you’re so needy, Em. Keep rubbing that sweet little pussy all over my jeans. I want you to get them all messy.”
My core pulses at his words, and I might die if I don’t come right now. Luke moves his leg so that I’m not rubbing up against his zipper. Instead, I’m straight-up humping his leg.
“You’re almost there, baby. Come on my fucking thigh. I need you to be nice and soaked before you take my cock.”
Jesus, I’ve never done anything remotely like this before, but if it’s wrong…then I just don’t fucking care. I rub myself on his thigh a few more times until I’m screaming his name as an orgasm rolls through me. Luke leans down and holds me through each aftershock, whispering words of praise in my ear.
“Such a good fucking girl,” he rasps.
I haven’t even fully recovered from my orgasm when I see him start to unbuckle his belt. He flicks open the button on his jeans, sliding down the zipper and shoving his pants and boxer briefs down before discarding them. He pulls a condom out of his pants pocket, ripping it open with his teeth before he slides it on his thick cock. Did he know this was going to happen? Or does he always keep a condom in his pocket just in case?
I don’t have time to think too hard about it because he scrambles back over to me, bracing both hands on either side of my head. He leans over, and I feel his hot breath against my ear. Anticipation crackles between us.
“Fuck, Em. I can’t wait anymore.”
“I need you, Luke. I just…” I falter.
No, no, no. Not now. Please not now. Don’t ruin this. Don’t take this from me.
But despite my pleas, my mind instantly shifts to the last time I had sex. I still remember the scent of alcohol and her on his breath. The stench of cheap perfume clinging to his shirt. He didn’t even take it off. He wanted me to smell it. He wanted the reminder of what he had just done to linger while he was inside me. He was angry because I was busy with finals and my clinical internship, and he thought I wasn’t making enough time for him. I got stuck in the hospital one night and had to cancel dinner with him, and he just… snapped.
He had cheated on me before, but this was the first time he forced me to watch. As he kissed her. Ripped her clothes off. Spread her legs, and buried his head in between them. She was some freshman he met at a frat party. He told her I liked to watch, but she was so drunk she didn’t seem to care one way or the other. The act was so much worse because it was something he refused to do with me. I had asked once, and he made me feel dirty for even suggesting it. He told me it was gross, and most guys hated it, so I never asked again. Now here he was doing it to a complete stranger while I watched. I was sobbing by the time he finished. I don’t even think he made her come. She definitely didn’t look satisfied when he threw her clothes at her and barked at her to leave. It wasn’t about her pleasure. Or his. It was about teaching me a lesson. When he was done, he walked over to where I was curled up on the floor in the corner of the room, clutching a pillow. He crouched down, eyeing me with disgust, like I was the dirt beneath his shoes. “Stop being a baby, Emory. I didn’t even fuck her. But keep up this behavior, and next time I will. And you’ll watch every fucking second.”
The worst part is that I begged him to fuck me after that. It was the only way I felt like I could erase what had just happened. He didn’t let it go, though. Not even when he was inside me. With each thrust, he tore me apart with his words. You’re pathetic, Emory. You’re lucky you have me. No one else will ever want you. You don’t even deserve me. I should just leave you here and go to California alone.
And he did.
Leave me, that is.
When I woke up the next morning, he was gone. He didn’t even walk at graduation. We were supposed to move to California together, but he went alone and left me with nothing but the memory of the worst night of my life. I’ve never told anyone what happened that night. Not even Allie.
I look up at Luke, who is still waiting for me. His breath comes in quick bursts, his eyes darting with wild intensity. Dark hair tumbles over his forehead, framing a fierce expression, as a bead of sweat trickles down his temple. He’s a picture of masculine beauty. All hard edges and planes, and he’s waiting for me .
Say something, Emory. Say anything.
I’m not letting Jaxon ruin this. Fuck him. Fuck the memories.
“It’s been a while…” I admit.
“It’s okay. We’ll go slow,” he says as he brings the tip of his cock up and rubs it up and down against me. I groan at the sensation, and Luke smirks. “You want this?” He flicks his eyes down to where he’s teasing me.
That’s all it takes. Three words in his sexy rasp, and I’m frantic, nodding and pulling him closer to me, trying to get him to push it in. I don’t want it. I need it. Like my body needs nourishment. Like my lungs need air. But he just chuckles and shakes his head.
“Slow, remember? I need your words first, baby. Tell me how badly you want it.”
“Really, really bad. Please,” I whine.
He curses and grasps his cock, lining it up with my entrance before slowly pushing in. I let out a pained whimper. Not because it hurts, but because it feels too good, and I need more. Luke freezes, probably because he thinks he’s hurting me.
“More,” I pant.
“Jesus, Em. You’re so fucking tight. I can barely get it in.”
“Just try. Please. I don’t care if it hurts. I need to feel all of you.”
His eyes hood, and he pulls back an inch before slamming inside me in one go. I cry out at the intrusion, and he instantly stills, a look of concern etched across his face.
“Shit. Did I hurt you?”
“No. No…it feels amazing. I just need you to move, please.”
He doesn’t waste a second, as he snaps his hips back and shoves in again. He does it two times. Three. Going deeper each time until he hits that sensitive spot inside me.
“Don’t stop,” I sob. “Please don’t stop.”
“Shhh, baby. I won’t. I promise.”
He picks up his pace, ramming into me with brutal thrusts now.
So much for going slow.
But I don’t want slow. Not really.
I want this—fast and urgent and hard. We’re both sweating, his forehead glistening, my hair sticking to my face. There’s something so primal and taboo about what we’re doing. Fucking outside in the open where anyone could catch us. I know Luke’s public display at the bar embarrassed me, but that was after the fact, when self-doubt crept in. Right now, the thought of being in the middle of nature, getting savagely fucked, makes me even wetter.
A buzz starts low in my belly, spreading down to my core. Shit, I’m gonna come. I don’t want this to be over yet. Luke must read my mind because he suddenly slows before pulling out completely. My core aches at the loss, but then he flips me over in one swift motion and drags me down the blanket. He pulls up my hips and pushes my head down gently before shoving back into me. He keeps going at me from behind, and the sound of his hips slapping against my ass echoes throughout the wall of trees on either side of us. Between the rhythmic slaps and our errant pants and moans, if anyone is close to the summit, they can probably hear a symphony of sex noises.
I don’t give a shit.
Warmth starts spreading throughout my body again, making my head buzz, and I know I’m close. Luke must sense it as well. He reaches down and flicks my clit. At the same time, I feel pressure on my belly, and that’s all it takes for me to explode. My muscles spasm around him and my core tingles with my release, but I feel more than just the internal pleasure. I feel something physically pour out of me. Did Luke just come inside me? I know I saw him put a condom on. I don’t get another second to think about it because he suddenly tenses, his cock swelling and pulsing inside me. And then he roars out his release, and I feel something warm spilling into the condom.
He is wearing one.
What the fuck?
Luke flops over to lie on his back, his breathing labored, still coming down from his orgasm. “Fuck, Emory,” he gasps. “That was better than I could have ever imagined.” He looks over at me and notices the concerned look on my face.
“Em,” he questions. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
“No, not at all. That was amazing. But…do you think the condom could have broken?”
“I don’t think so…” he says cautiously. “Why?”
“Never mind. It’s stupid.” I wave him off.
“Emory. If you have a concern, you have to tell me.”
“Okay, okay,” I relent. “I felt…something spurt out of me. I think some cum got inside me or something. I just…I’m not on birth control or anything.”
Luke immediately breaks out into an ear-splitting grin. He doesn’t even look like he could contain it if he wanted to. His eyes dance with utter amusement, and I feel a sudden urge to wipe that stupid smile off his face. How dare he smile at me when I’m freaking out here.
“Baby,” he leans forward to take my hand, but I snatch it out of his reach.
“Don’t baby me. You’re making fun of me,” I sputter.
“I’m not, I swear.” He tries to keep a straight face but fails miserably, giving in to a guttural laugh. He’s almost wheezing.
“Listen, baby,” he says, trying to suppress the laugh again.
“No. Screw you! I was honest like you said and you’re fucking laughing at me.” I grab my underwear, pull it on, and go to stand, but he pulls me back down to the blanket, wrapping his strong arms around my chest.
“Emory. Baby. You squirted.”
“I what?
“You squirted all over my dick, and it was the hottest fucking thing I have ever felt in my life. It made me come so damn hard.”
Oh, shit.
I’ve never done that in my entire life. I didn’t even think my body was capable of doing that.
“Oh.” The lines of irritation disappear from my face. “I didn’t know I could do that.”
“Trust me. You can,” he says, and he looks proud, which makes me want to laugh.
“I’m sorry I freaked out,” I say sheepishly.
“Don’t be. I told you, Em. You can talk to me. I want to know when you’re freaked out, or pissed off, or happy, or sad. I want all of it.”
He tosses my bra to me, and as I go to clasp it, I feel him pulling my leggings back on. I lift my hips so he can get them up over my ass. He starts dressing himself, and my cheeks flush as he pulls up his pants, and I see the wet spot on his jeans right over his left thigh. He throws me a knowing smirk and continues getting dressed.
As I search for my shirt, my heart sinks, mimicking the sun dipping lower toward the horizon. It must be almost six by now.
Shit. Family dinner.
Nate’s out of town, but Dad told me he still wanted to have dinner with me. I’m sure he just wants to know if I’m still “seeing” Ashton and make more thinly veiled references to whoring me out to secure the future of his company. I grab my crossbody and take my phone out. Six missed text messages. Fuck. The first three are from Allie.
Allie: You better be riding that man’s face like a rodeo clown.
Allie: I’m gonna want details.
Allie: Oh and your nightcrawler of a friend came by. I gave him directions to the nearest morgue. I felt like he would be most comfortable there.
I snort out a laugh. Then I see the next two messages are from Ashton.
Ashton: Hey, partner in crime. I was in the neighborhood. Thought I would stop by and say hi. Sorry I missed you.
Ashton: Your roommate is terrifying, by the way. I think I might be in love…
I chuckle at that and tap out snarky replies to both Allie and Ashton. Then I check the last text, which is from my dad, of course.
Dad: See you at 7 p.m. sharp for pre-dinner drinks. Don’t be late.
Shit. It’s going to take at least another hour to get back down, then another twenty minutes to get home. Plus, I still have to shower, change, and drive to my dad’s house. I hesitate as I type out a reply.
Something came up and I’m not going to make drinks. I’ll be there for dinner at 8.
I see the typing bubbles pop up immediately, but before I can see what response, another text comes through and it’s not from my dad. It’s another fucking unknown number.
Unknown: My patience is wearing thin. Guess we’re doing this the hard way.
My blood runs cold.
Shit, shit, shit.
What does that even mean? This is the third time he has changed his number or used someone else’s phone to contact me. As much as I’m into stalkers in the world of fantasy, I am not down for being stalked in real life, especially not by my psycho ex. Even though I did tell Luke I didn’t mind if he stalked me. Fuck—I don’t know what to do. Report it to the police? That last text was clearly meant to be a threat…
As I’m freaking out, I notice Luke is checking his own phone, and I can’t help but wonder if he missed any calls or texts. And if he did, who are they from? It’s none of my business. But as I look closer, I notice that there’s a quiet hesitation in the way he’s staring down at his phone, as if he’s trying to convince himself of something. Anyway, I can’t deal with Jaxon right now. I promise myself I’ll figure it out tomorrow.
“Luke,” I say, as I softly place my hand on his back. “I know you don’t like to ‘hit it and quit it,’ but I really have to go. I completely forgot about family dinner tonight, and I have to be at my dad’s by eight and…”
“Say no more, Little Wells,” he says, shoving his phone into his pocket. “Let’s get you home.”
The trek down is much shorter than the way up, and since we don’t take the path that passes by the falls, we make it down in under an hour. When we get to the parking lot at the bottom, Luke slides his helmet on before grabbing the other one and walking over to me.
“I can do it,” I protest, but he shakes his head and tugs it on me, fastening the buckle under my chin. Then he picks me up under my thighs, and I instinctively wrap my legs around him. He smirks and gently places me on the back of the motorcycle.
The ride back to my house is as exhilarating as the ride to the hiking trail was. Maybe even more so. The engine hums low beneath us as we glide down the winding roads, the cool breeze tugging at my oversized jacket. The sun is starting to set, casting the sky in vivid oranges and pinks. My hands are firmly planted around Luke’s waist, my front pressed to his back. When we come to a stoplight, I move back an inch to give him some space, but he immediately reaches behind him and tugs my arms back into place.
We pull up to my house and I check my phone again. It’s a little after seven. I can shower quickly, but I’m not going to have time to wash and dry my hair. I can only imagine the state it’s in after two motorcycle rides, a hike, and a thorough fucking in the wilderness. Whatever. I’ll just re-braid it.
Luke eases me off the bike, removing my helmet. I release my hair, my damp waves tumbling free, and his fingers brush my cheek, tucking a wayward strand behind my ear before leaning close, placing a featherlight kiss on my lips. “Thanks for today. It was the best day I’ve had since I came back here.”
“I should be the one thanking you. For the ride…and for showing me your spot.”
“You mean the motorcycle ride or…” His eyebrows jump up suggestively.
I laugh and swat him playfully with the back of my hand.
“Both,” I admit.
“There’s no one else I would rather have done that with. Any of it,” he says, rubbing his thumb against my cheek.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” I ask hopefully.
“You bet, Little Wells.”
I turn to walk up the pathway to the front steps when he calls out to me.
“Hey Emory.”
“Yeah?”
“Whatever your story is, it doesn’t define you either.”
I want to run to him. I want to say screw this stupid dinner and stay with Luke, because he makes me feel like I’m enough. I want to tell him about Jaxon and the texts so we can figure it out together.
But I don’t. I nod and give him a small smile before I walk up to my front door, eager to get this night over with.