37. Luke
37
LUKE
“Thanks a lot, man,” I say, as Ryan finishes putting the protective wrap over my arm. “I really appreciate you fitting me in on such short notice.”
Ryan chuckles and looks over at Marco, who is sitting in the corner, his legs casually kicked out in front of him, with one leg crossed on top of the other. He’s scrolling on his phone, but his lips curl up into a smirk when he hears Ryan’s laugh.
“No problem,” he says. “But I always cash in on favors.”
“Oh yeah, sure. Anything I can do. I’m happy to pay you back?—”
“Not from you,” he interrupts, looking me up and down. “I mean, no offense. You’re just not my type.”
“None taken,” I say slowly as I glance over at Marco, who is now wearing a shit-eating grin.
“Keep smiling, punk,” Ryan says. “I can’t wait to wipe it off your smug little face later.”
I look between Marco and Ryan, and…yep, I’m definitely getting third-wheel vibes right now. Ryan finishes the wrap, and I grab my wallet, handing him my credit card so he can run it. He walks up to the front to check me out, and I hop off the stool.
“Sorry if I got you in trouble,” I say apologetically.
“No sweat, man,” Marco says as he pulls his legs in closer to the chair. “He’s just grumpy because it’s his day off. We were gonna hike up to Drake Falls.”
Drake Falls. Just two words and my stomach plummets to the floor. My hike with Emory up to the falls was easily one of the best days of my life. Maybe the best day of my life. But right now, the memory of that day makes my chest tighten and my eyes sting.
“Seriously, no worries,” Marco rushes out, probably assuming the look of anguish on my face is because I feel bad for dragging Ryan into work on his day off. “The sex is so much hotter when he’s grumpy,” he adds.
I choke out a laugh. “I bet, dude,” I say, faking a lightheartedness I don’t feel. “Angry sex is the best.”
It’s not. Not for me, anyway. Sure, I love working Emory up and making her crazy only to pull back at the last second, but there’s no anger when we fuck. It’s frenzied, raw, passionate, but never angry.
Marco gives me an easy smile, stands up, and claps me on the back. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here so you can show your girl your new tat. She’s gonna fucking love it.”
Okay, so I maybe didn’t mention to Marco or Ryan that the girl who I got this tattoo for isn’t on speaking terms with me right now. But they were doing me a favor, and I didn’t want to come off like a complete psycho. Is it a little unhinged to get a tattoo for a woman who walked out on you a day ago? Maybe. I just don’t give a shit.
Ryan returns my credit card and goes over aftercare instructions even though he must realize I’m fully aware of how to take care of a tattoo. I bump both their fists, and I thank them again before I head out of the shop toward my bike. My dad included the truck in the sale of his business, so now I only have my bike to get me around. I should probably think about buying a car, but that’s really low on my priority list.
I fasten my helmet and hop on, tearing off onto the main street. As I ride, I let the wind and adrenaline take over, pushing the thoughts and memories of her to the back of my head where I don’t have to deal with them. Just for five minutes, I tell myself. I need to give myself this short reprieve. Just until I get home. Then I’ll let them back in.
But as soon as I turn onto my street, I see a faint silhouette against the backdrop of my front porch. From far away, it looks like a child sitting on the top step, but as I get closer, I see that it’s a woman. Not just any woman.
My fucking woman.
Emory stands as soon as I pull into the driveway. I hike my leg over, throw my helmet off, and rush up the front steps, but when I get to her, I freeze. I don’t want to come on too strong or scare her off, so I just stand there breathing erratically, as my heart pounds out of my chest.
She’s breathing fast too, but she doesn’t say anything. Our eyes lock for a second. Two seconds. And then it all happens so fast. She reaches for me, and I don’t think twice as I throw my arms around her and back her up against the wall of the house. I crash my lips to hers, coaxing them open. It’s not soft or gentle. It’s frenzied, urgent—a mess of tongues and teeth and roaming hands. I kiss her hard and deep. I kiss her like I’m suffocating and she’s my last fucking breath.
Suddenly, she puts her hands on my chest and shoves me, not hard, but enough to let me know she wants me to stop. I rip myself away from her and search her eyes. For a clue. A hint. Anything that will tell me that she’s forgiven me. But her eyes snap down to the ground.
Fuck.
“Baby—”
“Let me just get this out first,” she whimpers, and her eyes look like they always do right before she’s about to cry. Fuck, she’s breaking up with me for good. That wasn’t a make up kiss. It was goodbye.
“I’m not going to let myself be distracted by your stupid muscles, your dumb tattoos, and that tongue…”
I’m not sure if she’s talking to me or herself, but I nod. I’ll listen to whatever she has to say. I would listen to her recite the dictionary if she wanted me to, but I don’t think I can look her in the eye when she does it, so I look down at my boots instead.
“I’m only going to say this one more time, Luke Collins. Don’t break my fucking heart.”
I glance up. “What?”
“I mean it. If we’re going to do this, like really do this, we have to be equals. You can’t cut me out. Especially when it involves my life and my past. That’s my red, Luke. You have to keep me in the loop and let me fight my own battles and?—”
I promptly cut her off, grabbing her by the hips and hauling her up to me. She squeals in surprise. “Baby, I’ll do anything for you. I told you that. Any. Fucking. Thing.”
“Will you trust me?”
“Always.”
“And be my partner?”
“In everything.”
“You’ll respect my privacy?”
I think about that one for a second.
“Luke!” she yells.
“I’m thinking, baby. But privacy is a gray area. What if you’re changing out of your scrubs when you get home from work, and I happen to sneak a peek?” I say playfully, moving my mouth to the side of her head and nipping at her ear.
“Fine. You can peek when I’m changing.”
“Oh yeah? And what if I come home on your day off and hear moans coming from the bedroom? What if I stand by the door and watch for a little before I make myself known?”
“I—I guess that’s okay too. How about just don’t go through my damn phone?”
“Deal,” I say, moving down from her ear to her neck and nibbling gently against her beating pulse. “Hey, Em?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I say it now?”
A slow smirk crosses her lips. “Yes.”
“I love you, Emory Caldwell. I love you so fucking much.”
She looks up, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I love you too, Luke. Since the library. Maybe even longer.”
“Fuck, baby. I need to be inside you.”
She lets out a soft moan and wraps her legs around my waist as I hike her up higher. I walk us over to the door, quickly grabbing my key to unlock it, and shove it open. I’m not sure how I resist bending her over the couch, but I somehow make it to the bedroom, placing her down onto my bed. I rip my jacket off, and she scurries up the bed backward, but I grab her legs and pull her back down.
“Uh uh. There’s no getting away from me now.”
She squeals, but then her face falls, giving way to a look of confusion.
“What is that?” she asks, gesturing to my wrapped arm. Shit, I completely forgot about that.
“Oh, um. I got a new tattoo,” I say honestly.
“Over the scar?”
“Yeah,” I breathe.
“Can I see it?” She has that doe-eyed look she gets sometimes when she really wants something. Usually, it’s an orgasm, but?—
“Yes, but can I show you later? I feel like I’m gonna die if I don’t get inside you right now.”
She snorts. “Now who’s impatient? Maybe I should give you a taste of your own sadistic medicine.”
I narrow my eyes and lunge toward her. “Don’t you fucking dare,” I growl.
“Okay, okay.”
I waste no time ripping my shirt off and throwing it over my shoulder before I dip down and take her lips in mine. I kiss her long and hard, my mouth catching her whimpers as I slide my hand down and cup her through her jeans.
“You better take these off unless you want me to stab a hole in them,” I say against her lips.
“Jesus,” she mutters, but does as I say and unfastens her jeans, sliding them down her creamy legs. I do the same, shoving off my pants and throwing them onto the growing pile of clothes on the floor.
“Now your shirt,” I say. She lifts her shirt up and over her head, tossing it aside, and fuck, she’s not wearing a bra. Her perfect tits bounce as she moves to prop herself up on her elbows.
“Now what?” she taunts, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.
“Take my cock out,” I demand.
Her eyes heat, and she doesn’t hesitate as she reaches her hand into my boxer briefs and pulls me out.
“Like this?” she asks innocently.
I nod my head, pulling down my boxers the rest of the way and tossing them to the side with my foot. She sits up higher as she grasps my length in her hand and pumps it a few times.
“Fuck,” I whisper as she pulls me gently and starts rubbing my cock up and down her opening. She’s still wearing panties, but she’s so wet that I can feel it seeping through the material.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the cute, seductive little game she’s playing, and normally I would engage her longer, but I physically can’t wait anymore. When we kissed earlier, I thought I wanted to make gentle love to her. And I do. Eventually. But right now, seeing her almost naked, vulnerable, lying on my bed, waiting for my next command after having walked out on me thirty hours ago…All I want is to own every inch of her body. We have plenty of time for sweet and gentle lovemaking another time. I yank her panties down, line myself up at her entrance, and sink inside her. She lets out a gasp of surprise that quickly turns to a cry of pleasure as I roll my hips, pull out, and thrust back in. Hard.
“Ahhh. Oh fuck, Luke.”
“You like that, baby? You like when I’m buried deep inside you?
She nods feverishly, trying to keep from falling off the bed as I fuck her into the mattress.
“Say it.”
“I like when you’re b-buried deep inside,” she whimpers.
“That’s right, Em. You like when I own this fucking pussy because it’s mine. You are mine. Got it?
“Yes,” she pants.
“Say it, Emory.”
I continue my movements, spearing into her and not letting up for a second. She closes her eyes and leans her head back, caught up in the ecstasy of it all. But no, that won’t do.
“Emory, look at me and say you’re mine or I’ll stop,” I snap. I’m bluffing, of course. Nothing on this planet could make me stop fucking her right now, but she likes it when I give her ultimatums during sex.
Her eyes snap open and her pupils, big and blown out, drill into mine. “Please, please, please. Don’t stop.”
“Then say it, Em. Say what we both know. What we’ve always known.”
“I’m yours, Luke. I’ve always been yours.”
That sets me off, and I start shoving into her even harder. I know she’s close when she moves her hand down to her clit to give herself that extra push over the edge, but I grab her wrist before she can touch herself.
“Think you can come without your clit being touched?” I ask her.
“I don’t—I mean, I’ve never…”
I can feel my eyes turn molten at the challenge. I know exactly how to get her off. The easy way. But nothing about this relationship has been easy. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to take the easy way out now that we’ve come this far. Suddenly, it’s not just a want; it’s a need. Emory is going to come from nothing but my cock if it takes all night.
I quickly pull out, flip her over, and thrust back in. She lets out a high-pitched moan when I enter her again.
“You’re going to come on my cock, and I’m not even going to graze your clit. Understand, baby?”
She nods her head, and I haul her up, so her back is flush against my front. I play with her nipples, twisting and pulling the left one before rubbing it back and forth with my thumb and forefinger. She immediately arches her back and whines.
“Oh my God, Luke. Keep doing that.”
I give her left nipple a few more light pinches and then move over to her right, rolling it with my fingers before tugging hard.
“Ahhhh,” she hisses. “Fuck, I think…”
“You think what?” I whisper in her ear as I continue twisting her aching nipples.
“I’m gonna come,” she screams.
I let go of her and push her face-down into the mattress, pounding into her like a madman. The pillow above her face muffles her screams, but I can still make them out. I snake my arm around and push on her belly just as she’s about to come. Her pussy clenches and pulses, and then a gush of liquid flows down my cock. Jesus, she just squirted all over me like when we fucked for the first time at Drake Falls. Between the sight in front of me and her aftershocks, all it takes is one more pump for me to empty myself deep inside her.
We both collapse into a heap of sweaty arms and legs, our breathing fast and ragged. I’m still inside her, but between my cum and hers, I’m starting to slip out. It takes me a couple of minutes, but I finally rip the band-aid off and pull out completely. I give her a kiss on the back of her head and go to the bathroom to grab a warm washcloth. When I come back out, I laugh at the fact that Emory has not moved an inch. She’s completely frozen, ass-up, probably not wanting to get my sheets dirty. I take a moment to appreciate our combined release seeping out of her and dripping down her leg. She wiggles her ass a little to spur me on, but fuck if that doesn’t just make me hard again.
“If you’re trying to get me to hurry up, it’s backfiring terribly.”
“Just clean me up, you perv,” she sasses.
“Fine,” I relent as I press the warm cloth between her legs. She winces and closes her eyes.
“Shit, are you sore?” I ask, now feeling a little bad about how rough I was.
“The best kind of sore,” she replies. “I did it again, didn’t I?”
“You sure did,” I say with a smirk, knowing exactly what she’s referring to.
She groans and grabs the blanket to hide herself.
“I don’t think so,” I say, pulling the blanket back. You don’t get to hide from me. It was hot as hell.”
Emory rolls her eyes as she sits back up. “It’s your fault! You pushed on me. Don’t think I didn’t realize you did it last time, too.”
“Not sure what you’re talking about,” I say, feigning ignorance.
She huffs again, but then her eyes turn mischievous. “Whatever, we have more important things to discuss. Like this mysterious new tattoo. I hope you didn’t think you could just fuck the memory of it out of me.”
I blow out a breath and grab Emory’s panties from the floor. That’s exactly what I thought. Why am I so nervous to show her? What if she hates it? What if she thinks I’m crazy? I mean, I am crazy, but she doesn’t need to know that. I put the panties on her and grab a shirt from my dresser, motioning for her to lift her arms so I can put it over her head. I put my own clothes back on before walking closer to her.
“Before I show you, I have to be honest with you about something.”
“Sure…” she says nervously.
I think for a minute about exactly how I want to word this. I don’t want to make her feel guilty, but she told me what she needed from me earlier, and I need to do the same.
“When you left me yesterday,” I start, sitting down on the bed next to her. “Shit, Emory, it hurt. I know I hurt you, and you had every right to leave me, but being left alone… that’s my hard limit. That’s my red.”
Her hazel eyes immediately fill with regret, and I hate being the cause of it. I won’t tell her why it’s my limit. How my dad left me alone that day. How being left behind has always been a fear in the back of my head. One day, I will. But not now. Not when everything is still so raw.
“I’m sorry, Luke. I didn’t know.”
“You couldn’t have known. I never told you. I know you needed space and time, but?—”
“I won’t do it again, baby,” she says, interrupting me. “If—when—I need space, I’ll go into a different room, but I won’t leave. I was left too. I get it. And I shouldn’t have compared you to him. That wasn’t fair. You’re not even on the same fucking planet.”
I smile, pulling her into me so I can play with her hair. “He’s gone…for good?” I realize we haven’t even talked about that yet.
“He won’t come back here,” she confirms. “He has too many enemies. And if he does…we’ll deal with it. Together.”
I nod my head. “Together.”
“Now no more stalling,” she says, moving her fingers in a come-hither motion. “Show me.”
I don’t take my eyes off her as I gently peel back the adhesive. Ryan gave me an extra one, so I could take this one off to show her. I watch as her eyes roam over the intricate pattern on my forearm. They dance up and down until they settle on the two letters on the side. Tears materialize behind her eyes and start falling down her cheeks.
“You—you got sutures?” she sniffles.
I nod as she continues to stare at the black-inked stitches that run along the crimson scar on my forearm. I tried to describe to Ryan exactly how the stitches looked. Where the ties were and how the edges of the suture material jutted out a little. He took some liberties, but I’m really happy with how it came out. At the bottom, written in script, are two little letters: E.C.
“You tattooed my awful attempt at stitches and my initials onto your skin. Forever?”
“Well, technically Marco’s boyfriend did, but yeah…” Shit, she hates it. She thinks I’m a psychopath. I wonder if Ryan is available for a cover-up later…
“I love it,” she says, snapping me out of my inner meltdown.
“Really?” I ask. “Then why are you crying?” I lift my thumb to wipe a tear away from her cheek.
“Because it’s—” she pauses, sucking in a breath of air. “the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“What you did for me that day. It meant so much to me. I can never repay you, and I know I’ll probably always have the scar to remember it by, but I wanted more.”
She laughs and burrows into my chest. “I love you, Luke.”
“Since the library?” I tease.
“Maybe even longer,” she replies.
“Then marry me,” I blurt out. I don’t think about it. I don’t go back and forth or worry that we literally just got back together an hour ago. I just say it because life is fucking short, and I can’t imagine it without the woman in my arms. There may be a lot of things I don’t know, but what I do know is that I don’t want to go another day without my grandmother’s ring on her finger.
She sits up and searches my eyes, then looks me up and down. Probably to check to make sure I’m not having a stroke.
“What?” she finally says.
“I mean, will you marry me? It’s a question. Not a demand. Look, it doesn’t have to be today or tomorrow, or even a year from now. I mean, I really hope it’s sooner than that. I just want to put a fucking ring on your finger and show the world that you’re mine and I’m yours. You deserve so much more than this shitty proposal. You deserve flowers and fireworks and a romantic candlelit dinner. I’ll give it all to you. But right now I just need to know that I’m it for you. Because there isn’t anyone else out there for me, Emory. It’s you. It’s always been you.”
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but Emory laughing was not it. It starts off slow and gentle, and then it bubbles up and out of her, and she starts wheezing, gasping for breath, until fat tears run down her face. The laughter stops, giving way to stifled sobs as she covers her mouth.
I blink. “Are you okay?”
“Oh my god,” she gasps. “I’m so sorry. I’ve never had this kind of reaction to anything before. I’m just so happy. I don’t know what to do.”
“Listen, Emory?—”
“Yes,” she interrupts me. “Yes, Luke Collins. I will marry you. You’re it for me.”
I can’t contain the dopey grin that takes over my face as I launch myself over to the end table and open the drawer.
“What are you?—”
But she stops speaking when I take out the little black box that I stashed in the drawer earlier. I got tired of staring at it, but now I can’t wait to open it.
“You already have a ring?” she asks.
“I do,” I reply.
She looks slightly confused. “So…you got a tattoo for me and got me a ring after I walked out on you and refused to speak to you for a day and a half?”
“Well, my mom gave me the ring after I told her about you. It was my grandmother’s…but yeah. I knew you’d be back.”
She narrows her eyes before training them on the box. I waste no time opening it up and taking the ring out. I slip it on her finger and suddenly I can’t remember back to five seconds ago when it wasn’t there. It looks like it has always been there. Like it belongs.
Emory stares wide-eyed at her finger as she takes in the sparkling round diamond set against a white gold band. It’s simple and understated, but elegant. It suited my grandmother perfectly, and it definitely matches Emory’s personality as well. She and my grandmother are a lot alike.
I steal a glance at Emory, and she’s still staring at the ring, looking a little shell-shocked.
“Do you like it?” I ask softly.
“It’s perfect,” she says, shifting it back and forth and watching how the light catches it. She glances back at my tattoo. “My initials will stay the same,” she says.
“I know.” I smile and grab her face, cradling her cheeks in my hands. “I never doubted this for a second. I never doubted us.”
The tears start to flow again, and I reach up and dab one with my thumb.
“Are you happy, baby?”
“Yes,” she whispers.
“Are you hungry?”
“Not really,” she says gently, eyes trained on the glittering rock on her finger.
“Thirsty?”
“Nope.”
“Tired?”
“Not particularly…”
“Good,” I cut her off. “Because I think I’m ready to make love to you now. Nice and sweet. Or at least I’ll try. I can’t make any promises.”
Her eyes hood, and she drops her hand down to palm my dick through my underwear. “What makes you think I want nice and sweet?”
“We just got engaged. It’s supposed to be nice and sweet,” I say shakily as she starts rubbing me back and forth.
“Sure,” she says. “But we have the rest of our lives for nice and sweet. Plus, we get to make the rules, remember?”
She’s echoing my words from when we first started this whole thing, and I could not love her more for it.
My lips curl into a sly smirk. “And what rules do you have in mind?”
“I want you to tease me.”
“Oh yeah?” I ask, sliding my hand up her shirt.
“Yeah. And I want you to make me beg. Make me wait. Until I’m writhing and panting and cursing you to hell until you finally let me come.”
“Fuck, baby.”
“Can you do that?”
“Yeah, Em. I can do that.”
And I do. Over and over again until we both pass out from pure exhaustion.