“Dallas, I brought you a warm towel.” Luke’s voice was only feet away, but I couldn’t see him. I knew he stayed out of the bathroom because he didn’t want to startle me. He had gotten good at perfecting his entrances so that I was not caught off-guard. Slowly, he entered the bathroom, his eyes traveling greedily down my body. He swallowed hard and I couldn’t help the chill that passed over me which had absolutely nothing to do with the cold shower.
“I called the local authorities and told them that if they got a report of smoke that it was a controlled burn. We shouldn’t have to worry about the fire department showing up,” Luke informed me. After my incident, I never asked if the law was called. I knew deep down, that the Devil’s Renegades was its own law, judge and jury.
I watched him as the water from my wet body dripped onto the rug outside of the shower. Luke held the towel out in front of him with a hopeful look on his face. I walked into the open towel and allowed him to wrap it around me. Tears burned the back of my eyes as he engulfed me into his arms and held me, as he had done many times over the past couple of days.
“You want to talk about it?” Luke whispered in my ear. I nodded my head which lay against his chest and squinted my eyes shut hoping to hold back the tears.
“I need a minute though.” I managed to choke out. Luke stepped back and kissed my forehead, gave me a reassuring smile, and walked out.
I dried myself, brushed my teeth and lathered my body in moisturizer. My battered face was starting to heal, but the bruising and swelling was still there. I didn’t want Luke looking at me with pity in his eyes any longer, so I made up my face and rolled my hair. I walked naked to my closet and chose a hot pink sundress and a pair of flip flops. The outfit was simple, but I looked better than I had in days. I took a deep breath and walked out of the closet, seeking the truth.
I found Luke sitting at the bar in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee. I glanced at the clock and saw it was after two in the afternoon. Why was he drinking coffee? My heart melted a little when I realized that the past two nights had not been very easy for him. I was not the only one who couldn’t sleep at night. Many times I would wake up screaming to find Luke fully alert and always by my side. He turned to me and I noticed for the first time how tired and defeated he looked. His eyes were sleepy and his face looked aged. Still, he was the sexiest thing I had ever laid eyes on. He was shirtless and seemed to have just showered. He stood up and smiled at me and my eyes drifted from his face down to where his gray sweats hung low on his waist. He was bare foot and in my kitchen and I didn’t seem to care much about talking anymore.
“You look absolutely beautiful.”
He was wearing the biggest smile that I had seen from him in days as he walked towards me, and I couldn’t help taking advantage of the view. Luke looked like he had not missed a workout. His abs rippled down his stomach all the way to his V. His arms looked bigger than I remembered them, and the tattoos that ran down them seemed to have grown also. Everything about Luke was mouthwatering. His hair had grown out a little and the stubble on his face was so sexy that I had to remind myself to breathe.
When he reached me, he stopped only inches from my face. Very slowly, he raised his hand to the side of my neck while his thumb rubbed my jaw. I tilted my head up to him in response, inviting him, and he bent down to kiss me. When his lips touched mine, I completely lost it. Everything seemed to disappear, and it was only me and Luke. My hands went immediately around his neck and I pulled myself up, wrapping my legs around his waist, forcing him to move his hands to my ass to hold me. He groaned loudly and kissed me harder. I couldn’t get enough. His tongue reached deep into my mouth while my hands fisted the back of his hair and I pulled my body closer to him, rubbing my now hard nipples against his chest. I pulled away from his face long enough to breathe the word, “please.” Luke didn’t need any more of an invitation than that. He walked us out of the kitchen, through the living room and into the hallway. Suddenly, I was against the wall and his hands were behind him, unlocking my legs. I thought he was going to sit me down, but instead he grabbed me under my knees and pushed his body into mine. His eyes were on fire and his breathing was heavy. His muscular chest grazed my breasts with every breath he took. He brought his mouth close to mine and spoke, determination and need in his voice, “I want to kiss you.”