After rinsing out the last of the conditioner, I turn off the water and reach for a towel. Except, there is no towel, and I’m dripping all over the floor, looking around the bathroom, when my eyes finally land on the steam-covered mirror. I take a couple steps forward and wipe away some of the fog, gazing at my naked reflection. “Crap!” Now what am I going to do? I put my dirty clothes in the wash after Luke left, not even bothering to bring anything with me. So incredibly stupid! I bite my lip, rocking back and forth on my heels, listening for any noises outside the bathroom walls. I place my ear against the door before slowly pulling it open. “Hello,” I say quietly at first, my heart thundering deep in my chest. “Luke.” I make my voice louder, still getting no response. “Thank God.” I sigh, covering my intimate parts, carefully tiptoeing down the hall toward the bedroom.
When I hear a noise behind me, I turn and cower, frozen in the middle of the hallway. What was that? I walk toward the sound, finding it’s coming from my clothes spinning in the washer. Rolling my eyes at my paranoia before turning back around, I slam into what seems to be a person, startling the hell out of me. I jump then everything happens in slow motion. The wood floor makes is hard to keep my balance. “Argh!” I shout, trying to stop myself from falling forward.
“Oomph.” I grab on to a hard, naked chest. Oh my gawd! Luke’s arms wrap around my waist the instant our bodies collide, and now that we’ve safely landed, he still hasn’t let go.
“I’m sorry,” I mumble into his skin, slowly lifting my head, finding his brown eyes piercing into mine. His dark hair is coated in droplets of water, and his scent reminds me of soap with a hint of rain. I’ve never been completely naked in front of anyone. To say I’m mortified would be an understatement. My eyes fall to my naked breast, and I press tighter against him, covering myself.
“Come here,” his voice is rough, as he scoots me up, aligning our faces.
The electricity from him touching my skin makes me tremble, and the intensity in his eyes is enough to forget my thoughts. “I was looking for a …” My attempt to explain my nakedness is seriously lacking. “There was no towel in the …”
He wraps a hand in my hair then closes his eyes, distracting me. “The way you smell.” He brings his nose to the crook of my neck. “Mmm, it drives me crazy.” I feel his breath on me as he softly chuckles against my flesh. “I knew you were going to be trouble, but damn why do you do this to me?”
Chills break out on my body. “Why do you do this to me?” I breathe. The man is driving me crazy with the tone of his voice alone.
Carefully running his fingertips up my spine, he whispers, “Your skin is so soft.” What feels to be his arousal reminds me of my nakedness. “I can’t get you out of my head.”
Dropping my gaze, I notice the towel hanging low on his hips. My eyes lift to his as he watches me. “Did you see?” A mental picture of me, naked and cowering in the hall, pops in my head.
The corner of his mouth slowly angles, turning into a full-blown grin as he nods his head. “Ohhh yeahhh.”
My cheeks heat, as I swallow down a large lump in my throat. “Will you close your eyes so I can get up?”
His eyes sparkle, and he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m not letting you go yet.”
My pulse picks up, and I bite my lip nervously. “I can’t just lay on top of you naked all day.” Okay, that probably wasn’t the best thing to say, but the past couple days I’ve been crazy horny, and when Luke teases me with his words it only makes it worse. Sort of like an all bark no bite kind of thing.
“What are you thinking?” he asks. I have a distinct feeling that he already knows.
“Nothing. It really doesn’t matter.”
“Why do you say that?”
I feel the tips of his fingers making circles on my back, causing another rash of chills over my skin. I avoid the question, unable to look at him anymore. “We should get ready.” I can’t be the one always putting my feelings on the line. If he wants me, he needs to be a man about it. These games he plays are confusing as hell.
“Wait.” He holds me tighter, clenching his jaw, apparently frustrated. Who with? I’m not sure, but I lie still watching his gaze turn hungry as his eyes fall on my lips. “I want to kiss you.” His fingers grip the back of my neck, and he slowly lifts his lashes. “Can I kiss you?” The tenderness in his voice melts my heart into a puddle. I can’t even speak or breathe a response, but the look on my face is all he needs.
Bringing his mouth to mine, he hesitates, with a soft peck before gently pulling my bottom lip into his mouth. He gives the top the same attention, brushing his lips back and forth in a sweet caress. When I follow his lead, the kiss turns more eager, and it’s not long before I feel the light graze of his tongue. I open to him, and a breathy moan, which I’m unable to hold back, escapes.
In a sudden movement, he flips me over, groaning as he takes full claim over my mouth. He holds himself up on his forearms, his hands placed flat above my head. His knees are spread over me, framing my thighs, and in a husky voice he whispers, “I’ve been wanting to do this for too long.”
His words make me shiver. My heart feels like it’s going to explode. If this is what kissing him feels like, I can’t imagine the sex. He hasn’t even touched me, but every nerve in my body ignites. His open mouth runs along my jaw, then the tip of his tongue drags down my throat. His lips, and the sensation of his minty breath, have me trembling. From head to toe, my skin feels like it’s on fire.
“Luke,” it comes out as a whimper, as I place my hands over the ripples in his back. The ache to have him touch me is overwhelming, but I don’t want to ask him. I’m not going to be weak this time.
Tugging on my lobe with his teeth, he says, “Say it again,” before he kisses me gently. We continue like this for a while, as he switches back and forth, holding my face then wrapping my hair in his fingers. When I finally feel like his hands are ready wander, he tenses, and slowly pulls away, meeting my gaze.
I notice an obvious shift in his features as I stare into those pools of amber. Having a good idea of what he’s about to tell me, I beat him to it. My pride deserves a break. “We need to stop,” I say, clearing my throat.
He eyes me carefully and rolls off, standing and securing his towel. “You’re right,” he replies, making his way over to the bathroom.
I pull my knees up, wrapping my arms around them, feeling more embarrassed than before. “What was I thinking?” I tuck my hair behind my ear, hoping I sound convincing. “I shouldn’t have let you,” I say, reminding him it was his idea.
He walks back, holding a shirt and towel, pursing his lips as he drops them down beside me. “It’s not your fault,” he says, running a hand through his hair. “You didn’t do anything.”
I pull his shirt over my head, and he looks away. “I guess I’ll um …”
“I shouldn’t have disrespected you like that,” he interrupts. I look over my shoulder to find him intensely watching me.
“Seeing you …” He points toward the hall. “Naked …” He drops his gaze down my body, and taking his time to bring it back up, he squeezes his eyes shut. “And wet …” He sighs, rubbing the space between his brows. “I had a moment of weakness … you deserve to be respected.”
His stare makes me feel all warm inside, but I don’t know how to respond to what he just said, so I reply, “You do respect me. You always have.”
He leans down, placing a gentle kiss against my forehead. His mouth lingers a bit before he pulls away and mumbles, “You’re breaking me Reese. Stop now if you know what’s good for you.”
“Stop what?” I pause. “I don’t even know what I’m doing.”
Two dimples frame his perfect mouth. “I guess that makes two of us.”
The look on Luke’s face when I walked out of his room made the ache in my feet well worth it—not to mention I came prepared, bringing my cutest pair of flats, assuming I would need them at some point tonight. I chose to wear a litt
le white tank and a light blue jean skirt. The skirt is super short. Not to the point that my butt is hanging out, but my three-inch red heels are definitely garnering attention. Luke’s seems to be battling keeping his hands off me. It’s a side of him I’m not used to seeing. It makes me smile; it makes me happy.
The song, “Fix You,” begins, and I cheer and shout, excited to hear one of my favorites. I reach up, wanting to tell him thank you, but he turns around and kisses me, sitting down to place me on his lap. He doesn’t let our lips disconnect in the process. I’m a little surprised. Our last conversation left me confused about our whole relationship. It’s the first time he’s kissed me since the incident on his bedroom floor.
“How can a person be this beautiful inside and out?” he murmurs. His hand is in my hair, and he’s gently stroking my cheek with his thumb. It’s apparent he likes to hold my face. When he lifts his lashes, he pierces me with those beautiful eyes of his. There’s a tenderness about him that has me so entranced, I almost forget where I am.
Feeling the butterflies flutter wildly in my belly, I blush then turn away, finding a group of women staring at us. This public display of affection is new to me. I’m not sure if I like the daggers directed my way. I Flick my gaze back to Luke. “We have an audience.”
His fingers graze my shoulder, down my arm, to the palm of my hand then slowly back up. He doesn’t even bother to spare them a glance. “Ignore them.”
Ignore them. I wish it were that simple, but I’m not used to attracting attention, and I’m pretty sure one of them just flipped me off. It’s hard to ignore, but I give a shy smile before the crowd gets loud and “Speed of Sound,” begins to play. Leaning over, I press my mouth to his ear and say, “Thank you for bringing me. You have no idea how much this means.” I grab his hand to pull him up then sway to the beat of the music, while he stands behind me. Everything sounds so much better live, and I love that we’re here.
“Excuse me,” a high pitch voice shouts from somewhere behind me, then I’m shoved a few feet forward. I’m not sure if it is on purpose. I turn to find a woman in a tight black mini dress, with hair that reminds me of Barbie. Her heels have got to be six inches in height. She’s tall, really tall … and her legs could go on for miles. I suddenly feel underdressed and maybe a little bit envious. Sure, I’ve seen beautiful women before, but this one is having a conversation with the man I was just kissing, and from the looks of it, she’s on a mission.
I watch her seductively place a hand on his chest, then rise on her tiptoes as she speaks into his ear. He frowns, but she doesn’t back off in the least. If anything, she gets closer. I can’t hear what she’s saying, but I can guess it’s something inappropriate, especially since he came with a date. It hits me that I was shoved on purpose. The way she’s hanging on him is a little surprising; she doesn’t seem to mind that he’s fighting her off, even though he’s trying to be a gentleman about it.
I envision myself swinging her by her hair, playing it off like a crowd surfing incident gone wrong. She steps away; batting her lashes, she runs her pretty little manicured nail down his chest. Oh. Hell. No. I take a step toward her and poke my finger into her back. I do it hard for extra effect. It’s not that I plan on fighting her. I’m just not going to stand here and take her crap any longer.
She spins around and slowly gives me a once over then flips her hair. Her aqua-colored eyes turn cold, with obvious disapproval. “Is there a problem?” she shouts.
I lean back and glare. “Yes, actually, there is a problem.”
“Well, you can have him in a minute, sweetie. I’m not finished with him yet.” She flashes a quick smile, and disregards me like I’m trash, turning back to rub her big fake tits against him. I’m shocked by her persistence.
“Can you not see that I’m with someone,” he growls. “Leave us alone.”
She turns around and stares at me. “You’re really here with her? Meaning you drove with her,” she yells.
“Yes. He actually drove with me,” I say back. Seriously, who this chick? Some kind of obsessed stalker? No means no, regardless if you’re a guy or a girl … right? She places her legs so that she’s straddling one of his thighs and starts moving her hips, sort of like she’s dry humping him.
“Get off me!” Luke flinches. It’s obvious she’s pushing his buttons. He’s usually pretty calm and collected. Right now, though, there’s no hiding that he’s pissed, but his anger doesn’t seem to have an effect on the woman’s choices. She makes a pouty face, but barely backs away. Now I know Luke’s not the type of guy who would ever hit a girl, so I decide to take matters into my own hands.
I finally intervene. Reaching out to tug on her long beautiful hair, I get her attention. I don’t really know what I’m thinking. All I know is that I’ve had enough. “Did you hear what the man said?” My voice comes out as a growl, and I clench my teeth. “Please keep your hands, and your girl parts, off my date.” I’m not even sure if you would call it that, but since we were making out five minutes ago, I’m confident enough to say it is. In all my life, I’ve never been in a girl fight, but I’m pretty sure something’s about to go down with Little Miss Crazytown.
“You think you’re special?” she replies in a hiss. “That you’re the only one he wants?”
“Shut up, Vanessa! Don’t you fucking talk to her like that!”
She gives a sarcastic chuckle, as she gets in my face. “What are you going to do? Hurt me?” She’s looking right at me, but the question is for Luke.
“No. I’m not going to hurt you.” Luke watches me. “But Reese over here will kick your ass.”
“I’d like to see her try,” she says, bringing her face even closer. “You’re a homely little thing. Aren’t you?”
Luke places his hands on my shoulders. “Don’t listen to her. She’s being a bitch.” Glancing at Vanessa, he says, “Do me a favor and keep your bullshit to yourself.”
She looks back and forth between us. “Do you always do her dirty work for her?”
“Reese can handle her own business.”
She arches a brow. “Oh, I’m sure.”
“Hi Luke.” Another scantily dressed woman walks over. Judging by the look in her eyes, she knows him. Perfect! They all know each other. How fun … probably had a big orgy. Loosening up his hold on me, he nods his head. Yep … definitely know each other.
I move my eyes to the crazy chick’s face, and she grins. “See?” Quickly flicking her gaze to her friend then back to me, she says, “He’ll be done with you by morning.” Then, she spits on me—literally spits on me.
I snap and launch at her, slipping out of Luke’s hands onto the filthy floor of the arena. He’s yelling my name, but I don’t care. When he tries to pull me off her, I give him a warning, “I swear, you better let me take care of this!” Then I swing at her cheek as she raises an arm to block me, but it doesn’t work. I get a good punch in, and she moves to a perfect position for me to break her arm, but I want to drag this out a little. The crowd parts around us as we yank, scratch, punch, and roll. My body explodes with adrenaline when she slaps at my face, and I pin her down, sitting on top of her.
“Girl fight! Girl fight! Girl Fight!” People are chanting. It only seems to encourage us more. Digging her fingernails deep into my breast, she squeezes the skin at my nipple. I stifle a cry. It stings like hell, but if she wants to fight like a girl, then I’ll fight like one with her. I reach down and give her a dose of the pain I felt a second ago.
“You bitch!” she hisses, reaching for me. I dodge her fingers at the same time my shirt rips in her other hand. I feel several hard blows against my back, and spot a shoe aiming straight for my head. Instinctively I grab it, causing the owner to fall flat on her face when I twist it backward. I recognize her as another friend from her group when she sits up, and a small stream of blood trickles down her nostril. I think she’s had enough, but she flies on top of me and starts swinging wildly.
I hook my legs around her back an
d give her a sweep, quickly flipping her on her back, holding her down with my knee. “Have you had enough?” I yell. “This is between me and psycho Barbie over there. No one else.” She nods her head, and I get off her, watching her crawl away. I bring my attention back on the person I have the problem with who’s currently trying to choke me. I can’t believe this is actually happening.
I spin around and easily wrestle her to the ground, sitting on her torso. “Why’d you have to go and ruin a perfectly good night?” There’s commotion in the crowd as the song, “Yellow,” plays in the background. “I mean … I love Coldplay!” I shout. “And you spit on me! What the hell!”
She flashes a grin, looking pretty banged up in the process. “When he’s with you tonight …” Her eyes move to my left. When mine follow, I find Luke restraining her friends, who look like they’re ready to jump me. “It’ll be my face he sees.”
“Out of the way. Security.” No way is she getting the last word. Not only is this my very first girl fight, it’s the first time I’ve ever been spit on, and let me say, it’s disgusting.
I turn and face her. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken.” I grin. “You see, you’re not really his type.”
She arches a brow. “You mean the ‘every man’s fantasy’ type?”
Giving her a right hook to the chin, I knock her out cold and lean down so I’m inches from her face. “No,” I pause, catching my breath. “I mean the unconscious type.”
“I can’t believe you got us thrown out of a Coldplay concert.” After inspecting my body from head to toe, Luke hasn’t shut up about the fight. It’s like I’m trapped inside a car with a ten-year-old boy, and the twinkle in his eye is starting to bug me.
“Hardy har har! Real funny,” I say, glancing at his shirtless body. “Again, thank you for the shirt, and thank you for letting me fight my own battle.”
“After that death glare you gave me? I didn’t have a choice.” He laughs softly. “Plus, someone had to hold back the other girls.” Gripping the steering wheel with one hand, he reaches over and pats me on the thigh. “You were like a little ninja out there.” He flashes his dimples. “That was pretty badass, what you did.”
Raising Ryann Page 15