by Harlow Layne
All eyes were on Luke when it came to his turn. “I'm Luke and I live in LA where I'm an actor. Alex is my girlfriend.”
Once he was done, Luke took a big bite out of his cheeseburger, paying no mind to the jaws that had dropped open at his announcement of being an actor. One of the things I loved about Luke was that he was so humble about his acting and even though I knew other actors, and none of them had big heads about it, especially Anna and Colton, there was something different about it with Luke. I think it had a lot to do with his upbringing.
Whoa! Had I just thought about Luke and love in the same sentence? I wasn’t ready to go there yet. It was too early, right?
It didn't take long for the guys to go back to being their usual selves and talking to me and Luke. I wasn't sure if they knew of his shows or movies and if they did, I wasn't able to tell. Maybe they were as unfazed about it as I was because even though we didn't personally know the celebrities who came from our town like Colton, we were used to it. I wasn't sure, but I was happy they continued to treat him the same way as they had before.
Chris and I were catching up when I overheard Josh ask Luke after they had been talking for a while. “When are you headed back to LA?”
Giving me a sad smile, Luke answered. “Sunday.”
“That sucks, man. Do you have any plans for coming back anytime soon?”
“I don't know when I'll be back. My show starts filming in January and doesn't end until around May. I haven't seen a schedule yet to know.”
I hadn't thought about when I’d see Luke again after our trip for New Year’s Eve. I knew that he’d be filming soon after that but from the beginning of January to May was a very long time not to see your boyfriend.
“That's gotta suck,” Josh said with a sad smile.
“Yeah,” I answered trying to keep the heartbreak out of my voice. It was going to suck.
“We'll figure something out, and we always have FaceTime.”
Yes, because FaceTime was just like being in the same room with the person. Not. But I would take what I could get.
“I may never let you leave the room when we’re in Mexico.” I whispered into his ear and ran my hand up his thigh.
“You won't hear me complain.” Moving closer, he brushed his lips against the shell of my ear causing a full body shiver. I could hear the smile in his voice. “If you want to visit with your friends, you should probably move your hand.”
Even though I’d love to go home with Luke and let him do wicked things to my body, I knew we wouldn’t be there alone. We’d have to wait until tonight when everyone was asleep. So instead I took my hand from his leg and laced my fingers through his.
My plan had been to catch up with everyone, but I couldn't stop thinking about how I wouldn't get to see Luke for months next year and how busy he’d be. The only upside to the day had been when Luke called me his girlfriend. It was official or at least in my book it was.
I wasn't sure how long I’d zoned out for, but it was enough for the surrounding people to notice especially Luke.
We said our goodbyes, and I gave out a few hugs, promising that we’d keep in contact.
After a few moments of silence as Luke drove us back to my house, he broke the quiet. “Hey, I meant it. Don't worry. As soon as I know my schedule we'll try to find a way to see each other.” Luke frowned, looking out the windshield. He swallowed heavy, his Adam apple bobbed. “It can be difficult, and I'll understand if it's too much.”
“It's not too much, I just know that I'm going to be spoiled after getting to spend this week with you and then next month. I'll miss you, that's all. I didn't realize how long it might be that I wouldn't get to see you. I'll try to come to see you as much as I can, but with Mason being in school, and Decker, it won't be easy.”
“I know it won't.”
“Maybe Mason and I could come during his spring break. That would be longer than a weekend. That’ll be sometime in March. It's better than nothing.” I said trying to find the bright side of only seeing him for one week during a four-month period.
“I would love for both of you to come out then, and we will see each other before then, but you're right that it will probably only be for a weekend, and with flying back and forth that really only leaves us with one full day.”
“Wow, you're really selling it.” I gave a sarcastic chuckle.
“I don't want to disillusion you. You deserve to know how it's going to be if you’re in a relationship with me. You've already been living it, but the more time we spend together the harder it’ll be to say goodbye and be apart. I'll need to keep in mind that more projects mean more time away from you. My contract for Night Shadows has another three years unless it's canceled.”
“Which it won't be. It's one of the hottest shows on the air.” Now that we were back at my house and parked, I turned to face Luke. “Do you want it to be canceled?”
“It’s not that I want it to be canceled. I am so grateful for H@T giving me my big break.” Luke looked conflicted and torn as he opened and closed his mouth a couple times searching for the right words. “When I first signed on to do Night Shadows, I had no idea the time commitment that it would require, and you do have a right to be sad about the amount of time I’ll be busy filming. Even though I know we’ll be fine, it’s a lot of time a part. I want you to know I’m all in and I’ll do whatever I can to make this as easy for you as possible.”
“What you won’t do is not accept jobs that you want, just for me.” I couldn’t let Luke give up something he wanted to appease me when I was weak. “I won’t let you damage what you’ve worked so hard for just because I’ll miss you.” I stopped myself, unsure how much I wanted to divulge. The hesitation must’ve been clear on my face for Luke to read.
My Camry wasn’t the ideal car for a man of Luke’s height to drive, but he managed and hadn’t complained once about the cramped quarters. It didn’t look easy, but Luke turned in the seat, twisting his torso and head to face me better. “You don’t have to hide your feelings from me. Finish what you were going to say. I’ll never make fun of you for expressing yourself.”
“I know you’re not Decker. You’re far from it, actually. I’ve learned not to express my feelings, but for you I’m going to try. You just need to be a little patient with me. Can you do that?”
“Of course, I’d do anything for you, but no more stalling. We’re going to have to go in soon or the cavalry are going to stop looking through the window and come out to the car.”
The curtain moved back into place when I looked to see if anyone was indeed watching us. I couldn’t see anyone at the window but someone had been watching, meaning we didn’t have much more time alone.
“From a very young age I became independent. It’s possible that sometimes I’m too independent, to the point that I won’t take help when I need it, and I think Decker hated that I didn’t rely on him like he wanted. The more I get to know you the more dependent I become on you in so many aspects of my life. It’s not something I’m used to, and I don’t like the way it makes me feel sometimes.”
Reaching across the console, Luke took my hand, pulled me to him and rested his forehead against mine. “It makes you feel vulnerable.” Nose kiss. “I understand why you wouldn’t like it.” Eye kiss. “I’ve become dependent on you too.” Other eye kiss. “Give it some time.” Kiss to the corner of my mouth. “I promise I won’t disappoint you.” Kiss to the other corner of my mouth.
“I only hope that I don’t disappoint you.” Lips pressed against his, my tongue swept across his lower lip. When his mouth opened for me, I wanted to dive in and taste him. Instead a knock on my window jolted me, causing me to jump, twirling around to see who was interrupting.
I wanted to be mad when I saw it was Mason, but his big innocent eyes looked too excited to see us. He’d waited as long as possible and it was sweet to see how much he liked Luke. I had a feeling that once again I’d be losing Luke to Mason and Ben until later that night.
Luke murmured something I didn’t understand, possibly in Swedish. Pressing one last kiss to my lips before getting out of the car, it was hard and short.
Much too short for my liking.
“Until tonight.”
15
He was late and not just a little bit late, but almost an hour late. I’d already got my suitcase and had been waiting for nearly forty-five minutes. When I wasn’t looking around the airport which was crazy, busy, huge and intimidating, I was calling and texting Luke to ask him where the hell he was. Instead of answering each time his phone went immediately to voicemail. That meant he either turned off his phone or it was dead. I was really hoping it was the latter because I didn’t want to think about the alternative.
I was only staying in LA for two days before we headed to Playa del Carmen for New Year's with Anna and a few of her friends. Before we left for Mexico, Luke and I were to have dinner with Jenner. With him home for the holidays and me being in LA, we were not going to pass up the opportunity to hang out.
Maybe I should have asked Jenner to pick me up at the airport, so we could have spent more time together, but I wanted Luke to be the first person I saw when I arrived. I’d asked him if it would be easier if I took a cab or if I should book a room at a hotel since he was staying at a friend’s house and Rob would be home. Luke had been a little evasive about the whole thing and told me he’d take care of it and pick me up.
Not knowing what else to do, I decided to get a taxi and a hotel room and then figure out what had happened to Luke. Activating my screen, I started to walk toward where I knew I could catch a cab. Only a couple more minutes and Luke would be an hour late. Even though I knew no one in the airport knew my situation, I felt like all eyes were on me and that they knew I’d been stood up. Tears stung at the back of my eyes, but I refused to cry. I couldn’t imagine if someone got a picture of me crying at LAX. It was irrational, but for the moment I was choosing to go with my crazy thoughts instead of thinking the worst and all the horrific things that could’ve happened to Luke.
Strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me off my feet and into a solid chest. Before I could scream or kick my way out of the arms of my attacker, heavy breaths echoed in my ear. Whoever had ahold of me was breathing so heavily that my body was moving with each deep inhale and exhale.
Squirming I opened my mouth to scream for help when my attacker spoke.
“Hey beautiful, it’s me, relax.”
My body stilled as I took in his words. Realizing that the man that was holding me against him wasn’t trying to restrain me, but to hug me, I turned my head to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.
Luke looked frazzled with his hair sticking up this way and that, his shirt wrinkled, and he looked exhausted, but still gorgeous. Even with talking to him on FaceTime almost every day, I forgot the effect he had on me in person. When he gave me his lopsided smile, my body melted and would have slipped to the floor if Luke hadn’t been holding me up.
Feeling my body go loose, Luke’s brows knit in concern and he turned me in his arms until I was facing him. It had only been a month since I was last in his arms, but that was thirty days too long. The smell of sandalwood and ocean filled my senses making me hazy with lust.
“I’m sorry I’m so late. Are you okay?” Pulling me out of my fog, I nodded before I slipped my arms around his neck. I wasn’t sure of the touching protocol in LA or what it would be in Mexico. When Luke had been in Fairlane, he didn’t care if we were seen together and had held my hand out in public. There was no crazy PDA, but enough to show we were definitely not friends.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Are you? I didn’t think that you were going to show up.”
“I know and again I’m sorry. Some beast at the gym stepped on my phone and broke it and I knew with the crazy traffic I wouldn’t have time to replace it before I needed to meet you. And I was still late.” He made a disgruntled noise that sounded like some foreign swear word.
“It’s okay.” My mouth brushed his scruffy cheek. Our arms tightened around the other. “You’re here now and that’s all that matters. I got worried that something had happened to you when I kept calling your phone and it went straight to voicemail.”
“Fuck.” He grumbled under his breath. “This whole day has been a total clusterfuck. Up until the moment I saw you, of course.”
“Of course.” I mimicked him with a huge smile on my face. Cupping his cheek rough with stubble, I looked up at Luke. “I missed you so much it’s ridiculous. How is that even possible when I just talked to you last night?”
Luke grinned his endearing lopsided smile that never failed to make everyone around him smile too. “I don’t know how, but I missed you too.” Something caught his attention over my shoulder causing his lips to thin into a firm line. “Let’s get out of here. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“Really?” I asked as I started to grab for my suitcase handle before Luke shook his head and started for the exit. “What kind of surprise?”
Turning to look back at me, Luke had a wry smile on his face. “Hopefully the good kind.”
With how fast Luke was walking, I almost had to run to keep up with him. Luckily, we didn’t have far to go. I understood the need to get away from the airport as fast as possible when a group of photographers were lined up just outside of the doors.
“Remember to keep your head down or their flashes will blind you.” Luke’s hand found mine and gripped it tightly. “Are you ready?”
“Ready.” I huffed out.
If I had thought ahead of time, I would have had my sunglasses on or ready to put on, but I was out of sorts with Luke being late to pick me up, his surprise, and the alarming amount of paparazzi that were waiting to get a shot of any celebrity to pass through LAX on any given day.
Walking quickly hand in hand, I kept my head down and let Luke lead me to where we needed to go. My little legs didn’t stop until the matte black of Luke’s Audi came into view. There were only a couple of paparazzi that had followed us to the car, still I kept my head down until we were out of the parking lot.
“It’s clear.” The gruff tone in his voice made it obvious that Luke was not a fan of his lack of privacy.
Slipping on my sunglasses, I looked around, and didn’t recognize where we were, not that I knew my way around LA. “Where are we going?”
Patting my knee in reassurance, Luke kept driving. “To your surprise.”
Where were we going? We had been heading out of town for at least a good thirty minutes. “I’m not sure I like surprises.”
He laughed a big booming laugh that filled the car with his happiness and made me smile. “You’ll like this one.”
“If you’re so sure why not tell me what it is?”
“That’s not going to work on me.” Luke shook his head with a knowing smile. “It won’t be much longer and then you’ll see for yourself. Trust me.”
“I do trust you, but I’m impatient to get you somewhere so I can strip you naked.”
Luke groaned and adjusted himself. “You’re killing me.” Clearing his throat, he looked over at me. “I promise to rip the clothes off your body in no more than five minutes after we arrive.”
“Five minutes you say?” I tapped my watch, smiling over at him. “You better keep your word.”
“Oh, Alex, you have no idea.” His deep, sexy voice was full of promise.
Oh, I had some idea of what he wanted to do to me if all the phone sex we had over the last month was any indication. I couldn’t count all the times that Luke had made me blush and turned me on with all the dirty things he said to me.
“Stop thinking all those dirty thoughts over there, you’re driving me mad,” Luke growled.
“Did you become a mind reader since I last saw you?”
“Funny, but no.” His right hand grasped my leg and slid up until he met the juncture of my jean clad pussy. “You keep rubbing your legs together like you’re trying to alleviate something only I can fix.”
His hand didn’t move from between my legs. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to torture me by leaving his hand there, but I couldn’t stop moving around in my seat as I thought about what I wanted him to do to me.
“Baby, you’ve got to stop. We’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
Baby? No man had ever called me baby and when I read it in books I normally thought it was generic. It wasn’t his usual ‘beautiful’ that he called me but coming from Luke I liked it.
A few minutes later, Luke parked his car in the driveway of a gorgeous modern house that was a combination of what looked like dark gray concrete and wood. I loved the house immediately and wondered who lived in it. Was this where Luke had been staying?
There was a door to the right of the garage that led into a small courtyard that was filled with lush green trees and flowers of every color. I could imagine a hammock strung between two of the trees, relaxing and reading while enjoying the outdoors. I was definitely looking forward to being in the warmer weather of LA and Mexico for a few days. Los Angeles was a lot nicer in December than Fairlane. When I’d left Missouri, the temperature was in the low thirties and about to dip lower and it had already snowed once. Nothing like the balmy seventy something it was in LA.
“Alex, let’s go inside.” Luke tugged my hand, my body crashing into his.
Turning to look back over at the entrance, I asked. “Whose house is this? It’s amazing.”
“What would you say if I told you it was mine?” he asked, guiding me to the front door.
“I would say that you don’t own a house, but I would fully support you having one like this. I love everything about it, even the decor. I love all the windows and greenery surrounding the house.” The house was something straight out of a magazine and exactly what you would expect a Hollywood movie star to live in. All the trees that surrounded the property made it feel exotic and private. “Now please tell me whose house this is because you promised me that I would be stripped down in less than five minutes and I hate to remind you, but the clock is ticking.”