by Beth Abbott
And for the next few hours he did indeed sit and eat dessert, before heading to the bar for a few drinks. He stuck to soft drinks knowing he might have to drive later, and was glad he’d kept a clear head, as between Fran, G, and the two brothers who kept interrupting him, every man and his dog seemed to have a vested interest in Ellen’s wellbeing.
Luke didn’t mind at all, as at least it proved that she was cared about, and that these people would always have her back.
Luke would always have her back too. If he knew nothing else in life, he was certain of that.
Ellen was what his mum would call a ‘keeper’!
He would just have to find a way to convince Ellen that he should be the one to do the keeping!
Chapter 20 - Ellen
The rest of the night passed by in a blur, with Ellen acutely aware of the gorgeous giant of a man propping up the bar.
At various points during the night pretty much everyone on staff must have stopped to exchange a few words with him. The poor man must have felt like they were all checking him out, making sure that he was safe for Ellen to get involved with.
Fran had made no secret of her delight that Luke was spending time with Ellen, and she’d given Ellen a discreet thumbs-up when she’d passed her in the hallway.
Ellen couldn’t help but giggle at how ludicrous the whole situation was.
Here she was, doing her utmost to remain ‘invisible’, dressing down at every opportunity to make herself as dowdy as possible. And then there was Luke, gorgeous dark silky hair, beautiful face, stunning eyes, and, oh God, a body made for sin.
Did nobody see the elephant in the room?
Luke was so far out of her league it was ridiculous. And yet here were her friends and colleagues mooching around, checking Luke out to see if he was good enough for her!
Ellen almost wanted to scream at the ridiculousness of the situation.
As the last diners left the restaurant, and the final few tables were cleaned and set for the next day, Ellen was finally able to leave. Suzy had left an hour earlier, as she usually did, so after shouting her goodbyes to her workmates, Ellen and Luke stepped out into the cold night air, and for the first time that evening, they were properly alone.
Ellen shivered and pulled her old coat tighter around her.
“Come on.” Luke pulled her against him and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Let’s get you into the car and get you warm.”
“There’s no point in moving your car.” Ellen smiled up at him. “I only live just down there.”
She pointed down the side street.
“Come on then, I’ll walk you home.” Luke turned her in the direction she pointed.
Not questioning his intentions, she simply enjoyed the warmth of his body pressed against her.
Sadly, it only took a few minutes to reach her door.
“This is me.” Ellen pointed at the bright red front door.
“Do you have the whole house or a flat?” He asked, looking up at the house.
“Just the downstairs flat.” She confirmed. “But it’s pretty spacious. Two bedrooms, separate living room and kitchen. Why don’t you come in and have a look around?”
The question was asked without any underlying motive, other than she didn’t want to say goodnight to him yet.
Luke raised his eyebrow and stared down at her.
“Do you make a habit of asking men you hardly know into your flat at gone one o’clock in the morning?” He asked.
She smirked at him.
“No I don’t, as you well know. But, I’m working on the basis that if you step out of line, all I’ll have to do is moan to Suzy, and Matt will kick your ass all the way down and back up the M1.”
Luke laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. He’d do anything for that wildcat!”
“True.” Ellen smiled at Luke. “So, do you reckon you can behave yourself if I let you in?”
Luke studied her intently, as if realising the unintentional double meaning in her words, and took both of her small hands in his much larger ones.
“I make no promises of behaving myself, but I do guarantee, that if you let me in, I’ll never give you a reason to regret it.” He smiled.
Ellen shook her head and grinned at him. “Then I consider myself suitably fore-warned.”
She unlocked the door and led the way into her flat.
Ellen was normally a very tidy person, but she’d taken extra care tidying up this week, hoping that at some point over the weekend, Luke would be coming back with her.
As she gave him the guided tour, she could see that Luke was surprised and a little shocked at how well maintained her flat was.
“Was it decorated like this when you moved in?” Luke enquired.
Ellen let out a particularly unladylike snort.
“Hell, no!” She laughed. “It was a complete shithole. I’ve had to decorate every room. The landlord was a complete ass when I first moved in. I desperately needed a new kitchen and bathroom, but he reckoned he couldn’t afford to do it. In the end, I threatened to report him to the authorities. When he came over to check them out, I don’t think he’d actually been inside the flat for a year or two as the letting agent handled all the rentals. When he saw how bad the kitchen and bathroom actually were, especially compared to the bits of the flat that I’d already decorated, he agreed to replace everything. In return, I agreed to finish decorating, and keep the place tidy. Win-win.”
Luke returned his attention to her from looking around the flat.
“You’ve really created a lovely space here.” He looked at her with admiration. “It’s homely, but it still manages to have bags of personality. You should be really proud of it.”
Ellen’s smile couldn’t have been any wider.
“Can I get you a drink? Hot or cold?” Ellen asked.
Luke pulled a face looking down at his watch. “I really should get going. It’s really late and you must be shattered.”
“Where are you staying?” Ellen asked.
Luke blushed. Ok, so in his eagerness to get to Ellen, he’d maybe forgotten all about booking a hotel room.
“You don’t have anywhere to go do you?” She smirked.
“I forgot.” He admitted. “But it’s Ok. I’ll drive into Birmingham. The big chains will always have rooms for a walk in.”
“No, Luke, don’t be silly.” Ellen fussed. “You’re not driving around looking for a place to stay at this time of night. You can stay here.”
Luke grinned.
“You may have two bedrooms, sweetheart, but I’m pretty sure I only saw a bed in one of them. And that sofa….” He nodded towards her little two-seater. “…is seriously not an option!”
“You’re right, the sofa is NOT an option.” She laughed, turning around as if she expected inspiration to jump out at her.
“Look, there’s just the one bed, but it is a king-size, so we should both be able to fit without having to get squashed.” She blushed again. “Maybe we could just talk, and snuggle until we fall asleep?”
“Snuggle?” Luke grinned at her. “In what alternate universe would you describe me as a snuggler?”
“Well!” Ellen put her hands on her hips, and did her best to give him the stink-eye. “How about you consider your options here, buddy? Snuggling with me, or fitting your gangly ass onto that sofa?”
Yeah, that was no choice.
“Ok, snuggling it is.” He held his hands up in surrender, as Ellen turned to lead them both into her bedroom.
“Did you just say I had a gangly ass?”
Ellen chuckled, but didn’t respond. He could just stew over that one.
Chapter 21 - Ellen
While Ellen had taken a shower, and readied herself for bed, Luke had raced back to his car to retrieve his bags. From the sound of the engine and the door slamming before he re-entered her flat, he must have driven his car back, rather than leave it parked by the restaurant.
“Still driving that piece of shit
car?” She smirked at him. “You could probably trade it in for something decent, y’know.”
Luke grinned. She was probably always going to hate his BMW.
“At least part-exchange it for one with a decent sat-nav, and non-splashing wheels.” Ellen persisted.
“Hmm-hmm.” Luke was going to humour her. “And what sort of car do you think I should get instead?”
Ellen cocked her head to one side and looked him up and down.
“A Mini Cooper maybe? Ooh, ooh, I know...!” She clapped her hands excitedly. “One of the new VW Beatles! In lilac.” She hopped up and down like a kid at Christmas.
“A VW Beatle! In lilac!” Luke grimaced and shook his head sadly. “Is that what comes to mind when you look at me? Girly cars?”
Ellen burst out laughing.
“Luke, when I look at you, I think Sherman Tank.” She snorted in a most unladylike way. “Or, at the very least, a Humvee!”
Luke’s ear to ear grin told her that he liked her estimation of him very much.
“Much better!” He laughed, looking for somewhere to drop his weekend bag.
“Come on,” Ellen smiled. “You may as well dump it where you’ll be sleeping.”
Ellen led the way into the bedroom. “I sleep on this side usually.” She pointed to the right side of the bed.
“Fine by me.” Luke replied. “After the places I’ve slept in the military, the last thing I would complain about is which side of the bed you’re giving me.”
He dropped his bag in the corner, and she noticed him turn around to check what she was wearing.
Ellen had changed into pretty cotton pyjamas. Cute, but not meant to be sexy.
He pulled out a pair of baggy shorts from his bag.
He held them up for her inspection. “Ok if I sleep in these?” He asked.
Ellen blushed. “Sure, fine.” She nearly choked out the words.
“Great.” He looked down. “T-shirt on, or off?”
Ellen blushed even more. “Uh, whichever you like I guess.”
“Ellen, I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.” Luke reassured her. “I’m used to sleeping in the buff at home, and in full cammo including gun and Kevlar vest when I’m on operations, so I really don’t mind wearing whatever makes you happy.”
Ellen wished she had the nerve to tell him she’d be happiest if he was stark bollock naked!
“Off would be fine.” She whispered.
“Ok.” Luke agreed. “Turn around then, and no peeking.” He motioned for her to turn around.
Ellen’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“Hey, I would have been a gentleman if it had been the other way around.” He smirked at her. “Or do you want me to put on a bit of a show for you?”
He grabbed the belt on his jeans, and started to pull it through the loop, swaying his hips.
“What? No! Idiot.” Ellen giggled, turning away and started getting into bed, making a show of keeping her back to him while she took off her slippers, and put her watch on the bedside table.
All the while, her subconscious was kicking her for not taking him up on his offer. God, watching him strip would have been H.O.T!
When she finally slid into bed it was to see him moving to close the door and turn off the overhead light. She barely had time to glimpse his beautiful body when the room was plunged into darkness, save from the glimmer of a streetlight through the gap at the top of the curtains.
Luke slid into bed beside her, and for a minute, they lay side by side in silence, the sound of them breathing the only thing she could hear. Even to Ellen’s ears, the sound was unnatural.
When he couldn’t seem to stand it any longer, Luke blew out a big breath.
“Ok, this won’t work!” He announced, turning his big body towards her.
“I might have promised to be good, but I can’t just lie here all night without even holding you. Come here.”
Luke took hold of her body, making sure he didn’t touch her anywhere inappropriate, and pulled her towards him, cuddling her in beside him, his arms wrapped firmly around her, and her head against his chest.
God, he was solid!
Ellen didn’t know what to do with her hands, and whilst she was tempted to lift her left leg and drape it over his, she really didn’t think it would be appropriate. She settled for placing her hand gently on his chest, where she could feel his heartbeat.
“This is nice.” She admitted.
Tears stung her eyes as she realised that the last time she had snuggled in bed with anyone, it had been with her mother before her death. Whilst her dad had been wonderful, he had been more for nurturing her mind. He wasn’t really one for giving hugs as that had been her mum’s domain.
Damn, she thought. Nobody should go without feeling this for more than twenty years.
“Is something wrong?” Luke asked, fully aware that she had tensed up.
Ellen explained the thought that had made her sad, and Luke instinctively pulled her closer.
“I’m sorry there was nobody to hold you.” He whispered softly. “But I’ve got you now.”
Ellen felt her muscles relax at his words. That was surely the most wondrous thing anybody had ever said to her.
“Thank you.” She whispered back, feeling incredibly at ease.
They talked for a little while longer, and found they had some likes and dislikes in common. But when Ellen’s words were coming out as no more than mumbles, Luke chuckled.
“Sleep, honey.” Luke murmured against her hair, before kissing the top of her head. “I’ll still be here when you wake up.”
And for the first time in 3 years 4 months and 19 days, she closed her eyes and slept, dreamlessly and without fear.
Chapter 22 - Ellen
As Ellen gradually drifted awake, she was suddenly aware of how warm she was. Unnaturally so.
Her next thought was that she was paralyzed, as when she tried to lift her arm, it wouldn’t move.
Panic rolled through her, as she tried to remember anything that would explain where she was, and why she was hot and paralyzed!
Just as she was about to lift her head, she felt a squeezing around her waist.
“So soft.” She heard a man’s voice mumble in her ear.
Luke! She thought, suddenly overwhelmed with relief. Then a split second later, she realised that she needed to get to the bathroom. Not only did she desperately need to pee, but she’d gone to sleep with her brown contact lenses in, and her eyes were now seriously irritated.
She lifted his arm gently, and slid herself out from underneath.
When he murmured in protest, she whispered, “I just need the bathroom.”
That seemed to appease him, and he rolled slightly away from her to let her out.
Once the bathroom door was closed she turned the light on. Gazing at herself in the mirror, she gently teased out one contact lens, then the other one. Her blue eyes shone out at her, despite the slight redness around her eyelashes.
She was going to have to get up really early to get them back in again before Luke saw her.
Luke! Ellen smiled at her reflection.
She had a HOT man in her bed. Oh, holy crap!
Ellen wasn’t sure whether she wanted to race back to bed or hide in the bathroom all night.
Deciding that the bathroom floor was way too cold to sleep on, the bed option seemed to be the hands down winner.
She quickly used the toilet and washed her hands, making sure she turned off the light before she opened the door.
She could just about make out the large lump under the duvet, and as she got closer to the bed, she heard the unmistakable rustle of the bedclothes being moved back.
“Come here, gorgeous.” His sleepy voice rumbled. “Missing you.”
Ellen’s heart was beating out of her chest as she climbed into bed.
Luke quickly gathered her up and pulled her close. Ellen snuggled in to his warmth, and when she felt his lips on her forehead, couldn’t resist
tilting her head up so that they touched her mouth.
Luke may have been sleepy, but it only took him a second to respond, and his lips moved to capture hers fully as he pulled her even closer.
Ellen didn’t even think of protesting, and she relaxed into Luke as his warmth seeped into her. The way his lips moved was rhythmic, almost hypnotic, and she felt herself floating under the light pressure.
As the heat built, the kiss became more passionate, and Ellen felt Luke’s hand slip lower to caress her bottom.
The trembling inside her was unmistakable, and for the first time in her life she knew what it was like to feel lust for another human being.
Her hands found their way around his neck, and she laced her fingers through his hair pulling him closer still.
Luke responded to her encouragement by rolling towards her, and splaying a leg across hers. As she angled her body towards him, his leg pushed between hers and she felt the roughness of his thighs press against her sex, her cotton pyjamas providing no barrier.
His lips never stopped. They caressed and cherished hers, leaving her breathless and wanting. When he finally broke away, leaving her panting, he simply let them glide along her neck to the pulse point, kissing the spot between her neck and her shoulder. He sucked gently and she gasped, the heat between her legs bursting into an inferno of wanting.
His hand slipped up under her shirt, and when he found her breast, her mind exploded with a hundred different feelings and emotions.
As he squeezed and caressed, her breathing became more ragged and when he finally reached her nipple and squeezed, gently twisting it, she almost cried out at the pleasure of it.
Suddenly his lips found hers again and the passion was unrestrained, Luke’s tongue slipping into her mouth sliding alongside hers, teasing, caressing.
This was what it was like to make love to a man, Ellen thought, as she arched herself further into his touch.
No, not just a man. Luke. Her gorgeous, sexy beautiful Luke!
And it was making love, she knew instinctively.
Even though he wasn’t inside her…. yet… she knew that this was a joining of two bodies through the most intimate and personal connection there was!