by L. P. Dover
My heart broke and I sobbed, especially when he turned on his heel and stormed away. The back door slammed shut, but then it opened and footsteps pounded on the floor.
“Lara!” Evan shouted. His figure appeared in the doorway, but my vision was too blurry to see him clearly. He rushed over and pulled me into his arms. “It’ll be okay. He’ll get over it eventually.”
I hoped and prayed he did. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him.
Evan walked me to my car, and Grayson kept his back to us the entire time. I didn’t want to go back home to drown in my sorrows, so I went to the place I knew I’d find happiness.
Chance’s blue sport bike was in the driveway, along with a red truck I’d never seen before. The sound of dirt bikes revved out back and I could hear shouts from a voice I didn’t recognize. I walked around the side of Luke’s house. Luke and Chance looked amazing on the track, their motions smooth as they made their jumps.
“Come on guys, speed it up!” a guy shouted at Luke and Chance. He glanced over at me and then did a double take. “Who are you?”
I waved and then held out my hand. “I’m Lara. Luke’s . . .” I didn’t know what to call myself so I settled on saying, “friend.”
The guy stood and shook my hand. “So you’re the girl who had Luke all bent out of shape this past year.” Frozen in place, I stood there speechless, but then he laughed and waved me over to the seat beside him. “I should introduce myself. I’m Zayne Putnam, Luke’s trainer.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” I sat down beside him and cleared my throat. “How’s he doing?”
He snorted. “The past few days have been amazing. I guess with you back around, it’s really helping him.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Yep,” he laughed. “He’s one of the best.” He whistled at the guys and they turned our way. “You’ve got a visitor,” Zane shouted.
Luke and Chance came to a halt and I waved. Luke waved back and they rode toward us. Luke hopped off his bike and took off his helmet, grinning wide. He had dirt on his face and all over his gear. He was damn fine is what he was.
“What are you doing here?”
I shrugged. “I thought I’d come by and watch you. You looked amazing out there.”
Chance brushed off his shoulders. “Only because I was out there with him.”
Luke snorted. “You wish, Harris.”
Zane patted the guys on the back. “You both kicked ass. Just make sure to do it at the race in two weeks.”
The guys chatted a bit about the runs before Zane headed out. Once he was gone, Chance packed up his stuff and sat down beside me. “You coming to my party?”
“Yes,” I laughed. “I can’t have Luke going without me. Some girl might try to pick him up if I’m not there to protect him.”
Luke chuckled and handed Chance a water. He leaned against the wall and smiled devilishly. “Not gonna happen, cupcake.”
“Exactly,” Chance agreed, taking a long gulp of his drink. “He’s turned down every single dirty girl who’s attempted to put the moves on him this past year. They all hate you now.”
“Me?” I gasped.
He nodded. “Can you blame them? You took away one of their conquests.”
I gaped at both of them, but Luke was the one who answered. “The dirty girls are our groupies. They hang around hoping to give us a ride. It gives them bragging rights.”
A spark of jealousy coursed through my veins. “I see.” All traces of my smile were gone.
Luke noticed and rushed over. “You have nothing to worry about, Lara.”
“He’s right,” Chance agreed, nudging me with his elbow. “The boy’s hard up for you. He got pissed at me because I tried talking to you one night.”
Luke glared at him. “You were flirting with her, asshole.”
Chance chuckled. “You guys weren’t official yet. That meant she was free.” He turned to me and waggled his brows. “How about now?”
Luke slapped him hard on the back and dragged him up by his jersey. “She’s all mine, dickwad. Try anything this Saturday and you’ll find your balls wrapped around your neck.”
They both burst out laughing and I breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment there, I thought things were about to get tense. “You see what I have to put up with every day?” Chance joked.
“Must be difficult,” I teased back.
Chance stretched. “I’m headed out for the day. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He and Luke shook hands and then he turned to me and winked. “See ya later, sweetheart.”
I waved as he wheeled his dirt bike out of Luke’s garage. “Bye, Chance.”
Once he was gone, Luke bent down and kissed me. “I’m glad you came by. I figured you’d be working.”
“I will be this afternoon.”
He grabbed my hand and I followed him out into the yard. His pool was close by and I wished I could jump in, but I didn’t have a bathing suit. It was so hot outside the sweat was dripping down my back.
“Did you talk to Grayson?” he asked.
Blowing out a shaky breath, I met his concerned gaze. “I did. He admitted to lying to me.”
His eyes widened in shock. “Really? About what?”
“About our so-called adventurous relationship. He said he knew that was the kind of guy I wanted. Thought I’d fall for him if he was like that.”
“What about the break up? Did he confirm that you broke up with him the night of the accident?”
I shook my head. But if he’d lied about our relationship, he probably lied about that too. “He only confessed to the other.”
Luke huffed. “Figures.”
Squeezing his hand, I jumped in front of him. “Whatever he says doesn’t matter anymore. He knows I chose you and that’s the end of it. There’s nothing he can say or do to break us apart.”
He let my hand go and brought his up to my face. “You’re right. All we have to focus on is each other.”
“Exactly. So what do you want to do?” I bit my lip, hoping he could see the heat in my eyes.
He pressed his hips into me. “I’m sure we can think of something.”
Stepping back, he pulled off his shirt and started on his pants. I glanced around quickly, making sure there was no one around. “What are you doing?” I shrieked.
He lowered his pants, his ripped and chiseled body bare before me. “We are going to jump in my pool.”
“Oh, no we’re not,” I said, backing away. His grin spread wider and he stalked toward me. Heart racing, I had no clue where to run because either way, he’d catch me.
“Yes we are, cupcake. Either we do this the easy way, or the hard way. Your choice.”
I took another step back and his eyes twinkled.
“One,” he counted.
The thrill overwhelmed me and I wanted the chase.
“Two,” he murmured, his voice deep and seductive.
I was ready to run, so I didn’t even wait on him to count to three. As fast as I could, I took off through the yard with him close on my heels.
“Three!” he shouted, chuckling the entire time he chased me.
I tried to run away from the pool, but we ended up circling around it until we got back to the garage. The whole situation was funny and I could barely breathe from laughing so hard. If anyone drove by, they’d see me being chased by a sexy, naked man. I had to admit, it was definitely a fantasy come true.
“You done running?” He didn’t even look like he was out of breath. We both knew I was going to lose.
“Not even close,” I giggled.
I took off past him, but it wasn’t fast enough. His arms snaked around my waist and he lifted me in the air, racing me straight toward the pool. He jumped and we both went under the water. It felt good against my heated skin.
When I surfaced, I burst out laughing and splashed Luke in the face. “Happy now?”
He swam toward me and shook his head. “Not until your clothes are off.”
&n
bsp; There was no sense on running, so I let him trap me in the corner. “I might need help getting them off,” I said, giving him my best pouty face.
Eyes blazing with need, he pressed himself against me. “Leave it to me.” His fingers went to work on my shorts and he tugged them down my legs. Once they were off, he lifted each leg so that I had to straddle his waist. Instead of lowering me onto him, he kept his gaze on mine and brought his lips to my breasts. He bit my nipple through the fabric of my shirt and smiled. “Getting warmed up yet?”
I bit my lip and moaned. “You have no idea.”
He backed me up against the pool wall and hooked each of his arms under my knees, spreading me wide. He slid his arousal between my legs and thrusted along my slit. I snaked my hand between us and angled his cock to align with my opening. Entering me slowly, he picked up his pace once he was fully inside. Using his hips to bounce me up and down, I held onto his neck for dear life, his groans of satisfaction making everything inside me tremble.
“I think it’s time to heat things up a bit,” he said, between thrusts.
“How so?”
Without answering, he gripped my waist with his strong hands and lifted me off his length, turning me around. I gasped at how quick he moved me, my heart thumping wildly in my chest when he lowered his lips to my ear, biting down.
“You’re going to want to hold onto the edge, cupcake.”
My insides tightened in anticipation, my nipples growing more sensitive as they brushed alongside the pool wall. I held onto the edge as he snaked his arms around me, pushing his rigid cock between my legs. I squeezed my legs around him, and he used my breasts to pull me up and down, his length sliding along my slit. I could feel my orgasm beginning to build and the moment my body clenched down, Luke changed angles and slammed inside of me.
I bit my lip to keep from crying out as he rode me hard, rubbing his thumb achingly fast across my clit. The water sloshed around us and I was about to lose my hold on the edge of the pool, but Luke’s grip held me firmly in place. His thrusts went deeper and deeper, until it was too much to bear.
“Fuck,” Luke grunted. “I’m gonna come.”
Hearing him say that was my undoing; it was too late to hold back. The harder he pushed, the harder I came, trembling all around him. My orgasm went on and on, only getting stronger when Luke dug his fingers into my hips and yelled out, cock pulsing as he came inside of me.
Breathing hard and jerking with aftershocks, Luke kissed the back of my neck and rested his head against mine. “I love you,” he murmured in my ear.
I squeezed my eyes shut and smiled, hoping the burn behind my lids would go away. I cared for him deeply, but wasn’t ready to say the words. I just didn’t want to hurt his feelings, not when I was feeling so good with the way things were headed.
Gently lifting me up, he turned me around and held my face in his hands. “I don’t want you to feel pressured to say you love me back. It’s just not something I can keep to myself. I’ve waited a long time to tell you how much I love you.”
I nodded. “I’ll get there. This is all new to me.”
“I understand, but promise me you won’t leave me again. I know I can be a dumbass, but I swear I’ll never do anything to hurt you.”
“I promise,” I replied, feeling the burn come back behind my eyes. “If you ever did hurt me again, I’d kick your ass.”
Chuckling, he kissed me, placing his forehead to mine. “That’s my girl.”
For the rest of the week, I stayed away from the tavern and jumped right into my role as Luke’s PR manager. The last thing I wanted was to see Grayson, and I was pretty sure he didn’t want to see me and Luke together. Until things blew over, Summer and I had both agreed it was best for me to keep my distance.
I was kind of glad to work on something else because it gave me the time to work with Luke. I had no clue where all my contact information was, but we searched until we found all my stuff from college. It turned out it was in my attic. From the looks of it, I had no plans on ever pursuing a career of my own.
“Where are you going to start?” Luke asked.
I looked through my list of contacts and found the name I was searching for. “Right here,” I said, pointing at the journalist’s name. “Shelby Reynolds. She writes for Physique Sports and Fitness.
Luke’s eyes went wide. “I know who she is. I think every athlete wants to get in her magazine. Evan’s been in it, and so have Cooper and Derek. I don’t think she does much in motocross though.”
“I plan on changing that.”
Chuckling, he leaned in and kissed my neck. “I think I’m going to like you working for me. Does this mean you’ll do everything I ask?”
The stubble on his cheek tickled my skin. “Depends on what you want.”
“Right now, I want to lay you across this couch and taste every inch of you.”
I giggled when his cheeks tickled me again. “What’s stopping you?”
He groaned and nipped my ear. “My bike. I was supposed to change the oil a couple of days ago, but got distracted.” He pinched my butt and I squealed. “I need to get home and do it before Monday rolls around.”
“Then go,” I laughed, pushing him off me. “I have plenty of stuff to work on while you’re gone.”
He bent down and kissed me. “Want to stay here or at my place tonight?”
Before I could answer, my phone rang. “Hey, Sum, what’s up?”
“Nothing much, what are you doing?” she asked.
Luke sat back down and put his arm around me. “Getting ready to work on Luke’s marketing plan.”
She burst out laughing. “Good for you. I’m glad to see you’re excited about it.”
“Is there something you needed?”
“Actually, there is a small favor I wanted to ask.”
My gut clenched and I prayed it wasn’t for me to work at the tavern. “Okay, what is it?” Luke looked questioningly at me and I shrugged.
“Do you mind watching Emma-Grace for a couple of hours tonight? There’s a banquet for the Carolina Cougars and Evan and I have to go. Our babysitter backed out last minute and we need someone to cover.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, I smiled. “Of course, I’d be happy to. Bring her over whenever you’re ready.”
“Thanks, sis. It’ll only be for a couple of hours.”
“No worries. I look forward to it.”
We hung up and Luke lifted his brows. “Everything okay?”
I bit my lip and grinned. “Looks like you’re staying here tonight. We’re babysitting my niece. And be forewarned, she likes to throw food.”
He burst out laughing. “Emma-Grace loves me. She would never throw food at me.”
“Wanna bet?” I challenged.
“Gladly,” he said, holding out his hand. “If she doesn’t throw food at me, then you have to spend a whole day at my house, doing everything I say . . . naked.”
“What?” I shrieked.
He moved his hand closer. “You afraid, cupcake?”
Grabbing his hand, I squeezed it as hard as I could. “Fine, I accept. If she does throw food at you, then you have to spend the day here, doing everything I say.”
“Naked?”
“You’re damn right.”
We shook hands and the deal was set. Now I just had to pray Emma-Grace was on my side.
With Luke gone, and an hour left before Emma-Grace came over, I picked up my notebook and found the number to Physique Sports and Fitness. I doubted Shelby was in the office on a Saturday, but I could always leave her a message. Most of the time with big name journalists, you had to leave a message in hopes they would call back.
I called the number and the phone rang. “Physique Sports and Fitness, this is Rachel, how may I help you?”
“Hi Rachel, I’m calling for Shelby Reynolds. Is there any way you can connect me to her, please?”
“She’s not in today, but I can send you to her voicemail. She’ll be in on Monday.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” The line went silent before Shelby’s voice came over the line. When it beeped, I took a deep breath and left her a message. I made sure to tell her all about Luke’s accomplishments and how it’d be a great market for her magazine to tap in to. All I could do now was hope for the best with a return call.
The doorbell rang and I rushed to get it, thinking it would be Luke, but when I opened the door it was neither.
“Grayson,” I gasped. “What are you doing here?”
He put his hands in his pocket and glanced down at the ground. “I’ve missed you, Lara. You haven’t been by the tavern in days.” His gaze lifted and I could see his pain.
“After you stormed away from me, I didn’t think it was a good idea,” I replied in all honesty. “We don’t need our customers feeling the tension.”
Sighing, he agreed with a nod. “I know, but I hate not seeing you. I’d rather us be friends than be nothing at all.”
“Do you think that’s possible after everything that’s happened?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I want to try. Not only for our sakes, but for the tavern and our friends. So many people have been asking about you.”
“If you think it can be done, I’ll be more than happy to come back to the tavern. But in doing that, you know Luke will be coming around. I can’t have you two fighting all the time.”
His jaw clenched, but I could see the determination in his gaze. “I promise I’ll keep my temper in check.”
Reaching up, I tousled his hair and smiled. “Must be the red hair. You have a fiery temper to match it. I can totally see you as a fighter.”
For the first time since I’d been around him, he smiled. “I would’ve been a good one. It’s a shame I never tried out for the UFC.”
“Maybe one day you will.”
His lips pulled back in a grin. “Maybe.” He glanced down at his phone and sighed. “I should probably head back to the tavern. With Summer gone tonight, I’m taking over.”
“And I’m babysitting.”
He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “Friends?”