by L. P. Dover
Nodding, I hugged him tight. “Friends. Now go before you’re late.”
I watched him walk out the door, feeling better by the minute. For once, everything was finally starting to look up.
When I pulled up to Lara’s house, the last thing I expected to see was Grayson strutting out to his car with a goddamn smile on his face. His grin only got wider as I jerked my motorcycle into the driveway. Anger coursed through my veins; the need to punch that look off his face, growing by the minute.
Ripping off my helmet, I glared at him. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
He shrugged. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I came here to see a friend.”
“Bullshit,” I growled, storming over to him. “Don’t you think you’ve made a big enough fool of yourself? You lied to her and she knows it.”
“And I explained myself to her. I just wanted her to know I missed her, and she needs to come back to the tavern.” He stepped forward, his smile fading. “Because we all know that if she’s with you, she’ll need a shoulder to cry on. I plan on being there when you fuck up.”
My whole body shook with rage. “You’ll be waiting a long time, cocksucker. When her memories come back, she’ll realize once and for all what a lying bastard you are.”
His eyes gleamed. “Funny you mention that. I’ve been reading up on her condition. With her not remembering anything after all this time, the chances of her recovering the memories are slim to none. You’re on shaky ground, Collins. I’d be careful if I were you.”
I didn’t like threats, especially when they came from someone like him. Fists clenched, I was ready for a fight, but a horn blew down the street, catching my attention. It was Summer and Evan, dropping off Emma-Grace.
“If you so much as try to come between Lara and me again, I’ll break your neck.”
He chuckled. “I’d like to see you try.”
Then, as if a switch had been turned, he waved at Summer and Evan, as if nothing had happened. He was playing them all, and it pissed me off. Taking a deep breath, I watched as Grayson conversed with Evan and Summer, before getting in his car and driving away. Summer took Emma-Grace inside, and Evan stayed outside with me. I was too fired up to see Lara yet.
“What happened?” he asked.
“He’s trying to come between me and Lara. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to control myself.”
He sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Didn’t you try to do the same thing when he was with Lara?”
I knew that was going to be thrown back in my face. “It’s not the same. Lara didn’t want anything to do with me, but he’s her friend and co-worker. She’ll actually be spending time with him every day. What has me even more concerned is what he just said to me.”
“Which was?”
“I don’t think he wants Lara to get her memories back.”
Evan snorted. “Of course he doesn’t. If she remembers, she’ll know the truth. I’ve known this from the beginning.”
“Have you talked to Summer about it?”
He waved me off. “She thinks Grayson is a saint. There’s no way she’ll believe it. All I can say is, try to let it go. Lara chose you and it’s obvious she has no intention of leaving you for Grayson.”
I was confident in that, but something didn’t feel right. Grayson was too sure of himself. “I don’t trust him, Evan. He’s desperate, and we all know what that can do to a man.”
“I know,” he said, squeezing my shoulder. “But Grayson loves Lara. He’s not going to do anything to hurt her.” I wanted to believe that, but I couldn’t. We started toward the door and I could see Lara giggling with Emma-Grace inside. “Are you going to talk to her about this?” Evan asked.
I looked at her again and sighed. “No. She doesn’t need the stress; and if I do, it’ll just make me look like a jealous boyfriend. I don’t want to drive a wedge between us.” Evan stared at me. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
He chuckled. “Just shocked at who you’ve become. You’ve really changed this past year.”
I focused back on Lara. “I had no choice; she makes me want to be a better person.”
He patted me on the back and we walked inside.
“You ready to have some fun?” Lara laughed, bouncing Emma-Grace on her hip. The little princess had her fingers in her mouth, drooling with a smile on her face.
I had to make sure she didn’t throw food on me tonight. Winning the bet against Lara was my top priority. Lara didn’t realize I’d spent lots of time around her little niece. “Definitely,” I answered with a grin.
When Summer and Evan said their goodbyes, Lara announced. “You know what time it is?” With a mischievous grin, she turned to me and winked. “I think it’s dinner time. Want to feed her, while I get ours started?”
I rubbed my hands together. “Glad to.”
Lara placed Emma-Grace in the high chair, and dug around inside the diaper bag for her baby food. Evan had told me since Lara babysat all the time, they’d just invested in a high chair for her house so they wouldn’t have to transport one back and forth.
While Lara went to heat up Emma-Grace’s food, I pulled up a chair in front of the little rascal. She clapped her hands and giggled, looking so much like a miniature version of Lara. If we had a daughter, she would probably look exactly like her.
“Hey,” I whispered low. “Do you think you can maybe not throw your food on me tonight? I know how messy you can get since you get it from your dad, but I’m counting on you to be nice to me. Can you do that?”
She giggled again, and Lara walked back into the room with two jars of baby food and a bottle of milk. “Are you talking to yourself?”
“Nope.” I pointed at Emma-Grace. “Your niece and I were having a discussion. She’s going to be nice to me tonight.”
Lara set the food down and handed me a spoon. “Oh God, I’m gonna have so much fun watching this.” She pulled up a seat and sat beside me with the biggest grin on her face.
I spooned up a small portion of sweet potatoes and Emma-Grace opened her mouth wide. Once she ate the bite, she opened her mouth wide again. “Girl, you must be hungry.” I laughed.
Lara giggled. “Oh, she can eat.” I went back and forth between the sweet potatoes and green beans and so far so good. “Have you ever thought about having kids?”
A smile passed across my face. “Sometimes. I’d like to have a boy, so I can teach him to ride. But I won’t do what my parents did to me. I’ll be there every step of the way.” She rubbed a hand soothingly up and down my arm and it felt good. I leaned over and kissed her head. “I’d also love to have a daughter. It’d be fun to wait on the front porch with a shotgun in my hands when her boyfriend arrives.”
She burst out laughing. “Poor girl, but at least she’d know her daddy loves her.”
I would take care of my family and be there for them no matter what. “We’re getting to the last of the food and guess who still has a clean shirt?” I stuck my chest out.
Lara rolled her eyes. “You’re not done yet. Emma-Grace is a super sleuth. You never know when she’s going to strike.”
There was only one bite of sweet potatoes left. I scooped them onto the spoon, and looked over at Lara. “Give me a victory kiss.”
“No,” she squealed. “You haven’t won yet.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to be a sore loser. I thought you were stronger than that.”
She scoffed and crossed her arms across her chest. “Fine, but only to prove I’m not a sore loser.” She leaned in and I closed the distance, pressing my lips to hers. I loved the way she always tasted, like honey mixed with strawberries.
We pulled back and Emma-Grace clapped her hands wide, smacking my arm, only to send that last bite of sweet potatoes flying in the air. Lara gasped as it splattered directly across her chest.
Mouth gaping, she stood and looked down at the mess. “Just my luck. Even when I’m not the one feeding her, I still get covered.�
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I tried to contain my laugh and failed. “She loves me, what can I say? She knew how much I wanted you to be my slave.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure.”
I grabbed her hand and brought it down to my groin. My dick twitched under her touch. “And tonight, once Emma-Grace leaves, I’ll show you just how excited it makes me.”
She bit her lip and winked. “Can’t wait.”
When Evan and Summer came for Emma-Grace, she was asleep in my arms, while Luke and I watched TV. It killed me to look at her and not have any memories from the day she was born, or what it felt like to touch Summer’s stomach when she was pregnant with her. At least I had plenty of pictures on my phone.
Luckily, the cell phone company had been able to transfer everything to my new phone, even though my old one was demolished. There were a ton of pictures of Emma-Grace, and me and Kate. I must not have had a smart phone when I’d started hanging out with Luke and Evan all those years ago. But there was one picture of me and Luke that I’d found, only I didn’t know where it was taken, or the story behind it.
Luke was now in the shower, since he hadn’t taken one after changing the oil in his bike. He wanted me to join him, but I had other plans. Changing into a pair of red, lacy lingerie, I climbed into bed. Scrolling through my phone as I waited on him, I stopped at that picture of us. His arm was around my waist and our faces were close to each other. Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t even know Luke was there watching me until he spoke.
“Are you okay? What’s on your mind?”
I looked up just in time to see him release the towel from around his waist and use it to dry off his back. It was hard to think with him standing there dripping wet. He knew what he was doing, looking at me with a smirk on his face.
“Are you going to answer me? What’s on your mind?” he repeated.
Leaning my head against the headboard, I smiled and turned my phone to him so he could see the picture. Luke moved closer and sat down on the bed beside me, taking my phone.
“Oh wow,” he breathed in disbelief. “I can’t believe you kept this picture after all this time. I figured you would’ve deleted it.”
I snorted. “Trust me, I’m sure I wanted to. But for some reason, I kept it.”
He placed my phone on the bedside table and reached over to grab his. “You know, it’s funny because I couldn’t let mine go either,” he admitted, showing me the same picture on his phone. Sighing, he looked at it again. “It stood as a reminder of what I’d lost.”
I gently took his phone out of his hand and set it aside. “I’m not lost anymore, Luke. We found our way back to each other. I just wish I could remember the night we took it.”
He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Before we were intimate, we used to go to parties together. The night we took that picture was one of those nights. I remember getting so angry because the guy you were dating at the time got pissed you wouldn’t sleep with him. I was going to kick his ass, but you beat me to it.”
I gasped and slapped a hand to my mouth. “Really?”
He nodded. “Yep. He took a swift kick to the nuts and an elbow to the face. Needless to say, he didn’t bother coming around again. You embarrassed him pretty good.”
“I don’t like to be pushed around or intimidated.”
His smile faded. “I know. And I should’ve known better than to hurt you like I did. Your punishment was brutal.”
“It’s a good thing we don’t have to worry about that anymore. I may not remember our times together, but I’m ready to make new memories.”
He moved closer and trailed a finger down my cheek. “And we can start tonight.”
Slowly, I pulled away the sheets, and exposed my lingerie clad body. His eyes went wide and he groaned, throwing the sheets further back so he could have an uninterrupted view of my body. “You are so fucking beautiful.”
Sliding down the bed, he lowered his lips to my thigh and kissed his way up to my stomach, lifting my lingerie as he went. “If there’s one thing I’m looking forward to, it’s knowing I can come home and touch you like this every day, that you’re fully mine,” he murmured, caressing his thumbs across my peaked nipples. His fingers slowly trailed down to my stomach. Getting into position between my legs, he spread my knees wide and pushed my thongs aside. Blowing lightly over my sensitive skin, he brought his lips over my center and sucked my clit into his mouth.
“Luke,” I breathed, gripping onto his head as he thrust his tongue inside me.
Arching my back, I gave into his touch, moaning in delight as he explored me with his mouth, while holding my legs out to the side with his weight. All too soon, he pulled away, leaving me breathless.
Slowly, he slid my underwear down my legs. Using his tongue, he licked a path all the way back up my leg, past the inside of my thigh. Fingers spreading me open, he nuzzled my clit with his nose, keeping his gaze on mine as he fucked me with his tongue. I was getting close to losing control, and before I could hit my peak, Luke gave me one last lick and continued his torturous path up to my breasts.
“That’s not funny,” I growled.
He smiled and bit one of my nipples through my top. “Your orgasms tonight will all be with me inside you, Lara. Just like mine will all be inside you.”
He lifted my lingerie, exposing my bare flesh, and tossed it on the floor before wrapping his warm lips around my breast, making everything tighten and throb with need. Luke lifted his head and gazed down at me with his sensual green eyes. Pressing his hips against mine, he positioned himself between my legs, grazing his cock along my opening as he swiveled his hips in slow circles.
“Lara,” he whispered.
Taking my face in his hands, he lowered his lips to mine and stayed there, breathing me in with just the gentlest of touches. When he pulled back, he caressed my cheeks with his thumbs and tenderly pushed inside me until he was all the way in. “Other than touching you and seeing your beautiful face every day, do you want to know the main thing I look forward to the most?” he asked, groaning as he slid in and out of my body.
Panting, I bit my bottom lip. “Tell me,” I replied breathlessly.
Even though the room was dim with the soft lights of the hallway shining in, I could see the sheen of tears misting his eyes. “The thing I look forward to the most, is being able to look into your eyes and tell you I love you. I’m going to make sure to tell you every single day, for the rest of my life.”
Tears streamed down my face, but I chuckled through them. “I look forward to that, too.” I knew I loved him, but I was afraid to say it. He didn’t seem to mind my reluctance, but I hoped he could see it in my actions. One day soon, I’d be able to say those words I knew he wanted to hear.
There was no rushing with our love making. It wasn’t the usual heated and wild sex we’d been having; it was something different … something I felt all the way down to my soul. This was what love felt like, and it was beautiful, it was what I’d been waiting for.
Luke pressed his lips to mine and slowly caressed my tongue with his, while thrusting deep and slow. His torturous pace only heightened my desire, so I grabbed tightly onto his ass, and locked my legs around his waist, pulling him into me.
Picking up his pace, Luke moaned and murmured in my ear, “Let it go, baby, so I can come inside you.”
Giving in to the feeling, I gripped his shoulders tight. My skin tingled and my toes curled, as the longest and strongest orgasm I had ever felt exploded across my entire body. Luke’s body jerked almost simultaneously, as his cock pulsed, filling me with his release. I loved the feel of him coming inside of me, knowing he felt the same level of ecstasy from my body.
Biting his lip, Luke leaned down and kissed me firmly. Lifting my back off the bed, he brought my breasts up to his lips. “Are you ready for the real fun to begin?” he asked, licking a taut nipple. My body trembled and I could already feel myself tightening around his growing cock. “Going slow was my way of showing you how
much I love you. But now … now, I’m going to show you what my determination and loyalty feels like.”
I could see it in his eyes, it was going to be an interesting night, and I looked forward to it.
He grinned and pushed harder and faster between my legs. “Damn, you’re so wet for me. You like this, baby?”
“You have no idea,” I breathed, moaning with each thrust.
Holding my face in his hands, he kissed me, the pressure hard yet sensual. “Bear with me, because it’s going to be a long ride. I want you to feel what I feel,” he murmured against my lips.
“I already do.”
“Who all is going to be at this party?” Lara called out from upstairs.
I really didn’t want to go to the party, but Chance was my partner and I couldn’t let him down. There were a lot of people there I didn’t want Lara around; mainly, the women. Several of them would be ones I’d slept with over the years.
“Just some of my friends in the motocross circle,” I answered. “You’ve met plenty of them, but you won’t remember. We don’t have to stay long.” It could just be a simple stop in and go. If Lara had her memories, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but I worried if she could handle herself when someone made a snide comment to her. It was just like Chance said, many of the girls were angry that one of their conquests were taken off the market.
Lara’s heels clanked on the floor above, before she slowly descended the stairs. I saw her feet first, strapped in a pair of black sandals, and then on to her bare, tanned legs. Her black dress was snug against her curves, stopping at her mid-thigh. Her breasts rested together, rising and falling with each breath. She was going to fucking kill me.
“Holy shit,” I breathed. “When we get home tonight, I want to make love to you while you wear that dress.”
She burst out laughing. “And the heels?”
I adjusted my dick and walked over. “And the heels.” Pulling her into my arms, I kissed her neck and nipped the tender flesh behind her ear. “Sure you don’t want to stay home? It’ll be a lot more fun.”