by J. M. Stone
I’ll admit that it probably did look like someone had punched me in the face. I had a black eye where the bruising on my cheek had spread, and a scab where the cut had been. I tried to cover most of it with makeup, but it was so tender that it hurt too much to do.
I hadn’t talked to anyone except Jenna. Allie and even Leah was avoiding me, Calland was off being Calland, and, because I’m a coward, I hadn’t tried texting Luke again. So why I found myself standing outside his shop Friday night eluded me. I took a deep breath before walking in the door, knowing I had to do this.
I walked through the lobby, heading for the counter, my eyes on the tall, dark, and gorgeous man standing there with his back to me. Luke turned around, his expression hardening as he realized who was standing at the counter, but his face changed to dismay when he saw my face and he came striding around the counter.
His hands bit into the flesh of my upper arms as he grabbed me roughly, growling, “I’ll kill him. Who’s the fucking asshole who hit you, Emma?”
I shivered at the soft dangerous tone of his voice and the flash of anger in his eyes. I reached up between us, as much as I could, and laid my palms on his chest. “Luke, no one hit me. I’m okay, I promise.”
He took a deep breath in and loosened his grip on my arms, and I couldn’t help my slight flinch when he let go. He saw it and narrowed his eyes at me before running his hand down my arm to grasp my wrist and pull my arm up to look at it. He pushed the wide, loose sleeve of my sweater up my arm and ran his fingertips lightly over the slowly darkening marks where his fingers had bit into me.
He drew in a breath, and his faced looked pained as he whispered, “Oh God, Emma, I’m so sorry. I hurt you, sugar…”
I just shook my head at him and told him quietly, “Its ok, Luke. You didn’t really hurt me, you were just upset. I’m sorry for just showing up out of the blue like this. I guess its pretty shocking…” I trailed off.
“Yeah, baby, it is. What happened anyway?” He brought his hands up to cup my cheeks, running his thumb softly over the edge of the bruise slowly fading on my cheek.
“I had a bad day on Monday. A really, really bad day. I tripped and fell at home and hit my cheek on the corner of the coffee table. But that was just the final straw.” I swallowed, looking away from his intense gaze before I forced myself to look back into his eyes. “Luke, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for the way I left things with us on Sunday. I mean, you opened yourself up to me and I basically shrugged in your face, and I cant take it back, but I am asking that you forgive me.”
I stood in front of him, his hands still cupping my face, waiting for him to say something. He didn’t. Instead, he just lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to mine. He pulled back after a second and said, “Stay here real quick. Don’t leave, okay?”
I nodded and he walked off to the back of the shop. After a minute he came back out, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out the door to his car.
“Wait! Luke, my car!” I cried, pulling back on his arm to slow him down.
He paused for a second, then said, “Take it to your house and I’ll follow. But then we’re going to go get some dinner and you’re staying at my house tonight.”
“But,” I began, but Luke raised his hand, not letting me finish.
“My house. Tonight, Emma. I want you in my bed.”
I sighed, giving in and walking to my car. I drove to my house, Luke right behind me. When I pulled up, Luke parked behind me and came inside while I got some clothes together. I didn’t even have my bag zipped before Luke grabbed it and then me, and pulled me out the door. I managed to get him to stop long enough to lock my front door and then we were in his car, headed back into town.
“Where do you want to go to dinner, sugar?” Luke asked.
“I don’t care, Luke. Whatever sounds good to you.” I replied.
“Beck’s on Main?”
“Yeah, that’s good.” I replied, already flipping through their menu in my head. What? I love food!
We went to Beck’s and were seated immediately because it’s a bar like Griff’s but they’ve got more of a bistro type menu. I ordered my favorite, loaded baked potato soup with cheese and bacon, and a turkey bacon club sandwich. Luke ordered a French dip sub and started to order the French onion soup to go with it, but changed it to the potato soup as well when he glanced my way. Hmm…
It didn’t take us long before we were done eating and headed to Luke’s house. We pulled up and Luke grabbed my bag off the backseat before I could, and held my hand as we walked up on the porch. As I was waiting for Luke to unlock the door, I heard a small chuff behind me. Then the smell hit.
I turned around, surprised to see Doug standing behind us, his yellow fur hidden under mud and only God knows what else. I plugged my nose, trying to breathe out of my mouth, because he smelled like a skunk. I gagged and took a step back, plowing into Luke who had turned to see what was going on. He had his shirt up over his nose and was glaring at Doug, who seemed to be smiling at us.
“You stupid ass dog, Doug!” Luke yelled. “This is the fifth time this year you’ve been sprayed by a skunk and its supposed to be Brandon’s turn to deal with it!” He growled deep in his throat, which made Doug even happier. His whole body shook with the vicious wagging of his tail.
Luke looked over to me and shook his head in exasperation. He unlocked the door and stepped back to let me inside, hollering, “NO!” over his shoulder at Doug. When we got inside, he put my bag down by the steps and then I heard, “Oh, shit!” and Luke took off running through the living room towards the kitchen and the back door off the side of it that opened out onto a huge back deck with a hot tub sunk into it.
I watched in fascination as the doggie door ( I hadn’t noticed it before) just barely began pushing in when Luke dove to the floor, jamming his hands against the flap, and subsequently, Doug’s head. I heard Doug woof once outside the door, while Luke laid on the kitchen floor, forehead on the tile, hands extended out in front of him holding the doggie door shut. Luke very carefully reached up with one hand and released the locking flap, moving his other hand quickly out of the way as it swung down, before sliding the lock into place.
He turned his head to look at me, a grin beginning to grow on his face that could only be described as devilish, and said, “You’re gonna get dirty tonight, sugar!”
I groaned.
An hour later I was kneeling in a kiddie pool filled with tomato juice. I was holding onto a hundred and twenty pounds of wiggling, stinky dog, and I was covered head to toe in the juice that should have been on the dog instead. Luke was standing in the pool on the other side of Doug, almost falling over from laughing so hard. The last pitcher of juice that he had scooped up to pour over Doug had landed on my head, leaving me gasping and blinking my eyes while the dog barked and began licking my face.
I glared up at Luke, and then Doug jerked in my grasp, so I ended up lying face down in tomato juice with Doug standing over me. He noticed the ponytail holder in my hair, apparently, because he suddenly pounced on my back, nipped the holder between his teeth, and began pulling.
I shrieked, reaching up to try to dislodge his mouth, and heard Luke, still laughing, breathlessly trying to call Doug off.
At the end of the ordeal, Luke and I were wearing just as much juice as Doug, my hair was loose down my back, and Doug was prancing around, flipping my hair tie up in the air with his teeth before chasing it.
Later on that night, after we had shampooed the tomato juice off of Doug and off of each other (that was fun!), we were cuddled up on the couch together, watching a movie. Brandon came in about halfway through and sat down on the other end of the couch by my feet. A few minutes later, I felt him grab my feet and pull them up in his lap, rubbing them gently with his hands.
I heard Luke take a sharp breath in, and pulled my feet back away from Brandon, who just laughed, got up, and slapped Luke’s leg as he walked down the hall to his room.
I glanced up at Luke
asking, “What was that all about?”
He shrugged, not saying anything. I sat up and asked again.
Luke shook his head a little, before he sighed and said, “Brandon just let me know that if I didn’t make things right with you, then…you know.”
I froze. “What do you mean, you know? Are you saying…?”
“Yeah. He said that he would do what he could to make me regret losing you.”
“Is he on drugs? I mean, sure he’s hot (Luke growled when I said this) but so are you and I’ve never even looked at him like that!” I exclaimed.
“Well, that’s good to know, sugar.” Luke said, smiling.
“And besides. You didn’t lose me. We weren’t ever really together-”
Luke cut me off. “Emma, quit while you’re ahead.”
I shut up. For a second anyway. “Well, since we’re talking, I just want you to realize that you were being overbearing. I mean, I felt like you were a caveman, beating his chest and pulling me around by the hair. You claimed me, Luke! Like I was a possession!” I winced when I realized I was yelling at him.
“I’m sorry…again. I’m such a bitch.” I flung myself backwards on the couch, covering my eyes with my arm.
Luke moved over me, spreading my legs open and kneeling between them. “Emma, baby, look at me.”
I moved my arm, just barely enough for me to peek at him.
“Emma, I’m sorry that I’m being that way with you. Its just, the first time you came into the shop, you were such a breath of fresh air. You weren’t looking at me like you were calculating how to get me in bed, or how much money I make.”
I covered my eyes again. “You’re wrong.”
“What?” Luke asked.
“You’re wrong. I was looking at you like I wanted to get you in bed. I was embarrassing myself staring at you so much,” I muttered.
He laughed. “I liked you looking at me. And when I had you in my chair, I wanted nothing more than to rip your clothes off and fuck you til you screamed for me.”
Whoa. “But why, Luke?” I asked. “I’m not some gorgeous model type that just walks in a room and guys drool over her. That’s never been me, its always been Leah, and I just cant help but feel like this is something that will pass, and then you’ll be done, over me and moved on to the next. Beautiful women throw themselves at you, but look at me!”
“I am looking, Emma! Don’t you ever look in a mirror? You’re beautiful, sugar. You’re curvy, you’ve got this long, thick, dark hair that makes me want to bury my hands in it, and gorgeous jade green eyes…you are beautiful,” he whispered.
I closed my eyes, a lump forming in my throat, and tears threatened behind my lids.
“You’re mine, Emma. And I’m not letting you go.”
Chapter 10
I woke slowly in the morning, stretching and yawning loudly. I felt the bed shift behind me and froze for a second until I realized that I was at Luke’s house, in his bed. I smiled, rolling over to wrap my eyes around him and came face to face with…Doug. The lab was panting, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, his doggie lips stretched into a doggie grin.
I smiled back at him, reaching out to pat his head, and Luke walked into the room, holding steaming cups of coffee.
I sat up, holding the sheet tightly to my naked breasts, my muscles slightly sore from the activities of the night before. Luke had staked his claim completely after uttering the words to me. He had picked me up and carried me (Yes! Carried me!) up the stairs to his bed before making love to me all throughout the night. The last time was just a couple of hours ago, when he’d stood me up in front of the window, curtains wide open, my palms to the glass, my leg hooked over his forearm as he pushed into me from behind as I leaned back into him, just as the sun slipped up over the horizon. I’ll never look at sunrise the same again!
“Morning, baby,” Luke said, handing me a cup of coffee and leaning down for a kiss. “I’ve got to get ready and head to the shop. I have a tattoo scheduled for this morning, but it shouldn’t take too long. Do you have any plans, or do you wanna come watch?” he asked.
I thought for a second. “Umm… I don’t think I have anything going, so, yeah. I’ll go if you want me to. Maybe I’ll let you ink me again…” I grinned at him, but my smile faltered when his eyes darkened.
“Luke?” I asked. I wasn’t sure I liked the look he was giving me.
“Oh yeah, sugar. I’ll definitely do that again.” His voice was low and sent shivers down my spine.
I sat my coffee down on the nightstand beside the bed and let the sheet fall to my waist. I leaned back on my elbows, cocking my head to the side before asking, “Really? You’ll do me again?”
Luke’s eyes darkened even more and he groaned in his throat. “Emma, don’t do this to me. We gotta go, sugar.”
I shrugged my shoulder at him, making my breasts jiggle, and laid down on my back, stretching my arms up over my head and moaning softly. I heard Luke’s breath catch and watched him bite his lip, clearly torn. I decided to up the ante and slid my hand down my chest, cupping my breast in my hand and tweaking my nipple with my thumb.
Luke groaned harshly before he was on the bed, Doug flying out the door, as Luke was coming over me and sliding as deep as he could. He fucked me furiously, slamming himself in and out, and I reveled in it. I couldn’t contain my moans as my knees came up to bracket his sides, my hands sliding up and down his back, digging my nails into his skin. Without warning, it hit me and I came, screaming my release, my body pulsating as he still pounded into me until he thrust deeply one last time, his body jerking with his release.
He leaned forward and kissed my lips quickly before pulling out and leaving the bed. I rolled over, squeezing my thighs together, enjoying the slight aftershocks still zinging through my loins, and I felt him slap my ass, yelling, “Get up, woman! We’re gonna be late now!”
I looked over my shoulder at him and he grinned at me before heading off to the shower. I thought about joining him, but decided we’d never leave the house if I did, so I let him finish, jumping in and showering quickly as soon as he emerged to get dressed.
We pulled up outside the shop just a few minutes late. Brandon was already there, even though he didn’t have anything scheduled until later that afternoon.
When I walked in the door with Luke, his arm thrown around my shoulders holding me tightly to his side, Brandon hooted loudly, yelling, “Finally! Maybe now I can go home and get some sleep!”
Luke punched him playfully in the arm and went back to get his room ready for his client.
Brandon looked at me, winked and said, “Oh, Luke! Harder Luke! Yes…Ohhhhh!” in a high-pitch falsetto.
I gasped, my cheeks flooding with heat, and punched him in his chest, glaring at him. “I didn’t sound like that, asshole. I never said any of that, either,” I muttered.
Brandon just grinned at me, nodding his head vigorously up and down.
I spun on my heel and headed down the hall to Luke’s work room. My cell phone rang in my jeans pocket as I walked towards the back and I pulled it out to see who was calling me.
Allie’s name flashed across the screen, so I answered it. “Hey!”
“Hey! What are doing today?” Allie asked.
“I’m down here at Luke’s shop. He’s doing a tattoo this morning and said I could watch.”
Allie was silent for a minute. “With Luke, huh? I take it you got your head outta your ass, Jensen?”
I said quietly, “Allie, I didn’t mean to be such a bitch. But you know what happened with Douche Bag Brad. Like I told you, I just don’t want to be hurt like that again.”
“I know, Em, but Luke just…I don’t know. I can just see that’s he’s not like that. You’ll be good together, make pretty babies.” I could tell she was smiling now.
I snorted. “Yeah, well I don’t think that’s in the cards any time soon. We just started dating.”
Luke poked his head out of his doorway and looked over to wh
ere I had stopped to talk to Allie.
“We just started dating?” he asked with a grin.
I rolled my eyes at him and turned my back. To Allie I said, “Listen, I’ll call you later when I get home.” I heard Luke snort behind me and I turned back to see what he was doing. He shook his head at me and I raised my eyebrow at him.
He mouthed, “You aren’t going home. Unless I’m going with you…”
I gaped at him, Allie repeating, “Hello? Emma? Are you still there?” in my ear.
“Yeah, Allie, sorry. Like I said, I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay! Talk to you later! And Emma? Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do…” she warned, laughing.
“I think I’m covered then, Allie, because we both know there’s not much you wouldn’t do!” I replied drolly.
We hung up and I walked into Luke’s room. Brandon came by to tell him his appointment was there, and Luke went out to greet them. He came back with a college-aged boy in tow, who was talking his ear off about his tattoos. When they got in the room, Luke waved to where I was seated on a stool in the corner, asking if the guy had any problem with me being in there to watch.
The boy shook his head no, staring at me wide-eyed. He then cleared his throat and asked timidly, “Could she come hold my hand?”
I laughed and smiled at the poor thing, while Luke narrowed his eyes at him. The boy lowered his eyes and mumbled sorry to Luke, who shot me a dirty look. I waved his look away and pulled my stool up beside the chair where Luke had him sit, and I held out my hand for him to take. He blushed and took it. I got the impression he was trying to be macho with Luke, but seeing me had triggered his nerves.
Luke stared at me a beat before turning back to his client. He explained the process, and pulled out the transfer sheet to show him the design that Luke had previously drawn up for him. The design was a sweet ass nautical star, two toned with black and red. The top corner point of the star was drawn to look like it was ripping into the skin, and two blood red droplets were suspended from the opposite bottom corner point, underneath which the words Under My Skin were scripted. Inside the lower droplet, which was placed so it almost seemed like it dotted the ‘i’ in Skin, was a tiny skull and cross bones.