Stolen Moments

by Bowie, Emily

  “Well well, if it isn’t my long lost daughter,” my dad says behind her, chuckling. “Maybe with you home now your ma will ease up on me a bit.”

  I chuckle under my breath while my ma looks over her shoulder and glares at my father.

  “We missed you,” she whispers in my ear before she places a kiss onto my cheek. My dad never leaves his spot, as if he is standing in line for a hug, too. I have a hard time admitting I miss this, too.

  “Hi, Daddy,” I tell him as soon as Ma gives me enough space. He walks over and wraps his large arms around me.

  “It’s been too long,” he tells me. “Never thought I would be the one counting down the days until you’re done and back living here.” I still at his words, never realizing that they had still hoped I would move back home.

  “You know I have one more year left, and it’s hard to find a job here,” I tell him, hoping one of these times they will understand that I have no intention on moving back home. My ma, like always, gives me a smile and ignores my comment completely by focusing her energy now on Raya.

  “Hi, I’m Shay’s mother, Helen.”

  “Sorry, this is my roommate, Raya.” I introduce my best friend to my parents for what shouldn’t be the first time.

  “Great to finally meet one of Shay’s friends,” my father tells her.

  “Why don’t you girls get settled, then come on back down?” my mom urges, trying to get me comfortable back here once again.

  *

  “Did all that education make you boring too?” Brax lectures me. Ma and Dad are long asleep, leaving Brax, Raya, and me sitting on the couch, finishing up a movie.

  “It’s ten o’clock, I’m in my sweat pants, I don’t want to go out,” I whine. Raya is already off the couch trying to pull me up. Her insatiable thirst to see a local small town bar is driving me crazy. It’s no different than the dive bars that offer cheap drinks back home.

  “What happened to the girl who would sneak out every weekend?” Brax questions like he doesn’t believe his eyes.

  “Why don’t you two just go?” I tell them, hoping they will leave me alone. I have a feeling they would rather that anyway, by the way they have been looking at each other.

  Brax gets up, smacking my ass. “Truck leaves in ten, with you no matter what you are wearing.” Then he stretches, his shirt rising above his pants. Raya’s eyes practically pop out of her head as she lets go of my hand while staring at my brother.

  “You’re gross,” I tell her, stomping up to my room to change. Raya only laughs behind me, not ashamed that I caught her checking out my brother.

  Stepping into the truck, I start to feel sweaty again as my nerves begin to act up. What’s the harm in one night, I keep telling myself. It’s only one night. Closing my eyes, I make a wish on the first star I see and pray that I don’t see Luke. I know my heart won’t be able to handle it. Even for one night.

  Nelly’s parking lot is full and we are forced to park in the back. Old country music is pounding out the door, trying to escape into the night.

  Raya has changed into full-on cowgirl clothes, with Wranglers, a plaid tank, cowgirl boots and hat. Brax seems to be loving each second of her. I don’t think I have heard him laugh so much in my life.

  Seeing Brax happy eases the guilt I keep closest to my heart.

  “Cotton Eye Joe” comes on through the speakers and Brax and Raya start dancing together, taunting me to have some fun.

  “I need a few drinks before I dance,” I tell them as I walk toward the bar. Brax gives me a questioning look knowing that the old me never drank. Well, the new me has chosen to take its liquid power every now and then. Tonight is one of those times. I don’t think I can get through this without it.

  Grabbing a beer, I lean against the bar watching the occupants on the dance floor having fun and wishing I could do that. I want to do that.

  “Well if I didn’t know any better, I would say I am seeing things.” That all too familiar voice says into my ear loud enough to be heard over the music. His voice echoing shivers down my spine.

  Turning my head, I see that sexy look of Luke’s as he looks down at me. My beer almost slips out of my hand, causing me to wipe each of my hands onto my jeans. I am lost for words.

  So I just take him in. He looks good. Really good. He has filled out and looks less of a boy and more of a man. His chest is broad, pulling at his T-Shirt, his muscular arms showcased through his short sleeves. He looks country strong with his large belt buckle, his presence seeming to take over. I continue to allow myself to drink him in. His hair is slightly lighter than I remember and is looking carefully styled. His eyes bore into me, shaded with an outline of curiosity and wonder. His five o’clock shadow makes him look older, making me question who he is nowadays. Is he the same Luke that I left or has he grown into a man that will have me regretting my choice to come home?

  My traitorous body vibrates with awareness, with it wanting to swing my arms into an embrace. God I’ve missed this man. My heart jumps and all of those feelings I had before I left come flooding back, trying to break me down. My heart and body are fully aware of the man next to me. My gaze stays on Luke. His scent penetrating me, telling my heart this is the love of my life that I’ve been missing.

  “I would love to know what that beautiful mind is thinking right now.” His voice is gruff, and I can’t help but to watch his lips, ones that I loved to kiss once upon a time.

  Luke’s large body stands relaxed, showing no signs of nervousness, unlike me. Too relaxed, almost as if we never happened. The static between us is the only thing telling me otherwise.

  My attention is anchored to him, not knowing how to respond. Turning toward me, he pins me between him and the bar. Our proximity making my senses go into overdrive. I’m not ready to face Luke yet; I don’t think I’ll ever be.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I ask him, not allowing me to react.

  “By the way your heart is racing, I’d say you still feel it, too.” His fingers drag down the column of my throat across my collarbone.

  I can tell by the way he is looking at me that he plans to kiss me. And I plan to kiss him back. I’m not strong enough not to. Luke has always been it for me. In slow motion, I watch as he tilts his head, ready to claim my lips like he used to do.

  “Oops, sorry! Clumsy me.” Raya’s small frame bumps between Luke and me, severing our connection. She acts all innocent when I know it’s just a play to see if I need saving.

  “And who might you be, handsome?” Her charm has Luke smiling, but he keeps his attention on me.

  “Luke Rogers.” He gives a quick nod while taking a sip of his drink.

  I see Raya’s eyes light up in recognition.

  “The Luke Rogers who broke my girl’s heart.” She swings her arm around my shoulders, and I want to sink down a hole. He looks from Raya to me, confused at her words.

  Before I allow her to talk any more I usher her away to the dance floor, while Raya gives him the universal signal for I’m watching you with her fingers and eyes.

  We dance together, with Raya thinking she’s protecting me, but she forgets all about Luke when Brax returns and starts dancing with her again. Sneaking off the dance floor, all I want to do is go home.

  “Do tell me why your girl there thinks I broke your heart?” There is a chill to his voice, making him look as dangerous as his hardened voice.

  I look around for an exit, wishing I never came back here. I can feel his hand wrap around my wrist. “Don’t go runnin’ away from this, Shay.”

  My breath hitches at his touch, and I am reminded why I could not forget about him, no matter how hard I tried.

  His fingers run down my bare arm and I want to melt into his touch. It’s been so long since I have felt anything. His small touches remind me that I am alive; they set my heart racing like he did all those years ago. I remember how good we were together. All of these memories flood back to me, hitting me like a tidal wave, almost knocking me o
ff my feet.

  Luke turns my body against his so that my back rests on his hard length, his sole hand cupping my arm and resting flatly on my stomach, holding me up with ease.

  “We both know we’re not finished yet.” His breath feathers against my shoulder, my body tingling with a reminder of what his touches felt like.

  “I thought I was pretty clear the day I left.” I try to give the impression I’m angry by his words, when I can feel my body already giving in to his touch.

  He nips at my ear, his other hand skims down my torso, and I fight from not leaning right against him, stifling the moan I want to let out. I’m mad at myself for allowing me to act like this but I can’t stop it.

  By the way Luke keeps touching me, I know he already knows I won’t say no to him.

  “Let’s get something straight here, LS.” He leans in and my anger from him calling me my old nickname begins to bubble up. “You are still mine, and I plan to keep you.”

  Turning around, the gleam in his eyes warns me that he plans to follow through. Then his mouth crashes onto mine. My head spins with how easily I fell right into his hands, how much I love the way he kisses, and that I want, no, I need more. I tell myself this is our proper goodbye. This one night.

  “Let’s get out of here,” I mumble into his lips, unable to break myself away. I need to feel those hands on my body, that tongue, and those glorious lips all over me.

  CHAPTER 40

  He doesn’t allow me the chance to second-guess my decision by leading me out of the bar right away, every other second our bodies collide with each other, our lips gravitating toward each other. All while kissing he opens his truck, placing me inside, before breaking our kiss to go to his side.

  Stepping into his truck almost feels like home. It feels the same as I sink into the old worn leather. Resting my head on the headrest, it even has the same comforting scent from back then. Breathing in the familiarity, all of our memories together come flooding back at me.

  As we start driving toward the familiar country roads, I smile for the first time in a long time, remembering our days riding in this truck. We had a lot of fun together, a lot of memories.

  The truck jostles to a stop in his driveway. The same butterflies have settled into me, much like they did back then.

  He turns off the truck and all those butterflies I used to have around him come back. He places a warm hand on my back as he steers me into his house, his touch electrifying. I can’t help but to flash him a smile, almost giddy to finally get to feel him once more.

  My fingers itch with the need to pull his clothes off of him.

  “You want a drink?” he asks, turning on a side lamp.

  Shaking my head, I tell him no.

  “That’s what I thought, but you did drink at the bar,” he relays his observation while stalking closer to me.

  He has that look in his eyes, the one that silently tells me that he plans to devour me, and I’m thrilled about it. All of my inhibitions and the warning from Kellen have long been thrown out the window.

  “You are just as beautiful now as you were three years ago.”

  I look Luke over head to toe slowly, enjoying what I see. He has filled out and the stretch of his shirt cuffs showcases his broad shoulders and arms. He has this sexy bad boy look that always made my panties wet. He looks dangerous and oozes confidence.

  His hands come up to my shoulders and I wait for his kiss. I need his kiss. His hand rounds my shoulders, sliding down the length of my torso, it’s excruciatingly slow. His breath washes over me, his lips coming to be so close to mine that all I would have to do is arch into him for them to meet.

  He stares into my eyes and I think he is going to ask why I left him all those years ago, but before I can think too much into it his lips take control of mine. I melt into him, pulling him closer. I can feel the way I have affected him, with his long length pressing into my stomach.

  His hands cup my jaw as he begins to maneuver me, his calloused touches welcomed and appreciated on my skin. His leg spreads mine apart as our bodies become closer, each inch of ourselves touching each other. His lips cause a strike of fire in my belly, and I push farther into him.

  I want to feel all of him. My hands go under his shirt, exploring the tough extruding muscles. My girlish moans leave me and I make no attempt to hide them. My reaction has Luke’s movements becoming more rough as he pulls at my shirt to rid the barrier between us.

  We break our kiss only momentarily as he reaches his arm behind him to toss his shirt to the ground. He gives me that sexy smirk of his that has me wanting to tear up my panties for him.

  “Christ, I’ve dreamed of this moment for way too long,” he admits between kisses.

  I feel his hands gliding down my back before I feel the weight of my breasts being freed, his hands cupping them lightly and squeezing their weight in his palms.

  The words I love you are on the tip of my tongue but I refuse to allow them to escape. We stand there exploring each other, breathing in our kisses. His fingers pinch and twist at my pebbled nipples, teasing me on that fine line of pleasure and pain. My body wants more of it. My back arches into him, my throat letting out an audible moan with the pleasure I’m feeling, its vibrations heading straight for my sex.

  I try to reach for his belt buckle, his hands leaving my taut tits, rounding my ass where he picks me up. My thighs wrap around him, each step taunting my core with the friction of his body. He carries me into a room where he lets my legs go and they fall to the ground.

  In a frenzied fashion I try to rip my pants off, to only jump and skip around before they decide to willingly come off. I look up to see Luke with an amused grin before it falls on the sheer fabric that acts as panties. His eyes hood with lust and a primal growl leaves his lips. I take a step back and he takes two forward until my legs hit the edge of the bed and I fall onto it.

  “Shay, it’s been way too long.” I watch his eyes wander over my body, licking his lips in appreciation, making my inner sex goddess cheer. Leaning up I rest myself onto my elbows, tossing part of my hair to one side to watch him slowly take off his pants, welcoming the show.

  His cocky smirk tells me he already knows how much he affects me. I can lie all I want, telling everyone including myself that Luke and I are not meant to be, but our connection tells me otherwise.

  His pants are thrown to the ground without caution. I wait for him to crawl onto the bed, caging me. Instead, he pulls at my legs so that my bum is at the edge of the mattress, my legs over his shoulders.

  He moves his lips down, nipping and kissing my inner thighs while one hand explores my stomach, slowly moving upward toward my tits.

  I can feel a slight breeze as he lightly blows onto my folds, then places kisses around and on my lips before the tip of his tongue parts me.

  “Yes,” I moan, wanting to come on his face, needing the release that has been far too long in the making.

  His flat tongue strokes my clit, once, twice, before I feel him starting to fuck me with that talented muscle of his. The thought of him fucking me and tasting me with his mouth is erotic enough I lose my pride and grind down onto him to get the release I’m frantically looking for.

  As I ride him, I feel his fingers start to pet my velvet walls, his mouth sucking on my clit while his other hand tries to hold me down.

  His fingers curve perfectly, hitting my g-spot as I toss and buck on his face, yelling out his name as a tsunami of an orgasm breaks down my walls. All I can think about is how I feel as the most intense pleasure I’ve felt in so long rides through me.

  I’m left breathless, dazed, all my thoughts on the aftershock of my body as it tries to recover from the strongest orgasm of my life.

  “Wow.” Is all I can manage, I feel like I should be embarrassed from my grinding down on his face. All of my inhibitions were thrown to the wind and my pride tossed down the drain much like my heart will be once again after I leave tonight.

  My body sinks as I feel h
im crawling over me, his lips leaving a trail of kisses as he comes up. His hard, thick cock brushes against my inner thigh and my body begins to perk up, wanting to see what else he has in store for me.

  “You’re sexy as hell when you let loose. A quality I remember being quite fond of before,” he tells me, reminding me of the girl I once was, the girl I would love to become again. For tonight, I allow her to become me again.

  “I can’t wait to watch your face when you come on my dick next.” His erotic words, with his cock rubbing against my core, make me want that, too.

  He trails a kiss up against my collarbone toward my neck, and then hovers just above my lips. I arch my back, wanting those lips to stay on me, but he surprises me when he flips us over so that I’m straddling his legs, his dick trapped between us as his arms hold me up with our sitting position.

  Slowly we kiss, it’s careful, soft, and loving. Much different from moments ago as we scratched and pulled, needing to touch each other. This feels different. I refuse to think into it; afraid I will lose the moment.

  His hand holds tight onto my hip while his other hand brushes against my back. He lifts me up and slowly I lower myself onto him, acclimatizing to his size.

  My breath sucks in as I feel him stretch me, feeling like a virgin all over again.

  “You okay?” he questions.

  I nod, taking him in deeper, allowing for my juices to coat him as I rise slightly before going deeper. With each stroke he is buried deeper into me until I take his whole length.

  “You feel so tight and good,” he tells me, my pace going up and down on him slowly.

  My arms wrap around him, pulling our bodies tight together. I watch as he pulls his head back, our eyes connecting, holding each other, our bodies knowing exactly what to do as we ride, grinding out our release.

  My pebbled nipples scrape against his tiny curled chest hairs, his hand from my back moves to my front, stimulating my clit. I’m so close, I can’t keep my eyes open. We go back and forth, our bodies rubbing against each other, his movements becoming more hurried with each thrust upward as he pulls me down harder onto him. Then I feel his hot mouth suckle on my tit and it pushes me over the edge. I scream his name out again, my voice echoing off his walls.