“Mercccccccccyyyy!” she shouted, but it was too late. Her walls had come down, and waves of crème spilled from her. She shook with seizure-like activity, and Luke removed himself and spooned her in his arms.
“You’re okay,” his said in a soft barbaric croon. “You’re okay, you’re okay,” he chanted, kissing the side of her warm face down to her shoulders. She mumbled and quaked, falling into his arms with no strength left in her. There was no way she could ever love another, and that realization put her at Luke’s unyielding mercy. He held the power now to break her, to ruin her, or to love her unconditionally. It was out of Jasmine’s hands, and she came to the ultimate conclusion that no one else could ever take his place.
Chapter Twelve
A whistle in the distance stirred Jasmine as it dinged in recurrent succession. She rolled from her back to her side only to find vacancy where Luke’s firm body previously rested. She searched for the man she’d just shared her soul with, but he wasn’t within her view. Then, heavy footsteps eased down the hardwood stairs, and when his edgy silhouette came into view, Jasmine smiled dreamily.
Luke strolled up to Jasmine, placing his hands on the bed. He leaned toward her and brushed the warm curve of her lips with his own.
“We’re here,” he said. He saw her look around again. “You don’t need your clothes. My lakeshore home sits on seven acres of its own land. There’s no one around to see you or hear you scream for miles.” His eyes delved into hers, making Jasmine tremble slightly.
He chuckled and stood back upright, holding his hand out for her to take. “Let’s go.”
Without another thought, Jasmine removed the silk sheets. They slid from her body, and she accepted Luke’s hand, and then with an easy transition, he pulled Jasmine across the sheets on her knees where he gathered her in a sweep of his strong arms.
Jasmine held on to his neck as Luke strolled purposefully up the hardwood steps onto the deck and down the metal ramp that connected his yacht to the wooden landing. His chest was still bare, and Jasmine felt so relaxed in the comfort of his torso. Luke’s thermal body was packed with impenetrable muscle, and the beard that hung from his chin held a fragrance of recently washed shampoo. As he walked, Jasmine only watched Luke, seeing him in a new light since they’d connected intimately.
“You know if I were trying to kidnap you, you would have no way to escape or know where I was holding you since you’re not paying attention, sweetheart.”
“It’s because I don’t care,” she said, her voice thick and sultry.
Luke glanced down at her soft delicately round face and temptingly curved mouth.
“Hmmm, now I’m even more inclined to abduct you,” he said, sticking his face between her neck to nuzzle her chin. A wave of hotness held them close, but Luke’s movements never paused.
Jasmine giggled from the pleasure she felt with him being so near.
“Hey, mister, you’ve got to watch where you’re going. You’re carrying a naked lady here.”
A dark rumble trekked from Luke.
“So, I am, but you don’t have to worry about that. I know this place like the back of my hand. I could walk here with my eyes closed.”
It was then that Jasmine turned her face from his to their surroundings. Her mouth fell open. “Oh, my goodness.”
What appeared to be a two-story cottage sat housed on a long stretch of lawn. A stone pathway ran to a wooden three stair porch, and rose bushes were planted from the side of the porch where they disappeared around the house. Jasmine’s eyes twinkled in the moonlight, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the land had its own garden.
She looked back at Luke with wide eyes.
“Does it have a—”
“Yes,” he answered.
A soft wind sailed from her lips in a gasp. “Really?” she half-crooned, half-cried.
Luke stared at her. “You didn’t think I’d pick this place out without you in mind, did you? How else would I have the serenity I required while visiting here?”
Jasmine’s heart thumped and swelled altogether. “Luke…”
He kissed the tip of her nose.
“I can’t believe you did all of this because of me.”
“Why?”
“You just seemed to spend the better part of your yesteryears avoiding me.”
Luke breathed deeply. “I told you—”
“I know,” she said, “and even though you did, it still amazes me.” She paused. “The things we put ourselves through just because of what we think is supposed to happen or because we believe our life has a specific sequence.” She paused again. “All of the years we missed being together only to end up…” She paused once more.
“It’s never too late. As long as we have breath in our bodies, we’re presented with an opportunity,” Luke said. His footing moved up the stairs where he opened the hardwood screen door. Without inserting a key, Luke turned the knob and strolled inside. Fresh pinewood floated from the room, and Jasmine took in a good whiff with a smile.
“Mmm,” she said, “delightful.”
“You like?”
“Yes.”
Luke kissed her nose again, and with Jasmine still in his arms, strolled down a long hallway disappearing into a huge carpeted room where he placed her on a lounge chair. Jasmine glanced around at the wooden structure, noticing the soft layer of material under her bum.
“Is this the only room with carpet?” she asked inquisitively.
“No.”
Luke strolled into another open doorway that Jasmine figured was his closet. He was inside for a long minute before he returned with an oversized shirt.
“Who says I want to put on clothes?” she asked daringly.
A mischievous allure fashioned Luke’s face.
“If you don’t, this tour stops right here, right now.” He crouched down in front of her, spread her legs, then licked his spectacular manly lips, “Then… dinner.” His gaze darkened, and a tremor slipped down Jasmine’s spine.
At the same time, her stomach growled, but where her body craved nutrition, another part of her desired a different kind of meal. Hearing her body’s response, Luke settled on his knees and helped cover Jasmine in his shirt.
“You should eat.” He rose to his feet and held out his hand.
“We,” Jasmine said, “We should eat.”
Luke tilted his head.
“First you.” His voice dipped. “Then me.”
A coat of heat smacked Jasmine in her belly. She knew good and well that he wasn’t referring to food for himself. She pulled her lips in and rubbed them together, giggling nervously.
Luke linked their fingers as Jasmine rose to her feet.
“Follow me.”
They moved back out of the room, trailing in the opposite direction that they’d come from. Jasmine took note of the shelves outlining the wall. They appeared freshly sawed and newly stained.
“Did you make these?”
Luke glanced in the direction of her gaze, and he paused.
“Yeah. It was two summers ago.” He rubbed his chin with the pad of his thumb.
“So, your woodwork wasn’t just a hobby when you were younger then,” she said with revelation.
Still holding one of her hands, Luke placed the other in his jean pockets.
“I guess you could call it a hobby. I never did anything with it to consider it a profession.”
Jasmine ran her hand up and down the smooth finish of the lumber.
“You may not have, but this is prime cut wood. Have you ever thought about selling your crafts? People would pay for professional work like this.”
“You think so?”
She eyed him. “Of course, Luke.” She covered his brawny hand with both of hers. “This work is amazing. I mean, look at the detail in this finish.” She stepped closer to the shelf and ran her fingers around the timber. “It’s top-notch. I’m actually surprised you haven’t worked with my brother yet. Jacob’s passionate about architectural str
uctures, it’s his whole thing.”
Luke grinned and thumbed his jaw some more.
“He’s mentioned it a time or two.”
“So, what’s holding you back?”
Luke thought about it for a second. “While I love working with my hands, I’ve only considered this to be a sort of escape for me. Not necessarily something I could turn into a profitable business. My first priority has always been advocating for the youth in our city and making sure I make a difference for Chicagoans period. I guess you can say that’s always been, my thing.” He smirked.
Jasmine nodded. “I get that, but there’s no reason why you can’t have it all.”
Luke’s fingers left his chin and glided to hers.
“I’ve always loved that about you. Forever the optimistic.”
Jasmine’s bashful bat of her eyes coiled around his heart.
“We have more in common than you know,” she said.
“Oh, I know,” he responded.
They chuckled. “Well, let me tell you what I love about you,” she said.
Luke’s dark gaze brightened.
“I’ve never met a man so vehement about the needs of others outside of my family. Most men only care about what’s good for themselves, and the politicians,” she whistled, “they’re just good at pretending they care.”
Luke chuckled again.
“Besides that, whether you know it or not, I watched you probably more closely than you watched me growing up.”
“I doubt that very seriously,” he objected.
“How do you think I knew you were spying on me in my father’s orchard?”
Luke went to respond, but his reply eluded him.
“It’s because I was watching you before you noticed me.”
He stared down at her, half-surprised and dispelling her confession in the same thought. As much as Luke kept up with Jasmine, he couldn’t imagine she’d been the one keeping close tabs on him.
“When my brothers would meet you after school for basketball practice, I was your cheerleader before you ever had one. I’d stand in the shadows of the bleachers off to the side where no one could see me and observe you. When you decided to take bike riding classes, I watched you practice a few times, but one day you almost caught me, so I disappeared and never returned.” She blushed, and Luke’s eyes widened as he snapped his fingers.
“That was you,” he said, awestruck. “I swore that day I saw you, and I figured I was just losing my mind when you were nowhere to be found.” He grabbed her chin and pulled her close. “Girl, don’t you know I looked for you everywhere. I even roughed up some of the guys that were there, thinking you were with them. They thought I was crazy, and after not finding you, I thought maybe I was crazy, too.”
Jasmine giggled. “I’ve never cut and run so fast in my life. My heart was racing when I flew inside the house and ran right into Jonathon.”
Luke shook his head. “Had me looking like a madman. What did Jonathon say?”
“The usual. He could tell I was up to something with my eyes all wide and my hand over my chest.” She imitated Jonathon’s voice. “‘What’s wrong with you?’ He’d said. I told him nothing was wrong, and he needed to watch where he was going.” She laughed. “I tried to play it off and move along like he was the one that ran into me, but you know Jonathon never gives up that easy. Jonas is the oldest, but Jonathon is the one that acts like he’s my father.”
Luke nodded, knowing it was true.
“He followed me in the room and asked me over and over what was wrong. He knew I was lying, but I shouted to high heaven to get him out of my face.”
They both laughed. “Finally, he did, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The next time I saw you, you were glancing at me all weird, and my heart just started beating fast again. I knew you had seen me, but I also could tell you weren’t sure, or you would’ve asked.” She reached up and slipped her fingers around his ear then covered the side of his face with her hand.
“I saw how you stood up for students who were lowerclassmen. I watched you tutor a few after hours. I couldn’t miss the busybodies that fawned all over you either, and you were nice to the girls, but I could tell they didn’t interest you as much as you did them.
“I’ve always adored you, Luke, so when you showed up in the orchard, I thought just maybe you’d finally noticed me.” His gaze softened. “But then you never said anything, and I was too chicken at the time to approach you until I just couldn’t take it anymore.” She paused. “That didn’t turn out the way I hoped. Well… it did in the beginning. I can’t tell you how much that kiss meant to me. But when you left, I felt like the world was on my shoulders. My heart was so heavy.”
Luke removed his hand from his pocket and wrapped Jasmine in the safe haven of his arms. He went to speak, but Jasmine placed a soft kiss on his lips. Luke’s eyes shut as he exhaled into her kiss.
“You don’t have to apologize again. I’m only telling you this because I want you to know what was going on in my mind then. There’s no need to keep apologizing.” She spoke against his mouth. “The years leading up to now I was just as tortured as you, but I put all of that strength into fighting for the justice of the people and propelling my career. So, you see, this is why I said we have more in common than you know.” Luke’s eyes faltered. “And now,” Jasmine continued. “I love you more than life itself.”
Luke’s heart flipped, and with haste, his hands moved recklessly to her neck where he gripped her there and crushed his mouth to hers.
Consumed, Jasmine moaned, and the heat from their mouths scorched their faces.
“I love you so fucking much,” Luke murmured in a growl. “Say you’ll never leave me. I want you all to myself.” He spoke and kissed then dropped his mouth down her face and bit her chin.
A whimpering yelp fled her lips as his hands discovered her body all over again. Heat rushed like a waving storm that crashed against their hearts and juggled their libidos to the point of a shattering orgasm.
“Ooooh my God,” Jasmine panted. “Luke…”
He snatched her off her feet, lifting Jasmine in a slam against his chest. Her legs found their place around his hips, and she clung to his neck as Luke relieved her of his shirt. It was rough and disorganized as they rushed to feel each other skin to skin. A zipper ripped, and Jasmine’s back hit the wall just as an impending, soul snatching pressure filled her pussy.
“Oh, my Goooood!” she yelled out, her back arching so sharp that she pushed them from the barrier but left her shoulders teetering against the structure. Her vagina throbbed, and Luke deep stroked her as if he were drilling the mill for black diamonds.
“Oooooh, Luke! Baby, baby, baby!”
Luke had completely turned into a roughhousing unhinged savage that couldn’t be held down. His hips bucked as he exited her cavern to the tip of his dick only to slam back inside her with trotted thrusts.
“Ah!” Jasmine yelped, and her breasts bounced with every vibrating stroke Luke nailed her with.
“Say you’ll never leave me.” Luke smashed his lips back to hers, and he pummeled her well as he consumed her mouth. His tongue trailed inside and fought against her tongue in a power move that had them each trying to take over the other’s soft prodding muscle. He managed to push the words out again. “Say you’ll never leave me, Princess.”
Showered in heat, Jasmine moaned into his mouth, “I promise, I promise.” Her sex had never throbbed so much.
“I’m not letting you go,” Luke swore, determined to fill her until she could no longer stand it. “Tell me to whom you belong,” he growled.
“Aaaaaaah!” Jasmine shouted in a shudder from his intimidating thrusts.
Luke’s hand sailed around her neck as he bit down on her bottom lip, chin, and trailed to her neck where he pierced her flesh with his fangs.
“Oh my God! You, you, you!”
He propelled her, making sure when she came her orgasm would squirt so hard he would be coated with it.<
br />
“Fuuuuu-ck!” he barked, slamming into her pussy, sliding and slipping, slaps penetrating between the vibration that struck them sequentially.
“I’m gonna!”
“Come with me, baby,” his voice drummed.
“Ooooo!” Jasmine wailed, and her body shook as a sudden weight dropped from her bottom. Her eyes lurched, and her ears popped, and her body torched with a tornado of chills. She couldn’t say another word. She was stuck, again, and this time had been just as blissful as the last.
“I love you so much,” Luke whispered, kissing her mouth and chin. She could feel his dick pulsating, and she knew he’d found his release inside her. The fear she thought would be there wasn’t. They’d just had sex a second time without protection. There could be consequences behind what they’d just done. But Jasmine didn’t care. She trusted him fully. She knew him, and more than anything, she was exuberantly, unequivocally in love with Luke Steele.
Chapter Thirteen
Jasmine’s body had never felt so light. She sat perched on a stool, watching Luke as he prepared their dinner. While he melted butter in a large skillet, Jasmine’s thoughts strayed to their lovemaking in the hallway. Her eyes dashed over his fingers as he added leeks, salt, and pepper to the dish. But her mind felt his skin scolding against hers as he fucked her to surrender. She almost broke into a sweat just thinking about it. It tickled her to feel so much pleasure. Jasmine couldn’t recall feeling this way in the twenty-six years of her life. Maybe because this was a love she never knew but one that had always been within her reach.
“That smells so good.”
Luke turned to her voice, flashing Jasmine with a handsome grin.
“I hope it tastes even better,” he said.
Jasmine’s forehead crinkled. “You don’t know?”
“Nah, I’ve never cooked a day in my life. I just watched my mom do it so many times I figured I’d make you my guinea pig.”
Jasmine’s eyes widened, and she was suddenly nervous.
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