“Well, would you rather be frustrated this way or the other? Because I think this is better.”
“Mmm, better but worse. You know I am sober enough to make coherent decisions, right?”
“Maybe so, but I’d still like to wait. We have the whole day tomorrow to ourselves anyways since Mason is going to be in Nashville.”
“As fair of a point as that is, don’t you have work to do on the design tomorrow? And I was planning to spend my day at the lake.”
“My work won’t take more than a few hours, and then I can join you at the lake, or you can come back here with me.”
“But right now I’d much rather be doing this.” I let my hand wander up under his shirt and explore his body while I leave wet sloppy kisses on his neck and graze my teeth across his collar bone. He takes in a sharp breath, but doesn’t stop me. After roaming my hands over his chest I trail my hands back down and tease the waist of his shorts. My turn.
“Abbey… ” He sounds breathless which makes me smile against his neck. I understand his warning, I just don’t care. I let the tips of my fingers dive under the fabric of his shorts and then his underwear. He growls and flips me to my back. He’s on top of me quickly. He grabs my wrists and holds them above my head, kissing me until I’m dizzy and out of breath.
“Abbey, I want you. Really I do, but we need to wait until tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to.” I arch my hips until they meet his, creating friction between us. His eyes darken, and he seems to glare at me. He lets go of one of my wrists and brings his hand down to hold my hips down.
“Would you listen to me?”
“Fine. Not tonight.”
I give up with a huff and cover my face in frustration.
He lays beside me. We’re silent for what feels like hours. I feel like I have too much energy coursing through me right now. I get up to leave the room. I need to clear my head.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to try to get some of this energy out so that I can hopefully sleep.”
“You might stumble and hit something. I’m coming with you to make sure you’re okay.”
“Trust me, I am more sober now than I was an hour ago. You can go to bed. I’ll be back later.”
I can feel him staring at my back as I leave. I feel the need for some fresh air and head outside. I slide on my sandals and walk down to the lake, sitting on a rock where I can look out over the water. I listen to the night sounds and look out at the moonlight reflecting off the water. Eventually, the calm and cool night air are beginning to calm my mind, slowly seeping away the feeling of Luke’s hands on my skin. After some time, I finally feel sleepiness taking over my body, and I make my way back towards the house. I find my bedroom empty and cold like nothing happened earlier in the night. I crawl into bed and pull the covers around me, finally drifting off to sleep.
I wake up the next morning with a massive headache. Note to self: I am way too old to drink like that. Dragging myself to the bathroom, I pull out the pain relievers and turn on the shower. Hangovers suck.
After my shower, I put on some shorts and a tank top and go out into the kitchen. It’s almost noon, so I settle on leftover pizza for lunch. The house is quiet; I assume Luke is working, so I decide to go to the lake and read for a bit. Down by the water, I pick a spot that’s like a cove, sheltered from the sun and submerge myself into my romance novel.
When the sun starts peaking through the rocks, I gather my things and head back towards the house. Inside, I hear someone talking, so I peek inside the office. Luke is in there on the phone. He smiles up at me and tells the person he’s talking to hold on.
“Hey, I’ll be done in about thirty minutes if you want to wait for me, before you go disappearing anywhere else.”
“I didn’t disappear, and I don’t mind waiting. I’ll just go relax. Take your time.”
I smile at him and walk out. I stretch out on my bed, closing my eyes, deciding I’ll just take a quick nap until he’s done.
I am jostled awake as I am being pulled close to a body. I peek one eye open and see Luke’s arms pulling me close to him.
“You know, I get hot in my sleep. I don’t sleep with anyone curled up behind me.”
He chuckles and just nuzzles my neck.
“Be quiet and let’s just enjoy this moment.”
“If you say so.”
After a little while, I turn over and face him. I scoot my body up so that we are at eye level with one another.
“You know, I enjoyed you where you were. You didn’t have to move.”
“Listen, I wanted to see your face, so now I can.”
He trails his hand up my side. “So, are you really wanting to do this?”
I smile at him and bring my hand to rest on his bicep.
“I am. Are you?”
“I am as well... but I think we need to talk about some things first.”
“Like what?”
“What about Mason?"
“Is it bad he just slipped my mind?”
Luke slowly shakes his head, “No, because he had slipped mine, too.”
“Well, it’s not like we can keep it from him.”
He huffs, “And why not?”
I smile apologetically. “Because I don’t keep stuff from him. If you haven’t noticed, we are really close, and we promised each other we wouldn’t let anything get in the way of that. On top of that, I’m not sure he would freak out on us, anyway. He might be protective of me, but he knows my decisions are my own.”
He raises an eyebrow, “Are you sure about that? I’m his best friend, and you’re his cousin.”
“Duh, he’ll have something to say. He doesn’t know when to shut up, you should know this. I just don’t think he’ll be pushed to violence or anything. We aren’t like that.”
“Well, I guess we will see tomorrow afternoon,” he retorts.
“Yep!”
“Now for the other issue.”
“What’s that?”
“We really know nothing about one another. We’ve known of each other for a while, but we’ve just met and now we are thinking about sleeping together. That’s all fine, but what do we want out of it?”
“Well, what do you want out of it? Do you want a relationship, or just a fling while you are here visiting?”
“Honestly, I’d like to see where this goes. I’d like to get to know you, how your brain works, what makes you happy, what makes you angry, and what makes you sad. I’m in it for the end game.”
I lick my lips, “I’d like to see where things go and get to know you, too. I’d like to know how you work and why you do certain things the way you do. It’s been a while since I’ve been in any relationship. My work demands a lot of my time and energy. It was a problem in my last relationship, so I’m going to be upfront about it. I do a lot. I’m also not sure I want kids, so if that’s a deal breaker, then we need to stop now. Those are the things you need to be aware of with me. Work and kids are the main things that could cause problems.”
He reaches up and caresses my face tenderly. “I can work anywhere. My work is flexible outside of meetings with clients. Long work hours don’t bother me, as long as I get to see you. I’m pretty independent and don’t need to see you all the time. I believe in personal space. Kids are negotiable and something that would have to be agreed upon. They are a big decision.”
“Agreed. So what now?”
He leans in and runs his nose against mine. “I was thinking about kissing you, if that’s okay?”
“Fine with me.”
He leans down and covers my lips with his, sliding his hand under my tank top and pulling me closer. Our lips move together in sync. He nips my bottom lip, causing me to gasp. That allows him entrance into my mouth and our tongues begin to dance. I grab at his hips and pull him on top of me, his body pressing me into the mattress. I pull at his shirt until I get it over his head, and he follows by running his hands up my body until I lean forward for him
to remove mine next. He reaches behind me with one hand and unclasps my bra. I huff a laugh out at him, making him to stop what he’s doing. “What?”
“I can’t even undo my bra with one hand, and you do it like it’s nothing.”
He gives me a wolfish smile, and then bends down to kiss my neck. He makes his way down to my chest and takes a nipple into his mouth, cupping the other breast. I moan and squirm under him, wanting more. Needing more. He switches breasts and my hand tangles in his hair. He lifts his head up and looks at me. He begins to unbutton my shorts before tugging them along with my panties down my legs while he nips at my hips. I groan and lift my hips up off the bed, but he holds them down. He smiles and looks up at me through hooded eyes. I bite my lip and sit up pulling him back up to me. I kiss him and push him over.
It’s my turn now. I leave kisses all the way down his chest, then nip across the waistline of his jeans before unbuttoning them. He lifts his hips so I can pull them down and off of him. He sits up and pulls me into his lap, kissing me until I’m breathless, then flips me over on the bed and kisses down my neck.
He positions himself over me. “Usually, I make this last a little longer, but I can’t wait.”
I’m just as eager as he is and push my hips up to meet him. “Neither can I.”
In one swift motion he enters me bare, both of us letting out satisfied moans. He begins to pump into me, slowly picking up his pace. My hands scratch down his back and pull him closer. His kisses start at my lips before trailing down my neck. I wrap my legs around him and flip us so I’m on top, grinding against him. My head falls back as my orgasm builds, warmth filling me, building until it finally explodes. I moan his name.
Luke flips me back onto my back and pounds into me uncontrollably, rapidly, and with apparent rhythm. I savor the feeling of him inside me, and watch his corded muscles holding him above me as he works to satisfy us both. Warmth fills my insides as he comes with my name on his lips, pumping into me to the hilt one final time, filling me. He rolls off of my body and onto the other side of the bed while we both work on steadying our breathing. I roll over to curl against Luke’s body, and we both fall asleep, watching the sun set outside my window.
Chapter 7
I jolt awake from a nightmare, sweat coating my body. I thought I had finally gotten over the nightmares, I hadn't had this specific one in years. It's the same thing over and over again, my grandfather and I driving around town on our way back from fishing when another truck runs a red light and hits us on the passenger side. Everything goes black and then I hear “It's all your fault.” It's the same thing, every time.
There’s no way I’ll be able to fall back asleep after that, so I get up and head into my office, pulling up pictures of Pappy. That man was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. He turned my life around for the better. Before I know it, I'm crying. I try to mute the cries, not wanting to wake Luke up.
The door behind me opens. "Abbey?" I turn around and try to head back to bed, apologizing under my breath as I attempt to pass Luke. He takes my hand, "Hey, what’s wrong, Abbey?”
My lip quivers at his concerned tone and I shake my head. "Come on, baby. You've got to tell me so I can help." I close my eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling. He pulls me into a hug. All I can manage to get out is, "It's all my fault."
He pulls away to look into my eyes, "What's all your fault?"
I hesitate, wondering whether I should tell him or not, but the look in his eyes says I can trust him. “My grandfather’s death.”
He shakes his head, "No, Abbey, it wasn’t your fault. I came with Mason when it happened. I know what happened, and I know it was the farthest thing from your fault."
I shake my head, "No, it is. If I hadn't insisted on coming back so early it would have never happened." A sob racks my chest.
He walks me into his room and sits me on the bed, "Abbey, look at me. It was not your fault. That man ran a red light and crashed into the car. You were lucky to survive."
"I wish it was me instead of him."
"He was so proud of you, he would have never wanted that. He knew you were going to change the world. I met him, Abbey, several times. All he could talk about was you, and how proud he was of you."
Luke sits on the bed, pulling me onto his lap and holds me while I cry. I eventually calm down, but stay against his chest, too drained to move. When I start to drift off, he lays me on his bed and pulls the covers over me. I wait to feel him get in beside me, but he never does. I sit up to look for him, my voice cracking as I call out his name. He walks back into the room from the office, sitting down on the edge of the bed and caressing my cheek. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to leave you, I was just turning off the lights.” I nod. "Could you scoot over so I can get in?" I nod and move over. He gets in and lays down beside me. "Baby, I'm not going to leave you. Lay down."
I curl up against him, his arm around me. His presence, his closeness, is gradually calming my heart rate down. "Get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." I move my head onto his shoulder and drift off to sleep.
I slowly open my eyes, taking in my surroundings, then close them, thinking about what happened just a couple of hours ago. Was this a mistake? I’m sure Mason will flip out. Is it worth bringing up to him and making him mad if it doesn’t go anywhere? I love him, I really don't want to make him mad. Luke hasn’t mentioned about going any further, so it’s not worth the possible argument, right? I mean, he doesn’t seem to care that much. He’s seen me cry a lot so he probably thinks I’m some kind of blubbering fool.
I sigh and climb out of bed, turning around to look at him sleeping peacefully. I smile and look around the room, remembering that I have no clothes in this room. I cross through the office and go to my closet to slide on some sweats and a hoodie.
I tiptoe to the kitchen to make some coffee.
Once I have a cup, I walk out outside. This place really was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I don’t know if sleeping with Luke was one of the good ones… yet . I let hormones and lust rule me. God, maybe I did mess up. I shake my head and walk around to the side of the house so the sun is rising behind me and sit down under a tree. Stupid. I hear leaves crush and I look up. Luke is making his way over to me. Just great.
He stops right in front of me. “Why are you wearing clothes, and why are you not in my bed?” Talk about getting straight to the point.
“Clothes are made to be worn, and I woke up.”
He squints down at me, trying to block the sun. “Is something wrong?”
I slowly shake my head, but he doesn’t seem to buy it. “Really?”
“Yeah Luke, I’m fine.” Just go away. Let me be.
“Okay then. Abbey?” I look up expecting to see him still standing over me. Instead he is squatting and bending down to kiss me. I freeze, not expecting it, and when I don’t respond he sits in front of me. “Right, nothing's wrong? So we can either talk about this, or we can stare at each other.”
I stare down at my hands. He sighs, “Abbey, you have got to talk to me.”
“Why?”
“Because this apparently has something to do with me and you, considering you froze when I went to kiss you.”
I glare at him. “Just leave me alone. I can figure it out myself, and at this point, there is nothing else for me to figure out.”
His eyes widen at my snapping at him. “Abbey what the hell? Are you having second thoughts?”
I set my coffee cup down and stand up, moving away from him. I walk back around the cabin and to the edge of the trail. I know I’m going to have to say something to him eventually, but I don’t want to. Not right now.
“Dammit, Abbey, come on!” I just shake my head. Before I can comprehend what is happening, I’m pressed up against a tree with Luke standing in front of me with his arms crossed.
“Talk. To. Me.” he growls. He actually growls.
I look up at him, “What the hell do you want me to say?”
/> “The truth. Whatever is going through your mind. Dammit, just tell me!” He booms, his voice echoing among the trees.
“What’s going through my mind? How about me not wanting to piss Mason off? And that this all could be a major mistake? That this will go nowhere because in two weeks we go back to our normal lives, so there’s no point in telling Mason. And what the hell am I supposed to do if this continues, and I become attached to you, and then you just leave? Is that what you wanted to hear, huh?”
“Baby…” He goes to touch my face and I dodge his hands.
I try to storm past him, but he moves, quickly blocking my way and I crash into his chest. He glares down at me and walks me back into the tree. “No, Abbey, it’s my turn. So shut the hell up and listen.” He waits to see if I’m going to try and do something, but I just stand there, glaring back at him.
“First off, we both agreed it would be better to tell Mason, so that’s what we are going to do. And what if it turns into a mistake? I’m not a fortune teller, but I can sure as hell tell you that it would be one of the best mistakes of my life. How about taking a chance? I’m not some douchebag that just wants you for sex. Apparently I don’t show it well enough, but I do care. Yes, you heard me right, I. Do. Care. I don’t plan on hurting you, and do you think for one second I would intentionally hurt you? How do you know after two weeks we couldn’t make it work? You haven’t even asked me where my firm is based out of. And if you do become attached, we will figure it out, because more than likely, I will, too. Does that help you? Because you not talking to me is frustrating, and it makes me really angry.”
My eyes widen at his words. He just shakes his head and stalks back to the house. I stay standing there, watching him stride away. He disappears into the cabin, leaving me with a million more questions. Do I follow him? Trust him? Leave? Go get Mason? What do I do?
I slowly make my way back to the house, not knowing what to expect. I walk in and don't see Luke. I walk to his bedroom but the door is closed. I knock and wait. He comes to the door. He looks at me coolly; it bothers me more than I thought it could. "Yes?"
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