“You’re right,” Chelsea agreed, sounding a little angry herself now. “We go out and we fuck, but that doesn’t mean we have a commitment to each other. We can both date or fuck anyone we want.”
Chelsea had just parked in a visitor spot.
I took several deep breaths to get my temper under control, reminding myself that what I’d said was true. We hadn’t discussed commitments, an oversight on my part. I’m not good at being the one who thinks of the steps to follow in a relationship. In all my past relationships, while I’d been largely in charge of how things went when we were naked, the logistics of the relationship were handled by my partner. I was in new territory with Chelsea, partly because she was out of practice with relationships, but partly because she was still resistant to really letting me in.
I snatched Chelsea’s keys out of the ignition, wanting to make sure she couldn’t leave—at least, not until after we talked. “Don’t fucking push me, Chels,” I warned before climbing out of the car and waiting for her to get out.
After Chelsea shut her door, I set the alarm with her key fob and stalked toward my apartment.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chelsea
Lucas Robinson was an arrogant bastard!
I could not believe he had the nerve to accuse me of pushing him when all I’d done was agree he was right. I wasn’t the one who’d said we had no commitment and I could go out with anyone I wanted. All right, I had said it but only agreeing with him.
By the time we walked into Luke’s apartment, I was more than a little angry myself. After Jason, I tried to avoid confrontations with people, especially angry people, which Luke clearly was. It’s not that I’d become afraid to speak my mind, but I’d definitely learned to be more cautious, wanting to avoid angry shouts. Jason had never raised a hand to me during our marriage, but he could be really hurtful when he was mad. That’s when I’d learned it was best to hold off until you could have a conversation instead of an argument. Logic was pushing me to convince Luke to wait to have this talk until we’d both cooled down. There was also this part of me saying fuck logic.
“Do you think you’ll ever get over being ashamed of dating me?” Luke demanded.
“I’m not ashamed of dating you,” I argued.
“When were you going to tell your parents?” he pushed. “After your third date with the guy your mom was fixing you up with? Had I not shown up, when would you have told her?”
“I was going to tell them tonight,” I argued. “Probably,” I added.
“Well, then that just makes it all better,” Luke grumbled. “You might have told them tonight, or never. Luckily, Ty thought it would be nice for them to know or I might still be your dirty little secret.”
“This is just one of the many reasons I didn’t want to get involved with a child,” I snapped.
“What did you call me?” Luke asked, sounding deceptively calm.
“I’m sorry. Did I not say that clearly enough for you to understand?” I asked with a sweet smile. “You. Are. Acting. Like. A. Child.”
Luke’s eyes didn’t flash with anger. Instead, they flashed with amusement. “You wanna pick a fight, Chels? Is that how you plan to get around answering my questions? Is it because you know you screwed up? Are you just acting bratty to get out of apologizing?”
I grabbed one of his hideous throw pillows and tossed it at his head, which made him laugh. “Stupid man!”
Just like that, all the amusement left his face, and it was obvious Luke was getting turned on. “That’s right, Chels. I am a man. I am your man. Maybe we didn’t discuss it like we should have, but that doesn’t change the fact that we are a couple. There is no one else in my life, and I don’t want there to be anyone else in your life.”
“Because you dictate it?” I snapped.
“Cut me some slack, Chels,” he huffed. “You know damn well I’m not good at these types of talks. Stop trying to pick a fight.”
Instead of responding like the mature adult I claimed to be, I tossed another pillow at him.
“You wanna end up bent over my knee?” he asked.
“I beg your pardon?” I demanded, annoyed that I was turned on by Luke’s threat.
“Yeah, you will beg,” he promised. “That’s exactly what you need, isn’t it? You need me to tie you to my bed and make you beg for your release. Once you feel those ropes holding you down, you can fight the restraints and tug at them until you get all that anger out of your system. Or do you want me to spank you first? You liked the sound of that, didn’t you? Admit it, Chels, I’m the only man for you.”
“You arrogant ass!” I shouted, tossing another pillow at him.
Luke dodged the pillow and caught me around the waist, pulling me flush against his body. After smacking his chest, I grabbed his hair and pulled his head down to mine, kissing him and savoring the way he groaned. It was Luke who broke the kiss before sitting on the sofa and pulling me face down across his lap. I let out a startled squeal when he smacked my jean clad ass, but that squeal quickly turned to a moan.
“More,” I pleaded, and Luke groaned loudly before he spanked me again. His hand moved against my ass with varying intensity and speed, and I found myself moaning, squirming, and so turned on I thought I might die. All the stress I’d been feeling since Luke had walked into my parents’ house seemed to melt away.
Luke’s hand stopped, and he repositioned me so I was straddling his lap.
“Are we about to have makeup sex?” I asked before he kissed me.
Luke brushed his lips against mine before responding. “We weren’t fighting.”
“It sure seemed like we were fighting,” I argued.
Luke shook his head. “We were both just really frustrated with the situation.”
“You were pissed,” I insisted.
“Yes, I was, but partly with myself for not clarifying where we were at,” he admitted. “I was also hurt about you not telling your parents. I want to tell the world you’re with me, so I have trouble understanding why you didn’t tell your parents.”
That admission was obviously hard on Luke. I already knew he shared more with me than he probably had in other relationships. It was hard for Luke to open up. Even with Brook, he usually just sent her a text when he needed to discuss his feelings. For that reason, I wanted to tread lightly and not mess things up. I didn’t want Luke to be afraid to talk to me about his feelings in the future.
“It’s not that I’m embarrassed about being with you,” I began. “There’s this part of me that’s not convinced things can work because I’m a pessimist when it comes to relationships.”
“We both need to communicate better,” Luke stated. “I suck at it, but I promise to try.”
“Me too,” I agreed. “Now, are you going to tie me to your bed and have your way with me?” The question was not a way to avoid the intense topic so much as my need to get Luke in me. Between our argument and the spanking, I was really turned on.
“Fuck me,” Luke uttered, standing with me still straddling him. My legs immediately wrapped around his waist.
“I thought you were going to fuck me,” I teased.
“You are going to be the death of me, woman,” he groaned as he carried me toward the bedroom. After walking me into the room, Luke set me down and grabbed a condom.
“Take those jeans off,” he commanded, making me clench with desire. “I need to fuck you hard and fast against the wall. Any objections?”
Words failed me at first, and all I could do was shake my head as I kicked off my shoes and stripped out of my clothes.
When I turned, I found Luke in his Cookie Monster boxers, and I was actually too aroused to come up with a joke. Catching my hand, Luke pulled me against his chest and kissed me. His tongue thrust roughly into my mouth as his hand fisted in my hair to hold me in place. It was exactly what I needed—desperate and primal. I moaned, and my nails dug into his shoulders as he continued to hold me in place for his near punishing kiss.
Breaking t
he kiss, Luke stripped off his boxers and rolled on the condom before spinning us so my back was against the wall as he lifted me. When my legs wrapped around him, I gripped his dick, positioning it at my entrance. Luke plunged into me, and I whimpered, rocking against him as he pressed me against the cold, textured wall.
There was nothing gentle about Luke’s thrusts as he slammed into my body, groaning as my body clamped down around him. Leaning forward, I bit his shoulder, and he growled low in his throat, gripping my ass as he rocked against me, increasing the pressure on my clit, and causing me to let out a low keening sound of pleasure.
It wasn’t long until my orgasm hit, making me scream as I writhed against Luke. As soon as my spasms settled some, Luke stalked over to his bed and set me on my feet. After turning me to face his bed, he pushed me forward and smacked my already stinging ass, making me squeal in surprise. Thrusting into my body, Luke moved at a frenzied pace until his dick swelled inside me just before he found his own release.
Luke let out hoarse cry of completion as his dick twitched violently.
When Luke pulled out, he dropped the condom in the trash and helped me stand. My legs were shaky, making me wonder how Luke seemed so steady. “You are fucking incredible,” he praised.
“You only say that because I let you fuck me against walls and tie me up,” I murmured as he lifted and laid me on the middle of his bed before settling in beside me.
“Don’t do that, Chels.”
I started to ask what he meant, but I knew what he was talking about. Luke didn’t want me to pretend he only cared about sex with me. He didn’t want me to deny what we had. “I’ll try,” I assured him.
“Thank you,” he uttered sleepily. “For everything.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Luke
It had been an intense night, and that’s why I wasn’t surprised Chelsea was still asleep. I was only up because I needed to grade some papers before school the next day. I was hoping to get them done early so I could spend Chelsea’s day off with her. I wouldn’t say all our problems had been magically solved the previous night, but it was a start. We’d had a serious discussion about our feelings, something neither of us was very good at. We both agreed we were exclusive, and I was confident we’d work through any other problems.
The knock on my front door interrupted me from my work, and I was annoyed. Most likely, it was someone selling something. For whatever reason, my apartment complex had become very popular with those selling magazine subscriptions and vacuum cleaners. I was getting tired of telling people I wasn’t in the market for either, and the no soliciting sign did nothing to deter the sales people.
I opened the door to find a pregnant woman, who was probably about my age, standing on my front porch, rubbing her belly. She looked a lot like Brook with long brown hair pulled back from her face. I imagined when she wasn’t pregnant, she had a fairly athletic build. With the sunglasses covering her eyes, I couldn’t tell their color, and it was hard to read her expression.
“Are you Lucas Robinson?” she asked before I could say anything.
“That’s me,” I replied, surprised she knew my name since I’d never met this woman before. “Was there something I could help you with?”
“I’m Misty,” she stated and then waited for me to have some reaction to her name. When I said nothing, her face fell. “You have no clue who I am, do you?”
“Sorry,” I replied. “Did we go to school together?” I figured maybe we’d graduated the same year, or she’d dated one of my friends.
“I was living with your dad,” she explained.
“Fuck,” I muttered quietly. “You should definitely come in and have a seat.”
Brook had already told me about my dad getting a woman pregnant and trying to get her to have an abortion. Apparently, that hadn’t happened, and I could only assume my dad had disappeared if the woman was at my apartment. Since I wasn’t in hiding, it had probably been easier to find me, and she likely assumed I’d know how to contact my dad.
Misty took a seat on my sofa before looking around my apartment. “You don’t have much money, do you?”
“Nope,” I replied. “Is that why you’re here? Are you hoping I can help you with money?” When I heard the words come out of my mouth, I realized what an asshole I sounded like. Of course, I’d help her. She was pregnant with my brother or sister, but her question still annoyed me.
“Sorry. My question sounded really awful. I’m not here to hustle you for money. When I headed out here, I was hoping you’d help me find your dad. That’s what I was still thinking. Then when the baby kicked just now, I got to thinking that I don’t want any of this. Rob is just going to leave me with the kid, and I don’t have any interest in being a single mom. I can’t even take care of myself. I shouldn’t have come here.”
When she started to stand, I caught her arm. “Hold up, Misty. It’s gonna be okay. Lots of pregnant women worry about this sort of thing. I’m sure they all get nervous.” I was pulling this all out of my ass and had no clue how most pregnant women felt, but doubts seemed natural.
“To be honest, I was thinking about giving the baby up for adoption, anyway,” she admitted.
“Are you sure you really want to do that?” I asked.
Misty nodded. “It’s all I’ve thought about. I even asked my family if they want her, but they don’t want her any more than they want me. I have no idea why I even bothered asking them. Do you know any of your dad’s family who might want her?”
“It’s a girl?” I asked, suddenly a little overwhelmed. I had a sister, or I would soon.
“Yeah, they did two ultrasounds, and it’s definitely a girl,” she replied. “She’s due in February.”
“I’m the only family my dad has,” I admitted.
“Figures,” Misty muttered.
“What about me?” I asked, unable to believe the words that had just come from my mouth.
“You want the baby? I’m not planning to be involved no matter what you decide, so you don’t have to worry about me interfering in your life.”
“Luke?” Chelsea called my name softly from the bedroom door. I wasn’t sure if she was saying it to get my attention or asking about Misty. I could certainly see how this would look bad. There was a pregnant woman in my living room asking if I wanted the baby and promising not to be involved.
Misty looked ready to bolt, so I decided I should answer her first. “Yes, I want her. Just give me a minute to talk to Chelsea, and then we can discuss this more.”
I guided Chelsea back into my bedroom, needing to explain about Misty before Chelsea took it the wrong way. Closing the door to the room, I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. Rather than demanding answers, Chelsea wrapped her arms around my waist and put her head against my chest.
“It’s going to be okay, Luke,” she assured me.
“It is?” I asked.
“Of course it is,” she insisted. “I know this must be a surprise. Clearly, she didn’t tell you she was pregnant until today, but things are going to work out. You’re not alone.”
“Chels,” I began, awed by her reaction. “The baby isn’t mine. This is the woman my dad was living with when Brook served him with divorce papers. She doesn’t want the baby, and I’m going to see what I can do to get custody. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, Chelsea, but that’s my sister, and I want her in my life.”
Releasing her hold on my waist, Chelsea stepped back. “I’m going to throw on some clothes and run home to shower and take care of Tasha while you talk to her about the baby. Do you need me to pick up breakfast before I go? It seems like you should offer a pregnant woman food.”
“I’ll take her out if she’s hungry,” I assured Chelsea before pulling her into my arms and resting my chin on top of her head. “You thought the baby was mine, and you were really okay with all this?” I was still having trouble believing that.
“People make mistakes all the time,” she assured me. “I figur
ed if you had gotten her pregnant, at least you were willing to do right by her and your child. Taking on your sister just makes you seem more incredible to me.”
I gave her one last squeeze before releasing her. “I really do love you, Chels. You don’t have to say the words. I get that you’re not ready, but I needed to tell you when you won’t think it’s just the sex making me say it. We’re going to have a baby soon.”
Chelsea’s eyes widened, and her expression could only be described as panicked before she pasted a smile on her face. “No matter what happens, I’ll be here to help you. We’ll always be friends.”
It was definitely not the answer I’d been hoping for, but I decided not to push for more. I needed to talk to Misty and figure out how I was going to gain custody of my baby sister.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chelsea
As soon as I got into my car, I called Brook, hoping she’d pick up, knowing she might not since she had a big project to work on. I nearly groaned when Tyler answered her phone.
“Hey, Chels,” he greeted me.
I was tempted to pretend I’d butt dialed him, but I figured he’d be mad when he heard from Luke what had happened.
“Hi, Tyler. How are you doing?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, sounding worried. “You and Luke aren’t still fighting over that fiasco at Mom and Dad’s last night, are you?”
“No, we made up,” I assured him.
“Then what’s going on, Chelsea?” he pushed gently. “You’re making me nervous.”
“Sorry, I was planning to tell Brook, and I’m worried about telling you since Luke might want to tell you,” I admitted.
“You’re pregnant?” Tyler asked loudly, which was enough to catch Brook’s attention because hers was the next voice I heard on the line.
“Oh. My. God!” Brook screeched. “I’m going to be a grandma? Did you just find out this morning?”
“I’m not pregnant,” I assured her, putting the call on speaker so I could start driving. The last thing I wanted was to have Luke come out and find me still in his parking lot, freaking out on the phone.
Naughty at 30 (Love Without Batteries #2) Page 14