My problem wasn't that I didn't want to be around him. It wasn't that this thing between us was complicated or difficult - even if it should've been. It was howeasyit was to be with them. My big issue was that I wanted to step into him. I wanted to put my mouth on him, drag him back to the house, and throw him in a bed. I wanted to hear his breath rush out when he realized what he could do to me with that one casual glance.
I'd tried to push him off. I'd done my best to hold him at bay. Instead, I'd just had too many chances to see how amazing this man was - to me, to Ash, to Violet, and most of all to Faith. Ever since he'd come back, Luke had been as open and honest as he could be, and I couldn't help but notice. I also liked it, maybe even too much, and I was slowly but surely falling for him. I kept trying to say I wasn't, but that look?
This man did something amazing to my heart.
But I was trying to be good, so I pulled my eyes away. My pulse was pounding just a bit too fast. I could damned near feel Luke standing just within my reach. I also knew that reaching for him would be a stupid fucking idea. So, I turned my attention to the box for the gate.
Behind the panel was a spot for a key. That was on the key ring in my pocket. Pulling it out, I inserted it and twisted, and the controller beeped. From there, all I had to do was type in the old code and replace it with a new one: Gran's birthday. That would make sure the other did nothing. While I worked, Luke moved to look over my shoulder, but he didn't say a word. I could still feel him, right there, so fucking close.
When it was done, I put the whole thing back together and stood up, dusting my hands clean on my thighs. Luke just cleared his throat. Glancing at him, I realized he wasn't looking at me, so I followed his gaze. Down the road, stopped in front of the only mailbox on that side of the street was a dark SUV. There was clearly someone inside.
"Looks like Meredith got a private investigator too." I pulled out my phone again and opened the gate.
Luke gestured for me to go first, then fell in beside me once we were both through. We made it partway back up the drive in silence. Neither of us had done more than look, but only because we had nothing to hide. I'd replayed all of our actions on the way down, and there had been nothing too friendly - except that look.
"Can't do what?" Luke finally asked, clearly thinking the same way I was.
"Us," I said, refusing to look over. "This game we're playing. Pretending like we're just friends. I've never had to worry about a kid in the house before, and certainly not the paparazzi out there."
He chuckled. "Violet probably would've struck a pose."
"Or Ash," I agreed, angling to head to the barn. "Luke?"
"Not out here," he said. "I don't know how much of the property they can see from down there, so just keep walking, Cy."
So I did. The gravel crunched under our boots. The cicadas sang out in waves. A gentle breeze made the grass rustle in the pastures, the sound like a soft hushing noise this far away. This was late summer in Texas, and I'd almost forgotten how much I loved it. I'd been too distracted to stop and just smell the fucking roses lately - or uncut hay, as the case may be.
Yet the moment we rounded the corner and were out of sight in the barn, Luke stepped into me and shoved hard enough for my back to hit the wall. Caught completely by surprise, I barely got my hands up before his mouth found mine. My hands met his chest, finding nothing but muscle, and for one single second, I considered pushing him back.
Instead, I parted my lips.
He was right there, tasting like Dr. Pepper and smelling like hydraulic fluid. My hand found the back of his head, knocking his hat off in the process, but he didn't even slow. He just leaned closer, pressing his hard dick right against mine. A groan slipped from my lips, he drank it in, and I stopped worrying about everything else.
This man was power and fire in a way I couldn't get enough of. He didn't hold back at all, and I wanted more. I wanted to feel him in my arms, lick the salt from his skin, and make him give in, but I couldn't with him holding me here. So I shoved. We rolled until his back was against the wall. His eyes jumped open and our gazes met.
"We're not supposed to be doing this," I panted.
Luke just grabbed my face and leaned in to steal another kiss. "We're not supposed to get caught, Cy. She never said we couldn't do it."
Fuck, that was all I needed to hear. As my tongue explored his mouth, my hands pulled at his shirt, tugging it free of his jeans, and Luke let me. I could feel the sweat on his skin. The cloth was just starting to get damp, but fuck if I cared about any of that. I lifted, and Luke pulled his lips from mine just long enough to get his head free - and then he was right back on me.
Yeah, except that I wasn't done yet. "I hope you aren't the shy kind," I breathed as my hands found his belt buckle and I popped it open.
He groaned. "No, not really."
He reached down to help me, getting the end of his belt out of the way, so I focused on the button. Once that was free, I pulled, opening the front of his jeans, and then my lips moved to his neck. Damn, he tasted good. Then I kissed his chest, flicking my tongue across his smooth skin while my hands helped guide his pants and underwear down. I felt when he sprang free, but I didn't grab him. Instead, I dropped to a knee.
"Oh, damn," Luke breathed.
"I'm going to put that in my mouth," I told him, letting my eyes enjoy his length. "Then I'm going to play with you until you lose control, and the whole time you're going to stand there like a good boy."
"Yes, sir," he breathed, spreading his legs a little more.
The denim was bunched up around his upper thighs, but he looked damned good like that. The hair across his pelvis was short, little more than a shadow, but I liked the trail that pointed down from his belly button. He looked delicious, so I leaned in, but I didn't bother to lick my way down. I just swallowed him, taking every inch I could. Luke's knees weakened and his hands went to the back of my head, and then this man pulled me even deeper.
He was so thick and hard. I could feel the veins against my lips, but I took a little more, swallowing him back when the head of his dick hit the back of my throat. The sound he made was worth it. When my lips pressed against his body, he finally let me slide partially back, and then I looked up.
Those damned green eyes of his were watching me, a fire in them that I liked a little too much. He didn't have them closed, and his head wasn't leaned back. He wasn't trying to imagine I was Violet or some other woman. This man? He wanted me, and he honestly wanted this.
