Page 45 of Back To You

“Hi,” I say, not wanting to give him a heart attack when he turns and sees me in his kitchen.

Luke looks up at me, his lips in a smirk on the side of his face. I’m in a pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, but I still feel goosebumps cover my skin.

“Hey, honey,” he replies, and there’s an unfamiliar feeling in the air. It isn’t awkwardness or tension; it’s almost like a sense of anticipation, like both of us know something is about to happen, but we don’t know what.

That’s a lie.

I know what.

“Luke,” I start, ready to rip my newly-restarted heart from my chest and lay it all out for him, but I don’t get the chance.

In two seconds, Luke is in front of me, his arms scooping me up under the legs placing me on the kitchen counter. The cool granite is a stark contrast to the warmth of his arms, and my mind instantly blanks when our lips meet.

As he kisses me with that same urgency I felt outside Lenny’s tonight, the thought of a heart-to-heart about our messy history and even messier breakup all so we can getclosuresounds like a stupid idea.

His hands find the tops of my legs, gripping tightly as he pulls them open, stepping between them, so I can feel his body against mine. My hands snake up his arms,feeling his warm, golden skin under my fingertips, as I move them up to wrap around his neck.

The first swipe of his tongue against mine sets my insides on fire, and I can’t fight the urge to fist my fingers in his blonde hair, angling his head for me.

Our tongues dance, and my body longs for friction as the pressure in my belly deepens. We both notice at the same time that the counter is the perfect height for me to feel his hard length against my core, and it’s like he can read my mind as he grinds his hips against me, a small moan escaping from my lips but sounding so loud in the quiet apartment.

“Tell me you want this,” he whispers against my lips, and I don’t know exactly whatthisis. But, the more he kisses me, the more he rubs his body against mine, the more I drop my defenses and convince myself that giving into Luke is exactly what I need to do.

“I want this,” I whisper back, my grip tightening in his hair, and I pull him back to me, hoping my kisses leave him bruised.

He pulls back an inch, and I stifle the whine I almost let out in protest.

“Are you sure?” he asks, his eyes glued to mine, darkened by lust. “Because this isn’t just a one-night thing for me, Annie.”

I resist the urge to pull my eyes away from his, the reality of how close I am to tearing down the walls I’ve put up between us threatening to come crashing down on this moment.

“I can’t promise more than tonight.”

Something flashes in his eyes, a look of longing, of hurt, but then it’s gone. His hand cups the side of my head, “Then, I guess that’s good enough for me.” He pulls me in, and I see stars. We’re a mess of kisses,touches, and desire, our clothes suddenly feeling like too much of a barrier between us.

“Take off your shirt,” I tell Luke, and he does it without a second thought. I make quick work of my t-shirt and sweatpants, throwing them to the ground as Luke stands in front of me, his chiseled chest and corded arms like a fantasy come to life. His cheeks have a slight flush and his blue eyes are fixed on me, making me feel like I could burst into flames any second.

“You’re perfect,” he says, stepping between my legs and peppering kisses along my jaw and down my neck to my exposed breasts.

My brain completely turns off as he sinks his teeth into the sensitive skin on my chest, licking away the sting with his tongue, and I feel him smile against my skin.

“Cat got your tongue, Annie girl?”

I hum in agreement as one arm holds me in place on the countertop and the other finds my breast, my peaked nipple between his fingers as he whispers, “So you’re telling me all I had to do is get you naked to shut you up?” There’s an edge to his voice I haven’t heard in so long, I thought I imagined it in the first place.

The same edge that makes me completely susceptible to anything this man says to me.

Like move in with him.

That edge brings mine back to life. “I’m not naked.” Not my best comeback, considering the only clothing I have on is my underwear, but it’s all I can manage as he moves his lips down my chest, his tongue tasting my skin until he meets his fingers on my nipple, circling his tongue around the sensitive peak, making me lean my head back and let out a moan I’ll be embarrassed about later.

He moves across my chest, repeating the maddening movement of his tongue on my other breast, and I lean back on my hands behind me, exposing myself to him. He moves back and forth across my chest, alternating between using his fingers and mouth until I am a complete and utter mess.

“Luke,” I plead, and I don’t even know what I’m asking for.

“I got you,” he whispers against my skin, bringing his lips to mine and kissing me deeply before pulling away.

I open my eyes just in time to see him jog into my bedroom, the sound of the drawer in the bedside table opening and closing, and Luke coming back with that little blue toy he’s been obsessed with since he packed me a bag the night of the break-in.

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