Page 55 of Legends Luke

So, when someone knocked on her door, she was tempted to ignore it. It’s not like she had a lot of friends in town who would drop by for a visit, and she wasn’t up to entertaining. But the person was persistent, knocking a second time a little more firmly than the first. She pushed to her feet, catching herself when she lost her balance. Crossing over to the door, she peered out the window, momentarily stunned. The sun had set, casting shadows over her lawn, but she could still see Luke standing on her doorstep.

Swinging the door open, she froze under the intensity of his icy blue eyes. Her weariness was forgotten as she watched the swirls of emotion brewing in his stare. She couldn’t define what she saw, but her body warmed under his scrutiny.

“Hi.” His deep voice seemed to vibrate inside her, the sensation not unpleasant.

“What are you doing here?”

His smirk curled his lips, and he leaned on his arms against the door frame, the sleeves of his T-shirt stretching over his muscles. “I figured you’d at least invite me in before you started the interrogation.”

“I have to warn you, I’m not very good company right now.”

His humor fell away, leaving concern. “Are you all right?”

She sighed. “Honestly? I think so, but I’m too tired to know for sure.”

“Invite me in, Mel.”

She stepped back and motioned for him to come inside. “Can I get you something to drink?”

His response was to grab her hand and lead her over to the couch. He lightly pushed her down on the cushion before sitting down beside her. Pulling her legs up to rest in his lap, he wrapped his hands around her feet, and his fingers gently massaged the soles. She wanted to protest, certain her feet probably smelled from being confined in her shoes all day, but his touch felt too good for her to stop it.

Her body slid deeper into the couch’s plush softness. Her eyes rested on him. Though he kept his attention on his ministrations, she was certain he knew she watched him.

“I’m sorry for being so judgmental about what you and your brothers do. I wouldn’t say I understand it, but I shouldn’t have been so quick to say you were wrong.”

“I get it. We kind of went through the same thing. Only Englishnever told us he was in the CIA. We overheard him talking to Becky one day. After Gish helped her get away from her boyfriend, he gave her a job at the bar and a place to live. She probably could have done anything she wanted after a while, but she stayed around. I don’t know how she found out about Gish. I’m sure he never told her, but I remember how we felt when we found out. I’m guessing it was a lot like how you felt when I told you about us.”

“Is English the reason you do what you do? Is this some way to honor all he’s done for you?”

Luke shook his head. “You know my story, and you know we all came from shitty homes. Gish helped us escape, but there are people in trouble who don’t have someone in their corners to give them an escape. They’ve tried everything they know to do, but sometimes the system lets them down. With our military training and Gish’s experience as a CIA operative, we knew we could make a difference. We don’t have a hero complex or anything. We don’t want recognition or pats on the back. That’s why we don’t want to draw attention to what we do.”

“Thank you for telling me. I promise you I haven’t told anyone else, not even Lyric. I mean I did tell her what happened without getting too specific. It was enough for her to tell me I was overreacting about the whole thing. She told me I needed to get out of my head and follow my heart. I hate it when she’s right.”

She could hear a slight slur in her voice and knew her fatigue was winning. Luke chuckled, and she smiled sleepily. His laugh was deep, and her body tingled listening to it. Her eyelids started to fall,but she forced them open, not ready for Luke to leave. His presence was calming, his attention soothing.

“You look ready for bed. I should go,” he said, though he never faltered in massaging her feet.

“Don’t go. Please. I, uh, I want to talk about non-adultish things.”

His eyebrow shot up quizzically. “Non-adultish? That’s not a word.”

She giggled. “It fits though. Haven’t you ever made up words to suit the situation? Lyric is great at it, and I guess she rubbed off on me. I wish more of her personality rubbed off on me. She doesn’t overthink anything. She’s more of a free spirit. She’s not foolish with her decisions, but she is more spontaneous than I am. More outgoing. She would have made all sorts of friends here without having to sign up for a dating website to meet new people. Of course, if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met you. Do you believe in fate? I don’t. Not really, but maybe I should. Maybe some unseen force brought us together because it knew I would need you. And in a zippy twist of fate, I like you too. More than I’ve liked anyone in a while. Does it creep you out? Most guys prefer women who play games and act mysterious. I never had it in me…to do…um, to do that.”

She was rambling but didn’t bother fighting it. It was a symptom of her exhaustion, and she found it harder to resist the pull of a deep sleep.

Luke moved her legs from his lap, and she whimpered at the loss of contact. He stood and turned to face her. She told herself sheshould see him to the door, but her body wouldn’t move. When he snaked one arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees, she barely registered his touch before he lifted her into his arms. He turned, settling back on the couch with her securely against him. His body was firm and warm, and she nuzzled closer to him. Somehow, he managed to stretch out on the couch, cradling her in his arms with her body lying on top of his. Her head rested against his chest, his heartbeat sounding like a drum call, drawing her to him.

He began stroking her hair, and she finally allowed her eyes to close.

“I’m glad you don’t play games. I don’t want you to be like anyone else. Because I like you, Mel. Just you, the way you are. The next time you start overthinking something, talk to me. We’ll sort through it together.”

She sighed, believing what he told her to be the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her. “Deal,” she agreed before she fell into a deep slumber.

She had no idea how long she slept, but when she woke, she guessed it to be late at night or the wee hours of the morning. The sight out her windows was black. She’d switched on a lamp on the side table, and it illuminated the room — and the fact that she was in Luke’s arms. They held her firmly but not too tight. As tired as she was and as good as his body felt next to hers, she doubted she moved an inch while she slept.

Shifting as subtly as she could, she raised her head to stare down into his face. His eyes were closed, black lashes fanning his cheeks.His breathing was steady, his chest gently rising and falling under her breasts. Her gaze followed the slope of his nose, the angle of his cheekbones, the line of his jaw, and the curve of slightly parted his lips as he slept. Her finger lightly traced his bottom lip, and his lids popped open. His eyes pierced her own, and she froze.

“Sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

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