Skin Deep

By J.M. Stone

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Cover Design by J.M. Stone

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. Ebook copies may not be resold or given away to
other people. If you would like to share with a friend, please buy an extra copy, and thank you for
respecting the author’s work.

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and
retrieval system without the prior written consent from the publisher, except in the instance of quotes
for reviews. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the internet without the
publisher’s permission and is a violation of the International copyright law, which subjects the
violator to severe fines and imprisonment.

This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents, and places are products of the author’s
imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual
events are entirely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features
are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is
no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used.

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Table of Contents:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7

Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Author’s Note
Acknowledgements
About the Author

Dedication

To all the dreamers who ever wanted to accomplish something, and had the courage to do it. And to
Jenn, my number one cheerleader (and ESIL).

Chapter One

“Oh my good…glory be to…Lord love a…sweet baby Jesus…” I breathed.

Allie quirked a brow at me and nudged me with her elbow. “Wanna close your mouth, sweetie? And
how many old adages can you cram into one sentence, anyway?” she snorted.

Allie is my best friend, and has been since grade school, but she could be my worst enemy, too.
Especially at times like this. She’s an olive skinned beauty, topping out at five foot two, with short,
thick black hair, currently highlighted with purple and cut in a pixie-ish way. She has shockingly
bright blue eyes that dance with mischief, and she is feisty as hell. To top off all that cuteness? She’s
built like a brick shithouse, which for one, isn’t fair, and two, who came up with that saying, anyway?

I shook myself out of my stupor as Allie laughed quietly at my side. What? I mean, come on, when
faced with a stack of deliciousness like the one standing not fifteen feet from me, wouldn’t you be a
little…I don’t know, drooly?

Allie grabbed my arm and started dragging me further into the shop towards the counter. I started
dragging my feet and fighting her, just then remembering why I wasn’t happy with her in the first
place.

“Allie, I told you, I am not getting a tattoo! I promised you that I would come watch while you got
your tongue, or toe, or whatever weird part of your body you decided on, pierced, but that’s it!” I
tried to remove my arm from her grasp, which tightened as she dug her fingertips into me, but ended
up just looking like a petulant child throwing a temper tantrum.

I drew up short when I realized that we had an audience. That stack of deliciousness I mentioned?
Yeah. Staring at us. Smirking. Oh. My. God. I stopped struggling with Allie and she let go of my arm.
I smoothed down my shirt, which had started riding up during my struggles, and cleared my throat.
Allie rolled her eyes and continued walking to the counter, leaving me behind.

“ My friend here, er, well, there…,” Allie looked over her shoulder at me and jerked her head in my
direction, “she wants to get a tattoo.” That stack of deliciousness glanced my way and gave me a
small wink. (Whoa!) “But, she’s kind of scared.”

I bristled a bit at that. What? Scared? Me? Pshaw…ok, yeah. I was. What of it? I mean, who really
wants to spend, like, hours with someone digging sharp pointy things that buzz rather loudly into their
skin?

“Aw, sugar, don’t be scared,” the stack of deliciousness said. “Why don’t you come on up here with
me and pick something out? I’ll do you myself, and I promise, I’ll be gentle.”

Whoa. Talk about a double entendre…

Stack of deliciousness had a voice that was smooth as silk and rich as sin. And Lord, those eyes of
his! Intense smoky, blue-grey eyes stared at me from under a shock of unruly black hair that swept
down over his right eye. He was wearing a black, long sleeved t-shirt with the sleeves pushed up to
his elbows. I could see black swirls of ink on both of his arms, but couldn’t make out any specific
designs without moving closer. He had a silver ring piercing his left lower lip, which made me
unconsciously trace the tip of my tongue over my own lip. Which made him quirk his eyebrow at me.

Ooh.

I noticed Allie looking pointedly in my direction before swinging her attention back to Stack. “So,
yeah, Emma’s going to come up here and pick something out, but until she actually moves her ass, I’d
like to see about getting my tongue pierced. Do you do those, too?

Stack glanced at Allie. “Yeah, we do that. Brandon is free right now, too, so I’ll get you set up with
him and then see what we can do about green eyes over there.” He sent a look in my direction that
dared me to come closer. Then he looked back at Allie and handed her some paperwork to fill out.
“Just answer those questions honestly, please, and then sign and date at the bottom.” Looking back to
me, he asked, “So, sugar, you just gonna stand there all day?”

I took a deep breath and decided that I couldn’t back down from the challenge in his eyes. I mentally
coached myself that I wasn’t scared, that I could do this. (I was so lying to myself) I held my head
high and started to make my way through the lobby/waiting area towards the counter. Which was a
Bad. Idea. Apparently, I shouldn’t have held my head so high, and instead should have watched where
I was going. Maybe then I would have noticed the small, low table sitting beside a comfy looking
black, leather couch. But I didn’t, so in the next instant, my shin caught the edge of the table, which
unbalanced me, and I face planted into the floor. Ouch.

Okay, so anyone who knows me knows that I am not graceful at all. That’s why they call me Grace.
Well, not really…just when I fall. Which is, ironically, a lot, seeing as how I can barely stand steady
on my own two feet, let alone walk straight! And that’s why I’m now laying face first in silent
mortification in the middle of a tattoo parlor floor, listening to Allie shrieking my name, and what
sounded like a herd of elephants running towards me.

Strong hands grabbed me and started to turn me over and help me sit up. Allie, standing behind Stack
(ohmigod! he’s touching me!) gasps and covers her mouth with her hand in shock.

“Emma, you’re bleeding,” she whispers.

I put my hand up to my face and gingerly started to poke around, trying to determine the origin of said
blood. Stack grabbed my hand, pulling it quickly from my face. I looked up (and I mean UP! He‘s
gotta be at least six foot three!) at him in confusion.

“Sugar, you busted your lip when you fell. C’mon, lets go back here and get you cleaned up.” Stack
led me past the counter to the back area and into a spacious room that surprisingly reminded me of a
cross between a dentist’s office and a hospital. The walls were a deep burgundy with black and white
accents, and one whole wall was taken up by photos of what I assumed to be tattoos that he had done.

As Stack moved about the room gathering things to doctor me with, Allie sat beside me on the
dentist’s chair (what else would it be called?) and tried not to laugh. I shot her a glare, daring her to
giggle, just once.

At that moment, both Allie and I gaped at the doorway where another stack of deliciousness now
stood. He looked like Stack, was built like Stack, with the same color hair and those intense smoky,
blue-grey eyes, but while Stack’s hair was longish, this new Stack’s hair was closely cropped to his
head, and he had a scruffy kind of five o’clock shadow going on.

“Luke, there’s a client sheet up front on the counter for an Allison McCormick to get a tongue piercing

done. But no Allison. Where’d she go?”

Stack (Luke apparently?) grinned at New Stack and waved his hand at Allie. “That’s Allison,
Brandon, and this,” looking over to me, “is Emma. Right?” I nodded. “Emma decided she was falling
for me and busted her lip.” He smiled slyly and winked at me.

Brandon looked over grinning and, noticing the blood on my lip said, “ Ouch! Damn, that sucks.” He
then glanced over to Allie and asked her if she was ready. Allie nodded and started to get up off the
chair.

As she leaned past me, I whispered, “Close your mouth and wipe your chin. Geez, McCormick.” She
shot me a dirty look and walked out with Brandon.

It was then that it hit me. I was alone. With Stack. Er, Luke. I looked up as he moved close to me and
lightly grasped my chin in his hand. God, his touch was electric…He put a cool moist cloth against
my lip and dabbed at the blood still slowly welling from the shallow gash. I winced at the sting and
sighed.

“Um, thanks for helping me, and sorry…for that..this…” I waved my hand vaguely as I raised my eyes
to his and watched as he slowly smiled.

“No problem. It doesn’t look too bad, just split it a little bit. I’m Luke, by the way,” he said.

“I’m Emma,” I replied.

“Well, Emma, you ready to get inked?” Luke asked, then winked.

I blushed and nodded my head slightly. He helped me up off the chair and we walked out to the
counter again so I could look through the books. I had had an idea of what I might want, in the event
that I was not able to talk Allie out of her “let’s tattoo Emma” idea, so I didn’t think I would even
need to look at them.

“I want just a few small stars,” I pointed behind my ear on my left side, “here. Nothing big, nothing
fancy. But before I do this, I need to know how bad its going to hurt.” I was serious. I’ve never had a
tattoo before and I am not fond of needles or pain in any shape or form. Except maybe a little pain in
the bed…never mind. I digress.

Luke smiled and nodded. “We really don’t need to even look in the books then. Here, give me a sec
and I’ll draw something up real quick.” He reached behind him to grab a pad of drawing paper.

As Luke started sketching out an idea for my tattoo, I heard Allie squeal somewhere in the back and
then footsteps running towards me. I turned around in time to see her bounce to a stop in front of me,
grinning from ear to ear. “Well?” I asked her, waiting for her to show me whatever body modification
she’d decided on.

She gingerly opened her mouth up and stuck her tongue out. Sure enough, there was a gleaming silver
stud stuck in her tongue. She slowly pulled her tongue back in her mouth and smiled at me.

“Did it hurt?” I asked her, nonchalantly, figuring that if that hurt really bad, then a tattoo is going to be
worse, and it might be time for me to run screaming out the door.

“Ehhh, it stung a little, but wasn’t too bad! So did you pick a tattoo yet? Cause we aren’t leaving here
without you getting one.” Allie gave me that look, the stubborn one that I knew meant that she was
going to get her way come hell or high water.

“Yeah, yeah, Luke is drawing something up for me now,” I sighed

Allie squealed again. “Yay! Cant wait to see it!” Then in a low tone she asked, “Wasn’t Brandon
yummy? I wanted to have something other than his fingers in my mouth, if ya know what I mean…”
She waggled her eyebrows like crazy.

“My, God, Allie! You slut!” I gasped. I quickly turned around to make sure that Luke didn’t hear her,
or my outburst. Seeing the smirk on his face as he studiously sketched on the pad made me sink onto a
stool by the counter and put my head in my hands.

Brandon came around the corner and smiled at Allie before asking me about my lip. I told him that it
was fine, though it sounded a little muffled from the way I was hiding my face.

“Luke, I’m headed down the street to grab some lunch. You got this?” Brandon asked.

“Yeah, I’m good, thanks. Bring me back a sandwich or something, please.”

“Sure thing. See you ladies later!” Brandon said as he walked out the door.

Allie sighed wistfully and poked me in the shoulder. “Are you done hiding yet? I think Luke here is
waiting for you.”

I raised my head and saw that Luke was watching me with a half-smile on his lips. He picked up the
pad and tossed it in front of me. Forgetting about my lip, I grinned. (Ouch, that hurt!) On the pad was a
little cluster of five stars, all different sizes, but none more than a half inch in diameter.

“That’s perfect, Luke! Thanks!” I looked up at him as he grabbed the pad back and started the process
to print out the transfer sheet to put on my skin.

As he worked, I looked over at Allie and gripped her hand. “You are not leaving me, right? You
promise to hold my hand the whole time?” I was desperately squeezing her fingers together and she
was trying frantically to pull them away.

“Emma, let go! Of course I’m going to stay. I gotta see hot stuff over there do his thing!”

I rolled my eyes at her and let go of her fingers. Luke cleared his throat behind us and I turned around
sheepishly to meet his gaze.

“Ready?,” he asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” I mumbled.

Looking back, that tattoo wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I managed not to mangle Allie’s
hands too bad (she only screamed once) and it turned out seriously cute and sexy sitting there behind
my ear. Not to mention, having Luke bent over me as he worked, even though he was plying needles in
my tender flesh, was rather erotic. When everything was all finished, I hopped up off the chair
(table?) and thanked Luke profusely.

After giving us both our after care instructions, we walked out to the front to pay and say goodbye.
Surprisingly, I found myself slightly saddened by the thought that I wouldn’t be seeing Luke again any
time soon. Turned out, I was wrong.

Chapter 2

I rolled over in bed and reached blindly for my ringing cell phone charging on the nightstand beside
my bed. As I grabbed it, I got a look at the clock and realized that its almost midnight. At that point,
two things strike me. One, who the hell is calling me this late? And two, My God, I’m pathetic. I think
I’m the oldest 29 year old in America since it’s a Saturday night and I’ve been in bed since 9:30.
Shaking my head at myself, I hit the answer key on the screen, wincing as I pressed it too hard against
my ear, and in turn, my tattoo. Ouchie.

“Emma?” The frantic voice of my sister whispered harshly into my ear.

“Jenna? What the hell is going on? Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Um, well, can you come over and sit here with the kids? I need you to get here, like, yesterday. And
don’t park in the driveway! Can you park on the street and maybe, I don’t know, sneak over the fence
and through the back door?”

Oh, Lord. Why did I answer my phone? Knowing better than to even ask for an explanation, I replied,
“Yeah, Jenna. I’ll be there in ten. And I will try to shimmy my big ass over the fence and through your
back door. But you owe me for thi-”

Jenna cut me off with a breathy, “Okay-thanks-get-here-bye,” and hung up on me.

Geez. You wouldn’t think that Jenna was the oldest of us kids, but she is. She really is an intelligent,
calm, cool and collected woman, but sometimes…I worry about her. Jenna is my oldest sibling at 33
years old. She’s married to Noah Michaels, and has been since she was 22 and he was 23. Whirlwind
romance, picture book wedding, and three years later, out pops my bouncing baby nephew, Jarrod
Allen. Fast forward four more years and add a pinch of surprise! and here we have my now four year
old niece, Hayden Michele.

Jenna looks like Barbie’s best friend. You know, the brunette one that’s just as pretty as Barbie but
has dark hair? Sad thing is, no one can ever remember her name, so you know she had to be extremely
jealous of Barbie. (I mean, come on, who wouldn’t be, though? That little bitch has everything!) Jenna
is shorter than me at five foot four, which is not a really big difference, considering I’m only five foot
six. Okay, so its actually five foot five and a half, but that really doesn’t matter, right? She’s also built
like a brick shithouse (we’ve discussed this term before), but seeing as how she looks like Barbie’s
friend, that would be obvious. Like me, she’s got the jade green eyes of our mother, and the dark hair
of our father. Currently, hers hangs somewhere around her shoulders, whenever she takes it out of the
messy topknot that is usually sitting haphazardly on top of her head. Mine is now reaching the middle
of my back in long, thick dark brown waves, which sounds gorgeous. Truth be told? Its not really.
Especially if its rainy or humid or you live in Ohio. Which I do. Hello frizzies!

The big difference? She’s tiny and I’m a size twelve. On a good day, that is. On bad days, like
bloated period days, or days when I’ve decided that chocolate is calling my name nonstop, which,
let’s face it, is most days, then I’m more of a fourteen. Not that I’m fat, but since the images that
society forces down our throats these days tell us that if you aren’t built like a stick with boobs (bee
sting size), then you are not skinny, but I am a healthy kind of curvy. I’ve always said that I was just
born in the wrong century, cause back then? I would have been the shit!

Sighing in exasperation at what I was about to walk into, I pulled up to the street outside my sister’s
house. I parked and got out, heading into the darkness of the trees lining the fence, knowing I’m about
to have to make an ass out of myself. I grabbed the top of the chain link fence and started jamming my
toes into the holes and climbing. I got to the top and started to throw my leg over when all of a sudden
a hand grabbed my ankle and I let out a terrified squeak.

“Holy jeebus, shut the hell up, would you?” Jenna smacked at my leg until I had to growl at her to
stop.

“Jenna, you idiot, what are you doing? And why the hell do I need to climb your stupid fence anyway?
Where’s Noah?”

“Just hurry up and get down here. I don’t have much time to get into place, since you took your sweet
ass time getting here.” Jenna moved back from the fence to allow me room to flip my other leg up and
over the top.

Just as I got my leg over and started scrambling for a toe hold, my hands slipped and I fell backwards
into the grass. Not giving me time to catch my breath, Jenna reached down and started pulling on my
arms trying to get me to my feet. Once I got up, she grabbed me and we made a mad dash to the back
door. Once we got to the door, she shoved me to the side and looked frantically both ways before
sliding the glass door open. She reached back out and pulled me through the door.

“Okay,” she began breathlessly, “I think Noah is cheating on me. He just told me that he has to leave
shortly because he got called in to work. I’m going to hide in the back of the car so I can see where he
goes, so I need you to stay here with the kids. Got it? Good.” Jenna started to turn away from me, but I
grabbed her arm and turned her around to face me.

Putting my hand on her forehead to check for a fever, I asked, “Jenna, are you sick? Or maybe drunk?
What the fuck have you been smoking? You’re high, right? Cause there is no way in hell Noah is
cheating on you. He’s a detective for cripes sake, so he probably does have to go into work.” I rolled
my eyes at her as she ripped her arm out of my grasp and started to stomp away.

“I’ll be back sometime, I’m not sure when. You know where the blankets and pillows are, kids are
asleep, duh, so…” and then she walked out to the garage without a backwards glance.

A split second later I heard footsteps thudding down the stairs and scrambled to cram myself into the
pantry to avoid Noah as he walked towards the garage. God only knows what was going on with my
sister, but far be it for me to ruin her carefully laid plans. Not that they really could be called
carefully laid…but you get the idea.

I hear Noah call out, “Jenna? Honey? I gotta go, okay? Call me before you go to bed, baby, I love you.
Jenna?” Footsteps start to walk back towards the stairs, hesitate for a second, then I hear Noah sigh
and walk out the door to the garage. I stay crammed into the pantry until I hear the garage door go up,
the car back out, and the door shut again.

Shaking my head, I headed for the linen closet to make up the spare bedroom and get back to sleep,
knowing that Jenna hasn’t thought about when Noah comes home and finds me there and Jenna hiding
somewhere in his car. That should prove to be an interesting conversation!

Not twenty minutes later, when I finally get settled and start to drift off to sleep, my cell phone rings. I

groaned. Not again!

“Hello, Jenna,” I sighed as I answered, not bothering to even look at the caller ID.

“Hey. I’m hiding in the backseat of the car under his old raincoat. He so doesn’t know I’m in here!
Anyway, he’s stopped at a Snack ‘N Shack to grab a couple things, but I heard him on the phone
talking to someone. He said something about getting ready cause it could take all night, and then
something about saving him a cigar.“ Her voice turned whiney. “Emma! He doesn’t smoke! And what
could take all night? See? He’s cheating, I know…gotta go.” The phone clicked off in my ear without
another word.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and tried not to rattle my brain shaking my head too much at my
sister’s crazy antics. And she’s supposed to be the responsible mother one? Sheesh.

I woke up what felt like mere minutes later to see Noah standing in the door, looking at me in that
disappointed, I’m a cop, you’re the bad guy, I want to put you in jail and throw away the key kind of
way. Judging by the light creeping around the edges of the curtains, it must be morning. I sheepishly
shrugged my shoulders and crawled out of the bed.

“Morning, Noah.” I lightly kissed his cheek as I passed him, intent on escaping to the bathroom.

“Emma, is there any way you want to tell me why your sister ended up crouched on the back floor
board of the car under my rain coat last night? And maybe why your car is parked down the street by
the fence?” Noah didn’t sound happy, but then again, I probably wouldn’t be happy having a lunatic
for a wife, either.

I sighed. “Give me a minute and then I need coffee for this. Lots of it.” I heard him walk away from
me as I shut the bathroom door behind me.

After washing my face and trying to tame my hair with my hands a bit, I left the bathroom and
followed the heavenly scent of coffee to the kitchen. I needed to get my Tattoo Goo out of my car and
take care of my tattoo, but I figured that could wait until I got home. When I walked into the room, I
had to stop and stare for a minute at the chaos spread before me. Jenna was sprawled face down at
the table asleep while Jarrod sat staring at her from across the table. He was eating the biggest bowl
of cereal I think I’ve ever seen in my natural life. Hayden was standing beside Jenna’s chair steadily
poking her lolling head with a noodle (not the pasta kind, the long Styrofoam tubey kind that you play
with in a pool). God only knows where she managed to get her hands on one of those, and at her feet
was a gallon of milk that was looking suspiciously blue.

Shaking my head, I grabbed the noodle out of Hayden’s hand and swiped the milk jug off the floor.
Gazing into it’s depths, I decided that it wasn’t safe to keep, so I poured it down the sink.

“Hayden, its not nice to poke mommy in the head while she’s sleeping. Go wash your hands, sweetie
and we’ll get you something for breakfast. How did the milk get blue anyway?” I asked.

Hayden shrugged her tiny little shoulders at me and said, “I don’ know, Aun’ Emmy.”

I watched as she clasped her hands behind her back, fingers looking a little blueberryish. Then I
noticed the two empty packets of Blue Raspberry Koolaid crumpled between Jenna’s slippered feet
under the table. Mystery solved. Well, at least I knew the what. The why? Hmm. Probably will never

know.

Turning to Jarrod I asked, “Could you have found a bigger bowl, dude? You’re gonna make yourself
sick trying to eat that much. Where’d your dad go?”

“He’s on the back porch drinking coffee and waiting on you,” he said. Turning back to his bowl of
cereal and steady watch of his passed out mother, he effectively let me know that the conversation
was over.

“Keep an eye on your sister for a minute, would you? And share some of that cereal with her. Oh, and
don’t let her poke your mom anymore, either, okay?” I asked.

Jarrod nodded. “Okay.”

I turned and made my way out the door to talk to Noah. Not that I was looking forward to this
conversation, because, honestly, I had no clue what had happened last night with the exception of my
falling on my ass after climbing the fence, hiding in the pantry, and listening to Jenna justify playing
hide and seek with her husband without cluing him into the game.

“So,” Noah began, as he slid a cup of coffee over to me.

I held up my hand. “It would be easier and quicker if you just filled me in on the hours between when
I fell off your fence, got manhandled by your wife, crammed myself into the pantry, fielded strange ass
phone calls in the middle of the night, and now, when I woke up feeling like you were about to arrest
me.”

Noah quirked his eyebrow at me. “You climbed the fence and hid in the…never mind. Your sister,”
he sighed in exasperation, “hid on the floorboard in the back of my car last night. Under my raincoat.
Like I wouldn’t notice a wiggling lump in the back of the car. I mean, she does realize that I’m a
detective, right, Emma?”

I shrugged and watched as my sister opened the door to come out and join us. Her hair looked like
she’d stuck a finger in a light socket somewhere, and it wasn’t pretty.

Noah continued, watching his wife with an unreadable expression. “I stopped at the Snack ‘N Shack
to get some munchies because I got called in to cover for one of the guys who’s wife went into labor.
We were doing a stake out for this case we’ve been working on, but since your sister decided to stow
away like Little Orphan Annie in my car, I had to hang back and let someone else take point. So, I
decided to teach your sister a lesson.”

My eyes widened at this, and I glanced at my sister who was watching her husband with that look.
You know, the one that says, “you say another word and not only will I never put out for you again,
but I will bury you in the back yard.”

Noah said, “I drove around until I got to Rider Park and parked in the back. Then I sat there to see
how long it would be before Jenna realized that I knew she was there. I noticed the bag of chips being
drug slowly into the backseat by a black glove covered hand,” Noah drawled. “I didn’t say anything,
and it took all I had not to laugh at the crunching sounds emanating from under my rain coat.” He
looked over to where Jenna was still standing and his eyes started to sparkle. “I even let her get away
with stealing my slushie while I was pretending to get something out of the trunk.”

“What? I was hungry and thirsty you bought all the good junk food that we never get to have in the
house. Someone has to be the responsible parent and make the kids eat healthy,” Jenna hollered
indignantly.

I rolled my eyes at this and asked her, “So did you notice what your kids were eating this morning
while you were passed out like a coed after a frat party on the table?”

She glared at me and Noah before plopping down in Noah’s lap and stealing his coffee.

Noah grinned and patted her thigh fondly. “I was content to let her stay cramped up back there for as
long as possible, but apparently she got bored. I couldn’t take it anymore when I started hearing pig
snorts and birds and busted out laughing.”

He started chuckling even harder when Jenna shrugged her shoulders and said, “Angry Birds. Love
that game.”

I started laughing and couldn’t stop because of the mental images I had popping around in my head.

“So I reached back and jerked the raincoat off of her. She just sat up and glared at me like I was
interrupting her. Then I got in the backseat and pulled her up with me and we talked. And then we…”
Noah waggled his eyebrows and grinned lasciviously at Jenna. “So next time she calls you for a
harebrained idea like last night? You can still come running,” he said, laughing.

Jenna blushed and ducked her head against his shoulder. I groaned. Time for me to go!

Chapter 3

The rest of my weekend passed without incident (which was a relief, for once) and Monday came
way too early. Guess I should really learn to put down my book and actually go to sleep, right?

I walked into the office where I worked, my heels click clacking against the tile. I love that sound.
Weird, right? But it makes me feel professional and sexy. I had worn my favorite sweater dress today,
a soft smoky gray color that has a fitted top and sharp pleats that flow from just under my boobs to
just above my knees. I paired it with black leggings and my high heeled black boots with the cute little
double silver buckles on each side. I had swept my hair up in a messy topknot at the back of my head,
and had put on a minimal amount of makeup. Usually, I only outline my eyes in kohl, because that
makes them really stand out more than they already do from their unusual color. Already I could tell it
was going to be a busy day because the phones were ringing off the hook.

I’m a legal secretary for an attorney in the town where I live. I live in Phillus. Its not a big town, kind
of small, really, in the southern part of Ohio. At least once a year some genius gets the bright idea to
spray paint the town sign over the “i” with an “a”, and until the township catches it, we live in
“Phallus”, Ohio. Doesn’t that make you wanna visit?

I snatch the phone up as I plop down at my desk. “Good morning, Floyd Grim’s office, may I help
you?” I said breathlessly into the phone.

A creaky, scratchy voice yells in my ear, “Emma? Is that you?”

I sigh. “Yes, Mrs. Allen. It’s me, Emma.”

“Dear, I cant find Fluffers. I think that rat bastard Doc next door took him again,” she rasped.

“Mrs. Allen, we don’t handle those kinds of cases. I told you that last week. And remember? Doc is
the town vet, he probably picked him up again to give him his shots,” I told her in a gentle voice.

Mrs. Allen calls at least once a week, and the conversations usually have something to do with her
forty-five pound cat, Fluffers. A couple of years ago, she got ambitious and brought him into the office
because “he” wanted to sue Doc for neutering him without his “mommy’s” permission. I think the cat
weighed almost as much as Mrs. Allen, and he was a nasty gray furball that I think was white at one
time. Don’t get me wrong, I think Mrs. Allen takes care of him as much as she can for someone who
was born in 1824 (I’m kidding…it was more like 1482) but Doc actually sneaks and helps her out.

Mrs. Allen wasn’t done yet. “Well, can I sue him for that? Fluffers doesn’t like needles.”

I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair. My other lines started to ring and I almost wept in
relief.

“Mrs. Allen, you cant sue him for that, its helping Fluffers. My other lines are ringing, so I have to go,
okay? I’ll talk to you next week,” I told her.

“Okay, Emma. I’m sure that rat bastard will have done something more to poor Fluffers by then.
Thanks, dear.” With that, Mrs. Allen hung the phone up in my ear.

I hit the button for the next line and gave my greeting. Silence. Oh, well, guess they will call back.
Reaching to hit the next line key, I smiled as my boss walked in the door. He’s a nice guy, been

practicing law for all my life and even more of his. He’s absent minded about a lot of things, but
when it comes to his cases, he’s sharp as a tack. And he pays pretty good, so…

Grabbing a file off the counter that I threw up there for him, Floyd waved and ambled back out the
door as I answered the phone again.

“Good morning, Floyd Grim’s office, may I help you?” I said into the phone.

“Ewwa!” someone yelled into my ear. Huh?

“Ewwa, ith Awwie.”

“Allie?” I asked.

“Yeth. Awwie. I goth a pwobwem,” Allie whined into the phone.

Okay. “Allie, what’s going on? And why are you talking like that?” I asked.

“I nee’ yew to mee’ me on yew wunth bweak ath my houth. Pweath,” Allie begged.

This should be interesting. After promising I would be at her house at noon, I hung up the phone with
Allie and got to work. The morning flew by in between phone calls and clients, and in no time I had
to meet Allie. I grabbed my keys and locked up the office for lunch, heading out to my car.

I pulled up at Allie’s house in my cute, little yellow VW Bug and she came running down her front
steps holding a paper towel up to her face. Now I was worried.

She got in the car and told me, “Thathoo thop, pweath. I wipp’th my thung.”

I stared at her in shock until she grunted and smacked at my thigh to get me going. Putting the car in
drive, I headed downtown to the tattoo shop. (I’m assuming that I heard her correctly. Its kind of hard
to understand someone when they’re holding their tongue with a paper towel.)

After about ten minutes, we pulled up at Skin Deep, the tattoo shop that I didn’t think I would be
frequenting again any time soon after Friday night. Especially for the fact that I embarrassed myself
beyond belief in there.

Allie and I got out of the car and walked into the shop. I didn’t see anyone at the counter right away,
but after a minute, Brandon came around the corner looking even better than before (Either that or my
eyes were so starved for eye candy they enhanced his deliciousness).

His face broke into a grin as he shouted, “Hey! It’s Crash and Allison! What’s up, ladies?”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help but return his grin as I pointed at Allie and said, “Well, Allie has
done something to “wip” her “thung”, which I am assuming translates to mean she ripped her tongue.
How? Not sure. But I am dying to find out!” I turned to grin at Allie, who looked so pathetic that I
busted out laughing.

Allie shot me a dirty look and then turned to Brandon with the most pathetic face (even more pathetic
than she looked ten seconds ago, which I didn’t think was possible) I’ve ever seen on a person.
Brandon came around the counter and gently pulled Allie’s fingers and the paper towel away from her
mouth.

“Okay, you should be able to talk a little bit better without your fingers and everything in your mouth.
So what did you do?,” Brandon asked Allie.

“I was eating a fudge bar and when I licked it, well, you know…when you eat a popsicle and you put
it in your mouth and then kinda suck and pull it back out? Know what I mean?” Allie trailed off,
waiting for someone to acknowledge that we knew what she was talking about.

I wasn’t going there. And if Brandon’s eyes got any bigger, they were going to pop out of his head. I
didn’t think his lips could stretch any further either, judging by the huge grin he had plastered on his
face.

Allie continued earnestly, “ Well, I was eating the fudge bar and when I pulled it out, the ball to my
tongue ring kinda dug into it and I felt this excruciating sharp pain in my tongue. Then I tasted the
blood, which, hello, does not go with chocolate. Guess I could never be a vampire, huh? Anyway, I
looked in the mirror and ‘lo and behold, I ripped my tongue!” The last part ended on a wail.

Brandon lost the battle and burst out laughing. I was more polite and turned away before losing it.
Which earned me a quick smack to the back of my shoulder. What the hell, man!

We tried to control our laughter as Allie stood there and glared at us before asking Brandon, “Well?
Can you fix it?” I swear she even stomped her foot.

Brandon guffawed even louder before wiping tears from his eyes and then taking a deep breath to get
himself under control. (I was still giggling)

He put his hand out for Allie to take and told her, “Come on, Allie, let’s check you out.”

Brandon and Allie took off down the hall ahead of me, turning into a different room than the one I was
in last time with Luke. I turned to follow them, letting out a muffled “oomph” when I ran into a brick
wall. Well, it was a soft brick wall. A soft, solid, living, breathing brick wall. And boy did it smell
good, too.

I felt hands grab my hips to steady me as a deep, silken voice spoke in my ear, “Hey, careful there.
Wouldn’t want you to bust your lip again, sugar.”

Oh. My. God. It was Luke. And he knew who I was. Eek!

I pulled back and looked up into his gorgeous eyes, giving him a sheepish grin. He was saying
something, but the intense smoky blue-grey of his eyes drew me in, mesmerizing me. I don’t think I’ve
ever seen that color before, but I think its my new favorite.

“I’m sorry, what?” I stammer.

Luke grinned at me, shaking his head. “What are you doing here? Something wrong with your tattoo?”
As he said this, he lightly grabbed my chin between his thumb and fingers and turned my face to the
side. I felt his other hand come up and lightly trace the outside edge of my tattoo.

“No,” I said. “We’re here because Allie, believe it or not, ripped her tongue while eating a fudge bar.
Brandon has her in the back looking at it.”

“Oh…okay…” Luke drew out the words in confusion, as if he wasn’t sure I was being serious. Sadly,

I was.

“Can I go on back with her?” I asked him.

“Sure,” he replied, “I’ll come with you. I’ve gotta see this; it‘s definitely not the usual story we hear!”

We walked back to where Brandon had taken Allie and as I went to enter the room, I felt Luke’s hand
rest at the small of my back. Whoa. Yup. There goes that electricity again, sending shivers skittering
up my spine.

Allie was looking up at Brandon with a scowl on her face while he stood doubled over from laughing
so hard. He had tears pouring from his eyes.

Luke asked, “What the hell, girlie?” and grinned at Allie.

Brandon wiped his eyes and straightened up, looking over at me and grinning widely.

“I’ve seen people rip their tongues before. But none by eating a fudge bar!” Brandon lost it again
until Allie reached out and smacked him on his shoulder. He tried to reign in his mirth, but was failing
miserably.

I looked over at Luke who was trying his damndest to keep from laughing and couldn’t help but smile
at him.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” Brandon wheezed, catching sight of the dismayed expression building on
Allie’s face. He stopped laughing and walked over to cup her cheek in the palm of his hand. “Its just a
little tear, didn’t do much damage, and as long as you don’t go sucking on any more fudge bars for the
next week or two, it should heal fine. Might have a small scar, but the tongue literally is the fastest
healing muscle in the body.” He stooped down to look into Allie’s eyes, watching her expression.

Allie replied quietly, “Okay. Thanks, Brandon. I really appreciate it.”

I could tell that she was affected by his gentle touch, but hell, so was I. He was being so sweet…
well, now he was, since he wasn’t laughing uproariously in her face.

And then it happened. I should have known it. I mean, I was thinking it in the back of my mind, but
Allie’s my best friend and even I would never have said it out loud. Ever.

Brandon pulled back, opened his mouth and said, “Are you sure it was just a fudge bar you were
sucking on? I’m just sayin’…” he trailed off as he watched Allie’s eyes flash fire and then took a step
back.

I gasped at the same time I heard Luke groan, “Oh, Brandon, no…” and then the resounding smack of
a palm meeting cheek in what I’ll term, “The Slap Heard ‘Round the World.” It was loud!

I opened my eyes, since I had squeezed them tightly shut knowing what was coming, and watched as
Brandon reached up to grab his cheek, mumbling, “FUCK” under his breath while Allie stood there
shaking her hand. I looked over at Luke and saw him standing with his head down, one hand covering
his eyes, the other rubbing the back of his neck.

He dropped his hands suddenly and glanced my way. Our eyes caught and held and I wondered if it
was getting hot in there, or if it was just me? Even more confusing was the fact that my panties had

started to dampen suspiciously, but my cha-chi hadn’t seen any action in so long, I figured the damn
thing would have been dry as the desert by now.

I started as Brandon cleared his throat and softly said, “ I’m sorry, Allie. That was way out of line,
and I didn’t mean anything by it.” He cut his eyes down to hers and continued, “Forgive me?”

Allie took a breath, nodded, and retorted, “For future reference, if I had something much more
interesting than a fucking fudge bar in my mouth, I’d have said-”

I cleared my throat loudly, diverting the disaster that I knew was headed out of Allie’s mouth.

“For further reference,” she said as if I hadn’t just interrupted her, “if you want to question my
intelligence as to if I know the difference between something soft, cold, creamy, and sweet versus hot,
smooth, velvety and hard pushing past my lips…” Allie trailed off as she sidled closer to Brandon
and smiled slyly up at him. “Then I assure you, I do,” she whispered.

She reached up and ran her finger lightly down the bridge of Brandon’s nose before sashaying
towards the door.

I felt the wall behind me and leaned back against it for support, trying not to laugh at Brandon’s
stunned expression and the way he shifted uncomfortably and stared out the door after Allie. My
laughter died in my throat as I put my head back against the wall, only to realize that the wall was
breathing…(Oh, God, not again…)

I turned my head slightly to the right and found myself face to face with Luke, his lips curved slightly
upwards in a crooked smile. I froze for a second and then stepped quickly away from him before I did
the first thing that had popped in my head, which was lick his lip where the silver hoop sat.

He reached out to steady me before saying, “Well, that was interesting.” He looked at Brandon , who
was still standing there in stunned silence, before turning back to me and asking, “so, you ready for
your next tattoo?”

I gulped. “Uh…no, not quite, but thanks…” I stuttered before turning to head out the door to see where
Allie had gone.

Before I got too far, strong fingers reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me back to face Luke. I
looked down at my wrist where his fingers encircled my flesh before letting my gaze roam upwards,
taking in the thick, black lines of ink swirled in an intricate tribal design on his forearm, before
disappearing under the sleeve of his long sleeved henley that he had pushed up to his elbows. I
noticed lines of script positioned on the inside of his wrist but couldn’t make out what they said.

I dipped my head to look closer at the lines tattooed on his wrist but was stopped by his other hand as
it came up to lightly turn my face up to his. I blinked at the heat in his eyes.

A small smile started to quirk Luke’s lips again as he said, “Dinner. Tonight. Say, seven o’clock?”

Huh? He was asking me out? Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod…this can’t be happening.

I managed to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat (barely) and managed to squeak,
“Okay…yeah. Seven. Are you sure? I mean, you must be awfully busy…”

“Emma. I’m sure.” Luke’s smile grew wider as he took in the glazed look in my eyes.

He released my wrist and twined his fingers through mine instead, then pulled me out into the hall,
walking toward the lobby. Allie was no where in sight, so I assumed she had already gone out to the
car.

When we got to the front door, I turned to Luke and opened my mouth to protest that dinner wasn’t
necessary, but before I got a word out, he placed a finger gently over my lips, effectively shutting me
up for the moment.

“Dinner. Seven. I’ll pick you up. Where do you live?” Luke murmured.

I gave him my address, flushing as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, and walked out into
the sunshine where Allie was waiting in my car.

When I got in the car, Allie turned to me expectantly and asked, “What the hell took so long? You’re
gonna be late getting back to work!”

Glancing at my watch, I groaned before putting the car in drive and tearing off towards Allie’s house
to drop her off and make a mad dash back to the office. As I drove, I filled Allie in with the
unbelievable details of what happened after she left.

“Aiiyeeeee!” Allie screamed excitedly. “I cant believe he asked you out! Where are you going, what
are you going to wear, are you gonna finally get some?” The questions came fast off Allie’s tongue.

“Me, either, I don’t know, clothes, I guess, and HELL NO!” I replied. I couldn’t wrap my head around
the fact that Luke had even asked me out, let alone the thought of getting naked with him. Hell, one
hour with me during dinner might render him comatose from boredom, and then I’d be stuck doing all
the work. Not that that’s not how its always been with the douche bags I’ve dated in the past. Let’s
just say that none of them have ever tickled me pink in the bedroom department.

I pulled up outside Allie’s house and as she opened the door to get out she said, “Call me with the
details as soon as you get home. That’s an order, Jensen.” Sheesh.

I pulled away and headed back to the office, praying to anyone who might be listening to have mercy
on me and not let me get pulled over.

Once I got back to the office, I didn’t have much time to think about my date with Luke. The phone
rang off the hook, I had about a million files to put away, and Floyd had been busy; he had dictated
three tapes for me to transcribe.

At five o’clock I pushed back from my desk, pulled files for the next day, and locked up the office. I
headed home to get ready, my nerves starting to show themselves in full force.

Chapter 4

By quarter after six, I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup. My hair was twisted up into a
messy chignon, and I was wearing a soft, black, fitted cowl neck sweater over my charcoal grey
skinny jeans that were tucked down into my knee high, cuffed, black suede boots with a stacked heel.
(I finally settled on these after trying on all sixteen other pairs of boots that I own. What can I say? I
have a shoe fetish, and you don’t even wanna know how many pairs of shoes I have on top of those
sixteen pairs of boots. Its ridiculous; I need rehab.)

By six-thirty I was sitting on the edge of my oversized, overstuffed armchair, anxiously watching the
seconds tick by. My eyes were getting heavy from staring at the clock and I closed them briefly. Or
not so briefly…

The chime of the doorbell pulled me from my dream. Blinking my eyes against the light from the lamp
on the table beside my chair, I shook my head to clear it. Uh oh. It clicked in my head as to why
someone was ringing my doorbell and I jumped out of the chair, frantically smoothing my clothes and
patting my hair back into place.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door. My knees went weak at the sight of Luke standing there
smiling at me. He looked even more delicious than ever in a dark grey button down shirt emblazoned
with a gothic looking cross on the right side. It clung to him, hanging untucked over dark rinse jeans,
and he wore black leather boots on his feet. Yum.

I leaned against the door jam, softly breathing, “Hey.”

His smile grew. “Hey,” he said in that deep, rich voice of his, making my insides flutter. He started
grinning at me as he raised his hand to gently trace the side of my face.

“Were you sleeping?” he asked.

I blinked. “Umm…yeah. Sorry, I dozed off waiting…” Wait. How did he know?

I told him to come in as I turned to look in the mirror hanging on the wall over my sideboard table.
Face. Palm. The whole side of my face was flushed and creased with the imprint of my sweater
sleeve. I closed my eyes and wished that the floor would open up and swallow me down.

“Are you ready?” Luke asked from behind me.

“Yeah, let’s go,” I replied. Hopefully the imprint would be off my face before we got wherever we
were going.

I grabbed my purse, turned out the lights, and walked out the door, checking the lock behind me. Luke
grabbed my hand and held it as we walked out to his car.

Now, I’m not real knowledgeable about cars. I can’t look at one driving down the road in the middle
of the night and tell you what kind it is just by the headlights shining in your face, like some of those
fanatics out there can. But I can tell when someone has a nice car. And Luke’s car was NICE. As in,
new Camaro ZL1, midnight black with cherry red pinstripes nice. Wow.

I nodded in appreciation at the car and smiled up at Luke. He grinned back and opened my door for
me, waiting until I was safely ensconced before shutting the door and coming around to the driver

side.

“Manny’s okay?” he asked.

I nodded in assent, trying not to drool on myself. Manny’s was my favorite restaurant in town and
served the best authentic Italian food around. You can order food to be served family style, but I’ve
never had it that way. I’m very protective over my Manny’s; in fact, my brother tried to steal a piece
of chicken from my fettuccini alfredo one night at dinner. Note the key word, tried. Didn’t work,
‘cause I bit him.

We pulled up to the restaurant and parked. Before I could even get my seatbelt off, Luke was out of
the car and holding my door open for me, reaching in to take my hand and help me from the car. Well
whaddaya know? Smoking hot and chivalrous to boot!

Apparently, Luke was well known here as he was greeted by name and we were led immediately to a
secluded corner booth. Luke ordered a bottle of wine for us to have with dinner and then, after giving
our menu choices to the waiter, we were alone.

“How’s your tattoo doing?” Luke asked. “Do you like it?”

“Yes, thank you. I really do. I wasn’t really sure that I would ever be one to join the ranks of the
tattooed, but I’m glad I did it. You did a really good job.” I replied.

He inquired about what I did for a living, so I told him the glamorous details of being a legal
secretary before asking, “So how long have you been tattooing?”

“I started when I was twenty, so its been about twelve years. I’ve been drawing almost all my life.
Drew something out that I decided I wanted inked on myself. I got my first tattoo when I was eighteen.
Took my own work down to the shop to show them what I wanted. Guy running the place said I had a
good eye, wanted to see more of my work. I came back the next day with my sketch pad and the rest
was history. He helped me with the classes I was required to take, let me do my apprenticeship with
him, helped me get my license, and there you have it. Three years after that, Brandon decided that’s
what he wanted to do, too, so Lenny took him on as well.” Luke’s voice trailed off after that and he
got a faraway look in his eyes.

“It was almost six years to the day of when I walked into that shop for the first time that I got the call
that Lenny had died from a heart attack. Didn’t have any children, but he did have a wife. Jude.” Luke
smiled. “She was hell on wheels but loved us as if we were her own. She asked me and Brandon to
meet her at the shop, and when we did, she handed us the keys, kissed our cheeks, and told us Skin
Deep was ours now.”

Luke caught my eyes and smiled ruefully before saying, “Then she told us that if we didn’t do right by
Lenny’s shop she’d kick our asses and then sic Lenny’s ghost on us.”

I smiled back at him and said, “Well, it seems like you and Brandon are making it work. I’m sure
Lenny would be proud!”

The waiter arrived at our table then with our entrées, and the conversation lulled as we ate. I forked
up a bite of my (what else?) fettuccini alfredo with grilled chicken and groaned uncontrollably with
appreciation at the perfect harmony of creamy, cheesy sauce, succulent , juicy chicken, and firm but

oh, so tender pasta. Chewing slowly, my gaze met Luke’s as he stared at me hungrily.

“Want to try a bite?” I asked him, hoping that he’d say no. What? I told you I was greedy with my
Manny’s…

“No, thanks. Looks delicious, though. Want to try mine?” he asked.

I looked over at his plate, eyeballing his chicken marsala with appreciation. I decided I’d better not
go there. “No, thanks. But I’ve had that here before, and its kick ass.”

The waiter came and switched out our basket of garlic bread for a warm one, but neither of us
reached for them. I, for one, didn’t want to ruin my chances of a good night kiss with garlic breath.

We didn’t talk much while we finished eating. The waiter came back to clear the table and ask if we
wanted dessert. Without waiting for Luke to reply, I jumped in and ordered my favorite black tie
mousse cake, which is absolutely like an orgasm for your taste buds. We’re talking, rich, moist dark
chocolate cake, creamy, smooth chocolate mousse and vanilla custard, and then decadent chocolate
swirl icing with mini chocolate chips. Gah! I’m drooling…

Luke raised a brow at me before smiling and shaking his head. Hmm. No dessert for him? Too bad.

While we waited for the waiter to bring my cake, Luke asked me, “So you and Allie are best
friends?”

“Yeah,” I replied. We’ve been friends ever since she shared her bubble gum with me on the
playground in third grade. I don’t even remember exactly what happened, but my piece of gum fell out
of my mouth into the grass. Allie saw it happen, came over, bit her piece of gum in half and gave it to
me. Gross, yes, because she had already been chewing hers, but hey. We were young. Been
inseparable ever since.” I shrugged.

Luke smiled. “You’re right, that’s gross. But sweet.”

The waiter arrived with my dessert then and I wasted no time grabbing my fork and digging in.
Scooping up a hefty bite, I wrapped my lips around it, unable to stop the uncontrollable moan of
ecstasy from escaping my throat as I chewed slowly.

I completely forgot about everything but my cake as I continued to scoop bite after bite, savoring each
and every mouthful, closing my eyes and moaning, groaning, or humming with every morsel. I got
down to my last bite, pausing to lick the chocolate off my fork, when I opened my eyes to find Luke
staring at me, his eyes half-closed, nostrils flared, white knuckled hands gripping the edge of the able,
and his lips set in a grim line.

Uh oh.

I blinked and asked sheepishly, “Want some?” (Again hoping that he’d say no)

Luke didn’t say a word, just barely shook his head from side to side, giving me the all clear to finish
it myself (Yay!). Still holding his gaze, I briefly wondered if I’d embarrassed myself, or even Luke,
eating like starving pig, but couldn’t stop myself from scooping the last bite up to my lips and then
scraping the plate clean of any traces of chocolate remaining.

Before I’d even set my fork down, Luke grabbed his wallet, threw some bills down on the table,
stood up and said, “We’re done. Let’s go.”

We left the restaurant and headed to Luke’s car. He didn’t touch me once, and we didn’t speak as we
got in, he started the car, and pulled out into the street. He wouldn’t even look my way as we sat in
silence. My cheeks were flaming in mortification as I thought about how much of an ass I had made of
myself at dinner. I shouldn’t have ordered dessert, and I for damn sure shouldn’t have ignored him
while I made love to a piece of cake sitting in a restaurant. Even though it was still relatively early,
only nine o’clock, I assumed that he was taking me directly home. I wasn’t wrong.

Swallowing my disappointment in myself and battling tears of embarrassment, I turned to Luke to
thank him for the evening as we pulled up in front of my house. Before I could open my mouth, he got
out, came around and opened my door. He walked me up to the door, lightly clasping my fingers in
his. I guess manners still win out over disgust.

I turned to tell him good night, leaning back against my front door, and found him watching me
closely.

“Ummm…well…thanks for a nice evening, Luke,” I said.

“Its not over, Emma,” Luke replied.

Erm. Its not? Holy shit!

“Ask me in.” It wasn’t a question, and I found myself gaping at him in disbelief, unable to
comprehend why he would want to prolong this any longer.

I finally forced my lips to move. “Come in? I…I’m sure I could find a bottle of wine or
something…”I trailed off, not sure exactly what to say. I mean, my cha-chi was screaming, ‘Yes!
Come in! We’re open!’, but there’s no way in hell that’s what he was thinking. Right?

Luke followed me through the door into the living room. I turned to shut the door, locking it behind us
out of habit. As my fingers slipped away from the dead bolt, I became aware of Luke’s hard heat
pressing close behind me. I felt him lightly stroke the backs of his fingers down my cheek and my
breath caught in my throat. He leaned further into me, pressing me against the door. My head fell back
against his shoulder as I felt his lips trace the side of my throat before lightly nipping my earlobe.

“Mmmm…,” Luke whispered in my ear. “You taste as good as you look.”

Then, pulling back from me, I heard him walk further into the room and sit on the couch. I stayed
where I was for a second, trying to convince my legs to work before turning to look at him. He looked
so good lounging on my couch that, for a second, I contemplated kidnapping him and holding him
hostage as my personal sex slave for the rest of my life.

“Uh, I’ll get something to drink for us,” I said before heading towards the kitchen. Luke

said nothing in reply, just smiled.

I rummaged absent-mindedly in the cabinet and in the fridge, finding a half-empty bottle of Ice Wine
that I picked up on my last trip to Put In Bay, and an unopened bottle of tequila. Shrugging, I grabbed
two shot glasses and a lime from the fridge, making a mental note to pick more up at the store so I

could still make my tequila lime chicken for dinner one night. I quickly sliced a few wedges from the
lime, picked up the salt and the bottle of tequila, and headed back to the living room, figuring I’d
drown my embarrassment and subsequent confusion in liquor.

“Shots,” I said, unnecessarily, as I deposited my load on the coffee table in front of Luke.

“Alright.” Luke said.

Leaning forward, Luke poured two shots into the shot glasses, then picked up the salt shaker, turning
to me and grabbing my hand. His eyes burned into mine as he slowly lifted my hand to his mouth and I
felt the warmth of his breath on my skin before his tongue touched me in the curve between my thumb
and forefinger. I couldn’t control the small gasp that shot from between my lips at the unexpected
touch.

He then lightly shook the salt over the dampness left behind from his mouth (I ignored the granules
that missed my hand and fell into the couch and carpet…well, I told myself to, anyway) before setting
down the shaker, grabbing a lime wedge and bringing it to my lips. He pressed the cold fruit against
my lips, wordlessly entreating me to take it in my mouth. I held it gently between my lips, waiting for
his next move. He grabbed one of the shots from the table, pulled my hand to him, licked the salt from
my skin, and tossed back the tequila before sliding his hand behind my neck and pulling me to him.

I moaned softly as his lips closed over mine, tasting the tartness of the lime burst on my tongue as he
bit gently into the fruit before pulling back from my mouth. I opened my eyes and looked at him in
confusion because I still had the lime wedge in my mouth; he hadn’t taken it. I reached up and
removed the wedge from my lips and before I could even lean forward to place the spent peel on the
table, Luke moved like lightning, drawing me hard against him and boldly swiping his tongue against
the seam of my lips before sliding inside when I gasped. He kissed me deeply, and I tasted the
tanginess of lime and the tart bite of tequila on his tongue.

I dropped the lime husk from my hand, not caring when it landed on the carpet before running my
hands up Luke’s arms to tangle my fingers in his hair. I loved the feel of it in my hands, so soft and
thick, adding another sensation to the already overwhelming tide drowning me in seduction. The
silver ring piercing his lower lip pressed against mine, the contrast of its cool hardness against my
heated skin driving me wild.

We broke the kiss, both of us breathing hard, our foreheads pressed together as we gazed into each
other’s eyes. He lightly skimmed his fingers up my arms to where my fingers were still tangled in his
hair, wincing slightly as my fingers tightened convulsively before releasing it from my grasp.

I blushed, muttering, “Sorry.”

“Its ok,” Luke said. “I like knowing that I have that effect on you.” His voiced dropped an octave as
he leaned in again. “Its only fair for what you do to me.”

Whuh? What I do to him? What the fuck has he been smoking?

I sat back against the arm of the couch, watching him guardedly as he looked at me with hooded eyes,
his lips curved up at the corners in a lazy smile.

“It’s your shot, sugar,” Luke drawled.

I blinked owlishly at him, trying to get my wits together but failing miserably. How can he be so
calm? I sat up and grabbed the shot, not wasting any time with the salt or lime, and downed it. Yikes.
That was a mistake, because that shit burns! I choked on a cough as my eyes watered and, feeling like
a moron, I felt Luke’s hand pound my back. I finally caught my breath and held up my hand so that
Luke would quit pounding on me before I looked over at him, blushing furiously.

“You okay there, sunshine?” Luke asked, laughing softly.

I nodded.

“My turn again, then.” Luke poured another shot and grabbed the salt shaker before leaning in close to
me again. He jerked his head in the universal motion for ‘come here’ before tilting my head to the
side with his hand on the nape of my neck. I felt his warm breath bathe my skin just before his lips
closed over the sensitive skin of my neck, right at the curve where it meets my shoulder. My breath
shuddered out as he gently suckled before flicking his tongue against my skin.

He pulled back and sprinkled salt sparingly over the dampness he left behind before grabbing the shot
and placing another lime wedge between my lips. I waited for what was coming, holding my breath,
surprised when he reached up with his free hand and pulled out the clip holding my hair up in place.
My hair tumbled down in waves around my shoulders. I glanced up at Luke, watching in fascination
as his eyes darkened before he tangled his fingers roughly in my hair at the back of my neck, and then,
pulling my head sharply to the side, he licked the salt off my skin, and downed the shot. Then, with his
fingers still tangled in my hair, he took the lime from my lips, again leaving behind the tart and tangy
flavor of lime and tequila. After taking the lime out of his mouth and tossing it to the table, he brought
his lips back to mine, kissing me deeply. His tongue swept inside my mouth, tangling with mine,
stealing my breath with the intensity.

Luke used his fingers, still entwined in my hair, to thrust my head back, exposing my throat to him. He
licked across my full bottom lip, sucked it between his teeth, and nipped at it sharply. A surprised
sound escaped from me at how good that felt; the perfect combination of pain and pleasure. I felt his
other hand slide up my thigh, skim my ribs and cup my breast, his thumb finding and circling my
nipple with sure strokes.

I moaned into his mouth and he dragged his lips down my cheek to my neck, kissing, sucking, and
licking every inch of my skin along the way. His fingers left my hair and both hands then cupped my
breasts, palming the soft firmness of my flesh. I arched into his hands, my thighs squeezing together
restlessly, trying to alleviate the ache building between them.

“Emma,” Luke whispered.

I opened my eyes, gazing at him through a haze of desire.

“Sugar, watching you wrap your lips around your fork, licking chocolate off your lips, and hearing
you moan all night…I’m about two seconds from ripping your clothes off and fucking you senseless
on your couch. Baby, you have to tell me to stop now if you don’t want this. Otherwise, I’m gonna
slide inside your hot, wet body, inch by inch, until I’m buried so deep between your thighs…” his
words cut off on a harsh breath.

Stop? Tell him to stop? Is he insane? I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m not that kind of girl; I hardly

kiss on the first date, let alone jump into bed like my thighs were spring loaded and ready to part. But
there was something seriously wrong with his brain if he thought for one second that I would ruin
what was shaping up to be the single most satisfying, screaming orgasm inducing, hottest sexual
encounter of my life.

My cha-chi was quivering with excitement, screaming, ‘Hallelujah, the desert days are over, girl!
Bring on the rain!’

My voice was breathy when I said, “No, Luke. I don’t want you to stop. Please…”

Luke growled low in his throat before grasping my legs behind my knees, pulling me down and my
legs out, kneeling between my now outspread thighs. I moaned at the feel of his hardness pressed
against my aching softness, and then he was over me, thrusting against me, sliding his hands under my
shirt and devouring my mouth in a furious kiss.

And then it happened. No, no…I don’t mean It. If that would have happened, I wouldn’t be sitting
here hornier than a horny toad, glaring at the object of my fury. Well, objects, plural. And boy was I
pissed!

Just when we were getting to the good part, my legs wrapped around Luke’s waist, his hips flush
against mine, his hands tugging my shirt up, a noise broke through my daze and I raised my eyes over
Luke’s shoulder. Standing there, faces red with suppressed laughter and shock, was my brother,
Calland, and my younger sister, Leah. Calland had his hand slapped over Leah’s mouth but I could
still hear her muffled snorts of glee.

I scrambled out from under Luke, tugging my clothes back into place and throwing a mumbled ‘sorry’
over my shoulder when I inadvertently elbowed him in the stomach in my mad dash to get away. He
got up painfully and perched on the edge of the couch, trying to hide his condition from my family but
it wasn’t working.

I glared at Calland. “What the hell are you doing? Don’t you know how to call first?”

He chuckled, finally removing his hand from Leah’s mouth. She immediately let loose with a loud
hoot of laughter, throwing her head back and gripping her stomach, leaning so far back that she lost
her balance and fell on her ass. Wonderful. She’s drunk.

Calland looked behind me and grinned before saying, “Hi! I’m Calland, Emma’s brother. Apparently
she has forgotten her manners or she would have introduced us by now. But I guess she was pretty
preoccupied…” his words trailed off in laughter.

“Again,” I said between clenched teeth, “What are you doing here and why didn’t you just call?”

“I did call. Four times. You didn’t answer, but now I can see why.” He grinned unabashedly at me.
“Leah called from the bar, said her date was a douche and she needed a ride. Cant take her home like
this, so…tag! You’re it!” With that, he gave Luke a two fingered salute, nudged Leah off of his foot
where she had landed, and took off towards the front door.

“Calland!” I yelled. “Get your ass back here, you stupid son of a motherless goat!” I let out a scream
of frustration before remembering that Luke was still sitting there, taking everything in.

I blew out a breath, knowing that my night of debauchery was now out of the question. Leaving Leah

where she lay on the carpet, I moved to stand in front of Luke, who had now risen from the couch.

“Luke, I’m sorry,” I said quietly, my voice filled with regret.

Luke grinned and said, “I’m not,” before drawing me into his arms and pressing his lips to mine
lightly. “Don’t worry, sugar. We’re gonna fuck. Just not tonight.” With that said, he kissed my lips
softly once more and then was gone.

I stood there gazing longingly at the door for a minute until an animalistic snore broke through my
reverie. I walked over to my sister, nudging her with my foot, telling her to get her drunk ass up. Leah
is the youngest of us kids, just barely 25. She had a natural perkiness that had served her well as the
captain of the cheerleading team in high school, long, dark, wavy brown hair like mine, and the jade
green eyes that we all shared. She was tiny like Jenna, worked as a hairstylist in a shop by the mall,
and had men follow her around in droves, all hoping to be on the receiving end of her bright smile.

I reached down and grabbed her under her armpits, hefting her up into a sitting position. She opened
her eyes blearily and blinked at me before saying, “Emma? ‘Zat choo?”

“Yeah, Leah, its me. C’mon, lets get you to bed.”

It took some finagling, but I finally got her up, down the hall, and safely tucked into my bed before
crawling in beside her and falling into a deep sleep. My last thought before it was lights out was,
“Calland is going to die.”

Chapter 5

The rest of the week flew by. I was so busy with work and fielding calls from Allie demanding
details from my date with Luke that I didn’t have time to dwell much on the fact that I hadn’t heard
from him. Okay, so I lied. Its all I could think about. I could just shoot my brother for doing that to me,
and I probably would, once I could get my hands on him. He wisely has been avoiding me.

On the bright side? My boss, sweetheart that he is, so kindly agreed without hesitation to bond me out
of jail after I shoot Calland. Of course, I didn’t tell him why it would be necessary. He’s cool like
that.

On Friday afternoon, having spent most of my morning fielding my usual ration of legal questions,
phone calls (quite a few were hang ups or heavy breathing in my ear; weird), and client meetings, I
answered my phone one last time as I shut down my computer, prepared to once again explain why
someone couldn’t get their marriage annulled. That, let me tell you, is a fascinating conversation:
They say, “I want to get my marriage annulled.” I say, “okay, have you consummated the
marriage?” They say, “what?” I say, “Did you consummate the marriage?” They say, “What’s that
mean?” I say, “Did you have sex with your wife/husband on your wedding night and/or any other
night (or day) during the course of your marriage?” And so on, and so forth. My favorite was an
older woman who had called and we had the same conversation, but her response to my last question
was classic. She said, “Well wasn’t I supposed to? He told me it was against the law if we
didn’t…” Poor woman.

“Good afternoon, Floyd Grim’s office, can I help you?”

“Hey, sugar,” a deep, sinfully rich voice said in my ear.

Gah! “Hey,” I said breathlessly.

“I’ll be there to get you at six. Be ready.”

Ummm…no? I mean, we’ve had one date. So who collared me and made him master?

“Sorry, Luke,” I replied in a clipped tone. “Got plans with Allie. Another time?” I really did have
plans with Allie, but even if I didn’t, I would have made some. As it was, she and I had a date with
our fat clothes, junk food, and an Amanda Seyfried movie marathon; we had Letters to Juliet, Mama
Mia, and Dear John. (Which we watch more for Channing Tatum. Yum. I mean, have you seen Magic
Mike? Heellooo!)

“Cancel them,” came the quick reply.

“No, Luke. And what gives you the right to call me up out of the blue, at my job, no less, and dictate
what-”

He cut me off mid-sentence. “Babe. I’ll call Allie. Six. Be ready. Later, sugar.”

I heard the phone click off in my ear and stood there in shock , the receiver still pressed to my cheek.

After a minute, I replaced the phone on the hook, gathered up my purse and my keys, and locked up the
office. Heading out to my car, I dialed Allie’s number on my cell. She didn’t answer, so I left her a
message, demanding that she call me immediately. I figured she was closing up the store or she would

have answered. She’s manic about answering her phone, always telling me that if she didn’t, she
could miss the “party of a lifetime” call that would keep her in enough Nipple Dip, Jack Rabbits, and
Turtle Tools (Oh, my!) to last a lifetime.

See, Allie’s a pretty free spirit. She owns a thrift store at the edge of town in a quaint little shopping
center, called Twice as Nice. She does pretty well there, but supplements her income (supports her
addiction, however you want to call it) by doing Down & Dirty parties. She ropes me into helping her
sometimes with them and delights in presenting me with a new BOB every Christmas. For those of
you who aren’t as unlucky as me in the bedroom department, BOB is my battery operated boyfriend.
Honestly, it’s a pretty good relationship. I don’t have to fight him for the remote, he doesn’t hog the
covers, and I get mine every time!

I pulled into my driveway a few minutes later and headed inside. Allie hadn’t called me back yet, but
she was supposed to be here in about a half hour anyway, so I really didn’t think much of it. I was
dying to talk to her about Luke, though.

I headed back to my bedroom after dropping my keys and purse on the sideboard by the front door. I
stripped out of my work clothes, pulling on my favorite red fleece pants covered with penguins and
snowflakes, soft, thick black socks, an old tank top, and one of my brother’s old hoodies that he’d left
behind one night. It was black with the letters F.B.I. spelled out in huge white block letters. It was so
big on me that the sleeves hung way past the tips of my fingers, and the bottom of it reached the
middle of my thighs. Across the back was written Female Body Inspector. Eh. Who cares?

I pulled my hair up into a messy knot on the very top of my head and washed my makeup off before
heading into the kitchen to start dragging out the makings for English muffin pizzas, me and Allie’s
favorite childhood meal. I also pulled out the ingredients for Dried Beef Dip, bags of chips, stuff to
make s’mores, and checked to make sure I had everything for our “Special Sundaes” which consisted
of strawberry frozen yogurt (or ice cream) with strawberry daiquiri wine cooler poured over it.
Delish!

I heard the doorbell and took off to open the door, wondering why Allie didn’t just use her key. When
I opened the door, I froze, completely thrown off by Luke standing on my doorstep.

“Luke.” My voice cracked a little, whether in shock, confusion, anger, or lust, I wasn’t sure.

“Hey, sugar.” He let his gaze roam up and down my body, taking in my disheveled appearance. “So,
we staying in tonight?”

I cleared my throat. “Um, Luke, I told you I have plans with Allie tonight.”

“No you don’t. I told you I was calling her. She understands completely, by the way. She did ask me
to tell you to call her immediately after we finally get down and dirty?” His voice raised
questioningly at the end and he quirked his brow at me.

I sighed, muttering under my breath, “Thanks for selling me out, Allie. Bitch.”

I moved to the side, waving him in. He stepped through the door, waiting for me to shut it behind him.
I turned to look at him, cocking my head to the side because I honestly just couldn’t get a handle on
him. What were we doing, here?

Luke shot me a quick grin before taking a step toward me. Instinctively, I took a step back. He
continued stalking me, and I kept stepping back until my back hit the door behind me, my hand
gripping the frame in desperation. He kept coming, pressing his body against mine before tipping my
head up and lightly pecking my lips in a chaste kiss before moving back and grinning.

“So, are we?” he asked.

Huh? “Are we what?” I know I had to sound as confused as I felt.

“Staying in. I vote yes. What’s for dinner?” Luke headed into the kitchen and I followed him
helplessly. Stomped, more like it because, honestly, I was a little miffed that I had only warranted a
peck as a greeting kiss; I was expecting to be ravished, especially with the way he had stalked me.
Humph.

My cell phone rang on the counter where I’d left it and I picked it up, noting Allie’s picture popped
up on the screen.

“Bitch.” One word. That’s all I said into the phone as a greeting.

“Love you!” she said breezily. “You’re welcome, save me a sundae, rock his world, and call me in
the morning!” She sang the last word before laughing and hanging up.

I tossed my phone back on the counter and resigned myself to the fact that I had no control over my
life at the moment. Or ever.

I blew out a breath and asked Luke, “Ever had an English muffin pizza?”

“Cant say that I have, but I’m open to trying new things,” he replied. Oh really. Nice to know!

But seriously? I thought everyone on God’s green earth had eaten one at least once in their life!

“Well, its been me and Allie’s staple food since we were little. And they’re good, I promise! Ready?
You can help, too!”

Luke jumped in, helping me split the muffins, slather them with sauce, and top them with tons of
pepperoni, sausage crumbles, bacon, banana peppers, and mozzarella cheese. We stuck them in the
oven and I put together the dip while they baked.

Once the pizzas were done, we carried them, the chips and dip, and large glasses of pop into the
living room and laid it all out like a buffet on the coffee table. Luke sat on the couch while I sat on the
floor, leaning back on the couch, my shoulder brushing his knee.

I turned on the tv and started the movie I had put in the DVD player earlier that night for when Allie
and I had our marathon. The opening notes of Mama Mia began playing and I watched Luke out of the
corner of my eye as I took a bite of pizza. He didn’t flinch and didn’t say a word, so I decided to see
how long I could get him to actually watch the movie without either falling asleep or running out the
door.

About an hour into the movie we had polished off the pizzas and plowed our way through most of the
dip. I had moved closer to Luke who was now lounging back on the couch, still sitting on the floor,
and was leaning against his leg, my head resting on his thigh. I was having a hard time concentrating

on the movie because he had removed the ponytail holder from my hair and was softly running his
fingers through it, smoothing it back from my face and across his thigh. Every once in a while he
would trace the outer shell of my ear with a fingertip, making me shiver.

I closed my eyes, lost in sensation, shivering from his touch when I snapped. Fuck Mama Mia, its on!

As Luke’s hand smoothed my hair back from my face again, I rolled my head forward and bit into
Luke’s thigh through his jeans. I didn’t bite hard enough to hurt, but did it enough that he let out a
jagged breath and his fingers tightened convulsively in my hair.

I pushed off his leg, turning towards him and moving between his legs, running my hands up his thighs.
His eyes narrowed, heavy lidded with desire, deepening the smoky blue-grey depths with added
intensity. I leaned in and nipped at his thigh again before pushing to my feet and straddling his hips.
His hands came up to grip my hips, and I leaned into him, touching my tongue to the silver ring in his
lower lip before planting kisses along the hard line of his jaw. When I reached his mouth, I kissed
him deeply, being the aggressor this time, finally getting my hello kiss that I’d wanted since he’d
gotten there.

I pulled back from his mouth and, putting my lips to his ear, I softly growled, “Fuck me, Luke. I want
you inside me.”

Luke groaned, the tips of his fingers biting into the soft flesh of my hips as he ground himself against
me.

I put my hands flat against his chest and pushed off, standing in front of him. I held out my hand,
silently asking him to take it. He took it, slowly coming to his feet before I pulled him down the hall
to my bedroom. Once inside, I didn’t give him the chance to take control. Maneuvering him to the side
of the bed, I turned with him so his back was facing the bed and then shoved with all my might. His
eyes widened as he lost his balance and sat down hard on his ass on the edge of my mattress. I wasted
no time, climbing astride his hips again as I pushed him back to lie flat.

I pressed myself against him, my breasts crushed against his muscled hardness and fused my mouth
with his, our tongues tangling, teeth nipping, and breath heaving. I felt his hands cup my ass, and then I
was airborne, letting out a surprised squeak as I threw my arms around his neck, holding on for dear
life.

“What the hell, Luke?” I shrieked.

He grinned at me before turning and tossing me on the bed, following me down and stilling me with
his body. “You aren’t calling the shots tonight, sugar. We’re gonna do this my way.” He leaned down
and rubbed his lips against mine before kissing across my jaw to my ear. “I’m going to repay you,
sugar, for every time you set your teeth in my thigh. I’m going to lick every inch of your body, eat you
til you come, and then fuck you so hard, you’ll still feel it next week. But for now, you’re gonna strip.
Then your gonna undress me, and then you’re gonna take me in that sweet, sassy mouth.”

He moved off of me and stood beside the bed. “Now, sugar. Clothes. Off.”

Unable to resist the dark heat in his eyes, I got up and began undressing. I pulled the hoodie off over
my head, taking my tank top with it and dropping them to the floor. I shoved my pants down my hips
and stepped out of them, toeing my socks off at the same time. I stood in front of him clad in only my

black lace bra and panties, feeling completely naked. I wrapped my arms around my midsection, the
haze of passion clearing from my head a little and self-consciousness taking its place.

I felt Luke’s fingers under my chin, tipping my head back so he could see my face. “Emma, you’re
beautiful, sugar. Don’t ever doubt that.” He placed a soft kiss at each corner of my mouth before
melding his lips with mine. After a minute he pulled back and murmured, “Naked. Now.”

I complied quickly and scrambled up on my bed, intent on grabbing the comforter to cover up with.
Luke grabbed my ankle and pulled, preventing me from getting anywhere. He crooked a finger at me
and then pointed to the floor in front of him. “On your knees, Emma. Take me in your mouth, baby.”

I knelt on the floor in front of him, wondering if I was still supposed to undress him or not, when he
answered the question for me by stripping his shirt off over his head and undoing his belt before
popping the button and releasing the zipper of his jeans. He put his hands into the waistband to shove
them off and I stopped him with my hands over his. I slipped my fingers into the waistband and
slowly pulled his jeans down his hips until the hard, thick length of him sprang free. (Commando,
much? Whoo-hoo!)

Without giving Luke a chance to step out of his jeans, I wrapped my fingers around him (as much as I
could) and stroked him gently before darting my tongue out to taste the bead of moisture glistening on
the tip of him. Luke gasped, tunneling his hands into my hair and gripping tight. I leaned forward and
closed my lips around him, gently sucking before laving him with my tongue. I settled into a slow
rhythm, alternately stroking him with my lips, my tongue, and my hand, reaching up to cup the sac
hanging heavily between his thighs with my other hand.

Luke groaned harshly in his throat and I felt his hands in my hair tighten, pulling me back away from
him. I opened my eyes and looked up at him, locking my eyes with his as I pulled against his grip and
slid him deep in my mouth again. He threw his head back and drew my head back away again before
pushing me forward once more, thrusting himself deep in my throat. I relaxed into him, silently letting
him know I understood what he wanted. Using my hair to guide me and hold me steady, Luke started
thrusting smoothly in and out, fucking my mouth. I swallowed around the tip of him as he thrust
forward, thanking the Gag Reflex Gods for not giving me one, and heard Luke growl, “Oh, Fuck!”
between clenched teeth.

Luke tightened his hands even more, pulling my mouth away before letting go of my hair and hauling
me up into his arms. He kissed me hungrily, running his hands over my body. Nipping at my lip, he
pressed me down into the mattress, covering my body with his, his thighs pushing between mine. He
kissed down my throat to my breast, taking my nipple into his mouth, sucking and alternately flicking
his tongue rapidly against the hardened nub, and as I arched into his mouth, he dragged his lips across
my skin to take my other nipple into his mouth, biting it gently with his teeth.

Luke slid his hand down between our bodies, spearing his fingers into my hot wetness, circling the
hardened bud of my clit before sliding deep into me. Letting out a moan, I rode his fingers as he thrust
them into me over and over, the wave building and building, and just before it crested, he moved his
hand.

“No! Luke, please…” I moaned, hanging by a thread of sanity, gripping his wrist tightly with my hand
and trying to push it back down between my thighs. He wrenched his arm away and sat up, and I

realized what he was doing.

Luke reached down into his jeans, grabbed a condom, and sheathed himself quickly before coming
back over me, using his knees to spread me wide. He stroked himself through my slickness before
pausing at my entrance and then (Yes!) finally thrusting home, stretching and filling me completely.

I drew my knees up, locking my legs around his waist, digging my nails into his back and fell
headlong into the pounding rhythm of his hips and the slap of his skin against mine. I felt the wave
cresting, rushing over me, pulling me under, as I chanted Luke’s name and then felt him follow,
slamming himself into me one last time before he let go, holding me tight and groaning with his
release.

After a moment, he slid to the side of me and I convulsively tightened my inner muscles, reluctant to
lose the hot hardness of him inside me. He gasped and shuddered, which set off a small aftershock
that had me moaning again, before pulling out and walking to the bathroom to dispose of the condom.

I got up, intending to pull my clothes back on, but Luke came back in the room, gathered me up in his
arms, and snuggled us both into my bed. Pulling the covers up around us, he settled me on my side, his
arm under my head and curved around my back, my front pressed up against his side, and my leg
cocked up over his thigh.

Sleepily, I muttered, “You said you were going to eat me ‘til I screamed. You liar.”

Luke chuckled in my ear before whispering, “Just you wait, sugar.”

I smiled and snuggled deeper into him. I must have dozed off at some point, but awoke on a moan
when Luke slid inside me, kissing me deeply as he thrust against me. He made love to me tenderly at
first, stoking the flames of desire rolling over me, until we both lost control, our bodies coming
together fast and hard until we spent, clinging tightly to each other. Luke got up, took care of the
condom, and then, crawling back into bed beside me, he wrapped himself around me and we both fell
into sated sleep.

Chapter 6

I woke up Saturday morning to Luke stroking my hair back from my face. I stretched languidly,
smiling sleepily at him until it hit me that sunshine was blazing through my window (I was a little
preoccupied last night and didn’t get the curtains shut) and I. Was. Naked. Eek! I jackknifed up in the
bed, scrambling to drag the comforter up to cover myself.

Luke grinned, shook his head at me, leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose.

“Morning, sugar. Sleep well?” He winked at me and his grin turned sly.

Luke had woken me up twice more in the night to make love and I was finding it hard not to flush red
from head to toe at the memories of things he’d done to me and I’d done to him. And yes, he did
finally eat me until I screamed. And screamed. Lord, the things that man can do with his mouth…

I smiled shyly up at him as he leaned down to kiss me again. I noticed that he was fully dressed in his
clothes from last night.

“I gotta go to work, babe. Its my morning to open the shop, and since Brandon was going out last
night, he’s probably still drunk off his ass.”

“Okay. I’ve got to go to my sister’s house anyway. And then track down my brother, because I still
owe him an ass kicking,” I said.

“How many brothers and sisters do you have?” Luke asked.

“Two sisters, one brother. Jenna’s the oldest, she’s 33, then there’s me, I’m 29, then Calland, who
you had the unfortunate experience of meeting the other night, he’s 27, and Leah, the drunk ass, she’s
25. So, what about you? Brothers, sisters? Other than Brandon, I mean.”

“Just Brandon. He’s 30. I’m two years older than him,” Luke replied. His tone was a little short. He
stood up and I got the impression that he wasn’t going to say anything else on that subject.

O-k-a-y…? We’ll leave that for another time, I guess.

I struggled up off the bed, wrapping the comforter around me and pulling it with me as I started to
walk out of the room, intending to walk Luke to the door. I heard a snort behind me and turned, raising
a questioning eyebrow at him.

“I’ve seen you naked, Emma. We fucked four times last night and I ate you until you screamed. You
don’t have to be modest, sugar. Trust me, I liked what I saw, and I still like it now.” He smiled at me.

I blushed and shrugged, walking away from him towards the front door. He followed, kissing me
deeply before winking and walking out the door. I shut it behind him, leaning back against it and
shaking my head. I heard my phone ringing somewhere and went to find it.

I found it on the kitchen counter and noted that I had sixteen missed calls. One from my mom asking
me to come to breakfast on Sunday, three from Jenna asking where the hell I was, and twelve from
Allie, all asking if I’d “gotten it in” yet. (Where does she get this shit?)

Shaking my head, I quickly called my mom back to let her know I would be there, called Jenna to tell
her I was on my way, and decided to let Allie stew a little longer. I took a record shower, threw on

some clothes, and headed out the door to my sister’s.

I pulled up at Jenna’s house (in the driveway this time) and let myself in. I immediately wanted to turn
around and let myself out, but the screams of “Aun’Emmy! Aun’Emmy!” stopped me in my tracks.
Sighing, I turned around to field the sticky ball of energy bearing down on me like a freight train.

“Whoa, there, Hayden! What have you been doing, child?” I asked her.

“Mommy made me pamcakes (how cute is she?) wif’ syrup!” She giggled gleefully.

“Hayden, get your sticky little behind back in here, right now, young lady!” Jenna yelled from the
kitchen.

I looked at Hayden, made a face, and we both took off for the kitchen.

“Holy shi-oot, Jenna! Did you blow the place up?” I asked her, taking in the state of the kitchen.

“Very funny, Emma,” Jenna replied drolly. “We made pancakes for breakfast and Hayden, God love
her little face, decided that it would be more fun to splatter the batter than to cook it. That, and she
wanted to wear the syrup more than eat it. I mean, how messy can a four year old get? Jarrod wasn’t
that messy and he’s a boy!” she exclaimed.

“Where is Jarrod? And Noah?” I asked.

“Noah is in the garage organizing his screws or some manly shit like that, and I sent Jarrod up to get a
shower to get the batter and syrup out of his hair. Don’t ask me how that happened, I turned my back
for five seconds to wipe batter off the cat and when I was done, Jarrod was looking at me like, what
the hell?” Jenna sighed.

“Mommy said SHIT!” Hayden yelled at the top of her lungs, running in circles around Jenna’s legs
until she spied the cat and took off after it.

“HAYDEN, NO!” Jenna shouted, taking off after her.

I shook my head, grinning at Noah as he came in the door.

“Hey, Em. Welcome to the nut house. Wanna come help me organize the garage?” Noah grinned at me
before looking around the kitchen and wincing. Without another word he turned around and headed
back to the safety of the garage.

Jenna came back in the kitchen then, dangling the poor cat, Tommy (Hayden named her, poor thing) in
her outstretched arms, who’s fur was matted and sticky with syrup where Hayden’s hands had
grabbed her. Blowing out a breath, I grabbed a washcloth and wetted it with warm water and a little
bit of dish soap.

Between the two of us, Jenna and I managed to get the cat, Hayden, and the kitchen cleaned in record
time. Jarrod came down the stairs fresh from the shower, shook his head at his sister, and went out to
the garage with his father.

A couple hours later, Jenna and I were sitting on her back deck sipping wine and I made the mistake
of mentioning Luke, which led to how I met him, which led to Jenna shrieking and calling our mother
to tattle on me. Geez, like I’m not almost thirty!

Jenna was mad that I hadn’t shown her the tattoo right after I got it, but shut up pretty quickly when I
reminded her that she was quite preoccupied with her stakeout fiasco the last time I saw her.

“Speaking of, Jenna, are you done trying to convince yourself that Noah is cheating on your dumb
ass?” I asked.

“Smart ass,” Jenna replied. “Yeah, we worked it out. And for the record, I was going a little crazy at
the time. I was late. As in, late!”

I choked on my wine, setting my glass down and staring at Jenna wide-eyed. “Are you pregnant?”

She shook her head at me. I think she looked a little sad, but then Hayden came running outside
wearing Jarrod’s underwear on her head, Jarrod hot on her heels yelling, “Mo-om!” Jenna just leaned
forward, put her head on the table and began banging it, whispering, “Why me? Why me?”

I left Jenna’s house around six and called Allie from my cell when I got in the car.

“Emma Marie Jensen, you devious little bitch!” Allie yelled into the phone, not bothering with
niceties like saying hello or anything. “I gave up fat clothes night and special sundaes for you to roll
around naked with that hot piece of ass and you can’t even call me to give me details? I thought you
were my best friend! I’m breaking up with you!”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “Allie, calm down!”

“You don’t get to tell me to calm down, chickie la la. I went out since we weren’t having fat clothes
night, and instead of finding me a hot piece of my own, I ran interception for you because I saw Leah
at the bar. She was working herself up over the loss of her current man candy of the month and was
planning on crashing your place again. So what now?” Allie yelled into the phone.

“Okay, okay, okay, geez, keep your panties on! I’m sorry, thank you, I love you, you have my undying
gratitude, and if you are done yelling at me, meet me at Griff’s for a drink and I’ll give you the low
down dirty details. Will that make up for it?” I asked.

“Yes,” she huffed. “Be there in ten. Maybe fifteen.” She hung up.

I chuckled, pulled out of Jenna’s drive and headed downtown to Griff’s.

When I got to Griff’s, I headed to our favorite booth in the back. It was primo positioning, you had a
clear view of the bar, clear view of the door, and, for the nights they had bands play, a clear view of
the small stage. Unless people start a mosh pit in the middle of the floor, but I try to avoid those
nights.

When I got to the booth, I pulled up short because it was occupied. Then I got a clear look at who it
was and my night just got even better.

“Calland Andrew Jensen,” I drawled. “Imagine finding you here, little brother.” I slid into the booth
beside him, effectively blocking him in. Well, as much as I could because we both knew he could get
past me if he wanted. He could slide out under the table, or, frankly, could bodily shove me out of the
way. And he’s done both before, so…

“Emma, how many times do I have to tell you? Younger brother, youn-ger. I’m bigger than you. I’m

stronger than you. Do we need to have this conversation again?” Calland asked.

Calland is 27, the only boy, and, well, there’s no way around it. He’s a spoiled rotten little asshole.
But he’s a gorgeous spoiled rotten little asshole. He’s tall, topping out at six-two, and he’s built. He
has thick, dark brown hair cut almost in a high and tight, but his hair is a little longer on top. It always
looks like he just ran his hands through it, but its actually styled like that. Weird, but it works for him,
I guess.

His eyes are the same jade green as all of ours, rimmed in thick, long dark lashes that should have
made him look feminine, but did no such thing, and his skin is nicely tanned. (Makes me sick because
I generally just burn; which is why he’s always so kindly telling me that I was adopted. Asshole,
see?)

“Asshole,” I muttered under my breath before saying, “So. You owe me so big for Monday night. You
barge into my house, where I’m clearly busy, and then if that’s not bad enough, you left our sister
passed out, not three sheets to the wind, but like six sheets to the wind, on my living room floor. I
didn’t get laid because of you, jerkwad!”

Eek! I realized as soon as the words left my mouth that I had yelled that last part. And, of course, the
song playing on the jukebox had just ended, so my words echoed in the sudden silence of the bar. The
whole bar. Ugh. I hate my life sometimes.

Willy, a regular at the bar who, more often than not, was drunk by two turned my way and hollered,
“I’ll do ya, sweet cheeks! Won’t leave ya hangin’, either!” Yikes.

I chose to ignore Willy (he hits on everything that walks by with long hair and two legs. Caused a few
tiffs, that’s for sure, especially when it’s a poor unsuspecting dude with long hair.)

I turned back to Calland, opened my mouth to say something, and he punched my arm.

“Don’t call me names!” he smirked.

Rubbing my arm (it stung!) I replied, “What are you, five? Cheese and rice, man!”

Allie, fortunately or unfortunately, however you want to look at it, chose that moment to barrel up to
the table, throw herself into the booth, and yell, “Go!”

I shook my head at her, knowing she was giving me my cue to spill. So I started telling her, relishing
the horror that flashed over Calland’s face before he shoved me out of the booth in front of him and
took off, waving and hollering, “Later!” over his shoulder.

When I finished telling Allie every last little detail, she blinked for a second before saying, “I just
have one question.”

Uh oh, I mentally groaned.

“Please, please tell me you had mowed the lawn. You did, right?” she asked, a pained expression on
her face.

Really? She had to go there? “Yes, Allie. Mowed down to the dirt. Bare floors. However you want to
call it, there’s nothing there. Are you satisfied? Can we forget about that for once?”

“Well, Em, you have to admit it’s a valid question. I mean, you did look like you were smuggling
Side Show Bob in your bikini bottoms. Bushzilla, baby!” She cracked up like she was the funniest
thing alive.

I glared at her. “Allie, that was summer camp, when we were thirteen! I cant help it, it was like I
went to bed and woke up with my cha-chi revisiting the seventies!”

Looking back, that had to have been the most embarrassing moment of my life. Allie was rushing me
to get to the lake so we could swim with Alec Holt and Brad Sumner. I had walked out of the
bunkroom in my swimsuit, ready to go. Allie and our counselor were standing in the living room of
the cabin, and they had frozen, mouths open, gaping at me in shock. The counselor had turned without
a word and walked into her room for a second before returning and handing me a pair of nail
scissors. She then had pointed to the scissors, pointed to my thighs, and pointed toward the bathroom.
Even at thirteen I got the hint, and never looked back. Bushzilla had never returned.

Allie shrugged. “Just looking out for my bestie,” she said. “Anyway, so when are you gonna see him
again?”

It was my turn to shrug. “Not sure. We didn’t really talk about it, and I don’t have his number. Come
to think of it, he doesn’t have mine, either.”

Allie pursed her lips, looking thoughtful. “No, but you do know where he works. We could always hit
up Skin Deep…”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not stalking him at his work. He called me at my work, so he knows how to
get ahold of me. And I just remembered that I’m mad at him anyway. He just called out of the blue,
ordered me around, and just expected me to listen!”

I was trying to work myself into a good pissed-off-ness, trying not to think about how hot it actually
was when had done that, when Allie said, “He did give you four orgasms, Emma.” Allie, always (not
always) the voice of reason.

Hmm. She’s right. Only it was six. Can you say multiples? Holy shitballs, girls, they’re real!

Shaking my head to clear those thoughts before they made me drool and stare glassy eyed off into
space, I asked Allie what she wanted to drink. She gave me her order and I bellied up to the bar
between Willy and Billy, Willy’s drunken best friend and bar stool neighbor for life, and ordered two
sangria margaritas, on the rocks, sugar rimmed, please.

I fended off Willy and Billy’s questing hands, grabbed our drinks and headed back to Allie.

As I got close to the table I said to her, “Okay, no more talk of Luke, who may or may not ever call
me again, orgasms, or Bushzilla. We’re gonna drink our drinks and then I think we should go hit the
drag show at Shimbots on Broad later. Showmia Buffet is headlining and I just love her!”

I didn’t pay much attention to Allie until I sat the drinks down on the table and started to slide into the
booth opposite her. When I looked at her face, I noted that she was staring wide-eyed at something. I
turned my head to see what the hell she was looking at and my eyes collided with smoky blue-grey
ones. Yikes!

“Uh, hey, Luke,” I stammered.

He nodded, his lips twitching, before crowding into the booth beside me, giving me no choice but to
slide over for him. As I did, I realized that he wasn’t alone. Brandon was shoving Allie over on her
side, as well.

“Hey, hey, ladies!” Brandon crowed, grinning at both of us. He then reached over and without a beat,
snatched Allie’s margarita, and downed it before licking every bit of sugar off the rim.

“Hey!” Allie screeched. “You bastard, you owe me a drink! I hadn’t even gotten to taste that yet!”

Brandon leaned over and put his head on Allie’s shoulder, giving her puppy dog eyes and sticking his
bottom lip out exaggeratedly. “Forgive me, Allie…please?”

I snorted, trying to hold back my laughter, but couldn’t. I glanced at Luke and found him grinning at
Brandon and Allie, and it made me feel warm inside. Which kinda scared me.

Luke caught my eyes with his and the smiles faded from both of our faces. Without thinking, I leaned
in and kissed his lips softly before quickly pulling back. He blinked at me in astonishment and I heard
twin gasps come from the other side of the table. I turned my head and found Allie and Brandon both
staring at me, Allie’s jaw hanging open and Brandon grinning widely.

I closed my eyes and dropped my head to the table. I couldn’t believe I had just done that.

I felt a heavy arm drape itself around my shoulders, pulling me in close to a hard, warm body. I raised
my eyes and found Luke’s face close to mine. He smiled at me, pulled me back from the table, and
tucked me into his side.

Allie’s shrill voice turned my attention back across the table and I watched as Brandon slid his hand
over to my drink and smoothly pulled it back before draining it, Allie shrieking in indignation and
slapping at him.

“Brandon, you dickhead, that’s two drinks you owe us. Get your ass up to the bar!” Allie was yelling
at him, all the while shoving him off the edge of the booth. She managed to push him out completely
and followed him towards the bar, presumably to make sure he actually replaced our drinks.

“Miss me?” Luke’s voice rasped in my ear.

I quirked my eyebrow at him, refusing to answer. He smiled a slow, secretive smile.

“Okay, then, who’s Bushzilla?”

Oh, hell no! Not touching that one with a twenty foot pole!

I shrugged, then asked, “What about the shop? Aren’t you busy on Saturday nights?”

“Yeah, usually. I got a couple other people that work part time sometimes. Brandon and I decided to
grab some dinner real quick and saw you. Couldn’t resist a chance to do this-” and he kissed me.
Hard, deep, lots of tongue.

I was lost in a daze when he finally pulled back from my lips but the catcalls and whistles rippling
through the bar around us broke through, causing my cheeks to heat.

Allie and Brandon returned from the bar, each carrying two drinks. Allie had the replacement

margaritas for us, and the guys had beers. I snagged mine from Allie, gulping it down quickly, which
earned me another quizzical look from Luke, a grin and high-five from Brandon, and a kick under the
table from Allie.

While we, well, they, were finishing their drinks, Luke and Brandon grabbed menus to look over. The
waitress came over (she must have been new, because I didn’t know her) to take their orders, and
they both looked over to each of us and asked if we wanted anything.

Glancing at my watch, I realized it was heading towards eight o’clock and I hadn’t had anything since
this morning at Jenna’s.

“Sure,” I said. “I’ll just take an order of the pizza rolls. Thanks!”

I loved the pizza rolls at Griff’s. They weren’t like the pizza rolls you buy at the store or anything.
These were wonton wrappers filled with pizza sauce, spicy pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese all
wrapped up and deep fried to ooey-gooey /crispy crunchy perfection! I always had a hard time
deciding between those and the tater poppers, which are these little shredded potato bundles that are
filled with a mixture of cream cheese and jalapenos and then deep fried. Yum…

I had intended for the waitress to hear my order, but apparently she was too caught up in undressing
Brandon with her eyes. Wait…ohmigod! She was staring at Allie! Whoa!

I heard Luke clear his throat beside me, and when the waitress blushed and tore her eyes from Allie,
he ordered my pizza rolls for me and a bacon cheeseburger for himself. Brandon ordered the same,
and then Allie ordered an order of tater poppers (Yes! I get to steal some!). The waitress stuttered
through repeating our orders back to make sure she had them right before she took off towards the
kitchen door behind the bar.

I didn’t waste any time. “Allison Anne McCormick, what the hell was that?” I said, laughing.

“Oh, you know, no big deal. I got pretty drunk last night running interception for you and maybe
kissed her? Okay, yeah, I kissed her. And apparently laid it on her good,” she chuckled, winking at
me.

“All right!” Brandon shouted beside Allie, throwing his hand up to give her a high-five. “That’s what
I’m talking about, baby! Shee-it!”

Allie just grinned, slapped fives with Brandon, and shrugged. “I’m an equal opportunity kisser, I
guess.”

See? Free spirit. Very free. But I love her anyway.

Chapter 7

The four of us, me, Allie, Luke, and Brandon, all sat at Griff’s enjoying our food and drinks, and I
guess time just flew. When I glanced at my watch, I gasped and shouted to Allie, “We gotta go! We’re
gonna miss the show!”

Allie wasted no time in downing her drink, and then started trying to push Brandon out of the booth.

I looked at Luke and opened my mouth to ask him to excuse us so we could go, not in a million years
imagining that he would want to go with us but he cut me off.

“Where you going?” he asked.

“We’re going down to Shimbots on Broad to watch the drag show. Why? Wanna come?” I asked.

Luke looked over at Brandon who just shrugged before he answered, “Sure. We’ll go.”

Allie and I looked at each other, not needing to say a word because we both knew what the other was
thinking. Oh boy.

After having a minor squabble over who was paying the bill (Allie and I lost), we all headed out and
walked the two blocks to Shimbots. The show was set to start at ten, but I knew that it wouldn’t.
Queens always run late. I knew this with certainty because I, at one time, spent most of my nights
hanging out at Shimbots with my best boy friend, Jace, who, I swear, was the straightest gay man
you’d ever meet in your life. He had a penchant for drag queens, so I became a ‘fag hag’ and ended up
as an assistant to Needa Mann. I spent my evenings soothing tempers, dressing, pinning, poking,
fluffing, and generally running around like a crazy person, but it was fun. Seriously, though? You hafta
give them Queens props, cause those gowns they prance around in? They weigh a ton!

We walked in the door at ten after ten and before we could even pull out our wallets to pay the cover,
I heard the unmistakable voice of Needa.

“Aiiyeeeee! Emma, you sweet ass little thing, get in here! Girl, you know you don’t have to pay no
cover charge! Just grab your groupies and come sit at my table. Okay, sugar bear? Kiss kiss!”

I nodded my head at her, grinned, and waved at the boy manning the ticket counter as I passed,
looking over my shoulder to make sure that my little group was following. We walked into the main
room, which was a huge open space, dotted liberally with tables and chairs and interspersed with
sitting areas consisting of sleek, modern leather couches, love seats, and end tables. There was a
black lacquered dance floor that actually rose up to become the stage, and a large horseshoe shaped
bar smack dab in the middle.

I grabbed a table close to where the stage comes up, the one that Needa always had reserved for her
guests and me and Jace. I hadn’t seen Jace in about a year. He hooked up with a little hottie and
moved to Wyoming. Not sure why they went there, but it had something to do with cowboys and
hunting. Strange, I know.

I pulled out a chair and sat, noting that Allie sat across from me, Luke beside me, and Brandon beside
him, sitting closer to Allie, though. As soon as we got settled, a waiter came and took our drink order,
and the lights dimmed, getting ready for the show to start.

In the darkness, I felt a hand skim down my arm before coming to rest high on my thigh, making me
gasp when it squeezed gently. I didn’t move, and neither did Luke’s hand, even when the lights came
up. The stage had been raised and in the center stood the Queen Emcee, Showmia Buffet, stuffed into
an outfit done up like the Chiquita Banana girl with fake fruit on her head and more glued strategically
to other interesting places. Showmia Buffet (Glenn when not in drag) is middle aged, paunchy, and
prone to channeling Weird Al Yankovic. Tonight proved no different.

The speakers started blaring Weird Al’s Michael Jackson parody, Eat It, and Showmia began
prancing around , lip syncing the lyrics and ripping fruit off her clothes while gyrating her hips and
circling the stage so she could collect the tips being offered by audience members standing at the
edge.

I looked over to Luke and he met my eyes, smiling at me. I saw Brandon grinning and shaking his
head, and Allie was hooting and hollering and dancing in her seat. I dropped my hand from the top of
the table down over Luke’s, and entwined our fingers. He gave me an even warmer look that made my
cheeks flush before we both turned back to watch the end of Showmia’s performance. And boy, was it
a doozy!

Just before the last ‘Just Eat It’, Showmia reached down and ripped off the last piece of fruit left on
the outfit, which incidentally turned out to be a real banana glued precisely onto the skirt where
Glenn’s own banana would be located, peeled it, and took a big bite just as the final lyrics rang out.

The crowd went wild, clapping and cheering, and I jumped up to join in. After Showmia, there were
two more performances, and even though they were good, they didn’t have quite the stage presence as
Showmia Buffet. Needa had come by the table a couple times to chat briefly, not staying long before
flitting off in a whirl of teased hair and Obsession perfume. After the third performer took her bow,
Allie asked if I was ready to go. Luke caught my eye and nodded yes. Yup. I was ready.

The four of us walked back towards Griff’s where Allie and I had left our cars. I stood beside my
little bug, waiting to say goodbye to Allie and Brandon. I wasn’t going to say goodbye to Luke; from
the expression on his face, I was about to say hello to him…a lot of him. Allie gave me a hug and told
me that she and Brandon decided to go have another drink at Griff’s. I told her to have fun, which
made her cross her eyes at me and stick out her tongue. She’s so mature.

As they walked away, I turned to Luke and asked brazenly, “So is the night over or are you following
me home?”

“I have to stop by the shop real quick, make sure everything got locked up right, then I’ll be there.” He
leaned in and brushed his lips against my ear, making me shiver as he said, “Be naked. And wet.”

Pshaw. Like I have a choice? The naked part, yeah, I could choose to obey. The wet part? Let’s just
say my cha-chi and I need to have a talk.

An hour and a half passed and I found myself sitting on my couch, wrapped in my bathrobe, flipping
through the channels on the tv. And if you’ve ever tried to watch tv late on a Saturday night, then you
know there’s nothing on but infomercials and skin flicks. Where the fuck was Luke?

I finally gave up at about three-thirty and shut off the tv. I got up to lock the door and as I approached
it, I heard a soft knock. I peeked out the peephole and saw Luke standing on my porch, looking

exhausted. Wrapping my robe tight around me, I opened the door, standing aside for him to enter.

He brushed by me, leaning in to kiss my lips softly as he did.

“Hey,” he murmured.

“Hey, back. You okay?” I asked him.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just tired. Look, I’m sorry, Emma. I probably shouldn’t have even stopped by so
late, but I didn’t want you to think I’d ditched you or something.”

“It’s okay, Luke. But what happened? I thought you were coming right behind me?”

He ran his hands roughly over his face before answering. “Yeah, babe, I was. But I got to the shop
and one of my part timers was still there. I keep the hours of the shop pretty flexible and we stay
pretty busy. It was successful when Lenny had it, and has only gotten busier since, and because of that,
I don’t have to stay open late and cater to the drunk asses who come in to get ink that they regret
twelve hours later after waking up hung over in a puddle of their own puke. The latest I ever keep it
open is ten, and that’s usually to accommodate someone specifically.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “We left the show after midnight.
I walked into my shop and that little fuckerass dumbshit had six people sittin’ in the lobby, smoking a
fucking joint, of all things, while he had some whore in Brandon’s room. She was sittin’ on his lap
with his dick in her while he was shooting a fuckin’ tattoo on her tit! Christ!” He was shouting by this
point, and I didn’t blame him.

I walked over to him and slid my arms around his waist, laying my head against his chest. After a
beat, his arms came up and wrapped around me and I felt his lips touch my hair. Pulling back from his
arms, I led him to the couch and sat beside him, tucking my feet up underneath me and leaning into his
warmth.

“What happened when you walked in?” I asked.

“I stood in the door for a second, not believing my eyes. She’d sit still on his dick until he’d go to re-
ink, and then she’d bounce on him a couple times until he brought the needle back.”

“Interesting,” I said. Wait… Ack! “It sounds different…I mean, awkward!” Shut up, Emma!

Luke gazed at me, his eyes heating a bit as he gave me a calculating look. Yikes!

He continued after a minute. “Fucking idiot didn’t even realize it was me standing there. He didn’t
even look up, just told me if I was watching, that’s cool, but if I wanted a tat, I’d have to wait out
front with the others.”

“Wow. What a moron.” I shook my head, floored by what he was telling me.

“Yeah. Dipshit. I finally cleared my throat and it would have been pretty damn comical except for the
fact that Brandon’s favorite liner machine, his three hundred dollar Workhorse Carnivore, went flying
when Tom jumped up, and broke when it smashed into the floor. I finally got him to shut up and stop
apologizing long enough to fire him, told him that he owed Brandon for the liner, and kicked him and
his drunken whore out into the street, along with all his buddies in the lobby. Spent the rest of the time

sterilizing and closing shit up.”

“So, wait. Some little slut is walking around town with a half finished tattoo on her titty?” I asked,
laughing.

“Yep. And it isn’t getting finished, either. At least not in my shop.” Luke grinned. “Wouldn’t that be
something to hear? Her telling someone why it isn’t finished?”

I nodded, grinning back. We stood there grinning like loons at each other for a minute before Luke’s
smile started to slip, and his eyes darkened. Ooh. My cha-chi woke up like a bear from hibernation,
screaming, ‘Feed me!’ Well, you know what I mean.

Luke started toward me, and instead of backing away, I met him head on, wrapping my arms around
him and meeting his lips with mine, opening immediately as his tongue sought entrance. We kissed
wildly, fumbling with each others clothes as we bumped our way down the hall toward my bedroom.
We got about halfway there before I said fuck it and slid to the floor, Luke sliding over and in me in a
heartbeat.

I gasped and moaned softly as his thickness pushed into me as deep as he could before rearing back
and thrusting back in, pounding into me over and over. I felt myself fall headlong into bliss almost
immediately, and with every thrust of Luke’s hips against me, I felt the waves cresting again. I held
back, not wanting to let go without Luke this time.

Luke pressed himself against me tightly, burying his face in my neck, sliding his hands under my back
to curl around the top of my shoulders, his hands gripping tightly. He shortened his strokes a bit, then
began pulling out almost completely before sliding back in, stroking over my clit with every thrust. I
began moaning, curling my legs around his thighs, my fingers digging into his back, even as I fought to
hold back.

“Emma, sugar, let go,” Luke whispered in my ear, making me shiver even as the pleasure swelled,
taking me under. “That’s it baby,” Luke groaned against my neck before slamming deep and I felt him
shudder as he followed.

We laid there panting in the dark hallway for a minute, Luke still inside me, trying to catch our breath,
then Luke slid out, getting to his feet and leaning down to take my hand and pull me up. I leaned
against him, lifting my head for his kiss. I felt his hand come up and cup my cheek, his thumb stroking
gently over my bottom lip, and I felt myself falling.

I jerked myself out of Luke’s arms, stunned by the emotions swirling inside me. I realized that Luke
was standing in front of me, arms still outstretched toward me from where I had pulled away so
abruptly. As I watched, his arms slowly dropped to his sides and, embarrassed, I turned, grabbing my
robe from the floor and fleeing to my room.

Great, just great Emma. Now he’s gonna think you’re Looney Tunes! I chastised myself as I thrust my
arms into the sleeves of my robe, pulling it around me tightly as I sat on the edge of my bed. I leaned
forward, resting my elbows on my knees and dropping my head into my hands. Two sock-clad feet
came into view, standing in front of me. I felt Luke’s hand lift my chin and looked up into his eyes.

His gorgeous eyes. So intense in that gorgeous face of his, with his sexy lips, extra sexy with that
silver hoop through his bottom lip, lips that were…smirking at me? What the hell? Luke stood there

watching me with a knowing smile, the corner of his mouth curved up in a secret smile/smirk that
worried me as much as it turned me on.

“Sugar, you can run…” Luke drawled, letting his words trail off, the implied meaning screaming into
the silence.

I jerked my chin out of his grasp, narrowing my eyes at him before gritting out through clenched teeth,
“What kind of game are you playing here, Luke? I mean, what are we doing? We don’t even know
each other and you say things like I’m just , I don’t know, yours or something. Like you can just snap
your fingers or command me and I’ll obey, just like that.” I snapped my fingers into the air,
emphasizing my words.

“You are.” Luke didn’t say anything after that, just smiled again. Then he turned on his heel, walking
out of the room.

I followed him, intent on making him explain just what the hell he meant by that cryptic statement,
watching as he stopped to pull on his clothes that were strewn through the hall before he continued
walking away from me.

“Luke!” I shouted at his retreating back. “I am what? What the fuck! Don’t you walk away from me…”

Luke kept going until he got to the living room, where he stopped at the coffee table, grabbing my
phone where it was sitting beside my purse. I stopped beside him, reaching out to try to wrench my
phone out of his grasp. He easily evaded my hands, holding my phone over his head out of my reach
as he punched in a series of numbers. I heard his phone start ringing in his pocket before he hit one
last button on my phone and then handed it to me.

He then leaned in, kissed me quick and hard on my lips, grinned at me and walked out my front door. I
stood there in shock, completely dumfounded by the fact that he’d just walked out. I snapped,
stomping my foot and shrieking in the back of my throat, and then I threw my phone into the couch.
Hard. Oh, shit! My phone bounced off the back of the couch and flew back at me. I threw my hands
up, more in defense than anything, but also trying to catch it before it could hit something and shatter.
Luckily it thumped into my chest (Ouch!) and I was able to save it.

Shaking my head at myself and my own stupidity (If my phone would have shattered, it would have
been the fourth one this year. What? I have a temper. So sue me.) I stomped to the door to lock it
before stalking down the hall to my room, where I fell into a fitful sleep.

Chapter 8

My phone woke me up the next morning, ringing in the vicinity of my head. I lifted my head groggily,
trying to locate it but couldn’t see it. I shoved my hand under my pillow, searching blindly until I hit it
with my fingers. I pulled it out to answer, but it quit ringing before I could get my fingers to work
enough to slide across the touch screen to unlock my phone. I checked the display, noting that I had
missed my mom’s call before my eyes hit my alarm clock. Fuck me, I’m late!

I scrambled out of bed and set a new world record in the shower before throwing on an old pair of
jeans and a tshirt, and pulling on my brother’s hoodie as I slid my feet into my sneakers. I didn’t
bother tying them, just ran down the hall to grab my purse and my keys. Then I had to run back to my
bedroom to get my phone, which had fallen to the bed in my mad dash to get ready.

I pulled up at my parents’ house about half an hour late and headed inside. Since I was so late,
everyone was already there and seated at the table, plates heaping with food. I breezed in and slid
into my seat, reaching for the plate of bacon as everyone’s eyes settled on me.

“Good morning!” I said, filling my plate. At least once a month my family all got together for Sunday
breakfast. Mom pulled out all the stops, making everyone’s favorite foods. We had gravy, made from
the sausage and bacon drippings with pieces of sausage and bacon crumbled in it, biscuits, scrambled
eggs (with cheese for me, yum!), sausage patties, strips of bacon, shredded hash browns, popovers,
sausage links, and French toast.

My mom got up and poured me a glass of orange, strawberry, banana juice and brought it to me,
kissing the top of my head and saying, “Good morning, o tardy one!”

I grinned at her, thanking her for the juice before saying hi to my dad. He grunted, which meant hi
back. He’s lucky I am fluent in Dad Speak or we’d never have a conversation. I waved to my sisters,
winked at my niece and nephew, nodded to Noah, and stuck my tongue out at Calland. I still hadn’t
forgiven him for dumping Drunk Leah on my carpet while I was getting’ my Luke on that night.

My sisters both waved back at me, although Jenna gave me her we-need-to-talk face, Hayden laughed
and tried to wink back, succeeding only in blinking her eyes owlishly, Jarrod grinned, Noah nodded
back, and Calland, calmly as you please, reached across the table and stole my plate.

“Hey!” I cried. “Mo-om, Calland stole my plate,” I whined. Yes, I know I was acting like a four year
old, but hey. That was my food!

Mom just grinned and shook her head. I think she’s used to us by now. Her and Dad have always been
fans of the whole ‘work it out for yourselves’ type of conflict resolution, going as far as to pushing the
furniture back in the living room to clear a space before letting us loose on each other. We never
really fought, though. It was more wrestling around, trying to best the other by whatever means
necessary, whether it be slapping, tickling, punching, sitting on top of, pinching, and biting. Biting
was generally frowned upon, but was allowable as long as we weren’t doing it to maim or draw
blood.

All of this usually ended with one of us (me or my sisters) pissed off, screaming, crying, and stomping
into our rooms to slam the door, and Calland laughing hysterically. Asshole.

I got up from the table, went around to where Calland was sitting, and tried to take my plate back. He

pulled it away from me, trying to stab my hand with his fork.

“Calland, give me my food you asshole!” I shrieked.

Calland said, “Okay.” Then he gave me my plate, but not before snatching all of my bacon and my
biscuit.

Sighing, I took my now lightened plate back to my seat and replenished my empty bacon and biscuit
spaces and commenced eating.

“So,” my mom began. (She always makes me cringe when she starts sentences like that. You never
can tell what’s gonna come out of her mouth!) “Leah and Calland tell me that you had some company
the other night. Slut!” she said, laughing and winking at me.

I rolled my eyes at her. Dad just shook his head and grunted again, while everyone else started
laughing with Mom. I tuned them out because my mind had already drifted to thoughts of Luke and
what the hell last night was all about.

Breakfast passed with me shoving food in my face (one, because I was starving, and two, because
then I didn’t have to answer my mom’s questions. She did teach us not to talk with our mouths full,
you know…) Leah and Calland took turns trying to one up each other with one liners about walking in
on me and Luke. Noah excused himself and took the kids outside. Dad just sat there eating his food.
He did, however, grunt every now and then when Leah or Calland managed a decent joke. Mom and
Jenna just watched, shaking their heads and grinning at us.

After breakfast was done, me, Leah, and Jenna cleaned up and did the dishes for mom. We visited for
a while before we all started dispersing. I said my goodbyes, gave my mom a kiss and hug, and
headed home.

When I got home, I cleaned up my house and started a load of laundry before heading out to the
screened-in porch off the back of my house. I curled up on my lounger in my penguin pants and
Calland’s hoodie to read a book. My eyes kept drifting to my phone, though. Giving in, I snatched it
up and scrolled through my contacts. Sure enough, Luke had programmed his number into my phone. I
also noticed that I had a text message that hadn’t been opened yet.

The text was from Luke and it simply said, “Mine.” Geez. Men and their cryptic messages. It showed
that he had sent it around four a.m., after he left my house. I hit reply and typed: Mine? Wtf does that
mean? I took a deep breath in and finished: I think things got a little weird between us. Sorry, but I
don’t think we should see each other anymore. I’m just not sure where this is going, and can’t see
it working out.

Before I could change my mind, I hit send and went to change the laundry over. My phone beeped as I
was starting my second load in the washer, telling me I had a new message. I picked it up and opened
the text from Luke.

Mine. Remember when I said you are last night? You said I treat you like you’re mine or
something. I was just letting you know, you are. Mine.

My phone beeped again and I opened his second message.

You think too much. Stop it.

Oh. My. God. He can’t just claim me like that! Can he? Yikes.

I hit reply and typed: I think you’re drunk. I’m not a toy for you to possess and we just met! You
don’t even know me!

His response came back quickly.

Nope, not drunk. Again, stop thinking! I know you aren’t a toy, but I sure as hell love playing with
you. And I know enough…for now. We’ll get to know each other very well, I promise. I’ll call you
in a bit, sugar. Got some things to do. Later, babe.

Nope. Uh-uh. Not talking to him later. I didn’t reply, instead calling Allie to see how her night ended,
and to see if Brandon had told her about the drama at the tattoo shop.

She sounded half-asleep, mumbling, “ ‘lo?”

“Morning, sunshine!” I said brightly. “Sleep well?”

“Ugh…Emma…why are you calling so early?” Allie groaned.

“Early? Allie honey, its almost two in the afternoon! Get your lazy ass up!”

“Two? Seriously? Holy mother of batman, I haven’t slept this late since college!” Allie sounded wide
awake now.

“Get dressed,” I told her. “I’m coming over and we’re having sundaes. We need to talk.” I heard a car
pulling up outside, looked out and saw Leah getting out and heading towards the door. “And Leah’s
coming, too.”

“Alright. See you in ten,” Allie replied before hanging up.

I wrenched open the front door before Leah could touch the knob, told her, “We’re going to Allie’s,”
and ran into the kitchen to grab the makings for our sundaes.

“Oooh, we’re having Special Sundaes?” Leah asked.

“Yup. Let’s roll.”

We got into my bug and headed out. A few minutes later we pulled up at Allie’s little cottage, where
she was standing on the porch, waving at us. Leah and I grabbed everything and headed in.

We made sundaes and carried them out to Leah’s back deck, sitting in the sunshine.

“Okay,” I said to Allie, “Spill.”

Leah looked at me and raised her brows questioningly. I filled her in.

“Allie and I met at Griff’s last night, had some drinks with Luke and Brandon. Brandon is Luke’s
brother, Luke you remember. Or, maybe not, you were pretty toasted that night! Anywho, we drank,
went to the show at Shimbots, and then split up. I went home to wait for Luke, and Allie went back
into Griff’s with Brandon. So, Leah, now you’re caught up, Allie, talk.”

Allie rolled her eyes at me and started talking. “Brandon and I had just gotten our drinks and were
sitting down talking. Well, more like arguing because I swear that’s all we do, but Brandon got a call

from Luke and said some shit went down at the shop. He didn’t go into detail, but apparently Luke had
it under control, so we had a couple more drinks. I tried to get him to dance, he wouldn’t, so I did
without him. Then, we said goodnight and left. That’s it, the end.”

I wasn’t buying it. Sober Allie has a hard time resisting finding someone to warm her bed, Drinking
Allie finds it impossible.

“Not the end. I know you, McCormick. What was it? All the way? Third base?” I asked.

Leah chimed in, “Yeah, Allie, even I know that wasn’t the end. Who are you trying to kid?”

“I’m serious! That was it…except maybe I kissed him.” She mumbled the last bit, but we still heard.

My face broke into a huge grin and I smacked her arm. “I told you! So? I had to tell you all the sordid
details with Luke, now its your turn!”

“It was a good kiss.” Allie smiled softly at the memory. “It just happened. We were walking out of
the bar, he walked me to my car, we said good night, and before he turned away, I just grabbed him
and laid it on him. He kissed me back after a second, and we left it at that. Now, Emma, its your
turn!”

Leah turned to me, bouncing in her seat. “Yeah! I gotta hear this! You finally get some?”

Allie sold me out, crowing, “Hell yeah, she did! The other night and last night, too, if everything went
as planned!”

I glared at Allie, rolled my eyes, and started talking. I filled them in about waiting for hours until he
showed, told them what happened at the shop (I’m still kind of wondering how that would work) and
finished with our fast and furious sex on the hallway floor and subsequent weirdness. Then I told them
about the texts.

Allie and Leah just sat there, staring at me in silence, jaws slack, eyes wide. Then Allie said, “Wait.
So these people were fucking while he was actually giving a tattoo? That’s…interesting.”

Leah nodded in agreement.

“Focus, people!” I shouted. “What am I going to do about Luke?”

Leah spoke first. “I think you should go for it. I mean, he’s into you, Em. And if he’s good in bed?”
She made that a question, and I nodded emphatically. “Well there ya go. Hot, good in bed, and into
you. What more do you need?”

Allie nodded before adding, “Yeah, Emma. He told you literally that you were his. He’s staked a
claim on you, and I wouldn’t be running from that if I were you!”

“But guys, that’s just it! He staked a claim! Who does that? We’re not in the ice ages again, and I’m
not going to date a caveman that expects me to just roll over and do whatever whenever. If I wanted
that, I’d have stayed with that douche bag, Brad. He’d grunt and expect me to not only come running,
but to know what that meant without asking. FUCK. THAT. Been there, done that, and I’m not going
back!”

“Em, I don’t think Luke is like that,” Allie interjected. “I get the feeling that he’s just very confident in

himself and gets what he wants. And what he wants, babe, is you! Go with it!”

“I agree with Allie, Emma. You should go for it. It’d be nice to see my sister settled down finally,”
Leah said.

“Leah, you have a sister that’s settled down. And since when do you care about my relationship
status?” I asked.

“I care,” she huffed. “Frankly, I just don’t want to be known as the girl related to the dumbass who
dumped that hot ass tattoo guy. You know, I’ve been wanting a tattoo…” she trailed off thoughtfully
before giving me a look that plainly said, ‘you don’t go for him and I’m gonna get him.’

“Leah,” I growled.

Allie broke in, trying to prevent the argument brewing. “Leah, cut it out. You wouldn’t do that to your
sister, and its just mean trying to provoke her like that. Emma, you’re stuck. Deal with it. And enjoy it,
honey!” She grinned, waggling her brows at me.

I sighed, clearly not getting anywhere in this conversation. My phone beeped and I looked at it. It was
a message from Luke, asking where I was.

Out. We’re done, remember? I typed and hit send.

I took a big bite of my sundae, then tipped the bowl up and took a big gulp of strawberry daiquiri.
Allie and Leah were talking about some dress Allie had at her store that she thought Leah would look
good in. My phone beeped again.

No. We’re not. Where are you?

I sighed before responding: I said I was out. Luke, you can’t just barge into my life and take over.
You cant just get it into your head that I’m yours, either. We fucked. That’s it.

You know, for such a cute little thing, you’re a real pain in the ass. Where are you, Emma?

“OH MY GOD!” I shouted as I read his last text and then growled low in my throat.

Allie reached over and yanked my phone out of my hand. She looked at me, shook her head, and then
started typing.

“Allie! Don’t you dare, you interfering little witch!” I yelled.

“Too late!” she said, handing my phone back to me.

I heard my phone beep again, almost immediately. Shooting a death stare at Allie, I opened the
message.

On my way.

I stood up and grabbed my purse, digging for my keys. I couldn’t find them; however, I did hear a
slight jingling coming from my left where Leah was sitting.

“Leah,” I gritted out, my jaw clenched tight. “Give. Me. My. Keys.”

She gave me a blank stare while trying to keep from grinning. “What keys?”

“LEAH!” I yelled. “Give me my keys! Now!”

She gave up the fight and just grinned unabashedly at me. “Nope.”

I repeated myself again, and when her answer didn’t change, I lunged at her. She squealed and tossed
the keys to Allie who caught them and took off running inside the house, while Leah headed around
the side of the house through the yard. I followed, hot on Allie’s heels, yelling threats at her. She ran
through the house and out the front door, heading off the front porch and into the yard where Leah was
waiting to grab my keys again.

Allie got about three feet into the yard before I managed to twist my fingers into the back of her shirt
and pull, tackling her into the grass. We rolled, her trying to get away, or at least find an opening to
toss the keys to Leah, and me trying to hold on to her as I worked my way up her body to get to her
hand.

A shadow fell over us as we struggled on the ground and Allie and I both looked up. Dancing grey-
blue eyes looked down at us, and I slumped over Allie, laying my forehead in the grass and groaning.
Allie laughed and pushed me off to the side before accepting the hand that Luke held down to help her
up. He stood her on her feet and reached down for me. I got to my feet myself, avoiding his hand.

Luke just shook his head and sighed before asking Allie and Leah, “Is she always this difficult?”

Leah, big fat mouth that she is, replied, “Eh, she wasn’t always. Douche Bag Brad did a number on
her.”

He quirked a brow at her response, silently entreating her to expound on just who Douche Bag Brad
was.

I shot Leah a glare, daring her to say another word before I turned to Luke, crossing my arms in front
of me. “What are you doing here? I thought I told you that we were through!” I shouted at him.

He just smiled at me and calmly said, “That’s just it. You think too much, sugar. We’re not done, not
by a long shot.” He looked over at Leah, who had taken my keys back from Allie, and asked her,
“You good to take her car back?”

Leah nodded, her and Allie both grinning widely.

Luke grabbed my hand and pulled, tucking me into his side, his arm wrapping around my shoulders as
he started walking me toward his car parked in front of Allie’s house.

“Luke, wait!” I yelled, frantically trying to think of a way to stall him. “My purse! I need it!”

“No you don’t,” he stated.

“My cell phone!”

“Don’t need it either, sugar.”

He stopped us by the passenger door of his car, opening it and lightly pushing me in, one hand on the
top of my head and one on my hip. He closed the door as soon as I was completely inside and walked
around to get in.

I turned to him. “Resorting to kidnapping now, are we? Where do you get off?” I huffed.

“In your tight little body,” he responded, deliberately twisting my words.

I gasped as butterflies started dancing in my belly at his words, while other parts of me became damp.
No! Not going there, not giving in! I sat quietly for a minute, twisting my hands in my lap.

“Where are you taking me, then? Will you please just take me home?” I asked the last question
quietly, pleading with him and hoping that he would fall for it.

“No, and you’ll see. We’re almost there,” he replied.

I didn’t say anything else, just stared out the window as he drove. After about fifteen minutes, we
turned onto a narrow lane, winding back through the trees. We pulled up in front of a two story log
cabin style house with large windows framed by red shutters, a red tin roof, and a wraparound porch.
It was beautiful, set back in a clearing in the woods, and it looked so homey and inviting. I wondered
who lived there and asked Luke the same.

“I’ll show you,” he said.

We got out of the car and walked up on the porch. Luke slid a key into the lock and opened the door,
stepping back to let me pass.

I stared at him, not moving into the house like he intended. “You live here?” I asked.

He nodded. “Well, me and Brandon and Doug.”

“Doug?” I asked. I got my answer when a large yellow lab came bounding out the door at me, tail
wagging, tongue lolling out the side of his wide open, full of large, sharp, pointy teeth mouth…yikes! I
took a step back as he gathered himself to leap at me, terrified that I was about to be eaten. I looked at
Luke, waiting for him to do something, say something, anything to save me, but he just grinned at me.

I felt two saucer sized paws come up on my shoulders, surprisingly gentle, and a big, wet tongue
licked up the side of my face. My eyes flew open (I didn’t even realize that I had closed them) and I
stared into deep brown doggie eyes. My heart melted and I brought my hands up to rub his soft, floppy
ears. After a second, he dropped to the ground and ambled away.

Luke smiled. “Emma, meet Doug. He likes you.”

I smiled back. “I think I like him, too. He just caught me off guard and he’s so big!”

We both turned to watch Doug as he marked about a dozen trees before ambling back towards the
porch. He walked up the steps and stopped by my side, where he reached his nose up and nipped the
sleeve of my hoodie in his teeth, tugging me towards the door. I walked inside, not given much
choice.

I heard Luke laughing behind me as he followed, closing the door behind him. Doug let me go once I
cleared the door, walked to a large overstuffed tan couch, climbed up on it and laid down with a sigh.

I looked around the living room, surprised by the openness and warmth. It was definitely lived in, but
not cluttered or dirty. To the left, a wide staircase led upstairs, and the kitchen was on the other side
of the living room, separated by a long breakfast bar, complete with stool seating. To the right was a

door I assumed would be a closet, and then a hallway leading to unseen rooms.

As I stood there taking everything in, I felt Luke come up behind me and lift my hair over my shoulder
sweeping it off my neck. He then leaned in and pressed his lips softly behind my ear, kissing my
tattoo. I felt myself melting back against him and stiffened, refusing to give in to the need starting to
course through my body.

“Luke,” I whispered. “Why did you bring me here?”

He answered me with his mouth still against my skin. “So you can know me. And because I’ve been
dreaming of having you in my bed since I touched you the first time.” He pressed kisses down my
throat, nipping my skin when he reached my shoulder.

I shivered at the feel of his teeth, closing my eyes at the sensation. I started to turn, forgetting for the
moment that I was fighting against this, when he stepped back, dropping his hands from me.

He sat on the couch beside Doug, stroking his head absent-mindedly as he began speaking
unexpectedly.

“I bought this place for me and Brandon after Lenny passed away. He had left us a pretty good sum in
addition to the shop. Brandon could have gotten his own place, but honestly, neither one of us wanted
that. This is the first real home we’ve ever had, and we’ve only really had each other.” He paused as
I crossed the room to sink into the overstuffed armchair that matched the couch he and Doug were
sitting on.

“Our parents died in an accident when I was twelve. They weren’t the best of parents, but they were
our parents, you know? Anyway, we were sent to live with my dad’s brother, who unfortunately, was
a drunken asshole. He liked to come home from work and get shit faced. He had a wife, if you could
call her that. She was treated more like a servant, though she was probably the nicest anyone had ever
been to either of us.

One night, Brandon wasn’t feeling well and ended up getting sick in the hallway as he tried to run to
the bathroom. He was only ten, you know? So he called for Celia, hoping she’d come help him,
maybe mother him a little. Instead, he got Stu. Stu stumbled down the hall, saw the mess, and starting
yelling at Brandon, telling him he was a worthless piece of shit that did nothing but make messes and
cost him money. I had run out of my room when I heard him start yelling to get to Brandon. Brandon
was crying, trying to explain that he didn’t feel good, but Stu didn’t want to hear it. Didn’t want to
hear it so much that he backhanded Brandon across the face, splitting his lip and knocking him to the
floor. He raised his foot to kick him. A ten year old! He was gonna kick him in his ribs or his face,
hell, I don’t know which for sure, but I knew that I wasn’t going to let him.

I screamed at Stu to stop, then I tackled him. I hit him over and over again until Celia pulled me off of
him, then he just laid there. I never figured out if he had passed out from being drunk or if I had
knocked him out, but Celia grabbed us up, packed our clothes into two large trash bags and drove us
down to the Juvenile Detention Center. She told the guard on duty that they couldn’t take us anymore,
not that we were bad kids, but we just weren’t wanted. We spent the night in a holding room and they
put us in a foster home the next day.”

Luke stopped talking for a minute, looking over to me and searching my face. I don’t know what he

was looking for, but he must have seen what he wanted because he continued.

“We bounced from home to home until I was eighteen. I had always taken care of Brandon, so the day
I turned eighteen, I packed us both up and we took off on our own. I managed to do well in school
through the years, regardless of what was happening around us. I graduated, and I was gonna do
everything in my power to make sure Brandon did the same. We lived in a shit hole motel in
Timbleton, and I did odd jobs to make money. I had saved enough that we were doing okay, still
living in the motel, but we didn’t care, and I decided I was going to get my tattoo. My life was
changed that day, and I’ve never looked back.”

I sat quietly, watching him watch me, but not knowing what to say. In the end, I didn’t say anything,
just got up and walked to him, pulling him to his feet and pointing upstairs. He twined his fingers in
mine and we walked up the stairs, heading through a door at the end of the hall.

I pushed him down onto the huge king size bed dominating the room, following him down and laying
my body over his, claiming his lips with my own. We both were breathing heavily when I slid to his
side and sat up, undressing first myself, and then working on his clothes with his help. After we were
both naked, I straddled him, my knees on either side of his hips, positioned myself over the velvety
hard length of him, and pushed down, taking him deep inside me.

I rode him slowly, sliding up and down his hardness, running my hands up his chest, down his arms,
entwining our fingers and raising his arms above his head, leaving our hands clasped. I soothed him
with my body, my eyes locked onto his, his heat burning me from the inside out.

Then Luke pulled his hands from mine, grasped my hips hard, and began thrusting up into me, rolling
his hips as he did which rubbed the tip of him against that secret place inside of me that made me sit
up, throw my head back and fist my hands in my own hair as I slammed myself up and down on him,
riding him harder and faster until I shattered, screaming out as I came around the hot, hard length of
him pumping into me relentlessly.

He followed me over, groaning out his release and holding my hips tightly to his, grinding me against
him until I came again, shuddering in his arms as I collapsed on his chest. He held me tightly to him,
still buried deep in my body, his face in my hair.

I felt his lips move, but didn’t hear what he said. Bracing my elbows on the mattress beside his head,
I raised myself enough to look down into his face.

“What?” I asked.

He shook his head slightly before saying, “Thank you.”

I frowned. “Thank you for what, Luke?”

“Thank you for just being you. You didn’t stare at me in horror or pity like every other person who’s
known my background. I don’t talk about it much, and Brandon doesn’t really talk about it at all. But it
is what it is, it made us who we are today. And you just accepted it, but at the same time, you offered
me comfort,” he replied. “So, thanks.”

I didn’t say anything to him, just leaned in and pressed my lips to his softly. I pushed myself up again,
intending to slide off of him, but he tightened his arms and said, “Stay.”

I looked down at him again, intending to call him on being overbearing again, but he just added a
whispered, “please,” and I relented. Not that it wasn’t a really easy decision anyway, because quite
frankly, I loved the feel of him still inside me.

We laid like that for a long time, not saying anything, each lost in our own thoughts. After a while, I
shifted a little, intending to move to Luke’s side, but the slide of him inside me made my breath catch.
Luke heard it and slid against me again. I felt him stretching me as he hardened, completely filling me
once again, and I moaned at the fullness.

Luke pressed his hands to my shoulders, urging me to sit up astride him, and I complied, seating him
even deeper in my wet heat. Holding my hips, he sat up until we were face to face, then, completely
taking me by surprise, he swung his legs off the edge of the bed and stood, supporting my weight like
it was nothing, and still keeping our bodies connected. He turned back to the bed, laying me down on
my back at the edge and, leaning back, grasping my ankles where they rested against the back of his
thighs and pulling my legs up. Since I am so much shorter than him, my feet rested against his
shoulders; he pushed my legs together and crossed my ankles, holding them up against his right
shoulder with his hand, his left hand gripping my thigh as he began thrusting deep into me.

Having my legs so tightly closed around him made me feel every inch of him that much more, his
hardness against my softness, grinding against me. Luke quickened his pace, pounding himself inside
me over and over, the silence of the room broken only by our heavy breathing and the loud slap of his
flesh against mine. I felt the pressure building as I soared higher and higher, coming closer and closer
to the sweet edge of satisfaction and hanging there, not quite able to reach that peak that would set me
free, send me flying over the edge.

I whimpered in my throat, my hands coming up to close over my breasts of their own volition,
palming them roughly and squeezing before rolling my nipples between my fingers, pinching them
hard. The sharp bite of pleasure-pain coursed through me, bringing me even closer to the edge, but
still not quite taking me there. I let go of my right breast and slid my hand steadily down my body, but
before my fingers could reach their destination, Luke dipped his head, turning it and sinking his teeth
into my leg, just above my ankle. I screamed, exploding immediately into a million pieces, my body
clenching rhythmically around his, which brought him instantly, pulsing and twitching deep inside as
he ground his hips hard into me.

When the aftershocks faded, Luke pulled out of me and we crawled up to lie on the bed, wrapped in
each other’s arms. My legs felt like jello and I was exhausted and energized all at once. Luke ran his
hand down my body, slipping his finger between my thighs and playing in the wetness there. Then he
froze, his muscles tightening against me.

“Emma,” Luke said frantically. “I forgot protection. Today and last night! Oh, God, baby I’m so
sorry!”

“Luke, its okay, I promise. I’m on the pill. And if you’re worried about other things, you don’t have
to. I haven’t been with anyone in a long time and I’ve always been careful.”

“I wasn’t worried about that, sugar, but you don’t have to worry about it either. I swear. But, we’re
good? I don’t have to go buy stock in Trojan?” Luke grinned down at me, his fingers beginning to
slowly circle my clit again, making me buck my hips against his hand.

“Luke!” I moaned, pressing my thighs together around his hand, stilling his questing fingers.

Luke smiled softly at me, dipping his head to kiss me before asking, “Too sensitive?”

I nodded. “Sorry…just need a minute.”

Both of us jumped then as we heard a door slam downstairs, and Brandon yelled, “Yo, Luke! Hey,
bro, you upstairs?” We heard footsteps hit the first stair and begin ascending.

Luke and I looked at each other, our eyes wide. Ohmigod! Brandon was seriously about to see so
much more of me than he bargained for, or, for that matter, more than I’d ever want him to see! I
waved my hand frantically at Luke, silently entreating him to do something.

“I’ll be down in a sec, man!” Luke yelled.

We both sprang from the bed and got dressed before heading downstairs. My face was flaming,
knowing that I was, essentially, doing the walk of shame; something I had avoided for the entirety of
my life thus far. I ran my hands nervously through my hair, hoping to tame at least some of the freshly
fucked look out of it, but I had a sinking suspicion that I failed miserably.

We hit the last step and I heard Brandon whistle long and low through his teeth, before he grinned and
said, “Well, well, well. What have we got here?”

I blushed even harder, unable to force any words past my lips. I settled for giving him a small wave
as Luke just shook his head at him.

I tuned both of them out as Brandon began asking Luke questions about the shop and what had
happened there last night. Since neither of them were paying attention to me, I wandered through the
living room, looking at the few pictures that were hanging intermittently throughout the room. Most of
them were of Luke or Brandon bent over someone, working on a tattoo. There were a couple with
Luke and Brandon standing in front of the shop with an older man, heavily tattooed, with a grey
handlebar mustache and a bald head. I assumed that this was the infamous Lenny.

On the wall by the downstairs hallway, there were two diplomas hanging there, and beside each was
a picture of the boy receiving it. My heart swelled as I read the names neatly typed on the diplomas,
Lucas Tyler Crimshaw and Brandon Joel Crimshaw, because I now knew just how hard they had each
worked to get them, never letting life stand in their way.

I looked over my shoulder at them, both of them so mouth-wateringly sexy, and reality began to sink
back in. I knew more about Luke now, but it still wasn’t enough. He was so…hot, and I was so…me.
We were from two completely different worlds, and he still expected me to just accept his decree that
I was his. (I must admit, though, that it did funny, fluttery things to my insides when he said it.)

Luke glanced over and caught me staring at him, a slow smile spreading across his face, even as he
continued speaking to Brandon. Brandon followed his gaze and grinned from ear to ear as he saw the
way Luke and I were staring at each other. Interrupting Luke in mid-sentence, Brandon clapped him
on the shoulder, nodded once, and took off down the hall.

Luke turned to watch him go, surprise flitting across his face before he turned to me and shrugged, the
smile that had slipped when Brandon walked away returning in full force. He took a step forward, I
assume to come to me, but all of a sudden a yellow blur jumped off the couch and stood blocking

Luke.

Luke said, “Not now, Doug.” He stepped to the side to walk around the large animal, but Doug
followed, blocking him again. Luke sighed and stepped back to the other side, and Doug followed
again. Luke threw his hands up in the air and asked, “What? What the hell is wrong with you, dog?”

At Luke’s words, Doug sat on his haunches, threw his head back and began howling out all his doggie
woes. Apparently there were quite a few of them, because this continued for a good two minutes.
When he got out everything he needed to say, he shut his mouth with a snap, and I swear to you,
nodded once at Luke, just like Brandon had a few minutes before.

I lost it, cracking up laughing when Luke just nodded back and said, “Okay. We done?”

I guessed they were when Doug stood up, sidled close to Luke, and nudged Luke’s thigh with his
nose, earning a quick pat from him, before Doug trotted off down the hall in search of Brandon. I
heard Luke mutter, “Damn dog!” before he started towards me again.

Before he got to me, I held up my hand, palm out, saying, “Wait. I…you…just…will you take me
home, Luke?” I finished quietly.

He froze, his eyes becoming shuttered, and then he turned on his heel and headed out to the car. I
followed, feeling like a total bitch, knowing that I had hurt him somehow.

Chapter 9

Monday proved to be a disaster. Hands down, it had to be the worst day of my life so far. It even
topped the Bushzilla incident, and the only thing that topped that was when Calland had snuck about
six of his friends into the bathroom where I was showering when I was sixteen. Calland had stood
with his back to the curtain, his hand covering his eyes as he ripped the curtain back to reveal a (now
hysterically screaming) naked, soapy me to six slobbering, perverted fourteen year old boys. As if
that wasn’t enough, I found out later that one of them had snuck his mom’s camcorder over to our
house and they had managed to be quiet and still long enough to hold it up over the shower curtain rod
without me seeing.

Imagine my surprise when, during a very nice slideshow put together painstakingly by my mother for
my high school graduation party, my senior picture was suddenly replaced with a shaky video of a
very naked, soapy me dancing around singing “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain at the
top of my lungs.

So yeah. Bad day. It started when I didn’t wake up with my alarm. I didn’t really fall asleep until
almost four in the morning; I couldn’t get Luke’s face out of my mind, the way he looked at me as I got
out of his car and then pulled away without looking back. He hadn’t said a word the whole way, the
car filled with tension so thick you could taste it.

I got to work an hour and a half late. Floyd was standing beside my desk frantically throwing files
around. When I walked in, apologizing profusely, he just held up his hand and demanded I find the file
he was missing. I couldn’t find it, and he had to go to court without it.

Then, in an effort to wake myself up, I made a pot of coffee. I carried my cup to my desk and stubbed
my toe on the corner, which made me spill coffee all down the front of my favorite white cable knit
sweater I had decided to wear that day.

I managed not to maim myself or anyone else for a while, but at lunchtime, I realized that I had
forgotten my purse at home in my mad dash to get to work. Therefore, I had no way to eat lunch
because I for damn sure didn’t have time to pack anything that morning. So, stomach growling, I
munched on a roll of mints that I had found shoved in the back of my desk drawer.

The day continued downhill from there, and I’ll just hit the highlights for you. I smashed my finger in
the file cabinet drawer, got a paper cut on my thumb, dropped my pen under my desk and hit my head
coming back up, misplaced two more files, hung up on another attorney that had called to speak to
Floyd (accidentally, I swear!), and dropped a whole box of small paperclips all over the floor and
had to crawl around to pick them all up. Not to mention that I keep getting hang up calls all day long.
Then, when I went out to my car to leave for the day, I realized I had locked my keys in my car. Since
I didn’t have my purse, I didn’t have my cell phone or my wallet. Thank God I had my work keys so I
could call my dad to bring my spare car key that I kept at their house just in case. Too bad that I had to
wait two hours for him to get there because he was in the middle of something.

I finally walked in my front door just after seven, but my day of horror didn’t stop there. My heel
caught on the edge of the carpet where the tile entryway ended and I pitched forward, my arms wind
milling to try and catch my balance. That didn’t work and I went down hard, clipping my cheek high
on my cheekbone by my eye on the edge of the coffee table.

Which is why I was now lying on the floor, half under the coffee table, sobbing uncontrollably. Any
why my face hurt so frickin’ bad! After a minute, I got up to check my face because when I put my
hand up to wipe my tears away, I realized that it wasn’t all tears running down my face. I ran to the
bathroom and looked in the mirror, staring in horror at the small cut in my cheek that was bleeding
down my face, now dripping onto my sweater that was already ruined by coffee. A dark bruise was
already forming.

I cleaned myself up, took a hot bath to try to relax, and wrapped myself up in my robe before curling
up in the corner of my couch with my cell phone to see if I had any missed calls. I had one from Allie,
but no one else. Not that I really expected otherwise.

I called Allie back to see what she wanted, but also to vent about my day. I wasn’t expecting what I
got when she answered.

“Emma?” Allie asked as she answered the phone.

“Yeah, Al, sorry I didn’t have my phone on me because I forgot it at home with my purse today. You
wouldn’t believe the day I had-”

“Yeah? You had a bad day? Well so sorry to hear that, Emma, but maybe its your karma. What the
hell is wrong with you?” she yelled at me.

“Allie, what are you talking about? I don’t need you yelling at me after the day I’ve had, that’s for
sure, so talk fast before I get pissed!” I hollered at her.

“Emma, you’re a moron. I ran into Brandon today and he asked what the fuck happened between you
and Luke. So that’s what I wanna know! How could you fuck this up already, Em? We had this
conversation yesterday, Leah and I both told you to go for it because you’re stupid if you didn’t! He’s
told you clearly that he’s into you, but you’re letting Douche Bag Brad effect what could be something
good, something right for you!”

“Allie, you don’t understand,” I started before she interrupted me again.

“You’re right, Em, I don’t understand. And I think you’re just over thinking everything and letting
yourself get in your own way. What happened yesterday after he carted you away?”

I sighed, knowing that I probably was gonna piss her off even more. “He took me to his house, where
he and Brandon live. We talked, he told me about his life, his and Brandon’s. He opened up to me and
we…you know…twice…and then Brandon came home. They were just standing there, just so out of
my league and I just…I’m a bitch.” There was no way around it. Luke had opened up to me and I had
pushed him away.

“God, Allie, what am I gonna do?” I moaned. “I don’t know why I panicked, but I did. He was just
standing there and all I kept thinking about was douche bag, and I don’t want to go through that again!
I’m stupid, I’m a moron…I’m a bitch,” I said, repeating myself from earlier.

Allie didn’t mince words, either. “Yeah, Emma, you are. So fix it. Brandon told me that Luke has
been in a foul mood since he got back from taking you home yesterday. He said that Luke hasn’t ever
pursued any woman in his life. They’ve always flung themselves at him, but he’s never been one to let
anyone in. Somehow you’ve gotten under his skin, so fix it. Now, Emma.” And then she hung up on

me.

I stared at my phone for a minute, torn. I decided to take the coward’s way out and send a text to Luke,
rather than call.

Hey. Its Emma. Can we talk for a minute? I hit send.

And got an immediate reply. Busy. Sorry. Maybe tomorrow.

Tears welled up in my eyes, silently coursing down my cheeks. I felt awful. I slowly got up off the
couch and went to bed, hoping tomorrow would be a better day.

The week dragged by, and I was getting tired of the horrified and pitying looks I kept getting from
everyone. I had one lady that came in for an appointment with Floyd, took one look at my face, ran
around behind the counter and grabbed me up in her arms. She kept hugging me and crying, squeezing
me tight while chanting, “He’s not worth it, honey. Get out now, baby, please, please!” That was
awkward.

I’ll admit that it probably did look like someone had punched me in the face. I had a black eye where
the bruising on my cheek had spread, and a scab where the cut had been. I tried to cover most of it
with makeup, but it was so tender that it hurt too much to do.

I hadn’t talked to anyone except Jenna. Allie and even Leah was avoiding me, Calland was off being
Calland, and, because I’m a coward, I hadn’t tried texting Luke again. So why I found myself standing
outside his shop Friday night eluded me. I took a deep breath before walking in the door, knowing I
had to do this.

I walked through the lobby, heading for the counter, my eyes on the tall, dark, and gorgeous man
standing there with his back to me. Luke turned around, his expression hardening as he realized who
was standing at the counter, but his face changed to dismay when he saw my face and he came striding
around the counter.

His hands bit into the flesh of my upper arms as he grabbed me roughly, growling, “I’ll kill him.
Who’s the fucking asshole who hit you, Emma?”

I shivered at the soft dangerous tone of his voice and the flash of anger in his eyes. I reached up
between us, as much as I could, and laid my palms on his chest. “Luke, no one hit me. I’m okay, I
promise.”

He took a deep breath in and loosened his grip on my arms, and I couldn’t help my slight flinch when
he let go. He saw it and narrowed his eyes at me before running his hand down my arm to grasp my
wrist and pull my arm up to look at it. He pushed the wide, loose sleeve of my sweater up my arm and
ran his fingertips lightly over the slowly darkening marks where his fingers had bit into me.

He drew in a breath, and his faced looked pained as he whispered, “Oh God, Emma, I’m so sorry. I
hurt you, sugar…”

I just shook my head at him and told him quietly, “Its ok, Luke. You didn’t really hurt me, you were
just upset. I’m sorry for just showing up out of the blue like this. I guess its pretty shocking…” I
trailed off.

“Yeah, baby, it is. What happened anyway?” He brought his hands up to cup my cheeks, running his
thumb softly over the edge of the bruise slowly fading on my cheek.

“I had a bad day on Monday. A really, really bad day. I tripped and fell at home and hit my cheek on
the corner of the coffee table. But that was just the final straw.” I swallowed, looking away from his
intense gaze before I forced myself to look back into his eyes. “Luke, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for the
way I left things with us on Sunday. I mean, you opened yourself up to me and I basically shrugged in
your face, and I cant take it back, but I am asking that you forgive me.”

I stood in front of him, his hands still cupping my face, waiting for him to say something. He didn’t.
Instead, he just lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to mine. He pulled back after a second
and said, “Stay here real quick. Don’t leave, okay?”

I nodded and he walked off to the back of the shop. After a minute he came back out, grabbed my
hand, and pulled me out the door to his car.

“Wait! Luke, my car!” I cried, pulling back on his arm to slow him down.

He paused for a second, then said, “Take it to your house and I’ll follow. But then we’re going to go
get some dinner and you’re staying at my house tonight.”

“But,” I began, but Luke raised his hand, not letting me finish.

“My house. Tonight, Emma. I want you in my bed.”

I sighed, giving in and walking to my car. I drove to my house, Luke right behind me. When I pulled
up, Luke parked behind me and came inside while I got some clothes together. I didn’t even have my
bag zipped before Luke grabbed it and then me, and pulled me out the door. I managed to get him to
stop long enough to lock my front door and then we were in his car, headed back into town.

“Where do you want to go to dinner, sugar?” Luke asked.

“I don’t care, Luke. Whatever sounds good to you.” I replied.

“Beck’s on Main?”

“Yeah, that’s good.” I replied, already flipping through their menu in my head. What? I love food!

We went to Beck’s and were seated immediately because it’s a bar like Griff’s but they’ve got more
of a bistro type menu. I ordered my favorite, loaded baked potato soup with cheese and bacon, and a
turkey bacon club sandwich. Luke ordered a French dip sub and started to order the French onion
soup to go with it, but changed it to the potato soup as well when he glanced my way. Hmm…

It didn’t take us long before we were done eating and headed to Luke’s house. We pulled up and Luke
grabbed my bag off the backseat before I could, and held my hand as we walked up on the porch. As I
was waiting for Luke to unlock the door, I heard a small chuff behind me. Then the smell hit.

I turned around, surprised to see Doug standing behind us, his yellow fur hidden under mud and only
God knows what else. I plugged my nose, trying to breathe out of my mouth, because he smelled like a
skunk. I gagged and took a step back, plowing into Luke who had turned to see what was going on. He
had his shirt up over his nose and was glaring at Doug, who seemed to be smiling at us.

“You stupid ass dog, Doug!” Luke yelled. “This is the fifth time this year you’ve been sprayed by a
skunk and its supposed to be Brandon’s turn to deal with it!” He growled deep in his throat, which
made Doug even happier. His whole body shook with the vicious wagging of his tail.

Luke looked over to me and shook his head in exasperation. He unlocked the door and stepped back
to let me inside, hollering, “NO!” over his shoulder at Doug. When we got inside, he put my bag
down by the steps and then I heard, “Oh, shit!” and Luke took off running through the living room
towards the kitchen and the back door off the side of it that opened out onto a huge back deck with a
hot tub sunk into it.

I watched in fascination as the doggie door ( I hadn’t noticed it before) just barely began pushing in
when Luke dove to the floor, jamming his hands against the flap, and subsequently, Doug’s head. I
heard Doug woof once outside the door, while Luke laid on the kitchen floor, forehead on the tile,
hands extended out in front of him holding the doggie door shut. Luke very carefully reached up with
one hand and released the locking flap, moving his other hand quickly out of the way as it swung
down, before sliding the lock into place.

He turned his head to look at me, a grin beginning to grow on his face that could only be described as
devilish, and said, “You’re gonna get dirty tonight, sugar!”

I groaned.

An hour later I was kneeling in a kiddie pool filled with tomato juice. I was holding onto a hundred
and twenty pounds of wiggling, stinky dog, and I was covered head to toe in the juice that should have
been on the dog instead. Luke was standing in the pool on the other side of Doug, almost falling over
from laughing so hard. The last pitcher of juice that he had scooped up to pour over Doug had landed
on my head, leaving me gasping and blinking my eyes while the dog barked and began licking my
face.

I glared up at Luke, and then Doug jerked in my grasp, so I ended up lying face down in tomato juice
with Doug standing over me. He noticed the ponytail holder in my hair, apparently, because he
suddenly pounced on my back, nipped the holder between his teeth, and began pulling.

I shrieked, reaching up to try to dislodge his mouth, and heard Luke, still laughing, breathlessly trying
to call Doug off.

At the end of the ordeal, Luke and I were wearing just as much juice as Doug, my hair was loose
down my back, and Doug was prancing around, flipping my hair tie up in the air with his teeth before
chasing it.

Later on that night, after we had shampooed the tomato juice off of Doug and off of each other (that
was fun!), we were cuddled up on the couch together, watching a movie. Brandon came in about
halfway through and sat down on the other end of the couch by my feet. A few minutes later, I felt him
grab my feet and pull them up in his lap, rubbing them gently with his hands.

I heard Luke take a sharp breath in, and pulled my feet back away from Brandon, who just laughed,
got up, and slapped Luke’s leg as he walked down the hall to his room.

I glanced up at Luke asking, “What was that all about?”

He shrugged, not saying anything. I sat up and asked again.

Luke shook his head a little, before he sighed and said, “Brandon just let me know that if I didn’t
make things right with you, then…you know.”

I froze. “What do you mean, you know? Are you saying…?”

“Yeah. He said that he would do what he could to make me regret losing you.”

“Is he on drugs? I mean, sure he’s hot (Luke growled when I said this) but so are you and I’ve never
even looked at him like that!” I exclaimed.

“Well, that’s good to know, sugar.” Luke said, smiling.

“And besides. You didn’t lose me. We weren’t ever really together-”

Luke cut me off. “Emma, quit while you’re ahead.”

I shut up. For a second anyway. “Well, since we’re talking, I just want you to realize that you were
being overbearing. I mean, I felt like you were a caveman, beating his chest and pulling me around by
the hair. You claimed me, Luke! Like I was a possession!” I winced when I realized I was yelling at
him.

“I’m sorry…again. I’m such a bitch.” I flung myself backwards on the couch, covering my eyes with
my arm.

Luke moved over me, spreading my legs open and kneeling between them. “Emma, baby, look at me.”

I moved my arm, just barely enough for me to peek at him.

“Emma, I’m sorry that I’m being that way with you. Its just, the first time you came into the shop, you
were such a breath of fresh air. You weren’t looking at me like you were calculating how to get me in
bed, or how much money I make.”

I covered my eyes again. “You’re wrong.”

“What?” Luke asked.

“You’re wrong. I was looking at you like I wanted to get you in bed. I was embarrassing myself
staring at you so much,” I muttered.

He laughed. “I liked you looking at me. And when I had you in my chair, I wanted nothing more than
to rip your clothes off and fuck you til you screamed for me.”

Whoa. “But why, Luke?” I asked. “I’m not some gorgeous model type that just walks in a room and
guys drool over her. That’s never been me, its always been Leah, and I just cant help but feel like this
is something that will pass, and then you’ll be done, over me and moved on to the next. Beautiful
women throw themselves at you, but look at me!”

“I am looking, Emma! Don’t you ever look in a mirror? You’re beautiful, sugar. You’re curvy, you’ve
got this long, thick, dark hair that makes me want to bury my hands in it, and gorgeous jade green
eyes…you are beautiful,” he whispered.

I closed my eyes, a lump forming in my throat, and tears threatened behind my lids.

“You’re mine, Emma. And I’m not letting you go.”

Chapter 10

I woke slowly in the morning, stretching and yawning loudly. I felt the bed shift behind me and froze
for a second until I realized that I was at Luke’s house, in his bed. I smiled, rolling over to wrap my
eyes around him and came face to face with…Doug. The lab was panting, tongue lolling out the side
of his mouth, his doggie lips stretched into a doggie grin.

I smiled back at him, reaching out to pat his head, and Luke walked into the room, holding steaming
cups of coffee.

I sat up, holding the sheet tightly to my naked breasts, my muscles slightly sore from the activities of
the night before. Luke had staked his claim completely after uttering the words to me. He had picked
me up and carried me (Yes! Carried me!) up the stairs to his bed before making love to me all
throughout the night. The last time was just a couple of hours ago, when he’d stood me up in front of
the window, curtains wide open, my palms to the glass, my leg hooked over his forearm as he pushed
into me from behind as I leaned back into him, just as the sun slipped up over the horizon. I’ll never
look at sunrise the same again!

“Morning, baby,” Luke said, handing me a cup of coffee and leaning down for a kiss. “I’ve got to get
ready and head to the shop. I have a tattoo scheduled for this morning, but it shouldn’t take too long.
Do you have any plans, or do you wanna come watch?” he asked.

I thought for a second. “Umm… I don’t think I have anything going, so, yeah. I’ll go if you want me to.
Maybe I’ll let you ink me again…” I grinned at him, but my smile faltered when his eyes darkened.

“Luke?” I asked. I wasn’t sure I liked the look he was giving me.

“Oh yeah, sugar. I’ll definitely do that again.” His voice was low and sent shivers down my spine.

I sat my coffee down on the nightstand beside the bed and let the sheet fall to my waist. I leaned back
on my elbows, cocking my head to the side before asking, “Really? You’ll do me again?”

Luke’s eyes darkened even more and he groaned in his throat. “Emma, don’t do this to me. We gotta
go, sugar.”

I shrugged my shoulder at him, making my breasts jiggle, and laid down on my back, stretching my
arms up over my head and moaning softly. I heard Luke’s breath catch and watched him bite his lip,
clearly torn. I decided to up the ante and slid my hand down my chest, cupping my breast in my hand
and tweaking my nipple with my thumb.

Luke groaned harshly before he was on the bed, Doug flying out the door, as Luke was coming over
me and sliding as deep as he could. He fucked me furiously, slamming himself in and out, and I
reveled in it. I couldn’t contain my moans as my knees came up to bracket his sides, my hands sliding
up and down his back, digging my nails into his skin. Without warning, it hit me and I came,
screaming my release, my body pulsating as he still pounded into me until he thrust deeply one last
time, his body jerking with his release.

He leaned forward and kissed my lips quickly before pulling out and leaving the bed. I rolled over,
squeezing my thighs together, enjoying the slight aftershocks still zinging through my loins, and I felt
him slap my ass, yelling, “Get up, woman! We’re gonna be late now!”

I looked over my shoulder at him and he grinned at me before heading off to the shower. I thought
about joining him, but decided we’d never leave the house if I did, so I let him finish, jumping in and
showering quickly as soon as he emerged to get dressed.

We pulled up outside the shop just a few minutes late. Brandon was already there, even though he
didn’t have anything scheduled until later that afternoon.

When I walked in the door with Luke, his arm thrown around my shoulders holding me tightly to his
side, Brandon hooted loudly, yelling, “Finally! Maybe now I can go home and get some sleep!”

Luke punched him playfully in the arm and went back to get his room ready for his client.

Brandon looked at me, winked and said, “Oh, Luke! Harder Luke! Yes…Ohhhhh!” in a high-pitch
falsetto.

I gasped, my cheeks flooding with heat, and punched him in his chest, glaring at him. “I didn’t sound
like that, asshole. I never said any of that, either,” I muttered.

Brandon just grinned at me, nodding his head vigorously up and down.

I spun on my heel and headed down the hall to Luke’s work room. My cell phone rang in my jeans
pocket as I walked towards the back and I pulled it out to see who was calling me.

Allie’s name flashed across the screen, so I answered it. “Hey!”

“Hey! What are doing today?” Allie asked.

“I’m down here at Luke’s shop. He’s doing a tattoo this morning and said I could watch.”

Allie was silent for a minute. “With Luke, huh? I take it you got your head outta your ass, Jensen?”

I said quietly, “Allie, I didn’t mean to be such a bitch. But you know what happened with Douche Bag
Brad. Like I told you, I just don’t want to be hurt like that again.”

“I know, Em, but Luke just…I don’t know. I can just see that’s he’s not like that. You’ll be good
together, make pretty babies.” I could tell she was smiling now.

I snorted. “Yeah, well I don’t think that’s in the cards any time soon. We just started dating.”

Luke poked his head out of his doorway and looked over to where I had stopped to talk to Allie.

“We just started dating?” he asked with a grin.

I rolled my eyes at him and turned my back. To Allie I said, “Listen, I’ll call you later when I get
home.” I heard Luke snort behind me and I turned back to see what he was doing. He shook his head
at me and I raised my eyebrow at him.

He mouthed, “You aren’t going home. Unless I’m going with you…”

I gaped at him, Allie repeating, “Hello? Emma? Are you still there?” in my ear.

“Yeah, Allie, sorry. Like I said, I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Okay! Talk to you later! And Emma? Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do…” she warned, laughing.

“I think I’m covered then, Allie, because we both know there’s not much you wouldn’t do!” I replied
drolly.

We hung up and I walked into Luke’s room. Brandon came by to tell him his appointment was there,
and Luke went out to greet them. He came back with a college-aged boy in tow, who was talking his
ear off about his tattoos. When they got in the room, Luke waved to where I was seated on a stool in
the corner, asking if the guy had any problem with me being in there to watch.

The boy shook his head no, staring at me wide-eyed. He then cleared his throat and asked timidly,
“Could she come hold my hand?”

I laughed and smiled at the poor thing, while Luke narrowed his eyes at him. The boy lowered his
eyes and mumbled sorry to Luke, who shot me a dirty look. I waved his look away and pulled my
stool up beside the chair where Luke had him sit, and I held out my hand for him to take. He blushed
and took it. I got the impression he was trying to be macho with Luke, but seeing me had triggered his
nerves.

Luke stared at me a beat before turning back to his client. He explained the process, and pulled out the
transfer sheet to show him the design that Luke had previously drawn up for him. The design was a
sweet ass nautical star, two toned with black and red. The top corner point of the star was drawn to
look like it was ripping into the skin, and two blood red droplets were suspended from the opposite
bottom corner point, underneath which the words Under My Skin were scripted. Inside the lower
droplet, which was placed so it almost seemed like it dotted the ‘i’ in Skin, was a tiny skull and cross
bones.

Wow. I was seriously impressed with Luke’s skills, and I was only seeing the drawing.

“Okay, Mike, we’re all set if you’re satisfied with the design. You’re still wanting this to go on your
right pec?” Luke asked.

Mike nodded and then looked worried as Luke had him lie back on the chair after taking off his shirt.
He blushed furiously as he took it off, glancing my way out of the corner of his eye. I ducked my head
to hide my smile.

Luke did his thing, shaving the area where the tattoo would be placed (even though Mike didn’t have
much going for him chest hair wise), set the transfer and had Mike check it in the mirror. It looked
awesome.

When Luke set up his machine and starting inking the liner needle, Mike reached out blindly for my
hand again, and I took it, squeezing it reassuringly. He took a deep breath in and held it. And held it.

Luke finally looked up as he swung toward him with the gun in his hand and said, “Dude, you gotta
breathe. Cant have you passing out on me in my chair while I’m working on you, man.”

Mike let his breath out slowly and I decided to try to take his mind off of it. I asked, “So does the
tattoo have any special meaning to you, Mike?”

He nodded, eyes wide as Luke started the outline. I felt him squeeze my hand a little bit more. Then he
finally spoke. “I met this girl last year. Freshman year. I’m a sophomore this year at Cincinnati.
Anyway, she’s so beautiful but she just doesn’t see it. She keeps telling me that I’m just after one thing

and that’s all it would ever be between us, but its not like that. I mean, I like this girl, man! She’s the
one. Ya know what I mean?” He looked over at me and nodded, apparently answering his own
question for me. “So, anyway, we went out a couple times and I think I’ve got her almost convinced.
But she’s under my skin. And I don’t see her going anywhere.”

Luke looked up and caught my eye as he paused to wipe off the excess ink and reink the needle. I
nodded imperceptibly, letting him know that I knew what he was thinking. And it made me feel kinda
warm inside.

I looked back to Mike and asked him, “Well, what happens if something happens and she’s not
convinced? Not that I’m second guessing you or anything, but, you know?”

He nodded. “I thought of that, but it really wouldn’t matter either way. She’s under my skin and if
something happens, then it’ll just be a reminder that I let someone get under my skin, that I need to be
more careful in the future.”

Hmmm. Mike was a pretty smart cookie. Oohh…cookies. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me
and everyone else in the room that I hadn’t had breakfast this morning.

I grinned sheepishly as everyone looked at me, laughing.

“Emma, why don’t you run down to the café and grab us some breakfast?” Luke asked.

“Sure,” I replied. I asked Luke what he wanted, his reply being to surprise him. Mike declined
anything, reassuring me that he didn’t need my hand anymore, and I headed down the hall to find
Brandon to see if he wanted anything. I found him in his work room with the door shut. I knocked on
the door, opening it when he yelled, “Come in!”

Whoa! I was not expecting to see him seated on a stool with the chair raised up high in front of him, a
buxom blonde coed half-reclined on it with her legs spread wide, skirt hiked to her waist. She
grinned and giggled at me, shrugging her shoulders before saying, “I’m getting my hood pierced! Isn’t
that like, so cool?”

I barely managed to keep from rolling my eyes at her, and Brandon grinned at me from over her hip.
All I have to say about it is thank God the chair was facing away from the door. I’d have been
traumatized if it hadn’t been. I asked Brandon about food before hot footing out of the room, closing
the door behind me. Before I got completely away from the door I heard the perky, high pitched voice
of the blonde squeal then say, “Ooh, pretty!”

I couldn’t stop the eye roll this time. But, hood piercing…I wonder what that-? Nevermind. I’m not
even going there.

After getting food and coffee from the café, I brought everything back and divvied it up between the
four of us. Four, because Mike decided he was hungry too, so I shared half of my sandwich with him.

Luke finished Mike’s tattoo and it was amazeballs! I loved it so much that I was contemplating
actually getting another tattoo. Me! The girl who swore I’d never let a needle anywhere near me
voluntarily! Weird, right?

After Luke cleaned everything up and did what he needed to do, we headed out, leaving Brandon in
charge at the shop. He had a couple appointments coming in, and was back with another walk-in

piercing ( I didn’t ask, I didn’t want to know this time!).

Luke surprised me by not heading to his house, nor did we go to mine. Instead, since it was the
beginning of October, he took me to The Patch, the best pick-your-own pumpkin farm in southern
Ohio. We spent a good hour wandering through the vines, looking for the perfect pumpkins to carve.
He found a couple immediately and set them to the side in a pile for him and Brandon. I, however, am
very picky about my pumpkin. I finally found it, jumping up and down like a little kid while Luke
laughed at me.

On the way to the front with our pumpkins, we went by the little pumpkin area, and I couldn’t help but
pick out a couple little pumpkins to carve, along with a few tiny gourds and the cutest, tiniest little
pumpkins to decorate my front porch with. We stopped at the store after leaving The Patch and got a
couple of those really cool carving kits with the nifty tools and killer patterns, candles for the
pumpkins, and Luke surprised me again by grabbing the stuff to make s’mores with.

As we were leaving the store, my cell phone rang and I answered it without looking at the screen.

“Hello, Emma…” a voice whispered harshly.

“Umm…hello?” I responded.

“What are you doing, little girl?” the voice continued in that nasty raspy whisper.

I rolled my eyes, grinning at Luke who was staring at me questioningly. “Calland, you ass. What the
hell do you want?”

My brother busted out laughing and hung up on me. I didn’t call him back because I knew his little
games by now.

He called me back after a minute, and when I answered he said, “You bitch! You didn’t call me
back!”

“I know. So what’s up?” I asked.

“Mom says that you have to be here for breakfast tomorrow. I say you don’t have to,” he replied in his
smart ass tone.

I heard my mom yell at Calland in the background before she grabbed the phone from him, smacking
him and muttering under her breath.

“Emma? Breakfast tomorrow, honey, and bring your friend. Allie’s coming, too.”

Oh, Lord…what was my mother up to? “I’ll be there, Mom. I’m not speaking for anyone else. Luke
may have plans with his brother or something.”

To my dismay, Luke leaned close to me and said, “Nope. Don’t have plans. Where we going?”

I closed my eyes and sighed, knowing my mother had heard him.

“Emma? See? You’re friend doesn’t have plans, and his brother can come, too. Don’t be late, Emma
Marie. Ten o’clock. Love you, bye!” Mom hung up the phone on me, and I tossed my phone into my
purse.

I glanced at Luke, who cocked his eyebrow at me before asking, “Emma Marie, huh?”

I narrowed my eyes at him before replying, “Lucas Tyler, huh?”

“Touche’ sugar.” Luke grinned, reaching over and taking my hand in his bringing it to his thigh and
holding it there against his warmth.

We pulled up at his house and unloaded everything from his car. We debated starting the pumpkins,
but I decided that we’d wait on Brandon. To kill time until he got home, Luke and I snuggled on the
couch, watching a movie while Doug snored on my feet.

As the credits rolled on the movie, I glanced at my watch. It wasn’t even five yet and Brandon
wouldn’t be home until around seven. Luke had fallen asleep halfway through the movie. I slid gently
out from under his arm, intending to let Doug out to use the bathroom and do the same myself. I froze
for a second when Luke sighed and settled deeper into the couch, but didn’t wake.

Doug and I did our business and I went back to the couch to snuggle back in with Luke. While I was
gone, Luke had slid down further in the couch, his head resting in the corner of the armrest, his arms
folded across his chest, one of his legs bent at the knee, the other stretched out in front of him. He
looked so beautiful it took my breath, and I couldn’t help myself.

I sank to my knees in between his thighs, lightly resting my hands on his hips. He didn’t move. I traced
my fingertips along the waistband of his jeans, watching his face intently. His muscles quivered under
my light touch, but he still didn’t wake. I slowly unbuttoned his jeans, and slid his zipper down,
before parting the denim wide and tugging it down gently. I drew in a breath when he came into view,
because he was already hard. My eyes flew up to his face to find his eyes, still heavy lidded with
sleep (or maybe desire?) watching me.

I tugged a little more on his jeans and he lifted his hips a bit until he sprang completely free of the
denim trapping him in. He was so hard that he stood straight up, pointing towards his hard belly, the
tiny slit weeping already. I encircled his hardness with my fingers, stroking him softly before bringing
him to my lips. I let my tongue flick out to wet my lips, the tip brushing over the slit of him, tasting and
moaning softly.

I heard Luke’s quickly indrawn breath, and then his gasp as I parted my lips and slowly slid the tip of
him in the wet warmth of my mouth. I kept my eyes locked with his as I took him deeper, and his
hands came up to tangle in my hair on both sides of my head. I worked him with my lips, my tongue
laving the head of him on my upward strokes, my hand wrapped securely around the base of him.
Luke was gasping with every stroke, his hands tightening in my hair and guiding me into a smooth
rhythm up and down his velvety hardness.

On my next upward stroke with my lips and tongue, I let my hand follow my mouth, stroking in
tandem. Luke faltered, his thighs quivering and I could feel him getting harder between my lips,
getting ready to lose it. He used my hair to start pulling my head away from him, but I fought it,
moving faster up and down him, sucking him deep. His hips jerked under me and he groaned as he
lost it, his hands tightening almost painfully as he gave over to it and I swallowed him down.

“God, Emma…what you do to me, baby.” Luke rasped, his voice thick with sleep and desire.

I smiled softly up at him, not sure why I blurted, “I’ve never done that before. Never let anyone…” I

ducked my head, biting my tongue. I heard Luke groan again before he hauled me up into his lap and
kissed me wildly, his teeth nipping at my lips, the silver ring in his lip pressing so deliciously against
mine.

His lips left mine abruptly and he sat up, pushing me back and twisting me to lie on the couch. He
jerked my jeans down my legs, taking my panties with them, tossing them over the back of the couch
in a heap. I hurriedly pulled my shirt and my bra off over my heard, tossing them behind the couch, as
well. Then it was my turn to gasp as his hands smoothed down my stomach to my thighs, before the
fingers of one hand pressed deep into my wetness.

I moaned as he whispered, “Dripping for me. God, sugar!” He brought his fingers up to his lips and
slowly slid them between his lips, tasting me on them.

My breath came in on a gasp as desire curled hard in my belly, setting me on fire from head to toe. I
read the intent in his eyes and moaned yes uncontrollably as he slid his lips down my stomach,
coming to rest at the juncture of my thighs, his hot breath searing my tender, bare flesh. I spread wide
for him, inviting him to taste, almost frantic with the need. My hips bucked wildly as he licked into
me, my fingers spearing into his hair, holding him tightly against my writhing body.

He flicked his tongue rapidly over the hard, tight bud of my clit before sliding down and pushing into
me as deep as he could before retreating and laving me with the flat of his tongue, up and down, the
pressure building and building until I was screaming with the need to explode.

Luke pulled back from my body, softly kissing the insides of my thighs and nipping lightly at my skin.
I tugged his hair roughly, trying to pull his mouth back to me but he wouldn’t budge.

“Luke, please!” I growled. “Put your mouth back on me, please Luke, please don’t stop!”

Luke chuckled, blowing lightly over my wetness and I shivered. “In a minute, baby. Mmmm…I love it
when you beg.”

I growled at him but I really wanted to scream in frustration, and just when I thought I actually would,
my growl turned into a low, drawn out moan as he brought his lips back to the tender flesh between
my thighs, kissing it before sucking my clit into his mouth and flicking his tongue rapidly against it.

My back arched, my hips bucking up into his mouth, my hands forcing him harder into my soft, hot
cleft as he slid his tongue down and speared it into me, groaning as I rode his mouth, his tongue
fucking in and out and in and out until I was writhing and shaking under him.

I jerked my hands back from his hair as his hands slid up my body and roughly cupped my breasts, his
fingers pinching and rolling my nipples, my hands slipping up and my fingers twisting in my own hair,
pulling as every nerve in my body screamed in pleasure. I exploded, my body spasming, my thighs
clenching tightly around Luke’s head, trapping him against me as I thrust myself wildly into his mouth,
his tongue dancing over my clit as I came and came hard.

Luke pulled away from me with one last lick that made me gasp and my hips jerk again, and then he
was up and over me, thrusting his tongue between my lips and kissing me roughly. I tasted myself on
his tongue and it made me feverish with wanting again, even though I had just orgasmed myself
senseless.

Luke growled deep in his throat as I bit his lip, flicking my tongue over the silver ring there before
licking into his mouth, tangling my tongue with his. I pushed up against his chest with my hands, sitting
up as he pulled back. Without pause, I straddled his hips, grinding my wetness against the hardness of
him that was standing tall and thick between the parted sides of the jeans he still wore pushed low on
his hips from earlier.

I thrust my hands into his hair, jerking his head back as I rose over him, looking down into eyes that
had gone electric, a dangerous glint sparkling in the smoky grey-blue depths. I bit my lip, feeling
myself grow even wetter against the heat of him pressed between my folds, feeling the throb of his
pulse in the thick vein running the length of him, nestled against my clit.

The darkness in his eyes flat did it for me. I felt something shift inside me, something wild and as
equally dark and dangerous as the look in his eyes. I don’t think I would have felt it, or would have
done what I did next if he hadn’t looked at me that way.

Baring my teeth at him, I pulled my hands from his hair and reached down between us to grab the hem
of his henley. I jerked it up over his head, his arms coming up to help, and then he raised his hips, his
hands sliding underneath me to shove his jeans down his legs until he could kick them off completely.
When he was completely naked under me, I pressed my right hand to his chest, tracing the heavy lines
of ink tattooed there in an intricate design, while my left hand tangled in his hair again. I jerked his
head back again, and he sucked a breath in through his teeth.

I leaned into him and, still looking in his eyes, I growled, “Inside. Now, Luke.”

I rose up over him a bit to allow him room to reach down and take himself in his hand, running the
thick tip of himself back and forth through my dripping wet heat before pushing just the very tip of him
into me. He barely had time to move his hand before I slammed myself down onto him until every
glorious inch of him was buried tightly and deeply inside me. I ground my hips against him as I buried
my face in his neck, biting and licking and sucking.

I raised my head from his throat, staring into his eyes again as I scored his chest lightly with my nails
and said, “Fuck me, Luke. Hard.”

He groaned, his hands gripping my hips tightly, before he jerked his head back away from my fingers
and lifted me off of him. He stood, still holding me in his arms, but allowing my feet to slowly drop to
the floor. Once I was standing, leaning into him, he fisted his hand into my hair at the back of my neck,
twisting his hand until the long, thick strands wrapped his fist in a silken shroud. He yanked my head
back.

Luke bent and sucked my bottom lip between his teeth, nipping it sharply, and then spoke against my
lips. “You don’t know what you’re asking for, Emma.”

I moaned into his mouth. “I want it, Luke. I can see it in you, can feel your restraint. I want your
darkness.”

He abruptly let go of my hair, freeing his fingers from the silky strands, and leaned his forehead
against mine, whispering, “I don’t want to hurt you, sugar.”

“Please,” I whispered back. No, I didn’t know what I was asking for. All I knew is that I’d had a
slight taste of that edge. Douche Bag Brad had spanked me once, but he hadn’t expected me to enjoy

it. When he had realized that I did, that had been the beginning of the end, and he’d become even more
of an asshole. But with Luke, there was the promise of so much more, and I trusted him. I’m not sure
why, but I did, and I wanted him to take me there.

Luke closed his eyes and blew out a breath. He opened them again and looked at me. “If I do
something you don’t like, or anything hurts, and not in a good way, you stop me immediately. Just say
stop, Emma, and I will. I promise.”

I nodded at him, afraid to look away from him for fear that he would change his mind, and I wouldn’t
get to taste the wild edge I could sense just beneath the surface of him.

Just like that, the fire was back in his eyes and he growled low and deep as he fisted his hand in my
hair again. He kissed me, roughly and deeply, before jerking my head back and turning me around. He
used my hair to push me forward, bending me at the waist in front of him.

“Brace your hands on the couch, sugar.” Luke gritted out, his jaw clenched.

I put my palms onto the couch cushion, bracing myself as I felt his hand release my hair, and his hands
skimmed down my back to my ass, squeezing the soft, round globes in his palms as he leaned forward
and pressed hot, open mouthed kisses down my spine before sinking his teeth into the flesh of my hip.
I hissed at the sting of his bite, but my hips pressed back against him, silently asking for more.

Without warning, he spread me wide with his hands before slamming into me, going deep before
almost immediately withdrawing. I felt the sting of his palm as it connected with my ass, sharply
slapping, once, twice, three times in rapid succession, drawing a ragged cry from my lips, and then he
pushed into me again. He fucked into me quickly, his hips slapping hard against my ass and his hands
reaching under my body to grab my swaying breasts firmly, roughly pinching my nipples. The heavy
sac hanging between his thighs slapped against my clit with every thrust, and I could feel myself
tightening as the wave crested.

Releasing one of my breasts, Luke slapped my ass again, harder than before, and it sent me over the
edge, my knees buckling so that he had to grab my hips to hold me up as he continued to pound into
me. I could feel my inner muscles clenching him, milking him, and he fucked me harder, harder, and
faster until I heard him shout hoarsely, thrusting one last time as he came, the thick heat of him
pulsating between my thighs with the force of his release.

Luke pulled out and we both sank to the couch in a tangle of limbs, both panting for breath. I rolled my
head to the side to look at Luke and we both froze when we heard a gasp near the door. My eyes flew
to the door, where there was a man (a fucking hot one!) standing just inside, his hand tugging at the
crotch of his jeans that were stretched uncomfortably with a bulging hardness. A small scream
escaped my lips as I scrambled to cover myself, trying to hide behind Luke’s body.

Luke jumped up off the couch, unmindful of his nakedness, and scooped his shirt up off the floor,
handing it to me. I jerked it on over my head, thankful that it hit the middle of my thighs. Then I
realized that Luke wasn’t pissed that a strange man was standing in his living room, obviously getting
his jollies from watching us have sex. He was grinning at the man as he grabbed his jeans and pulled
them on before striding towards the door, and then they were grasping each other’s hand and pulling
each other into that weird handshake-man hug-pound each other to death kind of thing.

“Jackson, you fucking bastard!” Luke yelled. “What the fuck, man? Its been a while but God, its good
to see you!”

The stranger (Jackson, apparently) grinned back at Luke, replying, “I know, man, but damnit! I was
not expecting to see that much of you, you fucking fiend!” He glanced my way, winking at me and I
gasped in outrage.

What the hell was wrong with these people?

Luke and Jackson continued with their reunion, ignoring me as I sat quietly on the couch. I sighed, got
up and grabbed my clothes, and headed down the hall to find the bathroom.

Chapter 11

An hour later I was sitting at the kitchen table, my chin resting on my hand as I listened to Luke and
Jackson trading tales back and forth. I had found the downstairs bathroom, but not before I found
Brandon’s bedroom (which looked like a disaster area), and I had put my jeans and panties back on,
choosing to keep Luke’s shirt on instead of changing back into mine. Brandon was due back any time
now, and I was hoping it would be soon so I could talk him into carving pumpkins with me, since
Luke had obviously forgotten that I was there.

Jackson was talking to Luke, and they both were laughing. I took a moment to study him. He was hot,
definitely another stack of deliciousness. He was about six-four, broad shouldered, and fit, with soft,
deep brown eyes framed by long lashes that did nothing to detract from his masculinity, close cropped
black hair, tanned skin, and the cutest dimple in his cheek when he smiled that gave him a boyish air.

I figured that I should be embarrassed because, hello, he definitely caught us in the act! But honestly,
they hadn’t paid any attention to me since Jackson had winked at me by the door. I sighed and then
gave a weak smile when I realized that they were both staring at me.

“Bored, Emma?” Luke asked, smiling at me, his eyes dancing. “Sorry, baby, I’ve been rude. Jackson
is an old friend of mine from high school. We were inseparable back in the

day but I haven’t seen his sorry ass in a while!”

“Hi, Emma. So nice to meet you,” Jackson said, his voice deep and even toned. “Forgive me for
intruding earlier. I wanted to surprise Luke, but I think I’m the one who was surprised!” He started
laughing and Luke joined in, apparently not embarrassed in the least at being caught with his pants
down. Literally.

I felt myself blush and sighed in relief when Brandon walked through the door, Doug hot on his heels.
I jumped up out of my seat and ran to Brandon, who took a step back at my exuberance.

“Hey!” I crowed at him, “Ready to carve pumpkins?” I knew I sounded like a kid, but Halloween was
one of my favorite holidays. My other was Christmas, but I think that’s a given. Who doesn’t like
presents? I have no shame, I’m a present whore.

Brandon grinned at me, nodding his head and saying, “Yeah. Sounds good, just let me change.” He
took off toward his bedroom and I wondered how long it would take him to find something in there. If
he could…

“Emma?” Luke said behind me.

I turned around slowly, not sure I was ready to face them again. I raised a questioning brow at him.

Luke was standing right behind me and he slid his arms around me, kissing me lightly on my lips.
“Jacks is going to stay here for a few nights, so are you cool with us sleeping here rather than your
place?”

“Oh, no, Luke, you don’t have to worry about that. You guys can stay here and hang out. You haven’t
seen each other in a while and I’ve got to go to my mom’s tomorrow. We’ll just carve pumpkins and,
if you don’t mind, you can run me home and then spend some time with Jackson.”

Luke’s face went hard. “Emma, you aren’t leaving. I want you in my arms, in my bed tonight, sugar,
and I’m getting’ inside you again, too. We’re not done.”

I shivered at his words, but kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to argue in front of Jackson and
Brandon, who had found something to change into a lot quicker than I would have thought. They were
grinning at each other and doing the same manly display of affection that Luke and Jackson had
engaged in earlier. I shook my head.

Luke found some newspaper and we spread it out on the table before plunking the pumpkins down on
it and divvying up the carving tools. Brandon and I argued over my pumpkin. It was one I had picked
out specifically for myself because it was the perfect carving shape, and Brandon knew it, too. He
tried bribing me with everything under the sun to get my pumpkin, but I wasn’t budging. Nu-uh, no
way, no how!

Then we argued over the designs we each were going to do. I was nice and gave Luke first pick, and,
after offering Jackson one of the smaller pumpkins I had picked out, gave him second pick, which
pissed Brandon off again. At least until Jackson declined a design pattern, simply stating that he
wanted to free hand it.

Brandon crowed in glee and grabbed the book from my hand; I didn’t fight him. Then I laughed until I
thought I would piss myself when I pulled out the second book we had gotten at the store and calmly
flipped to the design I had already picked out for myself. Brandon saw the book and, like a five year
old, yelled, “Cheater! Luke! Emma’s

cheating!”

Luke just shook his head and laughed.

Brandon shut up real quick as I picked up the long sharp knife I had gotten out of their kitchen to cut
the lid holes in the pumpkins and pointed it at him. (Which is a no-no, kids. Do as I say, not as I do!)

Carving pumpkins is messy, and even more so when Jackson and Brandon are involved. That’s why,
two hours later when we were standing outside looking at the pumpkins all in a row along the front
porch, each glowing brightly from a small votive candle in its belly, we were all (and I mean all)
covered in pumpkin guts. Doug looked like he had an orange spaghetti wig on top of his head,
Brandon’s face was orange (Ha! Served him right for putting pumpkin in my hair), and both Luke and
Jackson had pieces of pumpkin and seeds stuck to them everywhere. The kitchen looked like the
pumpkins had exploded and we Rock, Paper, Scissor-ed to see who would get stuck with cleanup.
Fortunately for me, Jackson was the one who actually lost and now has to clean the mess. He tried to
play the guest card, and he would have gotten away with it if Luke hadn’t reminded me that he was
actually the one who started the pumpkin fight.

We all headed inside to clean up, Jackson tackling the kitchen first, Brandon heading to the
downstairs shower, while Luke pulled me upstairs, gave me another one of his shirts to wear, and
then got me naked in the shower. No, we didn’t have shower sex, because we were supposed to meet
Jackson and Brandon back downstairs for pizza, beer, and maybe a movie. But I was still hopeful to
experience that one.

Luke threw my clothes into the washer with theirs when we got downstairs, and I folded myself onto

the couch with a light flannel blanket covering my bare legs, leaning into Luke’s side. Brandon had
ran into town to pick up the pizza and grab some beer, and Jackson was finally in the shower
downstairs. Luke was flipping through the channels on the tv when I heard my cell phone ringing in
the bottom of my purse, which was sitting on the coffee table. I grabbed it and answered without
looking at the caller display before they could hang up.

“Hello?”

“What’s up, Em? How’s tricks, woman?” The voice was slurred and I pulled the phone back from my
ear to look at the number. It wasn’t one I recognized.

“Who is this?” I asked.

“What? You don’t know your man’s voice? Wha’ tha fuck, Emmy?”

It clicked in my head then. It was Douche Bag Brad. Why the hell was he calling me?

“What do you want, Brad?” I asked shortly. I felt Luke tense beside me.

“How’s about you come over here and be a good lil’ girl like you’re s’posed to? I got things that need
tendin’ to, woman. And pick up some beer on your way and maybe I’ll be nice and fuck you.”

“Brad, we broke up a year ago. You slept with your next door neighbor and I caught you two in bed,
at which time you told me I was a whore and then called me a frigid bitch. You’re drunk, lose my
number, and fuck you.” I hung up and powered my phone off.

I could feel Luke’s gaze boring into me, so I turned to look at him. I held up my hand, stopping him as
he opened his mouth to speak. “That was Douche Bag Brad, my ex. I don’t know why he’s calling me
now, he hasn’t changed, and I want nothing to do with him.”

“So what exactly was he saying to you?” Luke asked, his voice quietly menacing.

“Well, I guess he wanted me to come bring him beer, and be a good little woman like he always
expected me to be. And then he told me he’d fuck me if I was a good girl,” I told him, my voice flat.

Luke’s eyes flashed and his lips tightened even more before he asked, “Was he always like that with
you? Do as your told? Be a good girl? And are you serious about him calling you frigid?” His voice
rose in disbelief. “You are the furthest thing from frigid!”

I shrugged and nodded my head at him.

“Why did you stay with him then? You’re so much better than that, sugar.”

“He was good to me at first. We met when I was in college, he took me out on the most romantic date
I’d ever been on, treated me like I was really special. I didn’t realize that he was just reeling me in
until it was too late; I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. Things were good for a while, then he turned
into some archaic caveman who wandered around thumping his chest, grunting ‘me he-man, you my
bitch’ to me all the time.” I shrugged my shoulders again, shaking my head at my own stupidity.

“God, what a douche bag,” Luke muttered.

“Yeah, that’s why I call him Douche Bag Brad. He snapped his fingers at me and expected me to

jump…literally. And then I came home one day and caught him in bed with the neighbor. And I’m sure
you heard what he told me after that,” I replied. “It’s so weird that he called me out of the blue like
that. I haven’t talked to him in a very long time, and I for damn sure don’t want anything to do with
him! Okay?”

“Okay, Emma, but I’m telling you what. He, or anyone for that matter, talks to you like that again, I
will hunt him down and hand him his balls personally.” Luke’s tone was menacing, his face hard.

In the silence that followed Luke’s statement, Jackson’s voice rang out, yelling, “Holy fuck, dog!
That’s not yours! Get out, get the fuck out!”

Luke and I looked at each other and busted out laughing, the tension permeating the room dissolving
immediately. We were still chuckling when Jackson emerged from the bathroom (bare-chested,
barefoot, and jeans undone, oh my!) glaring at the lab trotting happily by his side. When he came into
the living room, he moved his glare to Luke. “Your dog…” he growled, “there’s something wrong
with him. I think he’s gay! I stepped out of the shower to dry off and he tried to lick my dick! He did
lick my thigh, but what the fuck, man?”

Luke burst out laughing again. “He was trying to get the water droplets, you ass! He used to push the
door to the bathroom open when he was a puppy and when I’d step out, he’d go crazy trying to lick
the water off my feet and legs. He quit doing it, mainly because we learned to keep the doors tightly
shut so he couldn’t get in, but you must not have latched the door!”

We were still laughing at him when Brandon walked in the door, balancing three large pizza boxes
and a case of beer. I jumped up from the couch to help, tugging Luke’s shirt down my thighs so I
didn’t give anyone a show.

A few minutes later, we all had platefuls of pizza and ice cold beer, and Brandon was putting a movie
in. We argued over which one we were going to watch, and finally all agreed on No Strings Attached,
which the guys all said was really funny, but I hadn’t seen it yet. Luke lounged in the corner of the
couch and I sat beside him. Brandon took the overstuffed armchair, plopping his feet up on the coffee
table, Doug jumped on the love seat and sprawled out, and Jackson was left with the remaining spot
on the couch on the other side of me. He clearly wasn’t going to go anywhere near Doug to fight for a
seat!

We ate, drank, and watched the movie, laughing at parts, but holy mother of hotness! There was a lot,
and I mean a lot, of sex scenes!

About halfway through the movie, our empty plates were stacked on the table and we had worked our
way through almost all the beer. I was leaned into Luke’s side, my feet curled up beside me on the
couch. Brandon was stretched out in the chair still, and Jackson was lounging back in the opposite
corner of the couch. My legs were starting to get stiff from sitting curled up and I began to stretch
them out. I accidentally kicked Jackson’s thigh, glancing at him to apologize, but he just shrugged and
grabbed both my feet, pulling them into his lap. My body twisted and my back ended up pressed
against Luke, his arm still wrapped around my shoulders, and Jackson started rubbing my feet.

I tensed and began to pull my legs back, but Luke snuggled me closer to his chest, glanced over at
Jackson, shrugged, and smiled down at me before turning back to the movie. It took a while, but I
finally relaxed as Jackson’s hands worked magically over my feet and ankles, and Luke’s heat seeped

into me as he lightly ran his fingertips up and down my arm. I closed my eyes, so warm and comfy,
and must have dozed off.

I woke up a while later, not sure what time it was until I saw the digital clock on the cable box. It was
almost three a.m. The tv had been turned off and the lights were all out, and in the faint glow of the
clock, I could make out the empty chair where Brandon had been sitting. I stretched a bit before
closing my eyes again, enjoying the warmth of Luke surrounding me. I was on my side, curled
between Luke’s legs with my cheek resting against his chest as he half-reclined on the couch. My hand
was pressed to his chest by my cheek and my other arm was wrapped around his waist behind his
back against the arm of the couch.

My left leg was lying stretched out along Luke’s, and my right one was cocked up at an angle, my knee
pressed just under Luke’s. His chest was warm along the length of my leg, and his head was a solid
weight resting on my thigh, his breath warming the bare flesh between my thighs since my shirt had
ridden up.

Oh, fuck! My eyes sprang open and I sat up, my elbow ramming dangerously low on Luke’s abdomen
as I tried to untangle myself. Well, I hoped it was Luke’s stomach…ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod. In
the darkness, I felt arms come around me from behind, pulling me back against a hard, warm chest and
holding me close again.

“What’s wrong, baby?” I heard Luke whisper in my ear, his voice sleepy, making it even deeper than
usual.

I could feel myself breathing heavily, headed into panic mode. “Luke, there’s a head on my thigh by
my…you know. And my shirt…your shirt…is not covering me anymore. Ohmigod, who’s laying on
me, Luke?” My voice was rising and I started to struggle against Luke’s chest so I could move away
from the unknown male between my thighs.

“Shhhh, baby. Its Jacks. Has to be because Brandon went to bed not long after you fell asleep on us. I
guess I dozed off and apparently he fell asleep on you, too.” He yawned in my ear. “We’re kinda in
his bed, you know. Want to go upstairs with me?”

“Yes, Luke, please. But…I’m a little stuck. His face is right there, and I’m afraid to move.” My panic
was ebbing a little bit, soothed by Luke’s closeness and the fact that he was about to help me out of
my predicament.

I felt Luke shift a bit as he stretched behind his head to the lamp on the end table beside the couch. I
blinked at the sudden soft light filling the room before my eyes flew to the head nestled on my thigh,
so close to my naked cha-chi.

I heard a sharp, indrawn breath behind me as Luke looked down my body, getting a clear look at
where Jackson was lying. Then, weirdly, I felt Luke’s breath become erratic, like it does when he
wants to get me naked. His hands came up on my hips, sliding beneath the hem of it and moving up to
cover my breasts.

“Luke!” I gasped in shock, my hands rising up to grab at his and pull them away, but he tweaked my
nipples then, and I succeeded only in covering his hands with mine while he fondled me.

“God, sugar, it makes me so hard to see your pretty little body spread out in the light like that.” Luke

groaned in my ear, his lips tracing it before moving down to my neck, kissing and nipping my

tender skin while his hands roamed over my breasts and stomach, his fingers dipping low, lightly
brushing over the softness of me that was growing damp.

“Luke, no! Jackson…” I broke off on a gasp as he lightly parted me, the pad of his finger tracing my
clit before sliding lower and dipping inside.

“Yes, Emma. I’m gonna make you come, and you have to hold still and be really quiet so we don’t get
caught.” His voice was a hoarse whisper against my neck, and I moaned softly, the feel of his lips on
my skin combined with his erotic words making me shiver as want flooded my veins. My breath was
coming faster, harsher; I was so confused, but so turned on I felt like he was turning me inside out.

Luke felt me shiver, and his hand tightened convulsively on my breast. His hips jerked behind me and
I felt the impossibly hard length of him press against my lower back. I shifted, intending to slide up so
I could position that hardness where I wanted it most, but Luke’s hands stilled me.

“Jacks, sugar. Don’t move or you’ll wake him up.” He slid his finger slowly back out of my heat and,
using his fingers, spread me open, baring me to his gaze. He gave a soft, guttural moan as he stared at
my glistening pink folds.

I jumped as Jackson sighed in his sleep, his breath blowing lightly against my exposed clit.

“Luke,” I whispered, my voice breaking on a moan. “Please, lets go upstairs, baby. Oh, God, what if
he wakes up? He’ll see you…what you’re doing to me. He’ll see me, Luke!”

“I know, sugar. But look down, Emma, see how wet you are? You’re dripping, baby, so turned on by
the thought of being caught. Mmm, think of it, Emma…what would happen if Jacks opened his eyes
right now? He’d see this,” Luke moved his fingers spreading me wide and suddenly thrust them inside
me, “wouldn’t he, Emma? He’d see my fingers fucking you, baby, and it would make you wild.”

Luke turned his head into my neck again, biting the curve of my shoulder and making me moan louder
this time. His words were like fire, racing through my veins, desire curling in my belly as they
washed over me.

Oh. My. God. I was a freak! The thought of Jackson catching us, of him seeing Luke with his fingers
sliding in and out of my body, turned me on so much that I felt like I would come from it. I tried to
fight it, shaking my head against Luke’s chest as my hips began to jerk uncontrollably, rising to meet
the thrust of his fingers.

“No, no, no…” I was moaning, even as I covered his hand with my own, pressing his fingers even
deeper into my hot, wet channel.

“Yessss, Emma, yes!” Luke hissed against my skin. He pulled his other hand out from under my shirt
and caught my chin, twisting my head around to take my lips in a wild kiss. Without pulling his lips
away, Luke growled harshly, “He’s gonna wake up, Emma. He’s gonna wake up and he’s gonna see
you come. And then I’m gonna let him watch as I slide into you from behind, sitting here just like this,
baby, and I’m gonna fuck you. I’ll fuck you so hard while he watches and you won’t care, baby. You
want it, Emma, don’t you?”

Luke increased the pace of his thrusting fingers, and I rode his hand, bucking my hips as I moaned,

“No! Yes! God, Luke, I don’t know…I can’t…”

Luke pulled back a bit to look me in my eyes, his rhythm never faltering, and said, “Let go, Emma.
You can. You want it, baby, I can see how much the thought of it turns you on. Show me your
darkness, sugar.”

I broke at his words, coming so hard around his fingers as I threw my head back against his chest and
bit my lip to keep from screaming. Luke was crooning in my ear, his fingers still lightly stroking me as
I tried to recover from my shattering release.

I raised my head, looking down the length of my body and my eyes clashed with deep brown ones. I
gasped, but my eyes remain locked on Jackson’s where he was lying between my thighs. He had
raised his head off my thigh, and was propped slightly up on his elbow. His lips were curved slightly,
half-smiling as he deliberately dropped my gaze and let his eyes roam over me.

I closed my eyes and whispered, “Luke…”

He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight, murmuring, “Its okay, baby, I’m here.”

I felt Jackson move, sitting up and leaning back against the opposite arm of the couch. “I’m sorry,” he
said softly.

I opened my eyes and forced myself to look at him, even as my face heated with embarrassment. I
shook my head. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about, Jacks. I…” I trailed off, not knowing
what to say.

Emotions were warring inside me. My head was telling me that I should feel ashamed, but my body,
and even my heart, were both telling me that I was seriously bent, a total freakazoid, and that wasn’t a
bad thing. I felt free, like a piece of me had been broken loose, and I smiled at Jackson before turning
to Luke and kissing him.

“You’re right,” I said against his lips.

“I know,” Luke replied. “You’re bent (was he psychic?) Emma. Seriously twisted. I love it.”

I moaned against his lips as he kissed me deeply again. He gripped my hips with his hands and lifted
me up as he slid down lower on the couch. When he pulled my hips back down, I was sitting astride
his, the hardness of him trapped beneath his jeans pressed against my naked wetness. I was still
facing Jackson, and he was devouring me with his eyes.

“Wait!” I gasped. I looked over my shoulder at Luke and continued. “I don’t…I’ve never…”

“Emma, you don’t have to do anything. Jacks is just gonna watch, if you’re okay with it. I don’t think
you’re ready for more than that-”

“No!” I cut Luke off. He smiled and crooked his finger at me. I carefully pushed myself up off of his
lap and he sat up on the couch before pulling me down astride him again. He hugged me tight to his
chest.

“Emma,“ Luke said, smiling slowly. “If you’d let me finish, I’m not ready for that. I don’t want
anybody but me touching you.“ Luke glanced over at Jackson, smiling wryly as he said, “No offense,

man, but you seriously are never touching my girl.”

Jackson nodded solemnly. “None taken. I know where you stand on this one.” He grinned
mischievously then. “But I do still want to watch, just once. She’s beyond…” He shook his head, but
didn’t finish what he was saying.

Luke apparently understood, because he nodded at Jackson and squeezed me tight again.

A while later, Luke and I were curled together in his bed, and he was gently brushing my hair back
from my face as he placed soft kisses along my jaw.

I let my mind wander to what had happened earlier, still slightly convinced that it was all just a
dream. Luke had pulled his shirt off and then shoved his jeans down and kicked them off, completely
uncaring that Jackson was sitting three feet away. He had pulled my shirt off me, too, both of us
standing naked for a second before he had lounged on the couch again, facing Jackson, and pulled me
over him. I straddled his hips, facing outward towards Jackson, and he had pushed up into me, filling
me as he reached around and spread me open to Jackson’s gaze.

He had set a smooth, quick pace that had sent me over the edge almost immediately, and didn’t stop
until I had come twice more. The last one was so intense that I screamed, and Luke had to slap his
hand over my mouth so I didn’t wake up Brandon. It had been so intense because Jackson had shoved
his jeans down and began stroking himself, matching the thrust of my hips against Luke’s. I had been
unable to tear my eyes away from him, from the sight of his hand circling the (huge!) hard length of
him, firmly stroking root to tip as I rode Luke, and it had set me off, exploding around Luke and
milking him until he came, still thrusting and prolonging my orgasm until Jackson followed as well,
spilling himself over his hand.

I closed my eyes, pressing my thighs together at the ache the memory of that moment caused. I heard
Luke laugh softly behind me.

“What’s the matter, sugar?” Luke asked, his tone teasing.

“Just thinking,” I replied. I turned to face him. “Luke? Why…how…I’m kind of confused,” I
stammered. “I’ve been confused since Jackson got here. He watched us…and you weren’t mad.
Then…earlier happened, and you were okay with everything but you said he couldn’t touch your girl,
and he said he knew where you stood on this one. What does that mean?”

Luke pressed his lips to my forehead, and then pulled back to watch my face as he spoke. “Jacks and I
have known each other for a long time. I met him when I first went to live with my dad’s brother; he
was in my class. He became my friend, my only friend, and he really was the only person constant in
my life other than Brandon. It didn’t matter where we were sent for foster care, he made his mom
bring him over, or even come get us, because I tried to never leave Brandon behind, until he was able
to drive. Then he did the same. His mom took me to get my license, and Jacks helped me get my first
car. We’ve never been separated until the last year or so, and that’s only because he took a job in
L.A.

There’s no way to ease into this, so I’ll just be blunt. We used to have some wild times, and we’ve
shared women. In fact, we shared almost all the women we dated. None of them ever meant anything
really, but we always swore that if we found one that did, then the other wouldn’t touch her. I…you

said you’ve seen the darkness in me, Emma. I cant help it, it’s a rush, that feeling of someone
watching, of being caught in the act. I know I pushed you into it, and I’m sorry if I went too far.” Luke
sighed, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against mine.

I shook my head. “Luke, you pushed me, but I felt safe, I feel safe with you. And you were right, it
turned me on so much. But you still didn’t explain what Jackson meant when he said he knew where
you stood.”

“You’re mine, Emma. I’ve told you that. You heard me tell him he wasn’t touching my girl. You’re my
girl. Mine.” He punctuated his last word with a hard kiss on my lips.

I raised my brows at him, but didn’t feel like arguing because I was way too warm and comfortable
wrapped in his arms.

“Sugar?”

“Hmm?” I tipped my head back a bit to meet his gaze.

“What time do we have to be at your parents’ house in the morning?” Luke asked.

Shit! I had forgotten about that. “Ummm…ten?”

Luke rolled over to look at the clock, and groaned when he saw what time it was. “Sleep!”

Ten minutes later (it felt like) the covers were ripped off me, and Luke slapped my ass. “Get up,
sleepy head! We’re gonna be late!”

I buried my face in the mattress. “No! Sleep!” My words came out muffled and then I shrieked as
Luke lifted me up off the mattress and set me on my feet, pointing me towards the bathroom. I stood
there for a second, blinking sleep from my eyes, and Luke swooped in, kissed me briefly, and shoved
me into the bathroom to get ready.

When I got out of the shower, my clothes from last night were sitting on the counter, neatly folded and
pumpkin free. An unopened toothbrush was sitting next to them, and I smiled at Luke’s thoughtfulness.
I dressed hurriedly, brushed my teeth, and then, finding Luke’s comb, quickly combed the tangles out
of my hair and pulled it up into a knot on my head.

I got downstairs to see Jackson still sprawled out asleep on the couch, but Brandon and Luke were
standing by the door, both looking wide awake and ready to go.

“Why didn’t you guys wake up Jackson to go?” I asked, baffled.

“Uh, well, we’re going to your parents’ house and didn’t want to be presumptuous,” Luke replied.

“Well, it would be rude to leave him! Get him up and lets go!” I looked at the clock on the kitchen
wall and let out a little shriek. “Now! We’re gonna be late!”

Fifteen minutes later, we were crammed into Luke’s car and headed to my mom and dads. I really
didn’t think I was ready for this, but I’ve learned over the years not to argue with my mom. It only
makes things worse.

Chapter 12

Luke followed my directions and we pulled up outside my parents’ house. I closed my eyes when I
noticed that every window curtain in the front of the house was twitching. I opened them again to see
that my family had quit being cautious and were openly staring out the windows. My mom was in the
window above the sink in the kitchen. Leah and Jenna were each in a window in the living room, and
Allie’s face popped up above Leah. My dad and Calland were peering out of the two small side
windows framing the front door.

Leave it to Hayden to be the ice breaker, though. She flung the door wide, and as we got out of the
car, I heard her say, “Aun’ Emmy, Mommaw, Poppaw, Mommy, and Uncle Cow are ‘pying on you
from the windows!

I laughed. “I know, sweetie. That’s because they’re nosy, and Aunt Leah and Aunt Allie aren‘t any
better!”

She nodded sagely at me before turning the three men standing beside me. She craned her neck to look
up at them and her eyes widened. “Aun’ Emmy! You gots giants wif’ you!” she whispered loudly.

I blushed, whispering, “Hayden! They aren’t giants, and Uncle Calland is almost the same height.”

She cocked her head to the side, her little hands on her hips, and studied each of the guys. “No. They
bigger than Uncle Cow. They prettier, too.”

I just shook my head and grabbed her arm, dragging her with me into the house, Luke, Brandon, and
Jackson all trailing behind me.

We walked in and everyone had moved back from the windows, pretending to be busy with
something, with the exception of Noah and Jarrod, who were playing Xbox and shaking their heads. I
rolled my eyes and began introducing everyone. When I got to Jackson, I turned to my mom. “Sorry,
Momma, there’s one extra. This is Jackson and he’s in from out of town to visit Luke and Brandon. I
didn’t think you’d mind, though.”

“No, I don’t mind! The more the merrier!” Mom beamed at Jackson, and the way she smiled made me
wonder if she’d been sneaking sips from the liquor cabinet this morning. She’s been known to do that.
Usually that results in her dancing around everywhere with her lips pursed, bent halfway over, side-
stepping back and forth, all the while yelling, ‘Put in Billy Squire! C’mon!’ Sheesh. Mothers.

Allie bounced over to Brandon, but came to a dead stop when she got an up close look at Jackson.
“Whoa!” she whispered. I noticed Brandon looking at her funny, but Hayden tugged on my hand and I
turned my attention to her.

“We gots lots of yummy stuffs for breakfas’. We hafta wait ‘til you got here wif’ you friends. Can we
eat now?”

Without waiting for my answer, she pulled away from me and grabbed one of Luke’s and Jackson’s
hands in each of hers and led them to the table.

My sisters and I helped my mom carry the food to the table and we all sat down to eat. Everything
was going as I imagined it would. It was chaos, everybody reaching for food, talking over one
another. Dad wasn’t saying much, just eyeballing Luke every once in a while. Mom and Jenna were

discussing new curtains for Jenna’s kitchen, Allie and Leah were staring at the guys, Noah, Jarrod and
Hayden were all engrossed in their food, and Calland was playing twenty questions with Luke.

When Calland said, “So, Luke, what are your intentions toward my sister?” I slapped my hands down
on the table and hollered, “Enough!” I glared at Calland and he just shrugged at me, smirking. My
glare transferred to my father when I saw him sneak a high-five to my brother. Ugh!

Fortunately, the rest of breakfast passed without incident, and, after helping my mom clean up again,
we all piled back into Luke’s car. As he backed down the drive, I asked him to drop me off at my
house.

“Why?” he asked.

“Well, because I’ve got some things I need to do at my house, I have to work tomorrow, and you will
want to spend some time with Jackson while he’s here.”

Without asking anyone else, Luke answered, “We’ll just hang out at your house until you’re done and
then we’ll go back out to mine. You can stay tonight and I’ll drop you off at work in the morning.”

I looked at him in disbelief before glancing in the backseat, sure that Brandon and Jackson would
have something to say about it. Both of them just shrugged at me. I closed my eyes, my head falling
back against the headrest. I don’t know why I bother.

We pulled up at my house and I unlocked the door. All three of the guys brushed past me and headed
in different directions. Luke plopped down on the couch and commandeered the tv remote, Brandon
started methodically going from room to room, checking my place out, and Jackson headed to the
kitchen. I followed him, curious to see what he was doing. Without a care in the world, he popped his
head into my freezer and then my fridge, rummaging around.

“Jackson?” I asked, laughing.

“Hmm?” he replied, not bothering to remove his head from the fridge.

“What are you doing? You cant be hungry, we just ate!”

He backed out of the fridge, his arms holding lunchmeat, cheese, and other sandwich fixings. “Yes, I
can. I just had one plate of food. I’m starving, wasting away to nothing!” He stuck his lip out pitifully
and whined, “Feed me, Emma, please?”

I rolled my eyes at him, telling him that he could have had more than one plate of food at my parent’s
house before grabbing the food from his arms, putting it on the counter so I could grab the bread and
make his sandwich. As soon as I had the bread in my hands, he walked out of the kitchen towards the
living room, hollering over his shoulder, “mustard and mayo, please! I couldn’t find any lettuce but if
you have any, I want that too!”

Shaking my head, I went to the fridge and pulled out the bag of shredded lettuce I had in the crisper
drawer. Before I made his sandwich, I popped my head around the corner to the living room to ask
Luke and Brandon, who apparently had finished wandering my house, if they wanted something too.
Surprisingly (to me, at least) they did. Even more surprising, Luke got up off the couch, leaving
Brandon and Jackson to fight over the remote, and followed me into the kitchen to help.

We made sandwiches and Luke carried them into the living room for them while I put everything
away and started some laundry. I unloaded the clean dishes from the dishwasher, and then loaded the
few dirty ones I had sitting in the sink. Then I swept the floor and was about to mop when the handle
was pulled out of my hand.

I looked up in surprise and saw Brandon there holding the mop and pointing me towards the living
room. I started that way when I heard my vacuum turn on. I walked in to see Jackson sweeping the
floor, but Luke wasn’t in the room. I walked down the hall until I found him in the bathroom, where he
was wiping down the sink and putting away my hair stuff and makeup. He looked so cute that I snuck
up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing myself to his back. I felt him start, but
he recovered quickly and turned in my arms, hugging me tight and kissing my lips softly.

“Why are you guys cleaning my house for me?” I asked him in between kisses.

“You said you wanted to get some stuff done, so we’re helping. Cuts down on the time between now
and when I can get inside you again.”

I gasped, his words making me tingle in crazy places.

“What else do you want done, sugar?”

“I just need to do another load of laundry and pack up my clothes for tomorrow. Is that okay?” I
asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, but couldn’t you just load up your laundry and take it to my house?”

He made it a question and the look on his face was so cute I couldn’t resist. “Okay. I’ll do that.”

I couldn’t help but return his grin as he kissed me one more time before pushing me away, saying,
“What are you waiting for then, woman? Get your shit, lets go!” He swatted me on my ass as I turned.

Laughing, I walked away from him and packed up my overnight bag with everything I’d need to get
ready for work the next day. Then I took my wet clothes out of the washer and threw them in the
basket to take with me to dry, and tossed my other load to be washed into another basket. I didn’t
have a chance to even reach for one to carry it to the car before the guys came in, grabbed my stuff,
and loaded it for me.

Hmm. A girl could get used to this!

My cell phone rang in my pocket and I dug it out to see that Allie was calling me.

“Hey, Al!”

“Well, someone’s in a good mood,” she drawled.

“I’m surrounded by hot guys that are cleaning my house. Who wouldn’t be?” I asked her, my glee
evident in my voice.

“You’re shitting me, right?” Allie sounded incredulous.

“Nope! Well, they were cleaning, but now we’re gonna head back over to Luke and

Brandon’s house.”

“What are you guys gonna do then?” she asked me.

“I’m not sure. I was thinking about taking stuff with me to cook dinner over there for them as a thank
you for cleaning my house today,” I replied.

“Ooh, what are you cooking?” she asked.

I could almost hear Allie salivating through the phone. “I’m not sure, I was thinking maybe tequila
lime chicken with some Spanish rice or maybe stuffed manicotti? What do you think they’d like
better?”

“Oh, God, Emma. Please make tequila lime chicken and invite me! I haven’t had that in so long and its
my favorite meal you make!” Allie was begging and I couldn’t help but laugh at her.

I met Luke as he was walking back in the front door and asked if Allie could come to dinner out at his
house. He shrugged and nodded, and then asked what we were having for dinner. I told him, and he
went right back out the door, yelling at Brandon and Jackson that they were actually getting a kick ass
dinner for once.

I gave Allie Luke’s address and hung up with her as I walked into the kitchen to gather the ingredients
that I would need for dinner.

After everything was loaded, including the four of us, we headed out to Luke’s. He reached over and
pulled my hand to his thigh, locking his fingers with mine while he drove. I smiled up at him, and my
heart clutched when he smiled back and winked before turning back to the road.

For the first time in a very long time, I actually felt like this was something good, something that might
stand a chance, even if I didn’t agree with how domineering he could be. He made me feel special,
and that’s something I’ve never had before. With D.B. Brad, he made me feel like I should feel
privileged that he was letting me hang around. Sex with him was when he wanted it, on his terms, and
I never got anything out of it. N-e-v-e-r. Unless I did it myself. I used to swear I was getting carpal
tunnel from double clicking my own mouse just to get anything from sex with him!

That one time that he was being an asshole and trying to push my buttons, he had spanked me and was
shocked when it made me hot. He called me a whore and left. It wasn’t a week later that I walked into
his apartment and caught him red-handed with his neighbor. And by red-handed, I mean literally. They
were painted head to toe with red body paint. At least I hope that’s what it was. If not? That bastard
has issues that he needs addressed. Stat!

We got to Luke’s and the guys helped unload the car. Allie pulled up about ten minutes after us and
helped me get my laundry started. There was a mountain of laundry piled up in front of the washer, so
I grabbed a bunch and threw it in with mine. Men.

Allie asked if she could help me with dinner, and I agreed, but she really didn’t do much of anything.
She was too busy staring at Brandon. When she wasn’t staring at Brandon, she was staring at Jackson.
When she was staring at Jackson, Brandon was staring at her, a slightly disgruntled expression on his
face. That made me wonder a bit, but I wasn’t going to say anything.

After I got dinner done, we all sat at the table to eat. No one said much, aside from telling me how
good it was. For a while, the only sound was the clinking of the silverware and one of the guys

occasionally asking for someone to pass something.

I felt surprisingly content, sitting at Luke and Brandon’s table, eating with a group of people that I’d
only known for a short time, aside from Allie. The more I had pulled away from Luke, the more he
had drawn me back in, and I found myself dangerously close to being completely in love with him. I
was half afraid I already was. Scratch that. I knew I was. Yikes!

“Emma?” Luke’s voice broke into my thoughts.

“Hmm?” I asked, turning to look at him.

“Something wrong?” he asked me, a small smile playing about the corners of his lips.

“No, why?” I asked.

“You were staring at me and you looked a little startled at first, and then a little concerned. I was just
making sure there was nothing wrong.”

I shook my head, embarrassed that I was caught starting at him, and even more embarrassed that I
hadn’t even realized I’d been doing it!

We finished eating and Allie and I cleaned up the dinner mess, but Luke and Brandon actually did the
dishes. Jackson disappeared out the front door with his cell phone and Doug and Allie followed,
Allie grabbing the Frisbee sitting in Doug’s toy basket on the way out.

I finished my laundry and threw another load in for Luke and Brandon. I took the basket of clean
clothes out to the couch to fold, holding up the guys’ clothes to see whose was whose. I gave up after
a minute because everything I held up was Brandon’s.

“Why are you doing Brandon’s laundry, Emma?” Luke asked me, shaking his head.

“I thought it was both of yours, and it was just sitting in front of the washer. So I threw some in with
mine and then started another load of it. Its not a big deal.” I shrugged.

Brandon, being a smartass, said, “When you get done with my laundry, can you change my sheets on
my bed?”

I finished folding the clothes, grabbed all of Brandon’s up in my arms, and walked into the kitchen to
stand next to him. He opened his arms to take them from me, and as soon as I saw my opening, I
punched him in the stomach, making his breath wheeze out as he doubled over.

He moaned. “Why the hell did you do that?”

“You deserved it, asshat!” Luke said, laughing and giving me an appreciative look.

I winked at Luke and headed outside to play with Doug with Allie.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. We stayed outside, enjoying the crisp, cool, fall weather, and
when darkness started falling, Luke started a bonfire in the concrete fire pit sitting in the middle of a
large patio area just off the back deck. The fire was surrounded by thickly cushioned benches and
adirondack style chairs. We all moved to the patio around the fire, relaxing. Luke disappeared inside
and came back out with the stuff to make s’mores.

After stuffing ourselves with the ooey-gooey goodness of chocolate, marshmallow, and graham
crackers, Allie stood up to leave.

I laughed when Brandon pulled her down on his lap, refusing to let her leave. She laughed and tried to
get up, but he wouldn’t let her. She gave in when he started tickling her and leaned back against him,
gasping for breath. I couldn’t help but smile to myself because they looked good together, but I didn’t
think either one of them would ever settle down. Allie was too free spirited, and Brandon was too…
Brandon.

Jackson was quiet for the most part, but I saw him watching Allie with a speculative look gleaming in
his eyes a time or two.

When it started getting late, we all headed inside. I couldn’t keep from yawning and Luke kept
laughing at me and teasing that I was getting old if I couldn’t stay up past ten thirty. Of course, then I
had to tell him about himself, especially because he’s older than me…

Allie was standing by the door, her keys in hand, and I walked over to give her a hug and say
goodbye. As we stood there , Brandon came up and put his arm around Allie. We both looked at him,
waiting for whatever crazy shit would come out next. Instead, he surprised us both.

“Allie, you don’t, uh…you don’t have to leave.” Brandon said hesitantly. “There’s plenty of room
here, and you could have my bed if you wanted. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

I smiled. Brandon could be so sweet sometimes!

Jackson piped up from the couch where he was lounging. “Yeah, Brandon, I don’t think you’ll get to
sleep on the couch because that’s where I’m sleeping and I’m not sharing!” He winked at Allie before
adding, “With you, at least. Allie can share the couch with me. Or, better yet! Allie and I’ll sleep in
your bed and you can have the couch as you so graciously offered!” He was grinning ear to ear by this
point.

Brandon stiffened, glaring at Jackson who just laughed at him.

I rolled my eyes, then turned to Allie. “You gonna stay and put these boys out of their misery?” I
asked her.

She raised her eyebrow at me, a sly grin spreading across her face. “Yeah, I’ll stay. But sorry,
Jackson, I’m not sharing the couch with you. You and Brandon could share his bed…” she trailed off,
laughing as Brandon and Jackson looked at each other in disgust.

Brandon spoke up again. “Allie you can sleep with me in my bed. I promise I’ll behave!”

Allie glanced at me and I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my smile. I knew Allie all too well.

She walked up close to Brandon, their chests almost touching, before she lightly placed her hands on
his chest, sliding them upwards to encircle his neck. With gently pressure, she pulled his head down.
Placing her lips next to his ear, she said softly (but not so softly that everyone couldn’t hear), “Who
said I wanted you to behave, lover?”

She then traced her tongue lightly down the curve of his ear to his neck before pulling back and
walking towards the hallway. Halfway there, I saw her bite her lip as she met Jackson’s gaze, and I

could see the hesitation and almost longing in her eyes but she continued down the hall.

Brandon stood frozen, though his breathing had become heavy, and I visibly saw him swallow hard
before he took off in a rush after Allie.

I heard laughter and turned to see Luke standing beside the couch, watching everything unfold.
Jackson was scowling, and Luke clapped his hand to his shoulder as he walked by him in my
direction. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the stairs, Doug trailing behind us.

I turned to Jackson as I stepped up onto the first stair. “For what its worth? She thinks you’re hot, too.
We talked while we were outside with Doug, and she’s confused. She’s really attracted to you, but
she’s also attracted to Brandon. Don’t count yourself out just

yet, Jackson.”

I started climbing the stairs again, following Luke who had stopped when I did.

“Emma?” Jackson’s voice stopped me again. “Call me Jacks. All my closest friends and family do.
And…thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Jacks. Good night.”

Luke and I headed to bed. Of course, our good night kiss became a good night fondle, which turned
into a good night fuck that had me screaming so loud when I came, we heard Brandon (or it could
have been Allie?) thumping something against the ceiling in a non-verbal ‘could you keep it down
please?’ kind of way.

I drifted off to sleep wrapped up in Luke’s arms, his body pressed to the length of mine, thinking that
it’d turned out to be a pretty good weekend after all.

Chapter 13

You know, I realized that time goes a lot faster when you actually allow yourself to have a life
outside of babysitting your niece and nephew and living vicariously through your best friend and
(sadly) little brother and sister.

Halloween was Friday, which gave me exactly five days to figure out a costume. Allie had decided
that she was going to throw a party and costumes were required. I didn’t have a problem with that
because, like I said before, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. You get to dress up in
whatever you want, be whoever you want, AND you get CANDY! Win-win, baby!

Luke kept asking me what I was going to be, and I had a couple ideas, but I almost wanted to surprise
him. That was going to be a little tough, though, because ever since that weekend a couple weeks ago
when we carved pumpkins and…well, it was an interesting and very full weekend. Anyway, since
then, we hadn’t really spent any time apart. He brought me to work, and somehow managed to
schedule his appointments and such at the shop so he would be done at the same time I was.
Sometimes we stayed at my house, but generally we stayed at his and Brandon’s house.

Jackson had stayed just a couple days more and then had flown back out to L.A. for work. I made
Luke call him and invite him back for Allie’s Halloween Party and he had said he would try, but
wasn’t very hopeful that he would make it.

Allie and Brandon have hung out with us quite a bit since that weekend, but I haven’t noticed any real
romancing going on. Allie swore that they didn’t even do anything the night she slept in his bed. She
confided in me that she felt guilty because Jackson was sitting on the couch right down the hall. I told
her she was screwed either way. (Pun intended!) She didn’t find me amusing.

My work phone rang on my desk, breaking into my musings. “Good afternoon, Floyd Grim’s office,
may I help you?”

Silence. Then a quick indrawn breath that almost turned into panting.

I hung the phone up after saying hello a few more times. Obviously someone was there but didn’t
want to talk. I’d been getting hang up calls or heavy breathing calls for a while, but I really hadn’t
thought anything of it because it didn’t happen very often. Here lately, though, I’d been getting two or
three a day and it was starting to creep me out.

I mentioned it to Floyd who just chalked it up to pranksters. We’d been pretty busy with clients,
lately, and I was swamped, so I didn’t dwell on it.

At the end of the day, I closed up the office and headed outside to meet Luke. Except Luke wasn’t
there; Jackson was leaning up against a silver SUV, apparently waiting for me.

“Jacks! Hey! What are you doing here?” I asked him, smiling and giving him a quick hug.

“Luke got held up with a tattoo, so he asked me to come pick you up. I just got into town about an hour
ago. I have a surprise but you have to wait until we get back to Skin Deep with the boys.” He smiled
at me secretively.

We pulled up at the shop and I practically ran inside, dragging Jackson with me. As soon as we got
through the door, I stopped beside him and looked up. “Well?” I waved my hand at him, silently

telling him to get on with it.

He laughed again and fondly kissed my forehead. “You’re so cute. But I’m not telling you yet.”

I pouted.

“Hey! What’d I tell you about touching my woman, Beckett?” I heard Luke yell behind us. I turned and
went to him, sighing when he folded me into his warm embrace.

Jackson walked over and, out of the blue, kissed Luke on his forehead. Luke scowled in mock anger
and punched Jackson in the arm. Jackson laughed and retorted, “Yeah, I know you were just jealous
of my kiss.” He made a show of wiping his lips off. “But damn, man, Emma feels much nicer against
my lips.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the bantering between the two of them. It got worse when Brandon came
out from the back and joined in. When we settled down a bit, Jackson cleared his throat and his face
turned serious.

“Well, I was telling Emma that I have a surprise. So I guess I’ll just get it over with. I bought the
property next door to you, Luke, and I’m moving back here. If you don’t mind, I’ll crash at your house
until the house is built, but…I miss my friends.” He shrugged and I could tell there was something
more that he wasn’t telling us, but I wasn’t going to pry. That was probably something that Luke
would need to do. And then I could pry it out of him…

“Hell, yes!” Luke shouted.

“Bout damn time!” Brandon yelled over Luke.

Jackson stood there and grinned at them, then turned and winked at me. “Alright, I’m buying dinner to
celebrate!”

We all went to Griff’s because it was right down the street and one of all of our favorite places. We
sat and ate and the guys drank beer. We stayed later than dinner, because Monday nights were karaoke
nights and we were laughing our asses off at Willy (town drunk, remember him?) singing There’s a
Tear in My Beer while he stumbled around the stage. He almost fell off twice, but by the grace of
God or some invisible wire we couldn’t see, he managed to stay up there.

About an hour into karaoke, they were calling up the next singer and I heard my name over the
speaker. I froze, looking around in confusion and panic. No one had left my table so who the hell had
put my name in?

I heard laughter up by the stage and looked up to see my brother standing there, bumping fists with the
karaoke guy.

“C’mon up here, Emma! I know you can sing, little one!” Jeremy Boggs was the only one who’d done
karaoke at Griff’s for the last five years and he’s good at it. Always brings a crowd, and he’s gotten
me up there a time or two. But no way in hell on earth was he gonna get me up there in front of the
guys!

I glared at Calland before pushing against Luke, silently asking him to let me out of the booth. He got
to his feet quickly, moving out of my way as I shoved past him with fire in my eyes, heading toward

my brother.

When I got closer to him, he bolted, running past me so quickly that I couldn’t grab him. He headed
back to the table and sat down beside Luke. Before I could turn and head back to the table, Jeremy
leaned down and grabbed the back of my sweater.

“Hold up! Get your pretty little ass up here, girly. You aren’t going anywhere until you sing.”

I sighed as people started chanting my name, led by Jeremy on the mic. I closed my eyes for a second
before heading up on stage. I yanked the microphone out of Jeremy’s hands and glared at him, which
had him backing away with his hands up in mock surrender.

I nodded my head at him as he headed back to his setup and he cued up my song. If I sang karaoke, I
always started with this song, because it was one of my favorites to sing. The opening notes of Black
Velvet by Alannah Myles began pouring out of the speakers and I lost myself for the moment in the
music. I loved to sing, and I always got stage fright so bad, but once I got going, I didn’t want to stop.

I closed my eyes and focused on the song, and when I opened them, I never focused on anyone. I
mostly kept my gaze on the clock at the back of the room above the hallway to the bathrooms. I
completely ignored the table where Luke, Brandon, Jackson, and Calland were sitting. When I
finished the song, my voice fading out as the last notes sounded, the room filled with clapping and
whistles, the loudest of which were coming from the table where the guys were.

I smiled shyly and handed the mic back to Jeremy, who was grinning from ear to ear. He asked if I
was going to do another one later and I shook my head no. I’d had enough of the spotlight tonight. I
headed back to the table and was met halfway across the floor by Luke, who grabbed me up in his
arms and kissed me.

“Whoa….” I breathed against his lips when he barely pulled away. He grinned at me and kissed me
again.

“What was that for?” I asked him softly, smiling back at him.

“Cause you’re so damn beautiful and talented and every note you sang sent shivers through me,” Luke
replied, resting his forehead against mine.

I pulled back a bit and rolled my eyes at him. “I don’t know what you were listening to,

but it wasn’t that good. Let’s go home, okay?”

He grinned at me again. “I know what I heard and you were good. But yeah…let’s go home. I love
how you call it that, sugar.”

“Don’t read too much into it, lover boy. Figure of speech.” I shook my head at him and started
walking toward the table again.

“Nah…I don’t think so.” Luke was still grinning at me, and I ignored his words.

Stepping up to the table, I pointed my finger at Calland, who was gazing at me innocently.

“Yeah, don’t give me that look, Calland Andrew. You’re an asshole. Why? I don’t know. I keep
hoping you’ll grow out of it one of these days, but no! You’re still a spoiled little ass!” I threw my

hands up, giving up because there’s nothing else I could say. I’d said it all before. It didn’t matter. It
was never gonna change.

We gathered our things and headed out to the parking lot. Calland actually was sweet for once and
gave me a slight one-armed hug before punching me in my arm and heading back into the bar.
Apparently he was trolling tonight. Brandon rode with Jackson and I got into the car with Luke and
we all headed home. Er…to Luke and Brandon’s house. Damnit!

Halfway home, Luke reached over and ran his fingers lightly up my thigh to where my hand was
resting. He twined his fingers in mine and gave my hand a sweet little squeeze. I smiled up at him, and
turned on the radio. Usher’s Scream came on. Have you ever listened to the words of that song? Its
dirty! But so HOT!

I caught Luke mouthing the words, and that sent tendrils of heat curling through my body. I pressed my
thighs together as Luke softly sang, Now relax and get on your back, if you wanna scream…I stared
straight ahead, unaware that my fingers were steadily tightening on Luke’s. I didn’t realize that I had
gasped, either, when he sang, If you want it done right, I hope you’re ready to go all night…

I laid my head back against the seat, letting his warm, soft voice wash over me, the words of the song
creating a pulsating beat between my thighs that was begging for relief. I slowly slid my free hand
between my thighs, moaning softly at the slight pressure of my fingertips against my aching flesh.
Luke’s harsh groan broke through the haze of desire wrapped around me and I sat straight up, jerking
my hand away from myself guiltily. I closed my eyes, afraid to look at him.

Luke jerked the car to the side of the road, and I looked at him in bewilderment.

“What’s wrong, Luke? Why are we-” Luke stopped the rest of my words with his lips. He kissed me
roughly and deeply, not caring about the traffic passing by as we sat on the side of the road.

“God, Emma…I gotta get you home, baby,” Luke gritted out between clenched teeth as he pulled back
from me.

I just nodded, unable to speak. He jerked the car back into gear and pulled back into traffic, flooring
it. I said a little prayer that the No-Ticket Gods would be good to us and they must have been in a
giving mood because we made it back to Luke’s in record time without getting pulled over.

Luke jerked to a stop in front of his house, barely getting the car in park before he reached over and
hauled me into his lap. It was a really tight fit, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was that I was
straddled over Luke, pressing into his hardness that fit so perfectly between my thighs. I moaned out a
thanks to the Skirt Gods, too, glad that I had decided to wear one today to work as Luke slid his hands
up under it and tore (LITERALLY! OHMIGOD!) my panties away from my hips. Making quick work
of his zipper, he pushed up into me and pulled my hips down at the same time, slamming every inch of
his thick, hard, length inside me as deep as it would go.

I rode him hard, gripping the headrest of the seat tightly to anchor myself as I did, loving the feel of
his hands hard on my hips, his heat scalding me deep between my thighs. I thrust myself down on his
hardness one last time, screaming as my orgasm shot through me, coming so hard I saw stars. I heard
Luke’s shout as he stiffened and poured himself into me, crushing my hips tighter to his as he rocked
his hips in short, sharp thrusts, drawing out our pleasure until we were both gasping for breath and

limp.

I lay slumped on top of him for a minute before we both realized that there was a constant beeping
noise all around us. I pulled up and away from Luke, sitting in the passenger seat again and the noise
stopped. Oh, shit! I’d been laying on the horn with my ass!

We looked at each other and busted out laughing before putting our clothes right and getting out of the
car to go inside. When we got in the front door, both Brandon and Jackson were sitting on the couch,
laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes.

Luke glared at them, though his lips were still twitching with laughter, and I couldn’t help but grin
shamelessly.

Of course my shameless grin turned into a heated flush as Brandon started stuttering, “We…we knew
you must be finished when the horn stopped…stopped beeping and just held!” He double over with
laughter again, but Jackson took over.

“Yeah, and we knew when they were getting close, too! Beep…beep…beep…beep, beep, beep,
beep,

beep,

beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!”

I collapsed into the chair and buried my face in my hands. I could even feel the tips of my ears
burning, and I knew I was red from head to toe in embarrassment. I felt Luke come stand beside me,
his hand rubbing my back, trying to comfort me. I looked up at him and my embarrassment faded as he
grinned down at me.

I shrugged my shoulders and muttered, “It was so worth it…” before I stood up and we headed up the
stairs to go to bed, Brandon and Jackson’s laughter following us the whole way.

The next day, Luke took me to my house after work to grab some more clothes. I threw a few things
into my duffel and then gasped in shock when Luke grabbed the bag out of my hand and started going
through my drawers, methodically emptying each one into it.

“Luke! What are you doing?” I cried, trying to take the bag from him. He moved it out of my reach and
once my drawers were empty, he turned toward my closet. I’m not sure how he was thinking he’d get
anything else into my bulging duffel, but I wasn’t about to let him try to shove my good work clothes
into it as well. When he opened the closet door, I rushed up behind him and jerked the bag out of his
hand. He shrugged and, spying my suitcase on the top shelf of my closet, pulled it down and unzipped
it so he could start loading it up.

“Luke! Stop! I don’t need this many clothes!” I steadily tried to close the suitcase, but he wasn’t
having it.

“Emma, baby, it doesn’t make any sense to keep coming back here every couple days when we’re
gonna just stay at my place. Just get all your clothes.” Luke said this to me in a matter-of-fact tone,
and I couldn’t help but gape at him. What the hell was he getting at?

“Luke, if I have no clothes here, I’ll just have to move them all back here when we stay here. You act
like I’m moving in with you!” I yelled.

“You are. Now pack!” He smiled at me and started pulling stuff out of my closet and tossing into the

suitcase on the bed.

I stood there, my mouth opening and closing like a fish before the red film descended over my eyes.
“Lucas Tyler Crimshaw, you are seriously mistaken if you think you are just gonna move me out of my
house and into yours without us even discussing it. I’m not moving in with you. You can leave now.
Do you hear me?” I shrieked, my voice getting higher and louder with every word. “Leave!”

Luke turned slowly to look at me, his eyebrows raised high in astonishment, eyes wide open and
blinking. That didn’t last long, though, and his eyes were suddenly blazing with heat. He dropped my
clothes in a heap on the floor (Damnit, now I’m gonna have to iron!) and stalked me as I nervously
backed away from him. The backs of my legs hit edge of my bed and I sat down hard on the edge of
my suitcase.

My fingers began twisting in my lap as Luke crowded me, not saying a word. He reached out and

wrapped his fingers in my ponytail, jerking my head back as he stood over me. I let out a gasp, unable
to hide the spark of fear in my eyes; I was afraid I had pushed him too far.

Luke lowered his head until his lips barely brushed mine as he spoke, each word clear and concise,
sending shivers down my spine, and making me gasp for breath. “You. Are. Moving. In. With. Me. I
want you in my bed, every night. I want to wake up with you in my arms every morning. And sugar?
Next time you order me around, I wont take it so lightly. I’ll have you tied up in no time and you will
feel the bite of my hand as I spank that tight little ass of yours until its hot and red and you’re
screaming for me to fuck the shit out of you.”

I swallowed, and it sounded loud in the silence following his words. Then he continued. “I saw the
fear in your eyes, Emma. I’d never hurt you. Ever.”

I nodded, instinctively needing to tell him that I knew that, that I trusted him implicitly. I opened my
mouth to tell him with words too, but he lightly pressed his finger to my lips, effectively stopping me.

“A little fear is good, though, baby. I like when you run. But know this- I’ll always catch you. And if
you run for too long, then you’ll face the consequences. You wanted to see my darkness, Emma. You
haven’t seen anything yet.” He pulled his finger back from my lips and pressed his mouth to mine
again, sinking his teeth into my lower lip before laving it with his tongue.

I moaned, my hands coming up to pull him closer into me. I tried to deepen the kiss but he wouldn’t
let me, teasing me with his tongue and sharp nips of his teeth, driving me wild.

He pulled back from me. “I want you to live with me. Will you?”

“Luke, we haven’t known each other that long-”

He cut me off. “No excuses, Emma. Will you?”

I was left with no choice, and deep inside, I really didn’t mind. He was so fuckin’ hot! “Yeah, Luke.
I’ll move in. But I’m not giving up my house.”

“Never said you had to, sugar.” He leaned close in and pressed his lips to mine again, whispering,
“Thank you, baby. You’ve made me a very happy man.”

I rolled my eyes at him and pushed him away to finish packing up my clothes. Since he had packed
most of my wardrobe up already, I finished the closet, and headed into the bathroom to pack up a few
more things there. When I walked back into the bedroom, Luke had already lugged my suitcase and
duffel out to the car and I stood there by my bed, feeling a little unsettled, but knowing that my life
was taking the turn that I had always dreamed of.

“You okay, Emma?” Luke said from behind me.

“Yeah. I’m…good.” I said it softly, but I realized I meant it.

Luke sighed, walking over to wrap his arms around my waist and press himself to my back. “I’m not
trying to be an overbearing ass, sugar. I…if you don’t want to move in to my house, that’s fine. I’ll
move in here with you. But we’re gonna live together no matter what, because I don’t want to be apart
from you.”

I turned in his arms and, raising my eyes to his, I asked, “Why, Luke? Why is it so important that we
do this so soon?”

“You haven’t figured it out yet?” he asked.

I shook my head in confusion. He leaned in and kissed me lightly, telling me between kisses, “Then…
I’m…Not…Telling.”

Ugh. Men.

Chapter 14

Allie walked into my office at work on Wednesday evening and like a freight train, the idea for my
Halloween costume hit me. I jumped out of my chair and ran around the counter to hug her, kissing her
loudly on the cheek as she yelled, “Hey! What the hell?”

I released her, grinning and nodding my head at her while she looked at me like I was crazy. Then,
like always, she had my back.

“Whatever it is that has put that evil light in your eyes, I’m in! Now what is it?”

I started breaking my idea down to her, and she immediately jumped in with both feet, tweaking my
idea and taking it to places I hadn’t thought of. “Allie? You…are a genius!”

I called Luke to let him know not to pick me up tonight because I was going to Allie’s. He asked what
we were going to do, but of course, I wouldn’t tell him. I hung up, telling him that Allie would bring
me home later, but I didn’t know what time.

Allie and I spent the evening putting our plans into place, and when she took me home at midnight, we
were giggling gleefully and praying that Friday came quick.

When Friday came, I was almost giddy with excitement, and asked Floyd if I could leave at noon. He
agreed, and I called Luke to let him know that I was leaving work, and that I would meet him at the
party that night. He and Brandon and Jackson had refused to tell us what they were going to wear for
costumes since Allie and I wouldn’t tell them.

Allie picked me up and we headed first to the hall she had rented for the party to decorate. It was a
big open room, with a smaller kitchen/banquet area attached and we went crazy with spider webs,
caution tape, fake blood, and everything else we would find. We hung black material over the
windows in the big open area to darken it, and placed black lights at intervals on the tables and
around the room. We also filled a few cylindrical vases with tonic water and sat them on the tables.
Instant glow lamps! Tonic water glows under black light, fyi. Allie had hired Jeremy to come in and
DJ for the party tonight, and he was setting up in the corner with a little lamp over his computer and
equipment so he could see to do his job.

We left a large area for dancing and did a little bit of decorating in the smaller room, setting up the
snack/drink area so it was ready for the food to be put out when it was time. We had enlisted my mom
and Jenna to help with the food, and Allie and I had each made a few things, too. I’d been up late the
night before making buffalo chicken dip, which I know isn’t scary or Halloween themed, but it is
orange colored and frankly, a party isn’t a party without that shit!

We also set up a bar area and Leah agreed to come in and “bartend” for us for a bit. We had gotten
the things to make Black Apples, which is blackberry schnapps, apple pucker, 7up, and sweet & sour
mix (Yum!), Axe Murderers, which is (Drunk City) amaretto, gin, rum, Southern Comfort, tequila,
Triple Sec, vodka, 7up, grenadine, and pineapple juice, Ghostini’s, which are simple but delicious
martinis made with vodka, melon liqueur, and sour mix, and my favorite punch of all time! It was
called simply Halloween Brew and was vodka (I went big with the 110 proof), 7up, lime sherbet,
and dry ice to make it look like it was smoking.

Once we finally got everything ready to go, we rushed back to Allie’s house to get ourselves dressed.

We had found long, billowy, hooded cloaks to wear over our costumes so we could hide them until
we were ready to surprise everyone. Well, not really everyone. Our goal was to drive the guys
insane, and I think Allie and I were definitely on point.

We headed back to the hall about fifteen minutes before everyone was due to begin arriving. My
mom, Jenna, and Leah were all there already, setting up the food and getting drinks ready. They raised
their eyebrows at us when we refused to show them our costumes, but didn’t say anything.

My mom was dressed as Julia Child, wearing a button up blouse and long, slim skirt with a gravy
spattered apron tied around her waist, brown curly wig, and a bottle of wine sitting at her side. She
also had a rolling pin and spatula tucked into her waistband.

Jenna was wearing a long, black trench coat that she kept tightly closed. She looked beautiful with her
hair perfectly coiffed, and her makeup flawlessly done. We asked her what she was supposed to be,
and we lost it when she simply reached down and tore open the coat (which she had apparently
modified with Velcro) to reveal a flesh covered body suit with stuffed pantyhose attached to resemble
long, stretched out boobs with pasties on the nipples that hovered around her belly button, and an afro
wig attached to her pelvic area.

Leah was…well, not creative. But I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. She was wearing her red and
white high school cheerleading uniform, but she had modified the skirt so it was barely covering her
ass, and turned the top into a bra. Instead of wearing sneakers, she had on thigh high red boots with
stiletto heels that were at least six inches tall. She looked like a high school hooker. She had installed
herself behind the table we had designated as the “bar” and had even put a small jar in front of her
that said ‘TIPS’ in heavy black letters.

Allie looked at me and whispered, “She does realize that we’re throwing a party with an open bar
and she’s not really working, right?”

I shrugged. Ten to one, that jar would be full twice over by midnight.

People began arriving and Allie and I stood by the door, greeting them as they came in. We kept our
hoods pulled low so no one could really see our faces. We had just abandoned our posts to head over
to Leah to get drinks when we saw Leah’s jaw drop and heard her gasp, “Oh, holy shit!”

Allie and I spun around and we grabbed onto each other to keep our knees from buckling at the sight
standing just inside the door.

Luke was standing there in a tight, ribbed black tank that was tucked into camouflage pants. The pants
were tucked into black combat boots that laced up his shins, and he had a camouflage ball cap turned
backwards on his head. Silver dog tags gleamed against the darkness of his shirt where they lay
against his chest. His tattoos stood out in stark relief on his skin and he looked dangerous and sexy
and I wanted to jump him where he stood.

Jackson was standing beside Luke, shirtless, with faded, ripped jeans slung low on his hips. He had
steel-toed boots on his feet and a tool belt around his waist. He had a hard hat on his head that had
something written on it, but I couldn’t quite make it out. I also saw that he had varied items shoved
into the loops and pouches of the tool belt. He smirked and took a couple steps toward us so we could
see the details of his costume. His hat said ‘Women’s Tool Kit’ on it and his belt was filled with

condoms, flavored lube, and various vibrators. Oh. My. God.

I heard a choked sound beside me and looked at Allie. I couldn’t tell if she wanted to laugh or drool
as she stared at Brandon. He was standing there in nothing but a pair of leather flip flops and black
Calvin Klein boxer briefs.

His costume, or lack thereof, broke us out of our daze, and we smiled as they walked closer to us,
moving out of the way as more people came through the door.

“What the hell are you supposed to be?” Allie asked Brandon.

“An underwear model, of course,” Brandon replied, striking a pose and flexing his muscles.

I rolled my eyes and looked back at Luke. He was peering intently at Allie and me, trying to get a
good look at our faces. I stepped back away from him and Allie followed. Without a word we walked
into the big room. Allie nodded at Jeremy, who we had enlisted to help with our plan to bring the
guys to their knees, and he hit a button, filling the room with Kid Rock’s So Hott.

As the intro played, the guys followed us, attempting to get close enough to see what we were dressed
in. On cue (we worked this out earlier), Leah abandoned her bar position and pulled all three of them
back from us, pushing them into chairs by the closest table. In the meager light afforded by the lamp
on the DJ table and the glowing vases on the tables, we could see the guys look at each other in
confusion, but that changed quickly.

Allie and I dropped the hoods of the cloaks off of our faces as the lyrics began, each of us rolling our
hips, our eyes locked on our targets. Well, my target was Luke; I was a little confused as to Allie’s,
but I assumed it was a two for one deal tonight, since both Jackson and Brandon were sitting there
and, well, she was hot for them both.

Kid was singing, ‘You got a body like the devil and you smell like sex , I can tell you’re trouble but
I’m still obsessed’ and our audience had grown. Everyone at the party had crowded in to watch what
we were doing. I was getting extremely nervous because, honestly, I hadn’t thought much about other
people seeing us do this. It was too late to back out now, so I took a deep breath and continued.

The chorus of the song hit and we started releasing the toggle buttons holding the sides of the cloaks
together, making sure we didn’t wiggle too much and reveal it all too soon. It was hard to hold back
because the beat and the words, ‘So hot, I don’t wanna be your friend, I want to fuck you like I’m
never gonna see you again’ made me want to dance my clothes off.

Kid Rock’s voice trailed off and the beat changed. We started moving a little bit more, both of us
getting lost in the music as Halestorm’s I Get Off started in. As soon as she started singing the lyrics
of the chorus, Allie and I threw off the cloaks completely and started really dancing, rolling and
dipping our hips, our hands running up our bodies into our hair as we moved slowly towards the guys.

Their eyes about popped out of their heads as they took in what we were wearing. Allie was dressed
in a black leather strapless sheath. The hem of the dress hit the top of her thighs, barely covering her
ass, and she wore torn fishnet stockings with spike-heeled, knee high black leather boots. Her hands
were covered with fingerless black leather gloves, and she’d found a spiked collar to wear as a
choker around her neck. She’d spiked her hair out all over her head, and the purple streaks were now
fire engine red.

We’d both gone heavy on the makeup, rocker chick style, and both had painted our lips blood red and
glossed them with my favorite MAC Lipglass (that shit is the bomb!). I’d left my hair down but had
pinned the sides back from my face. I left my bang area down since they’re sideswept anyway, and let
the hair curve down over my eye a bit. It looked pretty damn sexy in the mirror but was driving me
nuts. I felt like I was blind in one eye.

I’d gone all out on my outfit, and it had set my savings back a bit. By the looks on their faces, though,
it was worth it. I was wearing a black satin corset that plumped my girls up dangerously. I mean,
they’re pretty good size anyway, but the corset made them scandalous! It had red lace insets down the
front and laced in the back with red satin ribbon. I paired it with tiny little pair of black leather shorts
over red fishnet hose, and thigh-high black leather boots. The heels on my boots weren’t spike heeled,
but were a little thicker and stacked. I picked them because we all know how graceful I am, and I
would probably have broken an ankle in spike heels. I was still a little worried about these boots,
though, because they had a four inch heel.

I’d left my arms and hands bare, and painted my nails blood red to match my lips. I’d also wrapped a
silver choker chain around my neck, and attached a thin, silver-studded, black leather leash to it. I
was currently running the end of the leash down my body between my breasts while swaying, rolling,
and dipping my hips to the beat.

Allie and I looked at each other and she gave me a small nod; then we turned our backs to the guys to
continue dancing. We had kind of choreographed our costume reveal, and it wasn’t anything
spectacular, just something to get a rise. We miscalculated just what kind of rise we would get,
though.

I squealed as my cloak was wrapped around me from behind before I was lifted in the air and thrown
over a hard shoulder. I realized that it wasn’t too bad of a position to be in when I came face to face
with Luke’s lower back, just above his deliciously tight, camo-covered ass. So I did what any sane
woman would do and reached down to yank his shirt out of his pants and kiss the skin I bared.

I yelped as he smacked my ass, and then bit him when he growled at me to behave. I started hollering
for Allie, trying to see where she was. A light came on and Luke set me on my feet. I looked around
and realized that we were in the men’s bathroom.

I didn’t have time to see much more or to say anything, because Luke pressed me back against the
wall and slammed his lips down on mine, pushing his tongue past my lips as he kneed my thighs apart
to press his thigh between them. I gasped into his mouth as his leg pressed against my clit, and I thrust
my hips forward to increase the friction.

He pulled back from me and whispered in my ear, “Can we leave now?”

I giggled. I couldn’t help it. “No, we have to stay for the party! Umm…Luke, where’s Allie?”

He shrugged and grinned before saying, “Well, if the two of you dancing around in basically no
clothes did anything to my brother like it did me, then I’d say she’s having a good time. But its
probably an even better time because Jacks got to her before Brandon.”

“Oh, God!” I gasped, pushing away from Luke to go try to find Allie. He chuckled and followed me
out into the small room.

He turned to get a drink from the bar as I made a bee line for Allie, who I saw just coming in the door
from outside. She looked pissed, and she had leaves in her hair and her lipgloss was missing.
Brandon and Jackson ambled in behind her, both looking smug, and I found Allie’s missing lipgloss.
It was smeared across their lips. Yes, I said their. As in Brandon’s. AND Jackson’s. Whoa.

Allie stomped by me, brushing her hands through her hair to dislodge the leaves. I gave her a shocked
smile, before whispering, “Yeah, I’m gonna need details later.” She gave me a grim smile back and
nodded sharply before disappearing into the bathroom.

The rest of the night passed in a blur of drinking, dancing, and fending off wandering hands. Every
time I turned around, Luke was sliding his hands everywhere he could get them, and I noticed
Brandon and Jackson doing the same to Allie, even though she did not look happy about their
attention. I felt a little odd about Jackson being all over Allie, but I think it was more just because
of…well, you know. That night. Which I hadn’t told Allie about yet.

But I was also just worried that she was going to get herself into something that she might not be
ready for. Even though she was about as wild as they come.

The party was a success, and after we cleaned up the hall, we all headed out. My mom and Jenna
stayed behind to help, but Noah had gone home to relieve the babysitter, and Leah had left with the
horse’s ass. No, seriously. There were a couple of guys that dressed in one of those two piece horse
costumes, and she took the ass end home. He was pretty cute for an ass, though, so I guess I couldn’t
blame her. (And by the way, I was right. She was holding onto the full tip jar and had a wad of ones
stuffed in her bra as she headed out the door.)

Allie was told by Brandon that she was coming home with all of us and surprised me when she didn’t
put up a fight about it.

I woke up the next morning stretched out on top of Luke. I couldn’t remember how I got there, but
figured he couldn’t be very comfortable. I slid slowly and carefully off to the side and he shifted,
turning onto his side with his back to me. God, he’s so gorgeous.

Since he was still deep asleep, I took the chance to finally get a close look at his tattoos. I’ve seen
him naked so many times now, but I’ve never had the chance to really see what they all were. The
first time I had seen him shirtless, I was drawn to the small silver hoops piercing his nipples, but I
was still intrigued by the swirls of ink patterning his skin.

On his back was a sweet ass phoenix. The design was tribal and done in all black with red accents
through the wings and tail. The head was situated at the base of his neck, and the wings were slightly
spread, spanning the length of his broad shoulders before tapering down as if they were closing or
folding in on itself. The tail was angled and curved, and I reached out to let my fingers trace the line
of it as it disappeared around his left side that was currently pressed into the mattress. Tribal
markings swirled and jutted down his back and around the top curve of his shoulder, blending
seamlessly into the phoenix design.

The right side of his body was mostly unmarked, with the exception of the tribal design swirled down
his arm from his shoulder, but there were lines of script spanning his ribcage under his right arm. I sat
up gingerly and pulled his arm slowly back to reveal the words beautifully scripted with small
precise lettering in five straight lines.

You’ve got to take the good with the bad
Smile with the sad
Love what you’ve got and remember what you had
Always forgive but never forget
Learn from mistakes but never regret

The words touched me with the truth of them. I pulled back from him as he shifted in his sleep again,
this time rolling toward me but remaining on his back, his right arm laid over his head on the pillow.
The tribal design that flowed out from the phoenix on his back curved up over his shoulder and
continued down his chest, stomach and side, before disappearing underneath the sheet draped over his
hips. I pulled the sheet down a bit, wanting to see that gorgeous spot where they stopped, which was
just shy of his hip bone.

In the spikes and swirls of the tribal design weaving down his arm, different sized black and red
nautical stars were interspersed. On the inside of his left forearm, inside a spiked, curving swirl, he
had more words scripted in even smaller letters, but no less precise. A small black and red star
rested at the upper curve of the first line, and a second star was placed just below the last letter of the
last line. I pulled his arm closer to me so I could see.

Lost in darkness, steeped in dreams
Blackened eyes and silent screams
Start and wake, now shaken free
Stand in faith and no more flee

While the other lines had touched me, these made my heart squeeze painfully as tears sprang to my
eyes. I knew without a doubt that they were words that Luke had written himself.

My eyes jerked to meet Luke’s as his hand came up, his thumb wiping away a tear sliding down my
cheek.

“Hey,” he said, his voice gravelly and low with sleep. “What’s wrong, baby?”

I shook my head before answering. “Nothing. Just looking…reading your tattoos.” I pointed at his
arm. “This one is yours, isn’t it. About your life?”

He hesitated before answering. “Yeah, but its not meant to be sad. Its more about the strength to stand
up for myself and for my brother. That strength got me where I am today. And right now, I wouldn’t
change it for anything in the world, Emma. Not if it meant that I wouldn’t have met you.”

I closed my eyes against the emotions choking me, squeezing my heart. He pulled me to him, laying
me across his chest as he kissed the top of my head. Of their own volition, I felt my lips part and the
words slipped out.

“I love you, Luke.” I felt him tense underneath me before his hands resumed their leisurely movement
down my back.

“I know.” Luke replied.

And then he just laid there stroking me. And saying nothing. Nothing more. Not a word, nor three little
ones.

Chapter 15

I tried to shake off the fact that Luke hadn’t said anything when I’d blurted that I loved him. I told
myself that it didn’t matter, that I didn’t need to hear those words. If only I’d believe my own lies…

The morning after the party, I had gone downstairs to make some breakfast. I froze on the last stair in
surprise when I saw Allie curled up with Doug on the couch. I walked over and sat beside her,
shaking her shoulder gently. The last I had saw of her at the party was hanging upside down over the
shoulder of one of the guys.

“Allie…wake up!” I whispered.

“Hmmm….?” Allie stretched, blinking her eyes at me to clear the sleep from them.

“Why are you on the couch? Where’s Jackson?”

“Um, I think he’s in bed with Brandon,” she said, yawning. “Why?”

“Just wondering why you were out here and not smushed in between them somewhere. So, the plan
worked! Er, well at least for me it did!” I grinned down at her and she smiled sleepily back.

“Yeah, I heard. You think he’s God or something,” Allie said dryly.

“No-” I started, but she interrupted me.

“Yeah, seriously. I think you called him that like two thousand times, screaming at the top of your
lungs.” She broke down laughing, and only laughed harder when I yanked the pillow out from under
her head and smacked her in the face with it.

I rolled my eyes at her and asked, “So? Details! Luke said that it was Jackson that carted you off and
Brandon was hot on his heels. What happened after they carried us off like cavemen?”

“Jacks grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder, bouncing me along until we got outside. Then he
and Brandon took turns yelling at me. Assholes,” she grumbled.

“What? Why were they yelling at you?” I asked.

“They kept saying that no one else needed to see my goods dressed up like that. Of course, I yelled
back at them because who the fuck are they to tell me who can see what? If I want to show off my
chimichanga to the world, then I fuckin’ will!”

“Okay, so that explains why you looked so pissed when you came stomping back inside. Now cut the
crap and tell me why they were wearing your lipgloss on their lips and you had leaves in your hair.
AND why you didn’t put up a fuss about coming here last night.”

She sighed and then sat up to give me more room to sit down beside her. “I was right in the middle of
yelling at them and Jacks just leaned in and kissed me. I heard him mumble something about hot
bitches that didn’t know when to shut up and then his lips were on mine, his tongue was in my mouth,
and I was completely like…holyshitfuckdamn! And then it turned into a holyshitfuckdamnohmigod
when Brandon ripped me out of Jacks’ arms and HE kissed me! We ended up in a pile of leaves on
the grass and everything was fan-fuckin’-tastic until they pulled back and both asked me if I was going
to come in and change! Ugh!”

She and I laughed and traded stories back and forth quietly until the guys all started ambling in from
different directions in the house. Then we got up and made breakfast and just enjoyed the weekend
together.

In the weeks that followed the Halloween party, Luke and I spent pretty much all of our free time
together. He never complained about Sunday breakfast at my parents’ house; even Brandon and
Jackson tagged along. Brandon was always the first to the car to go over there, and I teased him that
he was sweet on my mom’s cooking, to which he replied that it was more that he couldn’t wait to see
what my brother and I would argue and fight over each week. Jackson admitted that that was
primarily the reason he went, as well.

I tried to just ignore Calland so I wouldn’t give them more to laugh at, but I couldn’t help it that my
brother was such an asshole. But I could not sit back and let him have his way about everything. We
had enough of that growing up. My sisters and I had dubbed it the “Penis Rule” and my family had ran
with it. Calland was fond of saying, ‘He who has the penis makes the rules’ and, my parents, Lord
love them, thought it was hilarious.

This rule was brought up last week at breakfast, and was more than likely the reason that neither
Brandon, nor Jackson, would ever miss another one. Well, that and the scalloped potato incident…

Last week we had all gone over to my parents’ house for breakfast. Allie had come, as per usual.
There were very few Sunday breakfasts that she’s missed in all the years we’ve been friends, and
they’ve been mostly in the last couple of years. Since all three of the guys have been coming, she’s
started showing up like clockwork again, which my mother adores.

My mom had made a big batch of scalloped potatoes for dinner on Saturday night, which all of us kids
love. After breakfast, I had asked my mom if I could take the leftovers home with me, and (of course)
she said I could. I reached in the fridge to get them and sat them on the counter to grab my purse and
give hugs and goodbyes. The guys had all headed outside with my dad to look at something he wanted
to show them, and when I turned to grab the potatoes, they were gone.

I spent a good five minutes looking everywhere for them, and it hit me. I headed out to the garage
yelling for my brother. When I got out there, he was standing just outside the garage with the bowl in
his hands. I had stomped over to him and demanded that he give me the potatoes. That’s when things
went to hell and I ended up being brunt of about a million jokes, not to mention the 2,000 and counting
hits on the Youtube video that my dear brother-in-law, Noah, had so kindly posted.

He said it was too funny not to post, what with Calland opening the lid and licking the potatoes inside
the bowl so I wouldn’t want them. Which made me stomp and tattle to my mother (don’t judge me),
and then Calland had told me I could have them if I could get them from him, but I couldn’t cross the
imaginary line he marked across the driveway with his foot. Long story short, I chased him around the
driveway screaming like a banshee trying to get the potatoes while everyone laughed at me. (I didn’t
get the potatoes back.)

Since then, I’d tried not to let my brother get a rise out of me, but it never turned out well.
Thanksgiving was next week and he was threatening to hide the homemade mac n’ cheese from me.
Asshole. Always.

The Monday before Thanksgiving was hell for some reason. I drove myself to work because Luke had

told me that morning after his shower (we were running late, so I didn’t get to share it with him) that
he would be working late tonight.

The phones were ringing off the hook and Floyd was out of the office for the week. I only had to work
Monday and Tuesday, because I have an awesome boss and got to take Wednesday, Thursday
(obviously), and Friday off for the holiday. I was looking forward to having a five day weekend and
getting to spend some time down at Luke’s shop with him. I’d even tentatively picked out a new one
that I wanted Luke to give me, but I hadn’t asked him about it yet.

My phone rang again and I put the client currently crying on my shoulder about her case on hold while
I answered the second line.

“Floyd Grim’s office, can I help you?” I said into the phone.

“You forgot to say good morning, my love.”

“Excuse me? This is Floyd Grim’s office…is there something I can help you with?” I tried again, not
sure I really heard what I thought I did.

“You always say good morning or good afternoon. You didn’t say it, sweetheart. And you should
have.” The voice continued speaking in a harsh whisper, deep, guttural, and chilling.

“I’m…sorry? Is there…can I help you?” I stammered, caught off guard by his words.

“I call you all the time to hear your voice. Figured it was time I actually spoke to you. I’m going to
miss hearing you while you’re out on holiday, my love.”

I really didn’t know what to say, and he was starting to freak me out. “Sir, this is a law office and if
you aren’t calling to speak to someone in that capacity, then I have to ask that you not call again. Good
day, sir,” I said quickly and hung the phone up.

My phone beeped, reminding me that I had another call on hold, and I jumped. Laughing at myself, I
picked up the phone and tried to calm the poor lady down. After promising that Floyd would call her
at the beginning of next week, I hung up and immersed myself in the million and two other things that
needed my attention before I closed the office for the holiday tomorrow.

I didn’t think much of that weird phone call until I was tucked under Luke’s arm in bed that night. It hit
me that the creepy guy had said he called all the time to hear my voice, and I wondered if he was the
one that kept calling and hanging up. I made a mental note to speak to Floyd about it when he got back
on Monday and drifted off to sleep.

“Emma,” a voice whispered in my ear.

I jerked up and winced, rubbing my forehead where it had connected with Brandon’s chin. Pause…
rewind…Brandon?

“Shit!” I shrieked as I scrambled for the sheet to cover my naked breasts as I glared at Brandon sitting
calmly on the edge of the bed where I was laying, rubbing his face where my head had hit while he
grinned unapologetically at me.

“What the hell are you doing, Brandon? Where’s Luke?” I yelled at him.

“He called and said he wanted to let you sleep a bit but he forgot to the reset the alarm for you. He
had to go in early because we were getting some new supplies in that he had to be there for. Asked
that I wake you up. So, wake up!” He sounded entirely too cheerful, and I suspected that he was up to
something. I just wasn’t awake enough to figure out what.

“Okay, I’m awake! So, get the hell outta here so I can get up!” I shooed him out with one hand, the
other tightly clasping the sheet to me so he wouldn’t get another peep show.

He got up and walked to the door, throwing one last parting shot over his shoulder. “Nice rack, by the
way. Now get in the kitchen and make me some pancakes, woman!”

I lobbed a pillow at him but he ducked out the door into the hallway before it connected and I sat
there shaking my head at his audacity, listening to his laughter fade as he ran down the stairs.

I showered and got ready for work, foregoing my usual attire for a tight fitting pair of faded jeans and
an oversized hot pink hoodie. Floyd didn’t care if I went casual sometimes, and I really wasn’t
anticipating much traffic in the office this close to the holiday.

I headed to the office still grinning at the image of Brandon’s face as I left him sitting at the table.
He’d been in his bedroom when I came down and I had knocked on his door, telling him his pancakes
were getting cold. He’d come flying out of his room, babbling that he had been kidding, but since I
was so nice and really made him pancakes then he was going to love me for all time and Luke could
just get over it.

I didn’t think Luke would have anything to get over, since I didn’t make him pancakes. Instead, I had
popped a couple of blueberry waffles I had found stuffed in the back of the freezer into the toaster and
slapped them down on a plate in front of him, laughing out right at the shocked and almost pained
expression on his face when he realized he really wasn’t getting what he wanted.

Tuesday was a decently slow day and I was finishing up lunch at my desk when my cell phone chimed
in my purse. I looked at it and smiled when I saw that Luke had texted.

Hey, sugar. Sorry I didn’t get to see your smiling face this morning. I miss you.

I hit reply and began to type. It’s okay. I just wish I could have seen your face when Brandon told
you what I did to him this morning! =)

Emma? What do you mean what you did to him? Should I be jealous?

No! Luke, come on! Seriously? That’s why I hated texts because you never really could tell when
someone was playing around unless they came out and said it.

No. You know who you belong with. I’ll just spend even more time tonight making sure you know it.
In fact…

What? I replied when he didn’t say anything else.

It was about fifteen minutes later when I got the reply, and it made a shiver work its way up my spine.

Just be ready, baby.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I closed up the office for the week and headed out to my car. Luke had

texted about twenty minutes ago, letting me know to head over to Skin Deep because he was still
finishing up a client and had another one booked.

I got out to my car and completely melted when I saw the white rose tucked onto my windshield. I
grabbed it and held it to my nose, smiling at the thought of Luke sneaking over to do something sweet
like that.

I pulled up at Luke’s shop and headed inside, clutching the rose in my hand. He was standing behind
the counter, finishing up the aftercare instructions with his client, and when the man walked away, I
went directly to him and wrapped my arms around him, tipping my face up for his kiss.

“Thank you for the rose, Luke. You’re so sweet…” I whispered to him.

Luke drew himself out of my arms, pushing me back and holding me at arms length with his hands on
my shoulders. “What rose?”

I blinked up at him in confusion. “The white rose you left on my windshield today.”

“Emma, I didn’t leave the shop all day today. I’ve been busy.”

“Oh…okay? Well someone left me a rose on my car. Oh, God! What if it was meant for someone else
and they put it on the wrong car? That’s so sad…” I shook my head and then shrugged. “Well, its
pretty anyway.”

Luke pulled me in and kissed my forehead before calling his client back. He shot me a look of
concern over his shoulder as he walked away.

I wandered back down the hallway to Brandon’s office to see what he was doing. He was sitting at an
angled drawing table, sketching out a design. I peered over his shoulder, watching as he shaded a
curving line.

“Its really good, Bran,” I said by his ear.

He jumped, twisting around on his stool to stare at me in surprise. “Emma! I didn’t hear you come in.
What’s shakin’, bacon?”

I shook my head and rolled my eyes at him. “Nothing, Luke just took someone back so I wandered
down here to see what you were doing.”

“Eh, just working on a design for this lady. This is the fifth time I’ve drawn something because she
keeps Googling tattoos on the internet and changing her mind. If she doesn’t like this one I think I’m
going to scream and tell her to get fucked!” He grinned at me.

“Yeah, right. You’re too nice to do that. Well, you’re nice to other people, anyway.” I grinned back at
him.

“Speaking of nice, you witch! How could you toy with my stomach’s emotions like that? You
promised pancakes and left me with frozen waffles! You could have at least buttered them and put
syrup on ‘em!” Brandon whined, pouting like a child with his lips stuck out.

“No,” I replied laughing. “That was just funny! You should have seen the look on your face!”

We sat in companionable silence as Brandon worked on his drawing, stopping every so often to see
what I thought about something he had added. Luke popped his head in a little later and I looked at my
watch, surprised to see that an hour had gone by.

“Ready, guys?” he asked.

I nodded, and with a devilish twinkle in my eye, nudged Brandon with my shoulder as I asked Luke,
“So, did Brandon tell you what he complimented me on this morning?”

Brandon’s head came up with a jerk, his eyes widening as he looked at me with an I’m-gonna-kill-
you-you-bitch look. I laughed as Luke turned to Brandon, asking him what I was talking about.

My grin widened as I interjected Brandon’s stammering. “He came to get me up this morning. Maybe
next time you’ll make sure I have a shirt on or something before you send someone in and then I wont
get complimented on my ‘nice rack’!”

I laughed as Luke swatted Brandon in the back of the head. “You ass! I told you not to go in, just to
knock on the door and she’d get up! You ogled my girlfriend’s tits? Man…”

“First off, dude…ogled? What are you, eighty? And I only saw them for a second. Trust me, didn’t
give me a stiffy, just maybe half a bone! She’s hot and she has a nice pair but-”

“Brandon! You’re digging a hole here, man!” I said, laughing even harder at Luke glaring at Brandon
and Brandon trying to justify himself.

“Luke, its okay. He really didn’t have time to see anything and I got him back. Ask him about the
pancakes this morning and I’m gonna go stop by Griff’s and get us a pizza to take home for dinner.
Meet you guys there.” I stood on tiptoe to kiss him before heading out to my car.

As I walked away, I heard Luke say, “You saw my girlfriend’s girls and she made you pancakes?
You are so dead!”

I waited for the pizza at Griff’s and then swung by my house to grab my mail on the way home. Leah
had been staying there since I was living at Luke’s now, and Calland even crashes there sometimes if
he’s close by instead of going home to his apartment. Leah has been collecting my mail for me and
putting it in the decorative bowl on the sideboard table by the door. I keep reminding myself that I
need to go ahead and just change my address, but I was a little afraid to take that last step.

I got to the house and Luke was walking down the stairs, fresh out of the shower when I walked in the
door. Brandon was watching tv on the couch with Doug, who was cuddled up on his lap. Geesh. Over
one hundred pounds and he thinks he’s a lapdog.

I sat the pizza down and Brandon pushed Doug off his lap before we all crowded around the table and
ate. I had just taken a drink of my pop when Luke glanced at me and asked, “So you tortured my
brother with frozen waffles this morning after he ogled (he glared at Brandon as he said it) you in my
bed?”

I choked and barely managed to swallow the mouthful of pop as I started laughing. “Yeah. His face
was classic!”

Luke smiled at me while Brandon glared at me and said, “You owe me pancakes, woman. And this

time they better be REAL pancakes. With blueberries. And whip cream!”

I rolled my eyes at him. We finished eating dinner and Brandon pushed back from the table, winking
at me and disappearing into his bedroom. He came out a few minutes later wearing tight, dark rinse
jeans and a tight white t-shirt with the shop’s logo written across the chest in tribal style black
lettering. He’d put on his black leather boots and had his black leather jacket in his hand, his car keys
in the other.

“Going out for a while. Don’t wait up!” he said teasingly, before he grinned at us and walked out of
the house.

Luke and I cleaned up dinner and I headed upstairs to take a shower while he lounged on the couch
for a bit. I lingered under the hot water, and when I finally stepped out of the shower to dry, there was
a large towel laying on the sink counter and my clothes that I had brought in with me were gone.
Under the towel was my corset from my Halloween costume and a very small pair of black lace
panties that Luke must have dug through my drawer to find.

Anticipation shot through me when I realized that Luke was making good on his words from earlier. I
put on the outfit and took the time to brush out my hair and twist it into a knot on top of my head. I
brushed my teeth and when I reached for the doorknob to leave the bathroom, there was a black satin
scarf hanging on it with a note stuck to it that said, ‘put me on and open the door, but don’t move.’

My pulse sped up as I complied, covering my eyes with the silky material and tying it at the back of
my head. I reached out with my hand to open the door, and I barely turned the knob before I felt it
slowly open towards me and Luke’s hand touched mine. He checked the blindfold to make sure I
couldn’t see anything and led me into the hallway. From the way he turned me, I could tell he was
leading me toward the bedroom.

When we finally stopped walking, I felt Luke’s lips press against mine in a fleeting kiss, barely there
and gone in a heartbeat, before placing tiny kisses along my jaw line until his lips were by my ear.
“Do you trust me, baby?” he whispered.

I couldn’t get my throat to work, so I nodded. “No, Emma. Tell me, out loud. Do you trust me?”

“Yes…” I whispered.

His lips brushed my ear with every word, making me shiver as he said, “Good. If anything gets too
much, just tell me and I’ll stop.”

His lips pulled away from my ear and I heard him move around the room. I stood still, not knowing
where exactly I was in the room and unwilling to risk face planting (again) in front of Luke. I felt the
air swirl by my shoulder a split second before I felt Luke’s hands settle something cold and metallic
around my neck. I gasped at the coolness resting on my flushed skin and raised my hand to feel what it
was. Before I could get my hand all the way up, Luke grabbed my fingers, tsk-ing under this breath.

“Ah-ah, Emma. Stay still and no touching.”

I gasped as his hand came down sharply on my ass with a stinging slap, then rubbed it gently. He
turned me and one of his hands grasped my hip as the other urged me to bend forward. I instinctively
put my hands out to catch myself and felt the softness of the mattress give beneath my palms. He

pressed me down until I was bent over the bed, cheek against the coverlet, my arms trapped under me.
He whispered for me not to move and I felt him draw away from me.

I heard him walk away and come back to me after a second, his hand reaching down to bend my legs
one at a time, guiding them until I was kneeling on some sort of padded bench. He ran his hands
between my thighs and down them, sliding my legs further apart on the bench, before tracing back up
until his fingers brushed the lace that was quickly becoming drenched at the juncture of my thighs.

I jerked at the light contact, pushing back against his hand, moaning softly and wordlessly entreating
him to press harder, deeper into my heat. Instead, I felt the stinging heat of his hand on my ass again,
harder this time than it was before, and it made that secret part of me clench and spasm, the dark
seduction of it pulling me under.

Luke’s breath hissed through his teeth before I heard him growl, “You’re not listening, Emma. Don’t.
Move.”

At the low, barely controlled heat in his voice, I writhed against the bed, my hips thrusting forward,
seeking to ease the ache between my thighs. My lips parted as I gasped for breath and my heart
pounded with desire. I moaned loudly when Luke shoved his fingers beneath the lace covering my
tender flesh and slid them deep inside me without warning, thrusting them in and out roughly once,
twice, before pulling them out and sliding them forward to circle over the hard bud of my clit.

“No!” I groaned as he quit my aching flesh, wanting, no- needing to feel him thrusting into me again.

“Mmmm…you taste so good, sugar,” Luke groaned behind me, and the mental image of him sucking
my wetness off his fingers made me moan and buck my hips again, which in turn, meant I felt the sting
of his palm meeting my tender flesh once more.

I cried out at the contact, but not in pain. I heard Luke groan again, and then he grasped the sides of my
panties and ripped the lace until I was bare to his gaze. I knew that he was staring at the pale globes
of my ass and the wetness I knew was glistening on my silky pink folds peeking from between my
thighs. I arched my back, thrusting my ass further up in the air, sliding my legs apart as far as I could
before my knees hit the solid arms of the bench.

Luke growled and I got the reaction I wanted. He smacked my ass again, spanking me on each cheek
until the burning reached a fever pitch and I was moaning uncontrollably. I could feel myself slipping
under, lost in the spell of pleasure/pain that, until now, had been forbidden to me. Luke stopped the
stinging slaps and gently rubbed the reddened skin for a minute, then ran his fingers lightly over the
parted flesh between my thighs, dipping in to play in the wetness there, before his hands spread me
wide and I felt his tongue spear into me, fucking in and out of my heat with deft strokes, slicking
against every inch of me and firing all my nerve endings until I was screaming with the need to shatter
on his tongue.

The beginnings of my orgasm started pulsating deep inside me and when Luke felt me clench on his
tongue, he pulled away immediately, leaving me gasping and shrieking in disbelief as I felt those
glorious waves subside with nothing feeding them any longer. My body felt empty and ached with
fever pitch for the release that he denied me so cruelly. I whimpered in the back of my throat before I
gave in and started begging.

“Luke, please, baby, please, please, please…oh, God!” I moaned, wiggling my hips and trying to
bring my thighs together, anything to alleviate the aching, throbbing flesh there.

I pressed my hands into the mattress beneath me and started pushing myself up, intending to do what, I
wasn’t sure, but the feel of Luke’s hands roughly pushing me back down made me gasp before a small
sob escaped between my parted lips, borne purely out of frustration and need.

Immediately, Luke was up and over me, breathing into my ear as he whispered, “I’m so sorry, baby,
are you okay? We’ll stop, I promise…”

“Luke! No, please don’t stop! I just need you, please, fuck me, put your tongue back on me, something!
Anything! Just make me come!” I moaned, arching myself up into the hardness of him over me. The
thick length of him pressing against the denim of his jeans rubbed against my bare ass and I arched
even more, trying to bring him in line with my aching mons, and he chuckled in my ear.

“Well, if you don’t want me to stop, then you’re in trouble. I told you not to move, sugar. You need to
come?” he whispered in my ear.

“Yes!” I shouted (Seriously, I needed to get off!)

Luke pulled away from me, still laughing at me (which was starting to piss me off…I was a woman
on the edge and if he didn’t do something soon then I was about to have a date with the shower head.
Or the bedpost. Or whatever I could get my hands on, including my hands!)

Smack! Luke’s palm began heating my ass again and I squirmed, thrusting my ass into each stinging
slap, not realizing that I was begging him under my breath not to stop. I screamed when his hand
moved and slapped the tender flesh between my thighs, the sharpness tingling over my clit and
sending me over the edge without warning. Luke’s fingers circled briskly over my clit as I came and
came, prolonging the wrenching spasms

shivering through my body.

When I finally calmed, Luke slid his hands around my waist and lifted me up off the bed before
turning me in his arms and laying me down on the bed. I let him move me around where he wanted
me, still unable to move and blinded by the black satin still covering my eyes. He moved my arms
above my head and held them there, locked together in one of his hands. I heard something clink
before a cool metal bracelet snapped into place on my right wrist and then another snapped onto my
left wrist without pause.

“Luke?” I said tentatively, completely turned on but a little anxious at being locked down on the bed. I
moved my hands experimentally and found that the cuffs weren’t too tight and I could reach up and
wrap my hands around the slats comprising the headboard of Luke’s bed.

He moved up between my thighs, spreading my legs high and wide and holding them there with his
knees, leaving my smooth, wet, secret folds bare to his gaze. I moaned low in my throat at the feeling
of helplessness that washed over me; I was spread open for him to do whatever he wanted to me and
there was nothing I could do about it. It was thrilling and scary at the same time and it was driving me
wild.

I felt him lean to the side for a moment, fumbling with something on the nightstand before he was over

me again, still holding me open and helpless. He dipped his fingers into my heat again, plying the
wetness there over my clit, sliding up and down over it before pushing them slowly deep inside me. I
moaned, clenching my inner muscles around his invading fingers, and he pulled them out quickly.

I gasped as something blazed a trail of liquid fire down my stomach, stopping just short of my cleft.
Whatever it was, it was hot, really hot, but not so hot that it was burning me. It almost felt like if you
were to accidentally spill candle wax on your…holy shit! Was that what it was? Ohmigod…

Luke’s lips followed the trail, licking and nipping my skin along my ribcage and down my stomach. I
felt the heat splash onto my inner thighs, making me jump and thrust my hips up at the same time. My
breath whooshed out of me when I felt Luke move again, and this time something ice cold, dripping
wet, and hard slid down my skin, following the trail of wax down my body, but it didn’t stop there.
The iciness slipped down over my clit, spreading my folds even more before dipping slightly inside
me where it rested for a second, melting and pooling in the heat of my body.

I moaned, lost in the sensations of hot and cold, and Luke reached up and pulled the blindfold off my
eyes. I immediately stared down the length of my body, entranced by the wax drippings on my skin
and the slightly wet tracks left on my skin from the ice, but mostly by the sight of Luke’s hard length,
jutting up from the juncture of his thighs, long and thick, the tip weeping with the evidence of his
desire.

As I watched, Luke pressed my thighs back further, opening me up even more before dipping the tip of
himself into my hot, wet tightness, thrusting forward smoothly until he was seated as deep inside as he
could get. I closed my eyes but opened them again at Luke’s harsh directive.

“Watch me, Emma, watch me inside you. Don’t close your eyes, baby,” Luke groaned, beginning a
smooth, sliding rhythm in and out of me.

I watched, helpless to do otherwise, entranced by the sight of his thick, ruddy hardness cleaving into
my soft, wet heat over and over again. Luke’s hips began to thrust faster, his skin slapping loudly
against mine in the silence broken only by our quickened breaths and soft moans.

I gripped the slats of the headboard above my head, wishing I was free to touch him, pulling against
them as my body strained and rushed toward that shattering moment of release, my hips thrusting up to
meet his downward strokes, again and again before we both broke, Luke moaning loudly and me
screaming out my release as my body convulsed around his, feeling him pulsing and throbbing deep
inside as he filled me.

Luke released my hands from the cuffs and we cleaned up before we wrapped our arms around one
another and fell into an exhausted but satisfied slumber.

Chapter 16

Thanksgiving dawned bright and early and I woke with a smile on my face, the memories of last night
washing over me and making me ache with want again. Luke was still sleeping beside me, and I
carefully threw my leg over him after moving the sheet back, sliding my growing wetness against his
slumbering length, loving the feel of it as it started thickening against me.

Before it fully engorged, I guided it into my heat, moaning softly at the feel of it stretching me as it
hardened. Luke twitched under me, his hands coming up to grasp my hips as he blinked his sleepy but
gorgeous eyes at me.

“Mmmm, sugar…what a way to wake up.” He smiled but it faltered as I squeezed him with my inner
muscles and began sliding up and down on him, riding his hardness. We moved together, making love
slowly and thoroughly before collapsing beside each other, tenderly kissing and touching softly as our
bodies cooled.

We laid there catching our breath before rising to get ready for the day. I was a little nervous about
taking Luke and Brandon to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving, though I knew I shouldn’t be. I mean,
they’ve been coming to Sunday breakfast for a while now, and if that hadn’t made them run for the
hills then I should be in the clear, right? I was already giving thanks that Jackson wouldn’t be
subjected to the craziness, but I knew my family, and holidays around the Jensen house are anything
but normal.

Take last year, for example. My father, God love him, decided that he was going to deep fry the
turkey, so he went out and bought one of those fancy turkey fryer thingies. The turkey came out black
(I mean BLACK!) on the outside, but was actually the most delicious turkey we’d had. Doesn’t sound
bad, I know, but then, since he had gallons of peanut oil left over, he started frying everything he
could get his hands on. We’re talking scoops of stuffing that he dumped into the oil, scoops of
macaroni and cheese, cheese sticks that he had found in the back of the freezer, pieces of sliced turkey
that he breaded with Andy’s Hot and Spicy chicken breading (that was actually good, by the way) and
whatever else he could get his hands on. Mom drew the line at the green bean casserole and cranberry
jelly, much to Dad’s dismay.

The only good thing that came out of that Thanksgiving was that we now have fry nights where we all
chip in and bring over different foods and Mom (Dad gave up) fries everything up and we all stuff
ourselves sick. But, back to the not normal part of Thanksgiving last year. Since everyone tried pretty
much everything Dad fried (like we had a choice), the evening turned into Night of the Living
Flatulence and Bathroom Runs; and Mom and Dad only have one bathroom. People did things that
night in the woods at the back of the yard that we don’t speak of. Ever.

After we got showered and dressed, Luke and I headed downstairs to make sure Brandon was up and
ready. I had no idea where he had disappeared to last night, and frankly, I was glad he had been gone.
The things that Luke had made me scream…

Brandon was coming out of his bedroom, fully dressed, bright-eyed, and bushy tailed. Okay, the last
one was Doug, who was following Brandon, wagging his whole back end like mad while trying to
walk. It made him look like an unsteady, malformed duck. I laughed when he waddled his way over to
me and sat on his haunches at my feet, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he cocked his head at me.

I shook my head at him and grinned at Luke, who was laughing at Doug. “He wants to come for
Thanksgiving dinner, too,” he said.

I shrugged. “Okay. He can come. Mom and Dad won’t mind, especially because they love labs, and
the kids will adore him.” I looked back at Doug again. “You wanna go bye-bye, Doug?” I cooed.

He jumped up and started prancing around me in wide circles, stopping by the front door with every
rotation. Luke handed me his leash to put in my purse and we all headed out to the car. I grabbed the
Bourbon Banana Nut Bread that I had made in the slow cooker (yummy) from where I had hidden it in
the canned vegetable cabinet. This was the second one that I had made because the guys hadn’t taken
me seriously when I told them not to eat it because it was for Thanksgiving. It was gone in less than
an hour.

We pulled up at my parents’ house and traipsed into the madness, Doug barking like mad at the kids
running crazy through the living room, chasing each other with Nerf dart guns. My brother came
around the corner with my sister, Leah, under his arm in a headlock. She had her arms wrapped
around his waist, holding on for dear life and was screaming at him to stop. Apparently whatever she
had done was bad enough that Noah had her jean clad legs tucked up under each of his arms, helping
my brother carry her through the house.

Luke and Brandon looked at each other for a second before grinning and taking off to see where
Calland and Noah were taking Leah. I walked into the kitchen behind them, covering my ears when
Leah shrieked as Calland dunked her head into the sink full of dishwater. Noah dropped her legs and
Calland stood her up. She looked like a drowned rat with rabies or something. Bubbles dripped down
her face and her hair was plastered to her head. Mascara was running down her cheeks in little black
rivulets.

My mom and Jenna were standing side by side at the stove, each stirring something briskly. Without a
beat, Mom looked over her shoulder and said, “Told you, you shouldn’t have done that. And you
shouldn’t have worn makeup today, raccoon eyes. Go clean up, its almost time to eat.”

Leah stomped her foot and stormed out, screaming, “FUCKING PENIS RULE!” as she left the room.

I glanced at my brother-in-law, figuring I would get the straightest answer out of him. “So what’d she
do, Noah?”

Not a man of many words, he simply replied, “Whipped cream and water balloons.”

I nodded at him as if I knew what the hell he was talking about. Because, sadly, I did. When we were
younger, Jenna had come up with the idea of filling water balloons with those aerosol cans of
whipped cream to get back at Calland for something he and his friends had done. It was messy but so
worth it, and really was done in defense. Poor Jenna was in the bath when Calland had taken her
favorite bra, wetted it down in the kitchen sink, and then froze it. By the time Jenna got out of the tub
and primped herself up, the bra was frozen stiff. We never did understand why she hadn’t just
grabbed another bra or thrown that one in the dryer. Instead, she stood in the bathroom screaming at
Calland while she used the blow dryer to thaw it out.

Calland finally stopped laughing enough to take over Noah’s story. Not that Noah was telling the story
any longer, but again, he’s a man of few words. Very few.

“So,” Calland began, still chuckling. “Leah got the bright idea to surprise me and Noah by hitting us
with balloons filled with whipped cream while we were pulling the Christmas tree out of the attic for
Mom. Being the ditzoid she is, she didn’t fill them up enough so they just bounced off of us. That’s
why she got dunked!” He hooted with laughter again, holding his stomach and wiping tears away as
he sputtered about the way Leah had looked after he stuck her head in the sink. Noah was smiling too,
but he was more reserved about his glee.

I raised my eyebrows and shook my head when Luke and Brandon both slapped high-fives with
Calland and Noah, and when Luke caught my eye, he just grinned and shrugged. They disappeared
toward the garage with my brother and I heard Brandon asking for details on how to fill the balloons
for maximum splattage. Guess I need to watch my back at home from now on.

I turned to my mom and asked her if she needed my help with anything. She told me to take over
stirring the gravy for her before she asked, “Emma? Did I hear a dog barking when you guys came
in?”

Uh-oh! I forgot about Doug with everything going on! “Um…well? I didn’t think you’d mind if we
brought Doug. He’s Luke’s-” I shut up because it was pointless to talk to her anymore since she’d ran
out of the kitchen calling for him.

Jenna and I looked at each other and shrugged as we heard Mom start cooing to Doug in the living
room. Leah came in shaking her head and stood beside us as we heard the click-click-click of Doug’s
nails on the wood floors as he followed my Mom back into the kitchen like she was the greatest thing
since sliced bread. His goofy doggy grin was plastered across his furry face as he thumped his ass
down on the floor as if waiting for something.

Mom peeked over my shoulder, finally decreeing that the gravy I’d been stirring was done before she
shooed us away from the stove. Then we all watched in confusion as she set about filling a small
plate with little portions of ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, and even
a deviled egg. When she was done, we all stared, dumbfounded with eyes wide and mouths gaping, as
she plopped herself down on a chair at the kitchen table, pulling the one out beside her and patting it
for Doug to hop up on.

Doug complied, looking every bit the sophisticate as he sat tall and proud on the chair. My mom
began feeding him small bites of food from a fork, and Doug, being the perfect polite gentleman, was
calmly and gently closing his lips over the fork, his little front teeth lightly scraping the morsels off
the tines before chewing, swallowing, and patiently waiting for the next bite.

I felt heat at my back an instant before I heard Luke whisper in my ear, “Is your mom feeding my dog
from a FORK at the kitchen TABLE? Oh, God. She’s feeding him egg. Is that egg? That’s egg. Oh,
shit, he’s staying here tonight. Seriously, he’s not coming home with us because his egg farts are the
worst!”

I giggled, turning my head to look at him and when I did, I noticed that everyone in the family had
gathered silently in the kitchen, including my niece and nephew, watching my crazy mother feed a
huge yellow lab at the kitchen table like it was an everyday thing.

The silence finally registered with my mom. Either that or she felt all of our eyes boring into her in
disbelief. She looked up and glared at each of us before saying, “What? You’ve never seen a dog eat

Thanksgiving dinner before? It IS a holiday, you know, and he’s part of the family now, too. I’m just
sad that he can’t have the turkey, too, but its bad for dogs. Now all of you, go wash up for dinner, and
Calland, you can set the dining room table. Leah, you help. Emma and Jenna, start carrying food into
the dining room. Move!”

We all sprang into action, and so the day went. You’d swear that Doug was one of Mom’s
grandchildren, the way she spoiled him and doted on him as well as Hayden and Jarrod. Thanksgiving
dinner with everyone crowded around the table went off with only minor hiccups, those mainly being
Calland throwing the dinner rolls at everyone instead of passing the basket around, Calland refusing
to let me have any mac & cheese until my mom threatened to beat him with a wooden spoon (again),
and Calland teaching Hayden how to fling peas across the table at her mom with her spoon. (Sensing
a pattern here?)

After dinner and dessert was done, everything cleaned up, and the leftovers designated (I got ALL of
the mac & cheese, bitches! Muahahahaha!), the guys headed into the living room to watch football, the
kids took Doug out back to play, and me, my mom, and my sisters all sat in the kitchen playing double
solitaire.

We spent a few pleasant hours just enjoying everyone’s company before we started to disperse.
Everyone was giving hugs and kisses and punches (that was Calland, go figure) and grabbing their
designated bag of leftovers. I helped my sister and Noah get everything into their car, including a
miraculously half-asleep Hayden, and headed back in to get my stuff and say bye to my mom and dad.
When I got to the door, Mom was hugging Luke and Brandon and pushing them out towards me. Luke
had my coat over his arm and Brandon had my bag of leftovers, but I didn’t see Doug.

I gave her a quick hug, telling her Happy Thanksgiving and thanking her for a great dinner before I
asked about Doug. “Um, Mom? We need to-”

She pushed me toward Luke with a smile and wave, shouting, “Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for
coming and spending the day with us, come back soon, okay?”

I shouted to be heard over her. “Mom! We need to get Doug! Remember? The dog you fed at the
kitchen table?”

“He’s fine, Emma. Bye now!” With that, she turned and shut the door in our faces.

I turned to Luke, a bemused expression on my face and nodded as he sputtered, “Did? Did she just-?
She just stole my dog!”

I grabbed his hand and Brandon’s, pulling them towards the car as I said, “Yep. She did. We’ll come
get him tomorrow. Let’s go home and watch a movie or something, okay?” We got in and Luke started
backing down the drive. “Besides,” I continued, “she fed him eggs with dinner, remember?”

Luke nodded his head as he drove away from my parents’ house and Doug, a slow grin spreading
across his face and Brandon started laughing. “Oh, yes. She did, didn’t she.”

My phone rang around one in the morning when Luke and I were snuggled up together in bed. When I
answered, my mom shouted, “Emma! Come get this dog! Oh, God, he keeps farting and its stinking up
the whole house! Seriously! Your poor dad is wearing a clothespin on his nose!”

I just laughed and simply said, “Goodnight, Mom. Happy Thanksgiving!” before I hung up on her and
cuddled back up to Luke.

Chapter 17

“Good morning, Floyd Grim’s office, how can I help you?” It was the Monday after Thanksgiving and
everything was back to normal. Well, as normal as could be with the wacky people in my life.

“Hey, sweetheart. Did you have a good Thanksgiving?”

That weird raspy voiced creepy guy was calling me again! “Can I help you, sir?” I asked, hesitantly.
Although I had told him about the weird hang up calls and the other calls Creepy had made to the
office, Floyd wasn’t in the office with me at that moment. He was down in Domestic Relations Court
on a custody case that was scheduled for a half-day trial, which meant he wouldn’t be back in the
office until around noon, unless they settled early. Given the case that it was, I had no hopes of that
happening.

“Just wanted to check on my beautiful girl and to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving. Did you get the
rose I left for you last Wednesday?”

Oh. My. God. He had been to my work? That was him? I tried to keep my voice calm as I asked
again, “Sir, is there something I can help you with?”

“Don’t ignore me, Emma. I asked you a question. Did you get my rose?” His voice began to rise, still
retaining its raspy quality, and becoming even more creepy, if that was possible.

“Um, I’m not sure what you are talking about, sir. Now, if-”

“NO! You lie, Emma. You lie and you got my rose because I saw you get it. I saw the way you smiled
when you held it up to your nose and smelled it. It smelled beautiful, just like you. Why did you lie to
me, Emma? Why?” His voice was plaintive, almost whiny now.

I took a deep breath, panicking as his words began to sink in. He’d seen me pick up the rose? He was
watching me? Oh, shit… “Sir, if there’s nothing I can help you with or you aren’t calling for an
appointment, I must insist that you not call here anymore.” I couldn’t mask the shakiness of my voice,
and I prayed that he wouldn’t pick up on it, wouldn’t know how much he was affecting me.

I replaced the phone onto its cradle, trying to make myself believe that the man wasn’t shrieking in
rage when I’d done so. The phone rang again immediately after I lifted my hand from it and I jumped,
jerking my hand back and letting out a shriek. I didn’t want to answer it, but I had no choice.

“Hel-hello? Floyd Grim’s office?” I stuttered into the phone.

“Emma?”

Allie’s voice rang through the line and I shuddered in relief. “Allie! Oh, thank God!”

“What’s going on, sweetie? What happened?” she asked, her voice rising with concern.

I explained quickly about the phone call I’d just received and she hung up as soon as I was done,
telling me she’d be at the office in minute before she clicked off the phone. When she got there (she
must have broken land speed records getting there) I was still shaken. I picked up the phone at her
urging and called the police to make a report. They weren’t very helpful, the officer on duty only
reluctantly taking a report down to have on file and gave me the report number quickly before hanging

up on me.

I turned to Allie, shaking my head in disbelief and rage.

“What’s wrong now? They took the report, right?” she asked.

“Yeah, but he didn’t want to. He just kept telling me that there’s really nothing that they can do
because he didn’t threaten me and hasn’t caused me harm in any way. I explained that he’d been
calling repeatedly, but he said the same thing basically. I have no number that shows up on the Caller
ID to prove that all the hang ups were him and blah blah blah…grr!” I threw my hands up.

Allie stayed with me, saying that she had had her mom go take over at her store so she could be there
with me. When Floyd came in the office, looking tired but satisfied (he won his case), I filled him in.
He was concerned and told me that he’d be getting me some sort of recording device for my phone
system.

The next morning, he’d left a box sitting on my desk and I hooked everything up, impressed by the
gadget that allowed me to record my phone conversations by pressing a little button on the little box
that I attached to the hands free/headset outlet on the phone. It made me feel a little more secure
having that option, but I didn’t get any more calls for the rest of the week.

On Friday night, I had Luke swing me by my house to check on it. I’d finally moved out everything that
I wanted and told Leah that she could live there as long as she had the utilities switched over into her
name and made the mortgage payments on time. She’d been pretty good about it so far, and for being
such a ditz, she really was responsible.

I grabbed the few pieces of mail that hadn’t been forwarded to Luke’s house and we headed home. I
thumbed through the mail, most of it junk, as Luke drove us home. One of the envelopes was plain
white with my name typed on it, no address, and no return address. I felt a chill skitter down my spine
as I turned it over in my hands a couple times before I took a deep breath and opened it. My breath
whooshed out on a sigh of relief when I pulled out a brightly colored piece of paper with birthday
party information printed on it for an old friend of mine and Allie’s son’s third birthday.

Shaking my head at myself, I tossed all the mail into my purse and reached over to grab Luke’s hand.
When we got home, Brandon and Allie were sitting on the couch with Doug laying at their feet and
Jackson was in the kitchen making microwave popcorn.

I grinned at Jackson before trotting over and giving him a hug. “Hey! When did you get back? Did you
have a good Thanksgiving?” I asked him.

Luke walked over and did the one-armed-macho-man-hug thing with Jackson while he replied to my
questions. “I got in about an hour ago and yeah, it was okay. Not as fun as yours sounded, though!”

I grinned at him and we spent the rest of the evening trading stories and watching movies. I curled up
with Luke in the oversized armchair and Allie sat between Brandon and Jackson. I could have sworn
there was a few times that I saw Allie slap hands away from her. I’m not sure whose hands they were,
but judging by the red creeping over Allie’s cheeks, she wasn’t totally against them touching her.

I looked at the clock, surprised to see that it was almost two in the morning, stretched and climbed off
of Luke. He stared up at me, asking if I was ready for bed. I nodded and we said our goodnights

before heading up the stairs. I turned to look at Allie and winked, then waggled my brows at her. She
glared at me, well, tried to anyway, but her lips twitched and she winked back.

We got up early the next morning and I went over to Jenna’s house for a while since Luke had a
couple things to do at the stop. When I got there, Noah and Jarrod had gone out for a “men’s day” and
Hayden was begging Jenna to have a “grill’s day” and let her give her a makeover. Seeing the
potential for mega laughs at my sister’s expense, I joined in with Hayden’s cajoling and we cracked
Jenna in about five minutes.

We headed upstairs to Jenna’s en suite and plopped her down at the stool in front of her vanity. I
played assistant to Hayden, handing her items, but I drew the line at the curling iron. No way was I
getting blamed for burn marks across the forehead! Hayden used her little hands to basically tie
Jenna’s hair in knots all over her head, and then proceeded to make Jenna look like a whorish clown
with makeup. She ended up with hot pink lipstick (who even uses that these days anyway?)
surrounding her entire mouth, including her lips and teeth, lime green eyeshadow (Jenna and I
seriously needed to talk about her makeup bag) smeared across her eyelids and high into her
eyebrows, and red stripes of blush decorating her cheeks.

Hayden picked up Jenna’s eyeliner and pointed it toward her mother’s face. Jenna squeezed her eyes
shut, bravely allowing her to attempt to put it on. I snickered behind my hand, earning me a glare from
Jenna, when Hayden colored over her mom’s eyes, then her forehead, like she was using a crayon.

She stood back with a flourish and nodded at her mom like she was an artist acknowledging her latest
masterpiece. I grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket and snapped a few quick pics, trying not to
laugh out loud at Jenna’s face when she looked in the mirror. I had to leave the room when Jenna
struggled to tell Hayden that she made her mommy look very pretty but it was too fancy to wear
around the house. She finally got the okay to wash her face off and Hayden and I went downstairs
while Jenna cleaned herself up.

“Aun’ Emmy?” Hayden piped up in her little voice.

“Yeah, baby doll?” I asked her, giving her a quick squeeze as she cuddled into my side on the couch.

“Whas’ a gorgamsm?”

“A what?” I asked her, not understanding what she said.

“A gorgamsm. I heared Mommy talkin’ bout it on the ‘pone. Whas’ is it?”

“Um, I’m not sure, honey. What did Mommy say about it on the phone?” I asked, kinda scared about
the answer I would get.

“Hers said it was sumfing that my Daddy gived her an’ it was ‘mazin’ an’ made her toes curled up. If
I have a gorgamsm will my toes curled up, too?”

I choked, completely at a loss as to what to tell her, but thankfully Jenna came down the stairs then. I
quickly jumped up and told Hayden that she should ask her mother about that one before I kissed her
cheek, patted Jenna’s arm as I ran past, and bolted out the door.

I headed downtown to Skin Deep, intending to surprise Luke. He was supposed to call me when he
was done and on his way back home and I would meet him there, but I figured, what the hell? Maybe

we could leave together if he got done before Brandon and I would just let him use my car to get
home in.

I parked the car and headed inside. There was a young couple waiting in the lobby and I smiled at
them as I walked past the counter and headed toward Luke’s studio. I froze in the open doorway as I
surveyed the scene before me.

A colorfully tattooed and artfully pierced woman was leaning into Luke’s chest, her arms wrapped
around his neck, and Luke’s hands were on her hips. She was a couple inches taller than me, her arms
sleeved in bright colors, her eyebrow, lip, and nose pierced, and she was built like a wet dream.
(Well, what I imagined would make a man have a wet dream…what? Its better than a brick
shithouse!) She had long black hair, deep brown eyes, and she was gorgeous, exotic looking, and
putting her lips on Luke!

My stomach flipped and my heart thudded painfully in my chest as I spun on my heel and raced for the
front of the shop. I ran into Brandon as he was coming out from behind the counter and he grabbed my
shoulders, frantically asking me what was wrong. I hadn’t realized I was crying until he asked me
why I was, but I didn’t answer.

I wrenched myself away from him, running flat out for the door as I heard Luke shout my name behind
me. I threw myself into my car and tore out of the lot, trying to force myself to not look back, but I
didn’t listen. I saw Luke run out into the street behind me in my rearview mirror, watching as he
threw his arms up in the air and then hung his head before I jerked my eyes away from the mirror to
try to concentrate on the road.

My cell phone began to ring in my purse on the seat beside me and I ignored it. Without realizing it, I
found myself in the parking lot of Allie’s shop. I wiped the tears away as best I could and walked
inside.

I waved and shook my head at the girl ringing someone out at the counter when she stared at me in
concern, opening her mouth to say something. I found Allie in her office going through some boxes
that someone had apparently brought in as a donation. She looked up at me in surprise, a smile
beginning and quickly fading from her face as she took in my appearance.

I’m not a pretty crier, never have been. Women in movies cry pretty, their faces don’t get red, their
noses don’t run…why can’t it be like that in real life? When I cry, my eyes swell and become
bloodshot and demon red, my face turns splotchy, and my nose runs like a faucet. I can’t hide it when
I’ve been upset.

Without a word, Allie dropped what she was holding in her hands, walked over to me, and enfolded
me in her arms, rocking me slightly from side to side. I buried my face in her shoulder, letting the
tears fall uncontrollably for a few minutes before they subsided into hiccupping little sobs.

She pulled back from me, wiping my tears away with her thumbs before asking, “What happened,
sugarbear? Tell Auntie Allie…”

I gave her the short version of the story and without a beat she went out front and shut her store down
for the day. I followed her to her house, still blinking away the tears, and ignoring my phone that had
been ringing nonstop.

Allie and I sat curled up on the couch together with huge portions of our special sundaes in our hands.
She shook her head at me as if trying to understand and began asking questions again.

“So you walked in and saw her kiss Luke?”

I nodded pathetically, taking a big bite of ice cream and wine cooler even though I felt like getting
sick. “She had her arms all around his neck and everything and his hands were on her hips.”

“Emma, maybe it wasn’t what it looked like?” she said hesitantly.

I shook my head and glared at her. “No, it was exactly what it looked like! I trusted him, Allie! I let
him get under my skin after I even told him I didn’t think it was a good idea. I…I told him I loved him,
Allie. He told me that he was different, that he wanted me, that I was his. But I’m stupid. I knew
better! I knew that I’d end up getting hurt. He’s just like Douche Bag Brad!”

“What did he say when you told him you loved him?” Allie asked me.

“He said, ‘I know’, that ass! I opened myself up and that’s all he said! Cryptic caveman douche bag
asshole…” I muttered.

I sat my bowl down on her coffee table, leaving the remains of my ice cream to melt. I leaned back
and closed my eyes, opening them again immediately when all I saw was Luke and that bitch standing
together. I glanced at my phone, wondering if I should turn it on again, but deciding that I wasn’t going
to. If my family needed me, they would know exactly how to find me.

Allie patted my hand and got up to take our bowls into the kitchen. I heard her phone ring and heard
her answer it, speaking softly to someone on the other line. I pushed myself up off the couch to go to
the bathroom to blow my nose and wipe my face, but I froze when I passed the kitchen.

“No, Brandon, don’t tell him she’s here.”

I waited to see what else she would say, wishing I could hear Brandon’s side of the conversation.

“Well, she doesn’t want to talk to him or see him right now. And I don’t blame her! How could he
do-” she cut off in mid-sentence.

“Yeah, right. You aren’t going to tell me-”

“Oh, really? Well…I don’t know. You know what’s going on, you know him better than me. If you say
it wasn’t…”

She was driving me nuts allowing him to speak over her. I really wanted to hear what she’d been
getting ready to say!

“Okay. I’ll try. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll call you back.”

“Okay, bye.”

I hurried toward the bathroom before Allie could turn and see me eavesdropping on her conversation.
I heard her call my name and hollered back at her. She stood behind me in the doorway of the
bathroom and I looked at her in the mirror.

“Emma…”

“What, Allie?”

“Are you sure that you don’t want to talk to him? Just see what he has to say?” Allie was pleading
with me.

“I’m sure. Why would I want to put myself through that, Allie? Who’s side are you on anyway?” I
knew she was on mine but Brandon must have told her something in order for her to be trying so hard
to get me to talk to Luke.

“Yours, Emma! But I think you should talk to him! Give him a chance to explain some things to you,
that what you saw wasn’t what you thought it was!” She slapped her hand over her mouth with a gasp
and I narrowed my eyes at her in the mirror.

I turned around to face her, and asked, “Have you been talking to him? I know you talked to Brandon
because I heard you. Is he putting you up to this?”

“No…well, not really. He asked me to talk to you to try to get you to listen to Luke. Emma, he
explained everything to me and there’s no way you saw what you thought you saw. If you don’t want
to talk to Luke, at least talk to Brandon, okay?”

I closed my eyes and nodded, opening them and grabbing her arm before she could escape. “Brandon!
I’ll talk to Brandon, but not Luke. I mean it, Allie.”

She nodded and pulled away from me, already digging her phone out of her pocket. About fifteen
minutes later, there was a knock on Allie’s front door and Brandon came in when she opened it. He
strode immediately to my side talking a mile a minute.

“Emma, I didn’t bring him here, he followed me. Please don’t be mad at me! I didn’t even know he
had run out of the shop into his car until I pulled up here and he pulled up, too. I got him to stop
outside and let me come in and talk to you first, but I don’t-”

“Emma!” Luke interrupted Brandon, yelling my name as he flung open Allie’s door and strode in like
he owned the place. “Emma, sugar, please talk to me!”

He came and knelt in front of where I was sitting on the couch. I sat back away from him and pulled
my hand away as he tried to grab it in his.

“Luke, I don’t have anything to say to you. I saw enough for myself, thank you.” My voice was icy but
it was taking everything I had in me not to break down and cry at the sight of him there in front of me.
Damn him for being so fucking gorgeous!

“Emma, it wasn’t what you thought it was. I promise, baby. Jadalee is a girl that Brandon and I have
known for a long time. She works for me sometimes when she’s in town, which isn’t that often
because she moved down to Miami to open her own shop. She’s back just for a bit while her mom is
having surgery.” Luke’s voice was soft, cajoling.

“That doesn’t excuse the fact, or tell me why, you were standing there with your hands on her, her
hands on you, and her lips on yours, Luke! Seriously! How stupid do you think I am? I’ve been
through this before with Douche Bag and you knew that! I refuse to let that happen to myself again.”

“Seriously, it wasn’t what you thought it was, even though I wish it was,” a snarky voice said from

the doorway.

Every eye in the room flew to the front door where the dark haired bitch was standing, leaning
nonchalantly against the jamb like she belonged there. I let out a gasp and watched as a million things
happened at once.

Allie’s faced darkened with rage and she took a step toward the front door; Brandon jumped to
intercept her. Luke sprang to his feet, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, and I sat there in
stunned silence, wondering what the hell I’d done to deserve this.

Jadalee pulled away from the door frame and wandered over to the couch where she plopped herself
down by my side. I glared at her before transferring it to Luke, who had fallen to his knees in front of
me again.

He gently took my hands in his before saying softly, “I know you don’t want to see her, and I really
was not intending on her walking in here like she owned the place,” his voice hardened and he glared
at Jadalee before continuing, “but I didn’t do anything wrong and she’ll tell you that. Brandon can tell
you, too.”

Jadalee rolled her eyes and said, “He really didn’t do anything. In fact, if you’d stuck around long
enough, you would have seen that his hands were pushing me off of him. I had just come in and had
given him a hug. Yeah, so I tried to kiss him, but so what? We’ve done way more than that before-”
she broke off at Luke’s growl, shooting him a cheeky smile.

Luke started talking before she could dig herself, and him, deeper. “Yes, before you ask, we had done
things in the past, but that’s what it is, Emma. The past. One I told her implicitly would not be
happening. Ever. Again. Because I am so completely and totally in love with my girlfriend.”

I felt the tears brimming in my eyes spill over and beginning running down my cheeks and he reached
up to wipe them away. “Emma, I love you. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

“Well you sure have a funny way of showing it, asshole,” I muttered, pushing his hands away from my
face and wiping my eyes with my sleeves.

“I’m sorry I hurt you, sugar. Forgive me? Please?”

I closed my eyes against the pleading, yet hopeful look in his, and whispered, “I love you, Luke. But I
just need to think for a minute, okay?” I opened my eyes and looked at him, watching as his face
brightened for a brief second before it fell.

He nodded once, sharply, before standing up and, inclining his head to Allie and Brandon, stalked out
the front door. I heard his car start and then the squeal of tires as he peeled away from the curb.

“Well, as entertaining as this has all been, Brandon? Could you give me a ride back to the shop? I
seem to have been stranded in enemy territory,” Jadalee drawled, lithely getting to her feet and
walking to the door.

“Jadalee, if you wouldn’t be such a bitch all the time, then maybe you wouldn’t end up in enemy
territory so much.” Brandon’s voice cut sharply through the tense silence hanging heavy in the room.

My eyes widened and then narrowed dangerously at her as she turned to me and began speaking.

“Just so you know, you’re stupid if you let this come between you two. Nothing happened in the shop,
he pushed me away. And in the ten or so years that I’ve known him, he’s never called any girl his
girlfriend, nor said I love you to anyone but Brandon. I’d get your head out of your ass if I were you,
but keep this in mind. You fuck things up with him? I’ll be standing right behind you waiting to pick
up the pieces, enjoying every minute of him being back in my bed, in my body.”

With that, she turned to leave again but my words stopped her causing her to whirl and step back,
every one of them coated in ice and dripping with contempt and truth. “If you think for one second that
you will EVER get your slutty, whorish hands on him again, you are sadly mistaken.” I stood, walking
slowly toward her, satisfaction coursing through me when she took a nervous step back.

“I’m not controlling and selfish, so I won’t say that there’s no room in his life for you, because IF
you’ve been a FRIEND to him for so long, then it’s not my place to tell you to fuck off. That’s his
choice, and frankly, I’d be concerned right now if I were you. But what I will tell you is this: I’m
drawing the line, here and now. You so much as drop an eyelash over it and You. Will. Regret. It.
Luke’s mine.” I smiled sweetly at her and raised my hand, wiggling my fingers at her and finishing
with, “Buh-bye, now! Have a nice day!” before I turned my back on her and walked into the kitchen.

I heard Brandon murmuring something to Allie and then the soft click of the door as it closed behind
them. I stood where I was, breathing deeply and trying to calm my shaking nerves. I jumped when
Allie grabbed me from behind, jumping up and down and shrieking in my ear.

“OH MY GOD, Emma! You are friggin’ awesome! She’s a bitch but you just out-bitched her! I mean,
capital B-I-T-C-H and don’t you forget it! I’ve never seen you like that before…well, okay, maybe
once or twice when some idiot got on your nerves, but not like that! God, I love you…can I have your
baby?”

I laughed and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her close for a second. “Allie, I love you, too,
and yes, you can have my baby. Save me the pain, anyway. Thank you, by the way.”

She pulled back from me, asking, “For what?”

“For just being you and being my bestest friend in the whole wide world,” I told her, grinning.

I had Allie drop me back off to my car in the parking lot of her shop, promising that I would call her
later, once I’d talked to Luke. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and powered it on, ruefully noting
that I had ten voice mails, twenty-seven missed calls, and two dozen or so text messages. Most of
them were from Luke, but a couple were my sisters, my mom, my brother, and even Brandon.

Ignoring all the messages, I called Brandon, who picked up immediately. Wasting no time on
pleasantries, I asked, “Where is he?”

“Home,” was all he said before I hung up on him.

I headed home.

Chapter 18

I pulled into the drive and parked, but didn’t get out right away. Leaning my forehead against the
steering wheel, I braced myself before I blew out a breath and headed inside.

I opened the door and went in, looking for Luke. I caught a glimpse of his dark hair out the kitchen
window on the deck, so I quietly slipped out the door behind him. My heart clutched when I saw him,
sitting there dejectedly with his head in his hands, elbows braced on his knees. I walked around the
front of him, sinking to my knees and gently raising his face to mine.

“Luke.”

He closed his eyes and mine started to fill with tears at the raw pain etched across his face. “Baby, I
trust you and I believe that nothing happened with Saw. I know I told you I needed time to think, but I
know there’s nothing to think about. I love you, Luke. I’m sorry.”

His eyes opened, revealing the intense, gorgeous smoky blue-grey depths that I’d fallen for, and he
smiled briefly before asking, “Saw?”

I nodded, unable to contain my smile when I said, “You know, Skank-Ass-Whore. Saw. That’s my
nickname for-”

“I get it, Emma.” He gave me another small smile before his face fell again and he reached up,
skimming his thumb down my cheek. “I’m so sorry, sugar. I really was pushing her away. She just
caught me off guard after I gave her a hug, and then she just reached up and planted a kiss on me…I
was excited to see her. I hadn’t seen her in about a year, and I wanted to tell her about you, but…”

“Shhh, its okay, Luke. Like I said, I trust you. And, um…don’t be mad, but I kinda told her that she’d
regret it if she ever touched you again, and also kinda sorta hinted that you’d be mad at her and tell
her to fuck off.” I winced as soon as the words left my mouth, rushing to continue. “But I didn’t mean
that you can’t be friends with her or whatever, I mean, you totally can be friends with whoever you
want to be friends with, but I can’t help it if she touches you again and I have to jump on her back and
thump her forehead into the concrete about a half million times before she gets the message, but you
know what I mean, right? I’m not-”

“Emma?” Luke said, his voice low and soft.

“Hmm?” I asked, half afraid of what he was going to say.

“Shut up.”

“Okay.” That’s what I said, but it’s not what I did. “I’m not trying to take away your friendship with
her, Luke. She’s been in your life a lot longer than I have. As long as she respects the boundaries, then
everything should be fine. I…um…also told her you were mine.”

I looked into his eyes, smiling tentatively at him while he blinked down at me.

“I am?” he asked, the beginnings of a smile playing around the edges of his lips.

I nodded slowly at him while he brought his hands up to cup my face. “Emma, I think you’re too good
for me,” he said roughly, continuing over my protest, “but I’m going to try to live up to you. I’m so

sorry, baby. I think I went a little crazy when I heard you make that little choking sound and then you
ran away from me…you wouldn’t answer your phone, wouldn’t talk to me, and all I kept thinking was
that I’d fucked up one of the only good things I’ve ever had in my life. God, I’m so sorry…”

I brought my hands up to touch his face, pulling it close to mine and laying my lips softly on his. He
groaned deep in his throat before crushing me to him, sweeping his tongue between my lips and
devouring me like he was starving for my taste. He gathered me up in his arms, pulling me off my
knees and into his lap without breaking the kiss, his hands roaming every inch of my back, thighs, and
ass, setting me on fire just as much as letting me feel his reassurance that he was there with me, for
me.

I pushed against his chest with my hands, breaking the kiss to catch my breath for a moment. He caught
my eyes and I melted when he whispered, “I love you, Emma.” I leaned my forehead against his,
completely in awe with the fact that he’d finally said it, that this was real.

“I love you, too,” I whispered back, kissing him again. I shook my head at him and gave him a small
smile. “I can’t believe you waited until we were fighting to tell me you love me.”

He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly, saying softly, “ I was waiting for you to realize it on your own.
I shouldn’t have, though. I should have just told you.” He closed his eyes and sighed, holding me even
closer to him.

We didn’t sit there in silence for too long before Luke pulled me into the house and started stripping
my clothes off of me before we’d barely cleared the door. In fact, we didn’t make it out of the kitchen
before he lifted me up, sat me on the counter, and was buried balls deep in my dripping wetness. I
wrapped my legs around his thighs, holding on for dear life as he pounded into me, over and over
before we both exploded, the waves of release crashing over us, wrenching us under and drowning us
in earth-shattering pleasure.

We stood there wrapped in each other, trying to catch our breath when the front door opened,
admitting Brandon and Jackson who froze in their tracks, their eyes wide with shock.

Of course, that didn’t last long. “Jesus H., man! I eat on that counter!” Brandon wailed, but there was
no mistaking the look of relief in his eyes that belied the pained expression on his face.

Jackson just winked, a secretive smile playing about his lips before he grabbed Brandon and walked
backwards out the door. “We’re gonna give you a minute to get your clothes. Just holler when its
clear.” He shut the door softly behind them.

Luke and I looked at each other and busted out laughing before he kissed me gently and pulled out of
me, helping me down off the counter so we could grab our clothes. Once we were dressed again, he
strode to the door, opening it wide and laughing when Brandon stumbled, almost falling, from leaning
on the door trying to eavesdrop.

We spent the rest of the evening hanging out with Brandon, Jackson, and Allie, who showed up about
twenty minutes after the guys did. I called my mom and my sisters to see what they had wanted, and
was surprised when they said that Luke had been by all three of their houses to see if I was there.
What shocked me even more was the fact that Luke had never been to Jenna’s house, so how the hell
had he known where to go? I called Calland, as well. Luke hadn’t gotten to him; he was just wanting

to know if he could borrow my house for a party. Shaking my head I told him no, and told him not to
even bother calling Leah because I would be letting her know that I said no, too, to which he replied
by calling me a selfish bitch and hanging up on me.

Luke wasn’t far from my side for the rest of the weekend, and I wasn’t complaining. I was almost
sorry that I had to go back to work and wouldn’t be able to see him until that evening. Christmas was
right around the corner and I was hoping that the time would go by quickly because Floyd always
gave me the week off between Christmas and New Years. I know, kick ass boss!

I was finishing setting up a conference with a client when my other line rang. I answered the phone,
pleasantly surprised to hear Luke’s warm voice come through the line.

“Hey, baby. Just wanted to call and tell you that I love you. Busy?”

I sighed. “Yeah, a little busy, but I’m always glad to hear your voice. I love you, too, by the way.” My
other line rang and I quickly got off the phone with Luke before answering.

After giving my usual greeting, I listened to the silence stretching out on the line. “Hello? Anyone
there? Floyd Grim’s office…can I help you?” I shrugged my shoulders, but before I could replace the
phone on the cradle, a low, gravelly laugh came through. From reflex, I jerked it back up to my ear,
again saying hello.

“You know, Emma, I had high hopes for you.”

Oh, God, it was Creepy. I reached up and clicked on the recorder that Floyd had gotten me; this was
the first time I’d had to use it. I remained silent, not wanting to say anything, and really not wanting to
stay on the phone with him, but I was hoping he would keep talking and give me some kind of clue as
to who he was or why he kept calling me.

The voice chuckled before continuing. “Turns out I was wrong. You’re just like all the others. All the
other whores and tramps who say one thing and then do the other. Did you enjoy fucking him this
weekend? Huh? Did ya?”

My breath was coming in pants, and my hands were shaking. The little bell on the door chimed as
Floyd walked in, and when he saw my pale face and my white-knuckled grip on the phone, he
dropped the files in his hands and rushed around the counter to yank the phone out of my hand.

“This is Floyd Grim, and I suggest you find another attorney to call. Do not call my secretary again.”
He slammed the phone down and turned to me, patting my back and asking if I was okay.

I nodded and he glanced at me worriedly before scooping up his files and taking them back to his
office.

The rest of the day passed without incident until I slipped and mentioned it at dinner that night.

“What? What the fuck are you talking about, Emma?” Luke yelled.

“You should have said something earlier, babe,” Jackson interjected.

I turned my eyes to Brandon, asking silently for him to help me. He glared at me before turning away,
refusing to look at me.

“Look, I’ve never had a problem like this before, and it’s not been an issue until a couple weeks ago
when he called and told me about the…” I broke off, realizing that Luke’s face was blood red and all
three of them looked ready to blow.

I winced when Luke growled at me, “Told you about the what, Emma? How long? Tell me how long
this has been going on, that you decided wasn’t important enough to mention. How long!” he bellowed
the last words and I flinched, jerking back in my chair.

I blinked up at him, not afraid of him, but more afraid of what he would say. I swallowed audibly, and
sent Jackson a grateful glance when he put his hand on my knee, squeezing gently in reassurance. “A
while, I guess,” I said softly. “I was getting hang up calls a lot, and I thought I had mentioned those to
you. Anyway, he…he called a couple weeks ago and told me that the rose I found on my car was from
him.”

“Fucking hell!” Luke exploded, shoving away from the table and slamming outside.

I started to follow him but stopped when Jackson put his hand back on me to keep me still. He nodded
to Brandon who stood and went after Luke. As he passed my chair, he hesitated and lightly touched
my shoulder before going out the door.

I looked over at Jackson with tears brimming in my eyes. “Jacks…”

“I know, babe. But he loves you and you just told him basically that someone is threatening you. He’s
not going to take that lightly. None of us are. We all love you, Emma.” He raised his hand when my
eyes widened and continued, “In different ways. You know that, babe. Sure we did…what we did,
but we all know that was a one time thing. Luke and I made that deal years ago. Brandon looks at you
like the sister he’s never had, and you definitely dealt us a blow tonight. Don’t keep stuff like that
from us. Okay?”

I nodded, wiping my eyes and turning to see Luke and Brandon walk back through the door. Without a
word, Luke came over to me, jerked me out of my chair and into his arms, and held me so tightly I
couldn’t breath. I patted his shoulder awkwardly and he loosened his grip, moving back to look me in
the face.

“Don’t hide stuff from me, Emma. I love you so much, the thought of something happening to you, or
even just scaring you…it drives me insane. Okay?”

“I’m sorry, Luke. I’ll tell you everything, I promise, and won’t keep anything from you. You do have
to understand that I never really was keeping this from you. I just didn’t think to tell you.”

He nodded and let me go. We all sat back down at the table and I told them everything, every detail
about the phone calls and the recorder device that my boss had gotten me. We talked a bit longer and
then headed to bed. Luke held me and made love to me like I would break, until I finally rolled him
over and started riding him, plunging myself down onto his hardness over and over again until he
gripped my hips and began thrusting up to meet my hips.

I arched myself back over him, leaning back and bracing my hands on his thighs behind me. My hair
brushed his knees and calves and I heard him groan and growl at the dual sensations. I looked down
the line of my body to that place where we joined and watched him disappear into me again and again
before letting my eyes find his face. I felt my inner muscles clench around him when I noticed his hot

gaze locked on that spot, lost in the sight of his hard, thick length impaling the soft, bare, pink folds of
my sex.

I shifted my weight a bit, bringing one of my hands around and sliding it down my body until my
fingers dipped into my cleft, finding and circling my clit. The sight of my fingers playing there made
Luke wild and he let loose a yell as he slammed into me, spasming inside me over and over again as
the combination of his release and my fingers brought me, making him jerk and twitch as my muscles
clamped around him, milking his hard flesh.

I collapsed forward onto his chest and his arms came around me, holding me tightly to him as he
murmured into my hair, “I love you, Emma.”

I nuzzled his throat and whispered back, “I love you, too, Lucas.” His chest rumbled beneath me as he
chuckled at the use of his given name.

Luke shifted and rolled until we were on our sides, facing each other, our legs tangled together, and
the waning hardness of him still buried deep inside me. He kissed my lips gently and we drifted off to
sleep.

I woke up the next morning with the alarm, surprised to see that neither of us had moved in the night.
Even more surprising, Luke’s then not-so-hard length was still inside me, but was rapidly becoming
his oh-so-very-hard length. I looked at Luke’s face, seeing his gorgeous eyes blink sleepily open and
a grin spread across his face.

I rushed in to work twenty minutes late to see Floyd standing over my desk with a worried expression
on his face.

“Sorry, Floyd! I got held up a little this morning.” I smiled at him, hoping he wouldn’t be mad for me
being late.

He smiled and shook his head at me, telling me it was fine before it was business as usual. I had just a
week to go before I got to take off for Christmas break, but we had a lot to get done before then. The
phones were ringing off the hook and poor Floyd was booked solid with court appearances and client
meetings.

Two hours shy of closing time, the phone rang and I smiled when I heard Mrs. Allen’s crackly voice
on the other end.

“Emma? Honey, is that you?”

“Yes, Mrs. Allen, how are you? I haven’t heard from you in a while, so I assume everything has been
going well? How’s Fluffers?”

“Oh, honey, I’ve been okay until now. Fluffers went missing again, but that stupid old fart Doc
brought him back to me. Do you know what he did, Emma? He SHAVED poor Fluffers! And I think
he bleached him or something cause he’s not grey anymore, he’s WHITE! He doesn’t even look like
my cat anymore, but its him. Do I need to bring him out to you so you can see him?”

“Er, um…no, Mrs. Allen, that wont be necessary.” She continued before I could say another word.

“I can take pictures and bring them to you, dear, that way you have the evidence when you get that

lovely Mr. Grim to sue the ever loving pants off Doc, that no good bastard. Fluffers just had a couple
burrs in his coat that I was fixin’ to get out. There was no need to torture the poor boy!”

“Mrs. Allen, if he had burrs in his fur, then Doc was doing a good thing by shaving Fluffers. That way
he doesn’t get matted worse, and besides, I thought Fluffers was a white cat? You can’t sue him for
those things, since he was helping you. Okay?”

“Well, okay, dear. If you’re sure…” Mrs. Allen sounded doubtful, but I didn’t give her time to come
up with anything else.

“I’m sure, Mrs. Allen. You have a nice day and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year if I don’t
talk to you before then, okay? Bye-bye!”

I laughed as I hung up the phone and turned back to the trial brief I was typing. About thirty minutes
before closing time, Jackson walked into the office, stopping at the counter in front of me.

“Hey, babe,” he said, smiling down at me.

“Hey, Jacks! What are you doing here?”

“Luke’s got a late appointment again and didn’t want you walking out by yourself. So I said I’d pick
you up. Plus, I need your opinion on something.”

“Okay, I just have to finish up a couple things and then we can go.” I turned back to my computer and
finished up in record time. I hopped up and grabbed my coat and purse and we walked outside. He
grabbed my keys out of my hand and locked the door behind us before herding me into his car.

Instead of going to Skin Deep like I figured we would, we headed home. When we got inside, he
motioned to the kitchen table and I went and sat down, waiting patiently for him to join me. He pulled
something out of a tube he had leaned up against the corner of the living room and spread it out over
the table.

I gasped when I looked over the blueprint he had laid out, my eyes racing over every detail. “Is this
for your house that you’re building next door?” I asked him.

“Yeah, I just had a couple things I wanted a woman’s perspective on.”

I teased him a bit, winking and asking, “Shouldn’t you be asking Allie then?”

He grinned at me and said, “She’ll get to voice her opinion eventually, especially if she’s gonna live
there one day.”

I raised my eyebrows at him, asking silently for more information. After a minute he complied.

“Well, I know we talked before about Allie, but I just…I really like her, Emma. But there’s Brandon
and I don’t know exactly where he fits in with everything.” He shook his head.

“I think things will work themselves out. Just be patient, Jacks. So! What did you want my opinion
on?” I rubbed my hands together in glee, excited to be able to get to help actually design a house that
was going to be built.

We sat there for a while, throwing ideas back and forth, and at one point during a slightly heated

conversation, he had come up behind me at the table, leaning over my shoulder and pointing at the
blueprints. We both looked up at the door when it opened and Luke and Brandon walked in. I smiled
at them, and Luke quirked his brow at Jackson leaning over me, his hand braced on my shoulder. I
glanced up at Jackson and laughed when he waggled his brows at Luke before patting my shoulder
and moving back so I could get up.

I went to Luke, raising my lips for his kiss as he smiled and said, “Jacks, you ass! You tryin’ to get
fresh with my woman?”

I laughed even harder when Jackson replied, “Hell yeah, I am! She’s too good for you, needs
someone macho like me!”

I rolled my eyes at their banter and reached around to snatch the pizza boxes out of Brandon’s hands
that I hadn’t noticed until now. He’d been trying to maneuver around Luke and sneak away with
dinner.

“Hey!” he whined. “That’s my dinner!”

Luke turned around and smacked him upside the back of the head, muttering, “Greedy pig,” before we
all headed in to the living room to eat and watch some TV.

My cell phone chimed in my purse sitting on the counter and I got up off the couch, gathering up used
paper plates, napkins, and discarded pizza crusts and carrying it all to the kitchen. I threw away all
the trash and fed poor slobbering Doug the pizza crusts before I grabbed my cell and went back to sit
with Luke. I slid my finger across the screen to open the home page of my phone to see that it was a
text that had come through. I opened it.

Hey, its your favorite brother. Got a sec?

I laughed before replying, You’re my only brother, jerk off. What’s up?

Well, remember how you said that I couldn’t have a party at your house?

I groaned, knowing that this was probably gonna be bad. Yeah, I remember. But you didn’t listen,
right?

Not exactly? You’ll get over it but I do have to tell you that I sent the carpet cleaner people over to
clean the carpet where this chick Exorcist-ed the living room. I even paid for it myself. Just FYI.
Later.

I sighed and called Leah, who picked up immediately and started talking before I could.

“I know that you said he couldn’t have the party and I told him no but then he came over and we were
hanging out and he asked if his buddy could come and I said yes but my friend wanted to come hang
because he was here and then it snowballed and the stupid bitch drank three bottles of red wine and
Exorcist-ed the living room-”

“Leah!” I shouted, trying to get her to shut up. “Breathe for a second, geez. Calland texted me. Did the
stain come out of the carpet?”

“Yeah,” she replied.

“Did anything get broken?” I asked.

“Ahh…nope? I don’t think so.”

“Okay. Its over and done with so…just be responsible.”

“Okay, Emma!”

I got off the phone with her and Luke reached over, snagging my phone so he could see the texts from
my brother. He sniggered and passed the phone to the other guys before I jumped up and snatched it
back. I swear, they’re like little kids.

Chapter 19

“Luke, I promise, there’s nothing for you to do, so don’t bother coming down here, okay? I’ll just see
you when you pick me up from work. I love you.”

I hung up the phone and turned to the officer that had come back into my office at work. He handed me
a report, which I laid on my desk with the other three already there.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Jensen, but beyond the reports there’s nothing else for us to do. No one knows who he
is and he’s obviously masked his number so its not showing up on the Caller ID. You’ve done well
with recording the conversations and I would watch it because it sounds like he’s escalating. Just call
if you need anything, okay ma‘am?”

I nodded and thanked the officer again, smiling as he left the office. As soon as he cleared the door,
my face fell. It was the week before Christmas and Creepy had decided to step up his game. He’s
called me almost everyday, but today, not to mention the past three days, he’s become increasingly
more agitated and vulgar on the phone. I’d made reports every time and was keeping a file on it.
Floyd was going insane with worry, and I think he would have sent me away if I hadn’t talked him out
of it.

As it was, the only reason I got to finish out the week was because next week was Christmas and the
office would be closed. I just had to make it through Tuesday at noon, which is when we’d close the
office. I’d get Wednesday (Christmas Eve), Thursday (Christmas), and Friday off next week, and then
the complete following week, returning to work on the fifth of January.

I think we were all hoping that the time away would make him get bored and leave me the hell alone.
It was driving me nuts that I had no idea who this guy was and how the hell he knew me, although
every time I heard his voice it felt like something was niggling the back of my mind, something that I
just couldn’t put my finger on. Luke was about five seconds away from locking me up in a tower
somewhere and Brandon and Jackson were totally on his side.

Luke and I had gotten into an argument last night because he found out that I hadn’t told my family
anything, and he assumed that I hadn’t told Allie. Noah was the only one who’d known, other than
Allie, who’d already been threatened with death if she told, and I’d sworn him to secrecy. The only
reason he knew was because the guys at the station knew I was his sister-in-law and had told him
about everything. Luke had blown his top and actually called every single member of my family at
quarter after eleven last night to tell them. My parents were pissed off at me, Leah had sobbed like I
had died, Jenna had mother-henned me to death (Yes, apparently its even possible to do over the
phone), but the one that got to me the most was Calland, who shockingly had been so sweet, asking if I
was okay. Of course then he threatened, and I quote, ‘to castrate the mother fucker who decided to
fuck with his sister.’

I managed to get by with promising to tell Allie today, and that’s only because she was coming out to
the house tonight. God knows what he’d have done if he knew she already knew. I’d then tried,
unsuccessfully I might add, to shift the focus from me by asking Brandon and Jackson point blank
about what was going on with Allie. They’d steadfastly refused to take the bait, remaining stoic and
brooding about my situation.

Oh, well. I sighed and picked up the pad of paper that I had stashed in my desk drawer. I’d made a

list of gifts that I wanted to get everyone and had been marking them off as I found them. I only had
three more people to buy for, and go figure, they were the ones I lived with. I had a few ideas about
Luke and Brandon, but was completely at a loss at what to get Jackson. I’d even gone so far as to ask
him, which was no help. Of course, teasing him that I was going to get him Allie in a big red bow
didn’t help my cause.

Mom was easy; I’d gotten her a gift card to use to buy books for her Kindle and stashed it in the
pocket of an oversized hoodie sweatshirt with her favorite NFL team on it. I’d also gotten her an
adorable yellow lab figurine that looked just like Doug who, even though she refused to let him spend
the night again unless he’d been people food free for at least two days prior, was still her favorite
four legged grandchild.

Dad was pretty easy, too. There was a new war game that had come out and he’d wanted it to play on
his Xbox 360 with all his buddies. I know, I know, he’s a little old for that, right? Well, my brother
had gotten him hooked and far be it for me to tell him any different. I’d also gotten him a new tshirt
that said, ‘The beatings will continue until morale improves,’ which, believe it or not, he’d said to us
quite often growing up.

Calland had gotten the same game as I got Dad so they could play together, and I’d found Leah a
really cute outfit and a pair of earrings that she’d been gushing over. Jenna and Noah were probably
the easiest. I’d only had to print up a coupon book on the computer with vouchers for babysitting and
a gift card to their favorite restaurant. The kids were spoiled by everyone, and I was no different,
which is why I’d already bought them at least six gifts each.

I’d found Allie a few funky scarves that I knew she’d turn into a skirt, as well as a gorgeous silver
necklace with a teardrop shaped black onyx and diamond accent pendant. Hell, I’d even bought Doug
a few new squeaky toys, bones, and new collar!

I’d hidden all the presents in the cupboards above the washer and dryer in the laundry room because,
since I’d moved in, no one but me has touched the laundry. Gee, how’d I get so lucky? I just needed to
get the last few things as well as some wrapping paper and gift tags so I could get everything
wrapped. That’s always been my favorite thing at Christmas, besides getting presents. I loved to pull
everything out and stack it around me and blare Christmas music while I wrapped everything at once.

The door chimed, pulling me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see Luke standing in front of me. I
looked up at the clock, surprised to see that it was after closing time. I straightened up my desk and
locked up the drawers, taking care to hide my Christmas gift list so he couldn’t see the ideas I had
jotted down. I needed to figure out a way to hijack Allie for a bit this weekend so she could help me
shop.

“Ready?” I asked him as I stood up and rounded the counter. Before I could get all the way around, he
had me in his arms, holding me so tight I could hardly breathe.

I tapped his shoulder, whispering, “Luke…can’t…breathe,” and he let me go immediately,
apologizing. I smiled at him telling him it was okay before he grabbed my hand and we headed out to
the car.

I didn’t get any more calls, thank God, for the remainder of the week. On Saturday morning, I roped
Allie into going to the mall with me, hoping that we could get everything and get back to the house to

hide it or wrap it before the guys got back home. I had been a little worried about Jackson being there
since he doesn’t work on weekends, but he’d decided to head down to the shop with Brandon and
Luke.

After the fifteenth store, Allie pulled out of my desperate grasp as I hauled her towards another,
planting her feet and shouting, “NO!”

I turned around in surprise (and complete embarrassment, truth be told) and asked her what the hell
was wrong with her.

“Emma, you keep second guessing everything. It’s fine! They’ll love everything you get them no
matter what it is, so just pick something already! Cheese and rice, woman!”

I shrugged, smiling ruefully at her. “I’m sorry. I know…I just want them to have the perfect gifts, you
know?”

“I know. And you will. Now, pick a guy and let’s get one of them done, at least.”

“Ummm…” I thought for a minute. “Well, I guess let’s start with Jacks. You know? I think I’ve got it!
Let’s go hit that print shop place that we saw.”

Two hours later, I’d finally picked something out for all three of the guys and my Christmas shopping
was officially over. Whew! Allie and I headed back to the house and she helped me carry my bags in
while I ran into the laundry room to hide her gifts so she couldn’t find them. She was going to help me
with my wrapping, so we lugged everything up into Luke’s…er, my?…bedroom and popped in a
Christmas CD before we plopped ourselves down in the middle of the floor, surrounded by mountains
of shopping bags and boxes and about ten tubes of wrapping paper.

My theme this year was red, white, blue, silver and penguins because I found the cutest little wraps
with penguins all over them. I’d also gone crazy with bags of bows and about twelve different gift
tags. We dove in and started wrapping presents; it only took us about an hour and a half between the
two of us and then we carted them all downstairs to put under the tree that I’d finally gotten Luke and
Brandon to drag out of the closet and put up.

Allie and I were standing beside each other, grinning with our accomplishment, when the guys walked
in. Their eyes all lit up when they saw the tree and Brandon went running to his room before coming
out with an armful of presents wrapped haphazardly and putting them under the tree with mine. I
turned to Luke and Jackson with expectant eyes, pouting exaggeratedly when they each shook their
heads and walked away.

We decided that we were going to order Chinese food and Jackson and Brandon offered to go get it.
When they returned, we all crowded around the table and ate, enjoying each other’s company. Of
course that didn’t last long when talk turned to the phone calls I’d been getting at work from Creepy.

Brandon had said something and I froze in panic when Allie opened her mouth, saying, “Well, when
she told me about all the hang-ups and heavy breathing I told her she should call and make a report.
She did then but they-” she broke off, her eyes growing huge and her hand clapping over her mouth in
horror.

I glared at her, promising retribution would come soon, when Luke jumped to his feet, knocking his

chair over as he yelled, “You knew? You knew that this was happening back then and you didn’t tell
me?” Without giving her a chance to reply, he turned to me and bellowed, “And YOU! I can’t believe
you let me think that you hadn’t told her, that you hadn’t told anyone! What is wrong with you?”

I stood up, pushing my chair back and rounding the table to put my arm around Allie as I pointed my
finger at Luke and said, “You stop. Right now, before you say something you’ll end up regretting,
Lucas Tyler Crimshaw. Yes, okay? I told Allie but you know what? We were just starting to see each
other, so why would I have told you? I’ve already told you that I should have told you about the phone
calls more recently and I promised to keep you informed if anything else happened. Okay? Are we
done? Can we get back to eating now?”

Brandon and Jackson hadn’t said anything during the outburst and I pulled away from Allie to take my
seat again, but not before I pinched her arm just as a reminder that I was still pissed she had let the cat
out of the bag. Luke dropped his head in his hands for a second before he looked up and mumbled an
apology to everyone.

Then I couldn’t help but smile as he peered up at me and said, “I really am sorry. I just love you so
damn much…it makes me a little crazy.”

Allie’s jaw hit the table and I laughed, absolutely one hundred percent in love with him, not that I
wasn’t already. We all finished dinner and the rest of the evening was lightened considerably by
Luke’s admission at the table. Allie stayed around for a while before she took off, stating that she had
plans in the morning that she couldn’t be late for.

This made Brandon and Jackson both puff up and ask her questions, which she laughed off, telling
them, “don’t you worry your pretty little heads about what it is boys,” before she kissed them each on
the cheek and sashayed out the door. They gave each other dirty looks and Luke and I laughed at them
as he pulled me toward the stairs.

I’d barely gotten through the door and shut it behind me before Luke had me pinned against it, his hand
in my hair, jerking it back while he fastened his teeth in my shoulder. It shot me straight to the
OHMIGOD zone and I let out a moan at the pleasure coursing through every inch of my body. When
he released my skin, I pushed back against him and turned in his arms, winding mine around his neck
as I pressed my body against his.

“What is it with you and doors?” I asked, my voice husky with thick with desire.

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe it’s the animal you bring out in me. Rowr…” He waggled his
eyebrows at me while he swiped his hand at me, his fingers curled into a claw.

I burst out laughing, completely taken aback by his “cat” impersonation he’d just tossed out of
nowhere. He grinned before laughing with me while walking backwards with me in his arms towards
the bed. When we got there, I didn’t give him the chance to do anything. I pushed against his chest and
he fell back on the mattress, bouncing a little at the abruptness.

His arms came out to grab me and I danced out of his reach, wagging my finger at him and sing-
songing, “Ah-ah-ah!”

He growled at me and tried to grab me again and I slapped at his hands, telling him no. He pouted, his
bottom lip sticking out, and crossed his arms over his chest. I rolled my eyes at him before darting in

and biting his bottom lip between my teeth, flicking my tongue over the coolness of the silver hoop
piercing the flesh there. He moaned deep in his throat and brought his hands up, but I jumped back
again out of reach.

“Emma! Damnit, woman! What kind of game are you playing? Get over here, now!” Luke sounded
almost desperate but I wasn’t going to give in. I wanted to tease him a bit, make him beg for a change.

I walked over to the closet and pulled out a couple of silk ties that I’d found stashed in the back of
Luke’s things. His eyes widened as I came back to the bed and after telling him to strip, motioned for
him to lie back on the bed. He did, not hesitating at all, his breath leaving him on a gasp as I crawled
onto the bed and straddled him. I raised his arms above his head and tied each of his wrists to the
slatted headboard with one of the ties. Giving them a good tug to make sure they’d hold, I moved
away, satisfied that he was at my mercy.

I stripped my own clothes off slowly, turning my back and swiveling my hips as I shucked my jeans
and panties, loving the sound of his groan behind me. Taking it just a little further into the torture
realm, I spread my legs a little before bending over to pick up my clothes, allowing him an
unobstructed view of my ass and swollen, wet nether lips for a second. I turned when I heard the
headboard groan ominously, shaking my head as I saw Luke trying desperately to get his hands free.

I crawled back up on the bed after making a pit stop by my dresser, and straddled his chest, closing
my eyes at the feel of his heat pressed against my moist secret flesh.

“Emma, baby…what are you doing to me?” Luke rasped, his voice deeper and thicker than usual,
letting me know how much he wanted me, as if the rock hard, huge length of him standing at attention
behind where I was perched wasn’t enough indication.

“Shhh…just…relax…” I said slowly, drawing out the words as I ran my hand down my body,
tweaking my nipple before continuing south, “ and enjoy.”

I slid my finger into the wetness between my thighs, circling my clit a couple times while I rocked my
hips against his chest, before bringing my other hand up to allow Luke to see what was coming next.
His breathing turned harsh as I flipped the switch and the soft, jelly coated, egg shaped bullet with a
little finger-like protrusion at the tip buzzed to life. I ran the tip of it down my body, letting it tickle
against each of my nipples before pushing it against my wet, pink folds, moaning loudly as the
vibrations rolled through my tender flesh.

I rubbed it through my folds, my wetness glistening on the toy in the light, and Luke’s moans came in
earnest, growling through his lips almost constantly. Then I smiled at him, a small, naughty smile,
when he started begging.

“Baby, please…come closer so I can lick it, or move back and let me fuck you while you do that…
God, Emma, please!” His eyes had turned wild, his skin felt feverish against mine, and I loved every
bit of it.

I closed my eyes and threw my head back in pleasure, basking in the rush of pure feminine power I
felt at the thought that Luke was wild for me…for ME! I never in a million years would have
imagined finding the (cheesy line alert, just FYI) man of my dreams. Especially not in a tattoo shop,
of all places! And not only that, he made me feel beautiful and unselfconscious, and I’ve never had

that before.

Luke’s hips bucking beneath me brought me out of my thoughts and I gave in a little, sliding forward
enough that his mouth could reach me. I barely moved the toy out of the way before his tongue swiped
through my folds, laving me from top to bottom and back up again before dancing around my clit. I
moaned and rode his mouth for a minute, but pulled back when I felt my orgasm rushing forward. I
didn’t want it to be over too quickly.

He growled at me and strained against his bindings, trying to get his head close enough to put his
mouth on me again. I sat on his chest, rocking my hips against him while I played the toy against my
clit, bringing myself close to the edge again and again while Luke begged me to touch him or to let
him touch me.

When my thighs were shaking with the effort of holding my release at bay, I raised myself up and
turned around, carefully placing my knees on the outside of Luke’s shoulders, lowering my hips over
his face until I felt him bury his tongue inside me. He moaned into my wet flesh as I leaned down and
took his hard length between my lips, sucking it deep and running my tongue up the length of it as I
pulled back.

I lightly nipped him with my teeth when he stilled against me, telling him without words to get back to
work. He vigorously tongued me, flicking the tip of it over my clit before thrusting it inside me,
fucking me with it while he thrust his hips up, fucking my mouth at the same time. I moaned with my
lips wrapped around him and his hips bucked involuntarily at the feel of it. He began circling my clit
again and didn’t stop until I broke, screaming my release around his hardness still thrusting between
my lips.

As soon as I came, I pulled away from him, turning to release his hands from the ties. As soon as the
knots loosened, he had me on my back, his length buried deep inside and beginning a pounding rhythm
that had me ready to explode again within seconds. As I crested, raking my nails uncontrollably down
his back, he came, shouting and moaning and jerking inside me as he spilled headlong into ecstasy.

We laid there, gasping for breath for a minute before he pulled back to look at me, grinning down at
me.

“What?” I asked him.

“Where the hell did that come from?” was his reply.

I just shrugged my shoulders, gave him a saucy grin, and kissed him.

Chapter 20

“Thanks, Floyd!” I exclaimed as I looked into the brightly wrapped package he had left on my desk.
He’d gotten me a box of my favorite chocolates and given me a nice Christmas bonus check. I jumped
up out of my seat and hugged him, smiling as he laughed at my exuberance.

Ever since I’d started working for him, we’d gotten each other gifts for Christmas, and it was always
the same thing every year. Like clockwork, I knew that he’d give me my bonus in a box of my favorite
chocolates, and he knew that I’d give him two boxes of his favorite chocolate covered cherries and a
gift card for him and his wife’s favorite restaurant. His wife always called me after Christmas break
to thank me and tell me what she ordered. She’s working her way through the menu and I don’t think
she’s ordered the same thing twice yet.

It was Tuesday and I was getting ready to close the office for Christmas break. I just had a couple
things left to do, but Floyd was leaving already so he could go finish getting a couple presents for his
grandkids. His wife usually does all that kind of shopping, but she’d missed a couple things and he
had to pick them up. He’d already brought all his wife’s gifts into the office for me to wrap, and had
loaded them into his car to take home. That was another tradition in the office that was started the first
year I worked for him. I didn’t mind though. Did I mention he was a kick ass boss?

I finished cleaning up my desk and locked the door, making sure I put the sign in the door that said
when we’d be back in the office before I headed out to my car. I’d driven myself to work because
there was no reason for Luke to drop me off since I was only working for three hours.

I did go to the shop, though, instead of going home, intending to spend the day with Luke and Brandon.
Jackson had a few meetings today, so he wouldn’t be around and the only one at home was Doug. Not
that I minded his company but Brandon had fed him egg salad yesterday, so I was trying to avoid him
until the danger had passed. By that I mean that I wanted to be able to walk through the house without
a gas mask on.

I walked into the shop and said hi to Brandon who was helping someone at the counter before heading
back to Luke’s studio. The door was open and he was sitting on his stool talking to Jadalee who was
standing across the room looking at a picture of a tattoo that Luke had just done. I ignored her and
went to Luke, who jumped up and pulled me into his arms, kissing me thoroughly.

I pulled back and shot a glance under my lashes toward Jadalee who was standing with her fists
clenched. I couldn’t help it; it made me smile. And when I say smile, I mean actually that I grinned
from ear to ear while I turned my head and actually looked at her. There ain’t no shame in my game!
Boo-ya, bitch!

“So, you’re officially on Christmas vacation!” Luke said, grinning right along with me. “Does this
mean that I get you all day every day until you go back?” He looked so hopeful and happy, but I
couldn’t resist teasing him.

“Well, Allie asked me to stay at her house for a few days, so I told her that I would. And then its
tradition to spend at least four nights with my mom and dad right after Christmas, so…” I let my
words trail off, giving him what I hoped was a rueful expression.

His face fell but then he tried so valiantly to hide it and put on a happy front that I couldn’t keep it up

anymore. I broke down and laughed, yelling, “I’m kidding, geez! Yes, you have me for all the time
you want me until I go back to work!”

“You little witch…” he growled, stalking toward me.

I squealed and turned to flee but started laughing when he snagged me around my waist and lifted me
up against his chest, burying his face in my neck. I laughed even harder when Jadalee rolled her eyes
and stomped out of the room, muttering to herself.

I pushed against Luke and he released me. “Listen, I was thinking.”

Luke interrupted me, saying, “Oh, Lord, that’s bad. Does your head hurt?”

I glared at him and smacked his shoulder as he laughed at me. “Seriously, focus. I think I want you to
tattoo me again.”

He quit laughing, his eyes growing wide with excitement. “Really? What do you want? Where do you
want it?”

“Well, I don’t want it right now and I’m not sure. That’s why I was thinking that I would let you just
draw something for me and give me your ideas of where it should go. What do you think?”

“I think that you trust me an awful lot, sugar, and that turns me on. Want me to close the door and you
can ride me while I go ahead and give you a new tattoo on your titty?” He waggled his eyebrows at
me, grinning like a loon.

I rolled my eyes. “Very funny, ha ha. Well?”

He turned serious, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my forehead before saying, “I was being
serious when I said you trust me an awful lot. And it does turn me on…just fyi. But, yeah, I can do
that. I’d love to do that for you, sugar. And I just plain love you.”

I smiled and kissed him gently, whispering, “I just plain love you, too. Now go draw me a tattoo,
bitch!” I smacked his ass and turned to sashay out the door, but that didn’t work. His eyes gleamed
and I gulped.

I squealed and took off out the door to the lobby as Luke lunged for me, hiding behind Brandon who
started laughing, along with the people waiting for tattoos or piercing or whatever. Luke chased me
and we looked like two little kids playing around. I was using poor Brandon as a shield, my fingers
twisted in the sides of his shirt, moving him every which way to counter Luke’s grabs. Brandon was
laughing uncontrollably, especially when Luke’s hands would miss me and grab his sides,
inadvertently tickling him.

Of course, since I’d just found out how ticklish Brandon was, I couldn’t resist pulling my fingers out
of his shirt and tickling him mercilessly until Luke got a hold of me and pulled me away, lifting me in
his arms and throwing me over his shoulder. I hung there, upside down and grinning, while he called
his next client back. The woman followed him, laughing as I propped myself up a bit on his back and
introduced myself to her as he strode down the hall to his studio.

I stayed at the shop until they closed and then Jackson met us at Griff’s for dinner, a little karaoke, and
maybe a few drinks. Karaoke night was usually Monday night at Griff’s but the band that he had

booked as a special before Christmas act cancelled at the last minute because they broke up, so
Jeremy had come in to cover and do karaoke/dance party night instead. Weird for a Tuesday night, but
hey. Who am I to complain?

We were finishing up our dinner (I’d ordered the pizza rolls, as usual…yum!), when Jadalee came
through the door, walking over to Jeremy with an exaggerated sway of her hips. I snorted as I watched
her lean over and thrust her boobs out, trying to seduce poor Jeremy, I suppose. Too bad she’s
barking up the wrong tree…he’s been happily married to his high school sweetheart for fourteen
years and they have six kids.

She apparently picked out a song to sing, and since no one else had put a name in after the last guy
who’d been up there, she went ahead and took the stage with the microphone. I shook my head when
the notes for Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend started and Jadalee began to sing. She sucked. I mean, don’t
get me wrong, she wasn’t horrible, but she definitely shouldn’t quit her day job. She bounced around
the stage, but her eyes were for Luke, who, bless his heart, was shaking with laughter.

I nudged him to let me out of the booth and went up to talk to Jeremy. I shook my head when he asked
if I wanted my usual start off song, and whispered in his ear what I wanted. He didn’t have it, but
thank God he’s one of them hi-tech kinda karaoke guys, so he was able to tap into the bar’s wi-fi and
get what I wanted.

I smirked as Jadalee sashayed off the stage, a little embarrassed for her since only a couple people
clapped for her. And because I was about to blow her out of the water. I didn’t even have an ounce of
stage fright tonight, because this was gonna be good.

The beat started, giving me my starting notes and I belted out the lyrics to Halestorm’s It’s Not You ,
and I was singing it directly to Jadalee. Of course I played with the lyrics a little bit, but I was making
a point.

Instead of singing I’m or Me during the chorus, I was singing, ‘He’s in love with somebody, Found
someone who completes him, Oh-he’s in love with somebody, oh yeah, and it’s not you! ’, and I was
singing it directly to Jadalee. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I was rocking it, too. I got a
standing ovation from everyone in the bar, with the exception of Jadalee, who stormed out of the bar
like her ass was on fire.

Christmas Eve day was spent just hanging out with the guys and Allie, who had come over to do our
Christmas together since she would be spending the day with her family tomorrow, on Christmas Day.
We watched movies and played outside in the snow that had started falling in the middle of the night,
sticking and coating everything with sparkling white. I was so happy that we were going to have a
white Christmas!

Before she left, we exchanged gifts. She loved everything I gave her and I was ecstatic with what
she’d gotten me. It was a killer pair of black suede peep-toe stilettos, with a tapering stacked, patent
leather four and a half inch heel. I loved them and couldn’t wait to wear them! She’d also given me a
gift card to buy more books for my Kindle, because she knows how much I love to read.

She also exchanged gifts with the guys and even bought Doug a new chew toy. It was in the shape of a
rubber chicken but it was stuffed and had its stretchy wings clasped together and long chicken legs.
She showed us how you put your finger in the clasped wings and pull back on the legs before letting

go and the thing took off like a slingshot, cock-a-doodle-dooing all the way.

Luke and I laughed and nudged each other speculatively when Brandon and Jackson both cornered
Allie under the mistletoe, kissing her breathless before they let her leave. She stumbled to her car,
looking dazed, sitting there for a minute shaking her head before shrugging, waving goodbye to me,
and pulling away.

We woke up Christmas morning early because Brandon was pounding on our door like a five year
old, hollering, “Wake up! Its Christmas! Open presents! Now!”

Luke rolled over me, kissing me gently and whispering, “Merry Christmas, baby. Our very first
Christmas together…I love you.”

“Mmmm…Merry Christmas to you, too, my love. I love you so much…” I whispered back.

We kissed softly for a few minutes before the pounding started at the door again. “If you guys aren’t
out of that bed and downstairs in five minutes, I’m coming in and it wont be pretty!” Brandon
hollered.

We laughed and got out of bed, stumbling bleary eyed down the stairs to sit on the couch by a
blinking, sleepy-eyed Jackson who was glaring at Brandon between blinks. Brandon was practically
hopping with excitement as he started doling out presents to everyone, making a pile for himself by
the coffee table. Doug even had a growing pile on the floor in front of him, between his outstretched
paws.

Once all the presents were handed out that needed to be, we started opening. Even Doug got into the
spirit, selecting one of his gifts before holding it between his paws and tearing the paper off with his
teeth. The one he picked turned out to be a huge rawhide bone that I had gotten him, so I assume he’d
been able to smell it through the wrap and that’s why he picked it. I helped him with the rest of his
before I opened any more of mine.

Jackson had gotten me a gorgeous red cable knit cashmere sweater with a cowl neck and a kick ass
pair of black skinny jeans. He admitted that he had snuck into my closet and looked at my sizes so he
could get it right.

Brandon had gotten me a beautiful pair of diamond stud earrings, which I told him was too much. He
just blushed and told me to shut up and enjoy them.

I opened Luke’s presents last. He’d gotten me a gift card to Victoria’s Secret (who’s she kidding
anyway? She doesn’t have any secrets left…) which I figured was more of a gift for him; a beautiful
gold necklace with a diamond pendent; and in the last box was a card that said simply, ‘Go to the
laundry room.’

I looked at him quizzically, but he just smiled, giving nothing away. I got up and walked into the
laundry room, smiling at Brandon and Jackson who were still thanking me for their gifts. I’d gotten
Jackson a large framed black and white picture of the Los Angeles downtown skyline at night. I’d told
him it was for his new house, just in case he missed the big city now that he’d moved back. I’d also
given him a couple new button down work shirts.

I’d gotten Brandon a new bottle of his favorite cologne, because he’d mentioned that he was running

low in passing one day. I’d also gotten him a couple new long sleeved t-shirts with funny sayings on
them.

Luke was the hardest one to buy for and had taken me the longest to figure something out. I’d finally
bought him a couple new Henley’s, a pair of jeans, and four tickets for the Jeff Dunham show
tomorrow night in Dayton. Yes, four, because I couldn’t leave the other two out, especially because
they all sit around and watch the DVD’s of the guy all the time and laugh their asses off.

I walked into the laundry room as directed and found another small box. I opened it and found another
note. This one said, ‘I love you. You’ll find it with Hairy.’ I paused for a moment, completely
confused before it struck me that Hairy could be Doug. I headed back into the living room to find the
guys all sitting on the couch, Brandon and Jackson smirking and Luke looking like he was about to
puke. Weird.

I turned to find Doug sitting pretty-as-you-please in the oversized armchair, with a basket handle
clamped between his jaws. I quirked an eyebrow and walked over to him. I tried to take the basket
from him but he wouldn’t let it go, so I settled for opening it instead. When I folded back the lid, there
was a note taped to it that said, ‘Well?’ Even more confused, I reached into the basket and pulled out
a little white box. My heart started pounding as I opened it to find an absolutely breathtakingly
gorgeous princess cut diamond ring. It had to be at least a carat, and had probably another carat’s
worth of round diamonds framing the square of the center stone and extending down the sides of the
white gold band.

I took the ring out of the box with shaking fingers and looked up at Luke. I gasped as he stood up,
walked over to me, got down on one knee…and repeated the question written on the card that Doug
was holding on the basket.

“Well?”

“Seriously?” I asked. “That’s how you’re gonna do it?”

He nodded. “I’m not taking no for an answer, so you might as well put it on and just say yes…” he
drawled.

I made him wait for two hours. Okay, I lied. It was more like two minutes. But hey, he went to Jared,
and he got the Neil Lane collection, and, truth be told, my dad had actually kinda proposed to my mom
like that back in the day. So I said yes.

Chapter 21

After everyone cleaned up their presents and got ready, we all headed over to my mom and dad’s
house. Jackson had spoken to his mom on the way over, and she had expressed how sad she was that
he hadn’t come back to her house for Christmas, but she understood why he hadn’t. He’d been in
meetings almost nonstop with work and with the builders for his house, and if it wasn’t for the fact
that he was staying with us, we probably wouldn’t see him, either.

While he was talking to his mom, I had called Allie to tell her the news. I had to pull the phone away
from my ear because she shrieked so loudly, and we talked for a minute longer before I finally was
able to get off the phone, promising that she would get to see the ring A.S.A.P.

We pulled up and the kids came running out, still in their pajamas, which got them yelled at for being
out in the snow with no coat or clothes. I ushered them back in the house and the guys followed, all
carting the bags and bags of gifts that we had for everyone.

Once we’d all opened our gifts, cleaned up, and helped mom get Christmas dinner on the table, we all
sat down and ate. Calland for once was on his best behavior, with the exception of his outburst at the
table when he was the first to notice my ring. I’d begged the guys not to say anything and they’d
reluctantly agreed, figuring that I’d be shouting it to the rooftops, but I just wanted to see how long it
would take them to notice.

I had been reaching for more macaroni and cheese when Calland, with a mouthful of food, hollered,
“What the fuck is that?” before grabbing my hand, knocking macaroni all over the table. “Holy shit,
Emma, did you knock off a jewelry store? Are you-” he turned to Luke. “Did you propose to my
sister?”

Luke had nodded and my mom and sisters had squealed and surrounded me to see the ring. I can’t
believe no one had noticed it earlier because I kept staring at it, honestly just loving the way it
sparkled and shined on my finger.

I’d waited for my dad to say something, but the jig was up when he just sat there with a shit eating
grin on his face. The truth came out then. Luke had actually gone to my father to ask his permission to
marry me, and had even told him about the whole elaborate plan he’d thought up to propose. In return,
my dad had shared the story of how he’d proposed to my mom, which was hiding the ring in the
pocket of a bathrobe he’d gotten her for Christmas. When she’d opened it and tried it on at the urging
of dad and his parents (he’d done it at their house), she’d automatically stuck her hands in the pockets,
and found the ring. Apparently, when she pulled it out and looked at it in surprise, my dad had just
said, “Well?”

I guess Luke didn’t want to mess with a good thing since it turned out so well between my parents and
had scrapped his original plan, instead tweaking my dad’s proposal to my mom to fit us. Now that I
knew the reasoning behind it, it made Luke’s off-the-wall proposal that much sweeter.

We stayed until evening, playing games and just generally having a good time, before we headed
home and just hung out. All in all, it was the best Christmas ever.

The week between Christmas and New Year flew by and, for once, I was excited about New Year’s
Eve. Allie, Leah, Jenna, and I all had gotten together to go shopping for outfits to wear to the party

that was happening down at Griff’s. Jenna had arranged for a babysitter, and we’d all planned on
taking cabs in the event that everyone decided to drink.

New Year’s Eve came and all of us girls got together at Jenna’s house to get dolled up and then we
were going to meet up with the guys at the bar. After we all got done primping, we were standing
together in the mirror.

Allie, with raised eyebrows, breathed, “We’re fuckin’ HOT!”

Every one of us nodded, because we looked damn good. I couldn’t wait for the guys to see us…

Jenna was wearing a silver dress that was almost like a shirt; it bloused at the top, tightening and
draping into a mini skirt that hit mid-thigh. The sleeves were three-quarter length, but were split from
the shoulder to just below her elbow before coming to a stop in a black jeweled band on her forearm.
She’d paired it with a sexy pair of strappy black stilettos and had piled her hair on top of her head in
a messy but precise twist.

Leah was wearing a black mini skirt with a white and black corset type strapless top, with a killer
pair of black suede peep toe stiletto booties. She’d left her hair down, tumbling in waves over her
shoulders to the middle of her back.

Allie was wearing a silver sheath dress that fit her like a second skin. It had a black lace overlay and
a high neckline in the front, but when she turned, it basically had no back, coming to a stop
dangerously low over the beginning swell of her ass. She’d gone with a strappy, silver pair of
stilettos that made her legs look a million miles long, and her spiky hair (all black for once) was
liberally sprayed with silver glitter.

Since I didn’t do dresses very often, I’d gone with a long black form fitting top that left one whole
shoulder and arm bare, and clasped with a silver jewel over the other. On the side that clasped at my
shoulder, it had a small gather of material that fell on either side of my shoulder to drape loosely
down my side. It came to about mid-thigh, and I’d paired it with a really cute pair of silver skinny
jeans . I’d worn the kickass heels that Allie had gotten me for Christmas and Allie had loosely French
braided my hair at each side of my head before gathering it into a messy knot at the back of my head.

Satisfied that we were going to drive the guys wild, we all piled into Jenna’s car and headed out to
the bar. When we got there, things were just starting to heat up; people were dancing, drinks were
flowing, and it looked like everyone was having a blast. We walked to the table we had reserved (our
usual booth was too small for all of us) where the guys were all sitting, and all four of us gasped
when we caught sight of them. We thought we were hot? Shit…we didn’t have anything on them!

Noah was wearing a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up over dark grey jeans and
black leather boots.

Jackson was wearing a red button down shirt with a tribal skull on the pocket and the same design
emblazoned across the whole back of it. He’d also rolled up his sleeves and buttoned them up with
the tabs on the shirt sleeves. Even I had to say that his ass looked delicious in a tight pair of black
jeans, and he’d worn black boots with silver buckles.

Brandon wore a white and black striped short sleeve button down over a black thermal long sleeve,
pairing them with a well worn pair of faded jeans and black and white sneakers. He had a black ball

cap turned backwards on his head, and a pair of diamond studs flashed in both his ears.

And Luke…he looked extra yummy in a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up like
Jackson and Noah. His shirt had a sweet silver tribal looking cross on the back of it, almost like the
one he had worn for our date when we’d first gone out. He’d gone with his grey boot cut jeans that fit
him perfectly, and his black boots with silver buckles as well.

The guys turned and caught sight of us, their jaws all dropping, which made each of us grin as we
looked at each other knowingly. Leah waved at them and winked at us before she trotted off to the bar
in search of someone to nab as her date for the evening.

We danced and drank champagne and the evening flew by. We all gathered back at the table to grab
the noise makers that Griff had put on every table and headed outside with most of the patrons of the
bar. We all fanned out, Luke keeping me close by his side and waited for the countdown. All at once,
voices began counting down from ten and everyone joined in, shouting into the dark night. When the
town clock struck midnight and everyone yelled Happy New Year!, Luke pulled me into him and
kissed me deeply, stealing my breath and making me weak with want.

He pulled back and whispered, “Happy New Year, baby. I love you…” just as the fireworks started
exploding in the sky. I tipped my head back to watch and started laughing in amazement as soft white
snowflakes started drifting down over us. Luke pulled me back against him and kissed me while the
sky lit up with color bursts and the streets became dusted in white.

Luke and I trudged back inside, our cheeks reddened from the cold…and maybe a little flushed with
good old fashioned lust! We made sure everyone was covered to get home or where they needed to go
and made our excuses, both so eager to get out of there and get our hands on each other.

We pulled up to the house, both running for the door, collapsing against it as our lips met, kissing and
undressing each other as we fumbled to the couch, falling over onto the cushions. When our lips
parted for a second to catch our breath, Luke’s eyes lit up and he sat up, pulling me up with him. I
opened my mouth to ask him what he was doing, but didn’t say anything as he smiled and shook his
head, entreating me silently to trust him.

He led me, both of us naked, to the back door, grabbing a couple thick towels off the dryer in the
laundry room where I’d left them after pulling them out of the dryer earlier. I let out a gasp as he
pulled me out into the frigid night air, running quickly to the hot tub where he pulled back the cover
releasing the steam and heat rising from the top of the water. He turned on the jets and we got in,
sinking our bodies down in the hot water as snow continued to fall around us.

He pulled me onto his lap, our lips meeting in a slow and tangling kiss, our tongues sliding against
each other, teeth nipping at lips, breath mingling and steaming in the night air. Nothing was rushed;
Luke’s hands roamed my body slowly, taking the time to touch every inch of me, caressing and
stroking, stoking the flames of desire burning through me higher and higher. I pulled him even closer
to me, rocking my hips against him, loving the feel of his velvety hardness slicking through my tender
folds, but he pulled away from me when I tried to sink onto the tip of him.

Kissing me one more time before releasing my lips slowly, he lifted me out of the water, my skin
steaming in the coldness, so hot that the snow melted upon impact with my body. He pressed me back,
my hips on the edge of the tub, my back laying on the towels piled on the decking. I shivered, not

really cold because the heat had seeped into every inch of me, warming me from the outside as my
desire heated me from the inside.

I gasped, the sound turning into a long low moan as Luke moved between my thighs, his lips finding
my center unerringly, lightly kissing the hot, wet folds before gently parting them with the tip of his
tongue. His hands moved my legs apart, spreading them, and me, wide, his eyes locked on that secret
part of me his actions revealed. I heard his breath whisper out between his lips before his tongue
followed, tasting me softly again.

He slowly loved me with his mouth, touching and tasting every inch of my tender flesh, dipping inside
of me, swirling around the hardened nub that was standing at attention, begging for his touch. He
finally licked through my folds with the flat of his hot, wet tongue, pressing firmly against my clit then
closing his lips over it, sucking on it with gentle pulls. I brought my hands up and thrust them into his
hair, twisting my fingers into the thick, wet strands and holding him tightly against that aching part of
me.

I urged him to move faster, but he resisted, steadily dragging his tongue through my dripping heat, up
and down, again and again until the pressure built and built and built…with one final sweep of his
tongue he sent me falling over the edge in the hardest, softest, most intense, shattering, beautiful
orgasm I’d ever had in my life. Sounds contradictory, I know, because he made me come so hard, but
at the same time, he’d done it so softly and sweetly…it was like…I have no words.

Luke slid his hands beneath my shoulders and lifted my seemingly boneless body back into the
steaming hot water, cuddling me in his lap. I could feel his thick, hard length bobbing against my thigh
and I shifted so I was straddling his lap, facing the backyard. I reached between my wide spread
thighs and guided him into me, sinking down slowly over him, letting his hardness stretch and fill me
until he was buried balls deep in the tight fist of my body.

I sat still in his lap, letting my body acclimate to the invasion of his, our mouths mating slowly and
sensuously. I laved the hard silver ring threaded through his lip, the contrast of the cold metal against
the heat of my tongue sending shivers down my spine. When Luke’s hands came up to bracket my
waist, just above my hips, I leaned back, trusting him and the buoyancy of the water to hold me up. I
stretched out, laying back in the water, letting Luke set the pace of our lovemaking.

He used his hands on my hips to move me, pushing me toward the middle of the hot tub as he stood in
the middle and began thrusting into me. I put my arms down in the water, finding the edge of the hard
plastic seat and bracing myself against it as the waves lapped my body. He set a steady rhythm, not
too fast and not too slow, rolling his hips against mine so that every hardened inch of him stroked that
special place inside me, causing my breath to hitch and my arms and legs to tremble.

I cried out as he pulled out of me, reaching for him to guide him back inside, but he turned me away
from him, forcing me to kneel on the bench that I’d just been bracing my arms on. He pushed me
forward slightly as he took himself in hand and guided his length back into my depths, thrusting home
and making both of us groan in relief. I felt his hand come around the front of me, searching for
something before he shifted us both on the bench.

I came apart in his hands as he thrust into me, hard and fast, while the jet he had positioned me in
front of pounded against my clit, bringing me to the edge and pushing me over again and again until I

was screaming and sobbing into the cold night air, lost completely to the ecstasy thrumming through
me, begging him to come because it was too much. With one last heaving thrust, he slammed himself
into me and let go, yelling out his release and it echoed through the night with mine.

Luke and I collapsed into the water, our breath coming in gasps. After a minute or two, he pulled me
up and we stepped out onto the deck, grabbing our towels and wrapping them around us as we ran for
the door, leaving wet footprints in the snow on the deck.

We made love again in the shower before washing each other off and collapsing into the bed,
wrapped up in each other and thoroughly worn out. Just like Christmas, it had turned out to be the best
New Years Eve ever!

When I woke in the morning, my body felt deliciously sore as I stretched, grinning as I looked at Luke
sleeping beside me. I quietly and carefully slid out from underneath his arm and threw on some
clothes before padding barefoot downstairs to make my favorite guys a banging New Year’s
breakfast.

After I got done cooking, I went over to the couch where Jackson was sleeping and shook him awake
before going down the hall to get Brandon up. I was shocked when the door opened immediately and
he grinned at me, rubbing his belly like he’d known all along what I was doing. Then again, he has a
nose for food, so his eyes probably popped open as soon as the bacon hit the frying pan!

I headed upstairs to get Luke, but he met me on the stairs, leaning in for a very nice kiss before
following me back into the kitchen. We all ate every morsel I’d prepared and then they actually
cleaned everything up for me while Doug and I reclined on the couch. My mom called to see if we
were going to stop over and I told her we would probably be by after a bit.

Luke, Brandon, and Jackson all played Xbox for a bit while I read on my Kindle. We left the house
and headed to my parents’ house. Mom always makes a big pot of pork and sauerkraut, which I think
is disgusting. Every year she tries and tries to get me to take just one bite because she swears it will
bring me good luck for the year. I always refuse.

Until this year…Luke and my mom ganged up on me and I didn’t stand a chance. I could have held out
but Luke whispered in my ear that he wouldn’t touch me for a month if I didn’t take one bite. He
started out with a week, and I had whispered back that I could handle that. Then he upped it to two
weeks. I wavered a little at that, but then he said a month and refused to kiss me when I asked. So I
plugged my nose and took a small bite. Very small.

We didn’t stay long at my parents’ house, and headed home so I could do some laundry and get back
in the mindset to head back to work after the weekend.

Chapter 22

I went in to work on Monday morning to find that the furnace had quit. Floyd had called someone but
they wouldn’t be there for at least three to four hours from what he was told, so I was bundled up in
my sweater and my coat, with my gloves on . I got a few weird looks as clients came in the door for
their appointments, but that changed within a few minutes as they waited.

The phone was ringing off the hook and I hadn’t had a chance to even listen to the voice mail from the
week we were gone, yet. It was almost one before the furnace guy showed up and finally got the heat
working again. Hallelujah!

The phones slowed down a bit after he left and I started listening to the sixteen voice mails that
people had left. I was surprised, because usually after being gone for a week, we’d have a lot more
messages, but then again, I did change the voice mail message to indicate that we would be gone.
Maybe that’s why the phone had rang so much today!

My breath caught on the sixth message, when the raspy voice of Creepy came on the line.

“Hi, sweetheart. You know, I’m getting impatient because you haven’t been to work all week. And I
want to, no I NEED to see you, to hear your voice. I hope you had a good Christmas. I know you had a
good New Year because I saw you with your fucking lips attached to that mother fucker’s face! You
better have enjoyed it, because it will be the last time you embarrass me like that. Until next time,
sweet Emma.”

I hit the save button with a shaking hand and finished listening to the rest of the voice mails before I
caught Floyd as he was finishing up with another client and let him listen to it. He shook his head and
told me to call the police again. I called and made yet another report and then called Luke so I
wouldn’t get yelled at for keeping things from him again. I calmed him down enough to keep him from
rushing over to the office and sitting with me all day, because I knew that he had booked himself solid
with clients to make up for the holidays.

I hung up the phone with Luke and sat there staring at my hands. I felt sick to my stomach, and
wondered why this was happening and who the hell it could be. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I
thought about how picture perfect everything had been last week. Now I felt like there was a shadow
hanging over the memories, the sickening knowledge that someone had watched, intruded on a special
moment, tarnishing the glow of that memory.

I sat up in my chair and started replaying the phone conversations and messages that I had recorded
and saved, hoping that something would stand out to me, give me some kind of idea as to who this
psycho sicko was. I mean, was it just by chance that he was at the bar and saw me? Did he know
where I live? He knew what kind of car I drove, but the more questions swirled in my head and the
more I listened to his words, I realized that I was no closer to figuring anything out. It was making me
crazy and I was beginning to feel a little helpless at the fact that there was this unknown entity
watching me and there was nothing I could do about it.

I closed the office at five and walked out with Floyd. He usually is never in the office when I am
leaving for the day, but he stuck around to make sure I was okay. He’s such a softie.

Creepy was never far from my mind over the next couple of weeks. He hadn’t called since last week

and he didn’t talk long then. In fact, the only thing he’d really said was that it was time for me to come
home. I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant but I had called Leah and asked that she stay at mom and
dad’s for a bit, just in case.

Luke was beside himself with worry and I think if he could have gotten away with it, he would have
set up shop in the office beside me. He and Jackson and Brandon and even Calland, believe it or not,
had begun stopping by the office at random times just to check on me and ask if he’d made any kind of
contact. I think we were all a little relieved when day after day I’d been able to say no.

When a month went by without any calls from Creepy, we decided to celebrate a little and since he’d
been so sweet over the past few weeks, I’d invited my brother to come with. Of course Allie was
coming; she’d always been a permanent fixture in my life but she’d been around even more lately.
Her, Brandon, and Jackson had become like a trio of best friends who were inseparable, but there
was an air of tension around them. In my opinion (and I shared it often) it was all sexual and she
should just frickin’ give it up already. Together or separate, whichever, she just needed to fuck them
and then maybe they could all relax a little.

The doorbell rang and I answered the door to find Calland standing there, his left arm holding a
sleeping bag and pillow, his right thrown casually around the shoulders of a tiny brunette girl. She
was really cute in that aww-you’re-so-young-and-have-no-clue-about-real-life kinda way, but I didn’t
say anything, just raised my brow at him as I let them in.

We’d decided to have a slumber party, adult drunken style. And before you ask, no, I really have no
clue who came up with that idea, nor did I know just what it was supposed to entail, other than the
fact that no one was allowed to leave and we had about a million different drinking games written out
on index cards in a bowl on the table. What I did know for sure is that we’d gotten so much booze that
we could get a small third world country drunk on the fumes.

“Okay!” Allie shouted, standing up on a chair at the kitchen table. “Welcome to the first annual
Crimshaw Family and Whoever the Hell Else We Wanna Invite Drunken Fest Sleepover! I really
don’t know why I’m standing on a chair and shouting at you like I’m the fuckin’ emcee or something,
but it is what it is. So this here’s tha’ rules, yo! You drink? You sleep here. You breathe in the smell
of booze? You sleep here. Basically, you sleep here! Next rule. We play games. You don’t play?
You’re fired and must sit outside in the cold, naked, for an hour.”

We all laughed at that, especially because of the way Allie was acting. I mean, there was only me,
Luke, Brandon, Jackson, Calland, Allie, and Calland’s little woman, who’d quietly said her name
was Buffy (WTF?).

She continued, “Now, without further ado, I’m gonna stick my little hand here into this big ol’ bowl of
make ya puke games and pick one out. Then we’re gonna play! Oh! One more last rule and it’s a big
one. DO NOT GIVE DOUG ANY EGGS! No booze either, but PLEASE! NO EGGS!”

With that, she reached into the bowl and pulled out a card, squealing before she read out loud,
“Chooser’s choice! Make your own game! YES!”

I rolled my eyes and looked at Luke in mock horror, knowing that things were about to get really
weird and crazy. Allie thought for a bit and came up with a game that involved constantly changing
the rules, which meant that within twenty minutes, we were all on the way to being shit faced drunk.

I raised my hand, sure that that was what the new rule was before you could talk. “Umm, okay, so I
say its time for a new game. Who’s with me?”

“Uh-uh-uh,” Allie sing-songed. “Drink, bitch. You didn’t say drunk duck before you spoke. Raising
your hand was like three rules ago. So HA!”

I rolled my eyes again (for like the sixteen billionth time that night) and chugged my…to be honest, I’d
given up keeping track of what I was drinking about four cups ago. It was good, I knew that much.
Either that or my taste buds were burned off from the liquor…

Luke and Brandon both spoke up beside me and agreed that it was time for a new game. I stood up
and grabbed the bowl from the center of the table, passing it to…ugh…Buffy for her to choose the
new game. She held up the card before screaming (really, she whispered but it was louder than she
usually whispered so I guess it counted as a scream for her), “Quarters!”

We all took turns for about ten minutes trying to bounce a quarter into a glass before we got bored
again. Then Calland got the bright idea to forego the cards and play a drinking game he called, Watch
the Movie and Get One. It made sense when he explained it a little more. The premise of the game
was basically to watch the movie The Hangover and you had to drink any time one of the following
happened in the movie: Someone takes a drink, someone cusses, someone gets hurt, you see nudity of
any kind. We made him stop at four because we all knew that just those alone would have us shit
faced in the first half hour!

So we moved the bottles to the coffee table and all crowded on to the couches and chairs. Luke and I
curled up in the armchair, Calland and…don’t make me say it…sat together on the love seat, while
Allie sat between Brandon and Jackson on the couch. Luke grabbed the remote and hit play and true to
the name of the game, we were all going to have hellacious hangovers tomorrow.

By the end of the movie (I think it was the end…I only had one working eyeball left), my head was
swimming. I’d given up and yelled uncle not even twenty minutes into the movie because I didn’t
want to get to the puking drunk point. I hate puking and I avoid it at all costs, so no way in hell was I
doing anything that might bring me to that!

Luke was snoring beside me, his arms and legs sprawled out and his head lolled back so far it looked
like his neck was broken. If I weren’t so buzzed I think I might have been a little more concerned or
considerate and help him fix it, but…

I tried to focus on the room, seeing if I was the only one left awake. My eyes (eye?) blinked and tried
to focus when I saw Allie straddling Brandon as he kissed down her chest, and Jackson was pressed
to her back, her head turned toward him over her shoulder as their mouths ate at each other. I shook
my head (bad idea) and tried to find my brother and his whatever she was.

When I finally was able to see them, I couldn’t help but snort and maybe hiccup a little when I saw
Calland passed out face first in what’s-her-face’s lap while Doug was sitting on his back eating
pieces of popcorn he’d sniffed out in the girl’s hair.

I closed my eyes when I heard a low moan come from the vicinity of the couch. I held up my hand,
though I wasn’t quite sure why because they sure as hell weren’t paying attention to me, and cleared
my throat. “Umm…‘scuse me? Not passed out people in the room! If one of you would be so nice to

try and get me up in my room we’d be gratefully happy. Me and Mr. Snoozypants here…” I hiccupped
again and opened my eyes when I heard Allie laugh, but they fell closed again immediately.

When I opened my eyes again, I bolted up in bed as fear chased down my spine. A high-pitched
scream ripped through the house again and I threw myself out of bed and ran down the stairs to see
what the hell was happening. I didn’t even realize that Luke was behind me until I heard him snort in
disbelief as Allie, followed by Jackson and Brandon, all stumbled into the room.

I looked at the couch which is where I determined the screams had come from since they’d died down
to non-stop whimpers, and smacked my forehead with my hand. Oh, God.

Buffy…nope, still not any better in the light of day and sober…was lying paralyzed on the couch, her
eyes locked unblinkingly on the large yellow lab sitting smack dab in the middle of her chest looking
down into her face. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water and I leaned closer to hear
what she was saying.

“What…what does it want? Help me!” she whispered.

I stepped closer to the loveseat, tripping over my brother who was sprawled on the floor in front of
her, still sleeping like the dead. I caught myself and peered down over Doug’s head to see if I could
figure out what had him transfixed. I nodded my head and reached down into the brunette hair of the
poor girl. I pulled my hand back again and tossed Doug the piece of popcorn I’d dug out of her hair
and he jumped down off of her as soon as he swallowed it.

“See? All better,” I said.

“He seriously was that intense about a piece of popcorn? I thought he was attacking me!” she
shrieked. She leaned down and smacked my brother, yelling at him to get up and take her home, away
from crazy dogs and freaky people.

When Calland finally got up and, grumbling, headed out to take…her…home, I turned to Allie who
was trying to shuffle nonchalantly back into Brandon’s bedroom. I raised my eyebrow at her and she
turned her head every which way but backwards trying to avoid my gaze, before I shrugged and let
her escape. I would definitely find out the details of whatever happened later.

Luke came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my neck and asking me to
come back to bed with him. So I did. Boy was I glad I did!

Chapter 23

Six o’clock and it was finally time for me to go home! I’d had a client call and ask if they could come
in late to sign some papers that we’d drawn up and he’d not made it in until quarter ‘til six. I’d driven
to work today because I knew I’d be a little late, so I headed out to my car, pulling my cell phone out
and calling Luke to let him know I’d be there shortly.

It was almost April and the weather had actually warmed up just a bit like spring, but had turned
dreary and drastically cold again today. Typical Ohio weather. I pulled my sweater close to me as I
walked toward my car, the wind cutting through my thin slacks.

Luke and I had settled into a routine over the last couple months, and it honestly was the best feeling
in the world. I was in love with a wonderful man who treated me like a freakin’ queen, made love to
me whenever and wherever he could, and we’d started planning our wedding.

Jackson’s plans for his house were almost finished and they would begin breaking ground in two
weeks, as long as the weather held. He and Brandon were walking around like they’d lost their best
friend because, well…they kinda had. After the drunken fest back in January things had been different
with them. Allie was pushing them away but they didn’t want to be pushed and I couldn’t get her to
tell me what the hell was wrong with her. She had finally given me details about what happened that
night since I’d seen her making out with both of them, but she still swore that nothing else really
happened. She said that they just all made out, a lot of kissing, heavy petting, and then sleeping. I
didn’t know if I believed her completely or not, but I figured she probably was telling the truth
because Brandon’s big mouth hadn’t shouted otherwise.

Calland had dropped that girl off and never saw her again. I think he realized she was in over her
head with him and he’s gone through probably twenty more girls since then. I keep telling him to grow
up and not be such a whore, but he doesn’t listen. Doesn’t even listen when I tell him his dick is
gonna shrivel up and fall off if he isn’t careful.

I reached my car and hit the unlock button on my key fob to get in. Before I could get the door open, I
felt a hand tap my shoulder. When I turned my head to see who it was, I cried out at the sharp pain that
burst through my head and my world went black.

The drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet woke me up and I groggily reached out to shake Luke awake and
make him go fix it. My hand kept going, encountering nothing but empty space and I froze, fuzzy
memories slamming back into place. I brought my hand up to touch the side of my head, near my
temple, wincing when with pain when I touched it, my hand coming away wet. Panting in fear, I
scrambled up and opened my eyes, my back against a cold, hard concrete wall. I couldn’t see anything
because the room I was in was pitch black.

I opened my mouth to scream and realized that my lips wouldn’t open. My hand flew up to my face,
feeling the slick stickiness of some kind of tape across my mouth. I fumbled around, trying to find the
edge of the tape with my fingertips so I could pull it off. I could hear the muffled sound of whimpering
and I looked around in panic before I realized that it was me. I finally located the edge of the tape and
lightly scraped with my fingernails to raise it in order to peel it off, but in my panicked haste, I
scraped too deeply, wincing when my nails jabbed into my own cheek.

I was picking at the edge to loosen it some more when I heard the scrape of footsteps somewhere

above me. I froze, crouching down against the wall at my back and staring hard into the darkness,
trying to discern where I was, or to see if there was anything around me that I could use as a weapon.
When I heard the footsteps stop and a door open, I quickly laid back down, frantically trying to calm
my breathing and remember how I was laying when I woke up.

My mind was racing, trying to formulate some kind of plan but all I could come up with was to
pretend I was asleep until I could figure something out. I heard heavy stomps coming down what
sounded like wooden stairs so I was presuming I was in a basement of some type.

I closed my eyes and laid still, trying to regulate my breathing, but I was breathing so hard I had little
hope of it working. I flinched without meaning to when a bright light streamed out of the darkness
against my eyelids and the footsteps moved toward me.

“I know you’re awake, sweetheart.”

His raspy voice sent shivers through me and I knew for certain that Creepy had taken his game to a
whole new level. I could feel myself tensing, my anger rising. I was pissed off at myself for letting my
guard down, for feeling safe again when I should have known better. And I was pissed to the fucking
tits that this crazy asshole had gotten his hands on me.

My skin crawled as thoughts bombarded me from every direction, my stomach turned queasy. I hadn’t
thought to check the state of my clothes. I knew I had them on, but were they torn? Opened? Was I
missing anything? Did he touch me? Oh, God, had he gone further than that?

I gave up the pretense of sleeping, both of us knowing full and well that I was awake. I opened my
eyes, squinting and blinking in the brightness of the flashlight aimed directly in my face. I tried to see
beyond the beam of light, but he was just a shadow in the darkness behind it. I sat up and scooted
back against the wall again, pressing my back to it and bringing my knees up protectively in front of
me.

“I cant believe I finally have you here. Jesus, do you know how long I’ve waited for this?” He
chuckled, the sound sending chills down my spine. “And here you are, so beautiful, so silent.” He
stepped closer to me and I tensed before he continued speaking. “What did you do to yourself there,
sweetheart? Trying to take the tape off? I’ll help you with that but you have to close your eyes.”

I shook my head slightly, cringing when it made me dizzy.

The man’s voice hardened. “Yes, you will close your eyes or I’ll fuckin’ knock you out again, Emma.
Do it. NOW.”

Not seeing any other choice, I squeezed my eyes shut, whimpering when his rough fingers touched my
face, gripping the edge of the tape and ripping it viciously off of my mouth. I screamed at the instant
intense pain that seared across my face, bringing my hands up to cover my burning lips. I felt wetness
there, and opened my eyes, only to shut them tightly again as he backhanded me across the face.

Holding my face gingerly between my palms, I stammered, “What..what do you want wi-with me?”

“You’ll find out. Keep your fucking eyes closed,” he bit out.

I cried out again as he thrust some kind of material against my face, pushing it so hard against my face
that my head jerked back and cracked against the concrete of the wall behind me. Without caring, he

tied the fabric tightly over my eyes, my hair tangled up in the knot and making my eyes water even
more than they already had been from earlier.

After he blindfolded me he jerked me to my feet. I stumbled and he caught me, his hands roughly
grabbing at my shoulders, so hard I knew that I would be bruised. Inside my head I laughed at myself,
knowing that bruised shoulders were the least of my worries right now.

He shoved me back against the wall, his hand sliding to encircle my throat, pressing up and squeezing
until I was gasping for air. I felt him slide his other hand down my shoulder onto my breast, pinching
the tender globe so fiercely that I screamed.

His breath bathed hotly over my ear, the fetid stench of it curling into my nose and making me gag as
he whispered, “See what happens to bad little girls who fuck around with trash? You’re mine, Emma.
I told you that and you chose to keep flaunting your indiscretions in my face. Did you think I’d just go
away? Leave you alone?” He squeezed my throat even tighter, and I gasped as everything went grey
and fuzzy as I started to slip under.

Apparently sensing that I was to the point of passing out, he released me and I slid down the wall,
gulping air in between dry heaves. My stomach was rebelling but nothing was coming up, and I
almost counted it as a blessing.

“Please…” I gasped. “Let me go. I don’t even know who you are and I wont say anything. I promise,
just let me go!”

“You know, you sure beg pretty. What are you gonna do for me, sweetheart, to make me want to do
that? Any suggestions?”

I knew what he was hinting at and there was no way in hell I was going there, but then it hit me. If I
could get him close enough I could possibly take him by surprise. He’d left my hands untied, and my
feet weren’t bound either.

Taking a deep breath, I whispered, “Whatever you want.”

I heard his breath quicken, could imagine the thoughts rolling through his nasty mind, and swallowed
back the bile that started to rise in my throat.

“For starters, I think that I’ll fuck that traitorous little mouth of yours. How about that, little one?” He
stepped toward me again, the scrape of his boots giving him away, allowing me to brace myself. I
heard the rasp of a zipper being released and a small whimper escaped through my lips. “Now, I gotta
tell you, sweetheart, you try anything funny and you’ll regret it. I’ve got a knife with your name on it
right here, and while I’d hate to mark up that gorgeous face of yours, I won’t hesitate to do it. Bring
your hand up here and hold my dick, bitch.” He laughed as he reached for my arm, jerking it up until
my fingers brushed hot, turgid skin.

Fighting against the nausea, I allowed him to wrap my fingers around that insignificant part of him,
holding my fingers tightly in his grasp as he thrust himself against my hand. He finally dropped his
hand after a minute, his hips moving in a stuttering see-saw motion. As soon as he dropped his hand, I
closed my fingers around him in a punishing grip, digging my nails into his most tender flesh and
bringing my other hand up to grab, twist, and yank down violently on his balls.

I heard an inhuman scream and my ears rang as his hands flailed wildly, landing a solid hit against the
side of my head, thankfully on the opposite side from where he’d hit me earlier. I jumped to my feet,
shoving against him with all my might and trying to do as much damage as possible before he fell
backwards, and I let go, turning to run as I ripped the blindfold off.

He’d dropped the flashlight when he’d caught me and I’d ended up kicking it when I jumped up, so
now it was spinning wildly on the floor and I tried desperately to catch a glimpse of the stairs in the
rotating flashes of light. Knowing I had only seconds, I took off across the room, hoping that I could
find the stairs and make it up them before he got up again.

By some miracle I found them and pounded up them at breakneck speed, throwing myself through the
door at the top. I lost my balance and fell, scrambling to my feet as I heard him bellow down below,
his heavy footsteps sounding like thunderclaps as he hit the bottom of the stairs. Whirling, I took off
again and found myself in a kitchen, but I couldn’t see a way out. My heart was pounding and I was
gasping for air, but I tamped down the panic threatening to overtake me and reached for the butcher
block of knives sitting in plain view on the counter.

As soon as the blade I chose cleared the wooden block it was sitting in, I heard him step into the
room. He stopped in the doorway, his face a mask of fury. He’d neglected to shove himself back into
his pants…either that or he was in too much pain to do it…and I could see with sickening clarity the
damage I’d wrought. It hung there, already bruising, a bloody and limp mess.

I raised the knife, holding it tightly in my hand. “You. Little. Bitch,” he growled at me. “You will pay
for that. And oh, oopsie! You’ve seen my face now, so do you think you’re getting away from me
now? Uh-uh…I don’t think so, sweetheart. Drop the knife and get over here.”

I stayed where I was, the knife wavering slightly in my trembling hand. I forced myself to study his
face, memorizing every inch of it, forcing myself to think…where had I seen him before?

I straightened a bit as it hit me, my hand steadying as I still held the knife up. “John Frank.”

“Oh, ho ho! Look who finally figured it out! What do we have for her, Johnny?” John yelled.

“Why, John? You were a client of Floyd’s, he helped you out! I helped you!” My voice rose with
every word and I fought to calm myself, not wanting to set him off. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a
cell phone lying on the microwave stand not five feet from me. God, if only I could get to it…

“You were so nice to me, Emma. You know, I’d just lost my mom and my brother to that fucking car
accident. I didn’t know what to do. I called every attorney in the book almost, trying to find someone
who would give me the time of day to help me out. Everyone…all them bitches…just pushed me to
the side, take a message, take a message, blah blah blah…but you were nice. You explained things to
me.”

I nodded, saying, “Well, that’s what I’m there for, John. You came in and we started the process,
didn’t we? Getting everything probated and working on the personal injury side of things from the
accident? You remember, right?” I tried to keep my voice steady and my breath caught as he closed
his eyes for a second.

I took that time to silently step to the side, closer to the microwave stand where the cell phone was. I
stopped again as his eyes opened.

“You did. You helped me, you made me feel special.” His eyes flashed and his face hardened again.
“But I was just another fucking job to you. I asked you out after everything and you laughed at me.
LAUGHED!”

I winced and tried to calm him down again. “No, John, I didn’t laugh at you. I smiled at you.
Smiled…remember?”

He shook his head but I could see that he was confused. “No, you laughed. You told me that you
wouldn’t go out with me and I wanted you. No, I fuckin’ needed you! I didn’t have anyone else and
once you were done and everything was settled, you chalked me up and moved on to the next. We had
something special, you dirty, fucking bitch!” He was screaming now, bouncing on the balls of his feet,
and I could read the intent in his eyes just as he lunged toward me.

I moved quickly, jumping to the side and swiping the cell phone from the stand with one hand as I
blindly struck out with the knife in the other. I screamed as my arm was caught in a vice grip, fingers
digging painfully into the pressure points in my wrist until my fingers went lax, releasing the knife to
clatter to the floor. I don’t know how but I managed to hold on to the phone and keep it tucked out of
view as he backhanded me across the face again. I felt my skin split on my cheekbone, and then my
mouth filled with blood as he hit me again, my teeth tearing into the tender inside of my cheek and
lips.

The second blow spun me around and knocked me down to the floor. I saw him bend down to grab me
again and kicked out with my foot, grinning maniacally as my heel connected with his nose, a spray of
hot blood splattering my face. While he was dazed, I shoved my hand under the microwave stand with
the cell phone in it, thanking God that it was an old flip phone with actual buttons to push. I started
yelling, trying to cover up any sounds the phone might make while I blindly felt for the correct buttons
to push, praying that my fingers found 911.

I felt John’s hand slam down on my thigh, tightening as he tried to pull me to him as he knelt on the
floor where he’d dropped. I rolled, scrambling for purchase on the tile floor and finding none, but I
managed to get my face close enough to see under the stand where the phone screen was lit up with
911. I hit send and let the phone go, leaving it hidden beneath.

I felt strangely disconnected from myself during the rest of the ordeal. Like I was watching myself, not
in my body; I’d retreated to a safe place inside myself where I couldn’t feel the blows raining down
on me.

I watched, dazed, as my mouth opened and I screamed the monster’s name over and over and over
again, screaming and sobbing and begging all the while, but I was doing it in a calculative way. I
knew that the dispatcher would be listening. I knew she’d begin tracing the number, looking up the
name that I was sobbing and screaming.

Just as I knew that she would run to the bathroom and puke her guts up, crying into the toilet at the
horrendous things she had heard afterward.

Facts of life. You know, like one and one is two. The sky is blue. A can of camouflage spray paint has
only one color in it, so its not really camouflage. The camouflage only comes together when you have
one can of each color of camouflage paint. Dogs have fur. The dispatcher puking and crying was one,
too. That’s how I knew she would.

What I didn’t know, though, was how I was going to survive what was happening to my body so far
below me. The monster was on top of me, beating me with his fists and ripping my clothes away. He
wanted to rape me, but I’d effectively made sure that wouldn’t happen when I maimed him in the
basement. His fury exploded and I watched in horrified numbness as he grabbed the knife I’d dropped
on the floor and impaled my side, the blade sliding through my flesh and lodging in the floor beneath
me, while his other hand circled my throat and pressed down.

I watched as my blood pooled beneath me and began to spread, making macabre designs on the tile. I
watched as I floated…away…and the darkness swallowed me down.

Chapter 24

A steady beeping was the first thing to break into my consciousness. I heard it faintly, a constant
sound in my ear before the darkness claimed me again. Then, low voices…voices that sounded
vaguely familiar…pulled me up from the depths, and I struggled to get to the surface, to see who they
were, but pain washed over me and I let the darkness pull me back down. It was safe there. Nothing
hurt there.

“Emma? Sugar, its time to get up. You’ve been out long enough. Come back to me now. Emma!”

The voice was deep, rich…sensual. And so damn familiar it made my heart ache. I forced myself
through the fuzziness, blinking my eyes slowly. The room was mostly dark, a dim light casting a glow
across the face of the man sitting beside my bed, his head resting on the mattress beside me. God, he
was so beautiful, even looking like he hadn’t shaved for a month, let alone slept.

I tried to speak, but couldn’t force any words past my lips. A small gasp did come out and that was
enough. Luke’s head jerked up, his eyes going wide.

“Oh, God…you’re awake! Emma! Baby, I love you, hang on…I gotta get someone-” he jumped up
and ran for the door, throwing it open and yelling, “She’s awake!” before running back to me,
kneeling at the side of my bed.

I looked around for a minute, taking in the hospital room around me. I was hooked up to all kinds of
monitors and foreign looking machines. An IV was slowly dripping fluid into my arm, and I figured
that was the only reason I wasn’t screaming in pain. Luke shifted, bringing my gaze back to him.

He was watching my face, his eyes shining with so much love and excitement and…pain. He sat back
as a nurse dressed in cheery looking scrubs bustled in, a woman in a white lab coat hot on her heels.
They stopped on either side of my bed, checking machines, smiling, and talking a mile a minute.

“Emma? I’m Dr. Hart and this is your nurse, Sarah. You’ve been in a coma for two weeks and we’ve
been trying to get you back. Don’t try to talk, because you’re throat has had some trauma and is still
pretty bruised. Are you in any pain?”

I shook my head slightly, wincing at the pinch of pain I felt in my neck. I opened my mouth, intending
to ask exactly what injuries that psycho monster had inflicted, but sighed in frustration when the
doctor shook her head at me.

“Okay, I’m sure you have some questions, and then we’ll leave you to your reunion with lover boy
over here. He’s not left your side the entire time, and the waiting room is full of people who’ve been
camped out for days waiting on you to wake up. Since I don’t want you talking just yet, I’ll ask the
questions, and you can blink once for no and twice for yes. Got it?”

I blinked twice. The nurse moved away from the bed to check on something and Luke slid his chair
back to my side again, gingerly taking my hand in his.

“Do you remember what happened, Emma?” Dr. Hart asked.

I blinked twice, and then once. I knew what happened, but there was some parts that was fuzzy. Like,
what happened when everything went black? I assume the cops came because I woke up in the
hospital, very thankful to be alive, now that I think about it. But when did they get there? Had he…had

he done anything…? I shut my eyes tight against the thought.

Dr. Hart cleared her throat and I opened my eyes to look at her again. “Do you remember how you
were taken?” Two blinks.

“How about how you got to the kitchen where they found you, remember that?” Two blinks again.

“Emma, do you remember him stabbing you?” Two blinks.

“How about calling 911?” Two blinks again.

I really wished she’d get to the parts that I didn’t remember. I hated not knowing what had happened,
but at the same time, I was relieved…and almost wished I didn’t remember the whole ordeal.

“Emma…do you remember him choking you?” Two blinks.

“What about after that? Did he do anything that you remember after that?” One blink.

“Okay. It might be hard to hear, but do you want me to tell you what happened?”

I hesitated for a second, and then blinked twice. Luke’s chair scraped the floor as he stood quickly,
shoving the chair back from his legs. He leaned down and lightly touched his lips to my forehead,
murmuring that he’d be back in a minute. A frown furrowed my brows, but I nodded slightly and he
strode out into the hall.

Dr. Hart perched on the edge of the chair that Luke had just vacated and took a deep breath. She
flipped open my chart and proceeded to tell me what had happened after I blacked out.

From what they could tell, I had passed out from oxygen deprivation and loss of blood. Once my 911
call had come through to dispatch, they had traced the number to the address and the police, fire, and
squad were sent out. Apparently the dispatcher was able to hear everything that was going on because
Creepy was very talkative, even when I was out. She was able to radio the first officers on scene and
tell them everything that was happening.

Shockingly, the front door of the house was unlocked so they were able to sneak into the house and
arrest John Frank as he sat astride my unconscious, bloody, and badly beaten body. The doctor had
swallowed thickly before telling me that he’d been punching my breasts and pinching them violently
as he ranted that I’d emasculated him. After she told me this and then clarified that there had been no
sexual assault whatsoever other than to my breasts, I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he hadn’t
been able to do more to me, and then smiled with deep satisfaction over the injuries I had caused him.

Dr. Hart said he’d had to be treated before incarcerated, because I’d ruptured one of his testicles, and
his penis had been lacerated from my nails. He was now in jail awaiting trial, and the judge had
ordered that bond be set at $200,000.00 because he was considered a flight risk, not to mention the
severity of the crime.

The doctor had then inventoried my injuries for me. I had a gash on the side of my head that required
eight stitches from when he initially hit me and put me in his car. I had severe bruising on my throat,
shoulders, arms, legs, breasts, and face, including two black eyes. I had a split lip, lacerations on the
inside of my mouth, a broken nose, two cracked ribs, and a knot on the back of my head where it’d hit
the concrete wall, which caused a concussion. Thankfully, though, when he’d stabbed me, he’d

missed all my vital organs; the blade had slid in, almost nicking my ribs, but had passed through only
my flesh before piercing through the other side. I had twenty-five stitches on the front of my side, and
thirteen on the back. Because of all the injuries and blood I’d lost, they’d kept me in an induced coma
but tried to bring me out of it after a week. Apparently I hadn’t wanted to.

When Dr. Hart got done telling me everything, she checked the dressings on my head and side, as well
as my vitals and everything. She finished and she and the nurse both patted my hand and left the room.
I closed my eyes for a second, feeling them well with tears. I blinked them back when Luke came
back in the room, my mom and dad right behind him.

I smiled tremulously at them, the tears that threatened spilling over and running down my cheeks
unchecked. They approached the bed, my dad leaning in to kiss my forehead gently, my mom sitting
carefully on the bed beside me, laying her cheek lightly against mine. We all sat there in silence for a
moment, before they pulled back and asked how I was feeling. We visited for a bit, mom filling me in
on everything that’s happened since, dad sitting quietly by my side, until I looked around, realizing
that Luke wasn’t in the room. I raised my eyebrows in question, gesturing with my hand for someone
to tell me where he went.

My mom smiled at me. “He’s a good boy, Emma. Stayed by your side this whole time. I think he even
tore the town apart looking for you. I’m glad you found him.”

I smiled, and it turned into a grin when my dad grunted his agreement. My grin didn’t last long
because of the pain, but I managed to whisper, “Thanks, Mom.”

My parents only stayed a few minutes more before they took their leave, kissing me on my forehead
and promising to send Luke in. He was by my side in an instant, holding my hand as I drifted off into
an exhausted, but healing, sleep.

They kept me in the hospital for observation for another week. By the time they let me go, my room
was stuffed to the gills with cards, flowers, balloons, and other gifts from all my visitors. Allie,
Brandon, Jackson, and all my family visited every day. Hayden and Jarrod had both cried the first
time they saw me and Luke had helped them sit carefully on the bed beside me so I could hold them.
Allie would come sit with me every evening and we’d play cards or talk, or even just sit in silence,
enjoying each other’s company. Luke never left my side unless someone else was in the room with
me. I don’t think he actually wanted to leave me even then, but I made him go home and take a shower
and get some sleep.

Calland smuggled in chicken fettucini alfredo and black tie mousse cake from Manny’s for me but got
caught by my nurse coming in the door. He begged and pleaded (which surprised me) for her to let
him give it to me and she “gave in“ to him. Neither my nurse nor I had the heart to tell him that I was
allowed to eat whatever I wanted now. Hey, I was just impressed that he actually remembered my
favorite meal from my favorite restaurant, and he sprung for dessert!

I breathed a sigh of relief as Luke pulled up at the house and came around to help me in. They’d taken
all the stitches out and my bruises were all fading. My ribs, my nose, my head, and my side were the
things that still hurt the most, but it was manageable if I took my time with everything.

I grinned as the front door opened before I could turn the knob and tears filled my eyes as I looked at
my whole family, all my friends, and even my boss filling the living room, yelling welcome home and

holding signs with different messages for me.

Chapter 25

My welcome home party was great, but exhausting. Everyone stayed for a while eating, drinking, and
generally just hanging out while taking turns talking to me and hugging me constantly. I don’t think I’d
ever felt so loved in my life!

When everyone had cleared out except for Allie and the guys, Allie came and sat next to me on the
couch while the guys cleaned everything up.

“Emma…” Allie began, haltingly. Her eyes began to swim with tears and I shook my head at her,
silently pleading for no more crying. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep them from falling.

I wasn’t being heartless; I just knew that if she started crying I would, too. But I didn’t know if I’d
stop.

Allie cleared her throat and began again. “When Luke called me, asking if you’d called me, I just got
this overwhelming feeling that something wasn’t right. It really…I just…God, Em, I didn’t know what
to think. And then Brandon called and said that Luke was going apeshit nuts because he’d gone down
to the office and found your car still sitting there with the doors unlocked and the keys kicked under
it…I couldn’t even hardly understand him.”

I closed my eyes for a second. It was hard to hear, hard to think about, but at the same time, I wanted
to know what had happened while I was gone.

“I flew over here. Your parents and sisters and Calland were here, and Noah, of course, and your
poor mom was trying to calm Luke down. Even Jackson was going crazy! I think what had gotten Luke
the most was the fact that they found blood splattered on the car and on the ground. I guess it was from
when he hit you?” She blinked quickly again, but it didn’t help. The tears were flowing down her
cheeks and my eyes were starting to water, too.

“I guess…I just…I wanted you to know that he didn’t give up on you. WE didn’t give up on you. But
most especially, the fact that if you didn’t know it already, Luke is head over heels in love with you
and he wasn’t letting you go without a fight.”

I smiled a watery smile at her while she reached out and grabbed my hand, holding it tightly. “He
almost got arrested…did you know that?”

My eyes widened and I gaped at her in shock. “What? No! I didn’t know that…what happened?”

Allie grinned, wiping her eyes with her fingertips. “He was going crazy trying to get to you while they
were unloading you from the ambulance and getting you in a treatment room. He was yelling your
name like mad, yelling at them to let him go with you, jumping up and over people…it was insane.
They called security on him and the only thing that saved him was Noah jumping in and flashing his
badge, promising that he would get him under control. He did…barely…but he finally calmed down
when they let him sit beside you. He didn’t ever leave your side. Brandon and Jackson came in to see
you whenever the nurses would allow, and then camped out in the waiting room along with all of us.
It was a loooong two weeks!”

I shook my head in fond disbelief, glancing over my shoulder to where Luke was putting food away in
the kitchen. He looked up and caught my eye, winking and grinning back at me.

Allie finally left around midnight, saying she needed to get a couple things done at home before work
in the morning. I shrieked as Luke lifted me off the couch into his arms and carried me upstairs to bed.
Doug followed but was sorely disappointed when Luke told him he wasn’t allowed in tonight. Poor
thing hadn’t left my side since I came back home. He huffed out a big doggy sigh and padded back
downstairs, more than likely to crawl into bed with Brandon or to sit on Jackson on the couch.

I crawled into bed after stripping my clothes off, not bothering to put any pajamas on. Luke made
quick work of his own clothes and slid into bed beside me, gathering me into his arms gently. We
hadn’t been alone, really alone, in three weeks. Honestly, I just wanted to wrap myself up in him and
let him help me forget.

I tilted my head up, my lips finding his in the darkness. He kissed me softly, sweetly, his lips brushing
back and forth across mine. I tried to deepen the kiss but he wouldn’t let me. I pressed myself against
his warmth, loving the feel of his hardness against my softness. He let the kiss deepen a little at a
time, holding back for my sake, not wanting to spook me.

I finally had enough of his gentleness; I wanted him to make me feel alive and loved! I wanted it all,
just like it was before. I pushed against his chest and pressed him back to the bed, rising up over him
and straddling his hips with my thighs. I slowly slid my slickness against the hard heat of him, smiling
in the darkness at his primal groan that rolled through the room.

He brought his hands up to grip my hips, his fingers tightening before releasing almost immediately. I
growled in my throat and grabbed his hands, pulling them back to my hips and pressing his fingers
into my flesh. He made a sound of protest and tried to pull away.

“Luke!” I half-yelled. “Stop treating me like I’m going to break! I’m sore but I need this…I need
YOU! Goddamn, it! Fuck me already!”

I heard his breath release on a gasp. “Emma…I don’t want to hurt you, baby. Your side…you just had
the stitches out and you still have the cracked ribs. We can be gentle tonight, sugar…don’t rush it.” He
was murmuring softly to me, trying to placate me.

“Luke, that’s not what I want. I told you what I want.” My tone brooked no argument, but I could still
tell that he wanted to argue. So I did what I had to. I positioned myself, wincing a little when my ribs
twinged, and even as Luke started to protest, I slid down onto him, seating myself fully over his
hardness. I started to move, slamming myself down on him, trying to adjust to a rhythm that would
allow me to move without hurting.

Luke, sensing that I was hurting a bit, began thrusting up into me, holding me still with his hands on
my hips. I allowed him to set the pace, content to feel his strong thrusts between my thighs until they
were trembling and I was hanging on the edge, ready to explode. My head thrown back, I went over,
cresting and riding the waves as my body clenched rhythmically around his hot, thrusting length,
bringing him over the edge with me, coming hard and slamming himself home one last time as he
filled me.

As soon as he quit shuddering beneath me, he sat up, gently taking me in his arms and laying me
beside him. I heard him swear softly before leaning up over me.

“Emma…you were hurting and I didn’t want that to happen!”

“Luke, its fine. I just…I wanted it normal. Okay?” I closed my eyes against the tears that were
welling.

Leaning down and resting his forehead against mine, Luke whispered, “I’m so sorry, baby. I love you
so much…I…God, I’m so glad you’re home.”

I just wrapped my arms around him, holding tight as we drifted off to sleep.

I spent the next couple of weeks lounging around the house and around Skin Deep as much as Luke
would allow. I wasn’t allowed to go back to work yet, and as sad as that made me, I didn’t think I
was ready to go back just yet. Floyd had called in a “Floater” which is basically a temporary
secretary, someone who fills in whenever and wherever needed, either in attorneys offices or in the
court offices. She’d called me a couple times to get clarification on a couple things, and sure, she was
nice enough, but was lacking that people person vibe.

Allie finally came to my rescue on the third week that I’d been home with nothing to do. It was Friday
night and Luke had a late appointment planned. Brandon had a couple piercings that he was going to
do and was going to stick around to ride home with Luke. Jackson had had to go back to L.A. for a
couple meetings and wouldn’t be back until late Sunday night. I was almost pulling my hair out with
boredom, and even poor Doug had taken to hiding from me because I wouldn’t leave him alone.
Maybe I went too far playing dress up with him but, geez! There’s only so much cleaning you can do
around a house, only so much thumb twiddling, only so many baths…

So yeah, Allie saved me. I didn’t even care that she was dragging me to a Down & Dirty party to be
her assistant, which is something I usually tried to get out of. We pulled up to the house where the
party was to be held and I recognized the neighborhood as my sister’s. Speaking of, Jenna walked
down the sidewalk, grinning and holding her arms out to hug me as I got out of the car.

“Hey!” I exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, Em, hey, Allie! My neighbor decided to have a fun party and invited me. I wasn’t going to
come but then I found out that Allie was going to be the party rep so I couldn’t turn it down. I called
Allie last week to make sure she would be the one showing up and she told me she was going to try to
get you here, too. I’m glad she did!”

“Me, too. I think I was going crazy. Did you know that Luke and Brandon have exactly 242 DVD’s? I
didn’t either. Until I alphabetized them.”

That made them look at me weird for a minute, but it was quickly forgotten as we headed inside and
lost ourselves for a couple hours in the land of Nipple Dip, Slick Dick, Jack Rabbits and Turtle
Tools.

On Monday, since I wasn’t allowed to go back to work until after my doctor’s appointment the next
day, I headed into Skin Deep with Luke and Brandon. The lobby started to fill up with their clients
and even a couple walk-ins, so I stationed myself behind the counter and answered the phone,
scheduled some appointments, and generally got people where they needed to be, when they needed
to be there.

That night while we were lying in bed, Luke turned to me with an earnest look in his eyes.

“Ummm…that look kinda scares me. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I was just kinda thinking…it actually helped having you there at the shop today. So, would
you maybe think about not going back to work for Floyd and just working at the shop with me? I mean,
I’ll pay you, but you really don’t even have to work if you don’t want to…” He trailed off, looking
really uncertain.

It surprised me that he brought it up, especially because I had been toying with the idea of asking him
if I could help out at the shop. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to work for Floyd anymore; he was a great
boss and I really would miss that job. Honestly, it was more just the fact that I liked being there with
Luke and Brandon, helping out my boys. And I guess if I was being completely honest, I just couldn’t
bring myself to face the parking lot where I was taken yet.

I made a noncommittal sound and turned over, pretending to fall asleep. I had to hold my breath to
keep from laughing when Luke let out a loud sigh, muttering to himself about ungrateful women. I fell
asleep with a smile on my face, thinking that I’d let him stew for a bit before I accepted his offer.

Chapter 26

“NO!” I screamed. “For the last fucking time, I am NOT, I REPEAT- NOT going to get a tattoo of
Luke’s penis on my ass! So QUIT suggesting it, Brandon!”

I glared at Brandon as he leaned against the wall behind the counter, laughing so hard his face was
turning red. Luke had been coming up with ideas for my tattoo like I had asked him to back around
Christmas, and Brandon had decided to start chiming in with ideas and, let me tell ya, none of them
were usable.

It’d been four months since I was attacked outside Floyd’s office. I had never actually went back to
work for Floyd, though I did help him out from time to time when he called. He was in the process of
trying to find another secretary to take my place, but for now was using the floater pool. I don’t think
he was very happy with it, but he couldn’t blame me for not returning full time.

I’d taken Luke up on his offer and now basically was the front woman for Skin Deep. I handled all the
scheduling, supply ordering, and even took over the books. The shop was busier than ever and Luke
had even hired a couple of the part time guys on for full time. Needless to say, Jadalee wasn’t one of
them, even though she was back home again to help her mom. She pretty much stayed away from the
shop, although she had actually come and apologized to me for the way she acted. Being the nice
person that I am, I graciously accepted it before extending an invitation to my wedding. Where I’d be
marrying Luke. (Hee hee hee…)

Allie spent quite a bit of time at the shop and at our house, which was almost a given because she was
helping me plan the wedding. We had finally set the date for next spring and I’d even picked out my
colors. I was going with hot pink and black with silver accents, and that’s only because I found a pair
of stiletto heels that I HAD to have and wanted to wear them with my wedding dress for the wedding
(whenever I finally found one I liked). They were hot pink with a black skull and crossbones design
on the back of the heel area. The skull had a little silver bow on its head! I loved them so much that I
was going to make that my wedding theme but Jenna threatened to disown me if I did. I conceded the
theme but I’m still wearing the shoes.

Allie also spent quite a bit of time with Brandon and Jackson, but swore that they were all just
friends. I wished she’d finally just come to terms with the fact that she was in love with them both and
do something about it. I think she just couldn’t get her mind around the fact that you weren’t supposed
to be in love with more than one person. I wasn’t sure how she couldn’t because her parents were
major hippies and touted “Free Love” all throughout our childhood…thank God they’d mellowed
over the years. I shuddered at the unbidden thought of them having an orgy that flitted through my
mind. Ugh.

I shook my head to clear it and grabbed the stack of drawings Luke held out to me. He leaned in and
kissed me sweetly on my lips before smacking Brandon upside his head as he walked past him,
leading his next client into his studio. I shuffled through them and my breath whooshed out on a sigh as
I saw it. It was perfect and I couldn’t wait for Luke to tattoo it!

He’d drawn a single feather with stunning and intricate detail. The top of the feather looked like it
was being blown away, almost disintegrating, but instead of there being nothing, a multitude of small
birds flowed from it, interspersed with stars of varying sizes. I decided then and there that I would

have it put on my shoulder blade, but I wanted the birds and stars to go up over my shoulder.

I looked at the drawing again, and noted that I had missed one small detail. Along the spine of the
feather in small script were the words ‘Always Ever’. I felt tears prick my eyes as I realized that
Luke hadn’t forgotten the story I’d told him a long time ago about Jarrod when he was little. My mom
had told him one day that she loved him and would always and forever. Since he was barely two at
the time, he had responded with Always Ever, not getting the for in forever. From that point on, that
was the little saying we had all used to say I love you.

I waited (impatiently, might I add) for Luke to finish up with his client and as soon as he got near the
counter, I jumped into his arms, kissing him deeply. He kissed me back for a minute before pulling
back and looking at me in surprise.

“What was that for?” he asked. “Not that I’m complaining, but…” He grinned at me.

“Just because I love you and because you drew me the perfect tattoo and because you listen when I
talk.”

“Did you find one that you like?” He set me on my feet and grabbed the stack, looking at the one I’d
left on top. He smiled down at me as I burrowed into his side. “I figured this would be the one. Don’t
know why I even drew any of the others up afterwards.”

I shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I still cant get them, you know.” I grinned up at him mischievously as he
laughed and hugged me close.

“And to think you were yelling at Allie about not getting one the first time you walked into my shop.
Scared to death…” he trailed off, chuckling.

“Yeah, I know. And look what it got me. I’m stuck with you, Brandon, Jackson, and Doug for the rest
of my life. What’d I do to deserve that?” I asked teasingly.

“You complainin’, sugar?” he drawled.

“Nope.”

“Didn’t think so. Now lets go stick some needles in you!” I laughed as he pulled me down the hall
into his studio.

It hurt way worse than my first one, but I got my tattoo. I was in love with it almost as much as I was
with Luke.

And for the record…sex in the tattoo studio is HOT. Just sayin’.

Dear Readers:

If you liked Skin Deep, then watch for the next installment in the Skin Deep series, Under My Skin!

J.M. Stone

Acknowledgements:

First and foremost, my eternal thanks to my other half and my daughter for their patience with me
during this process. Your support and encouragement means the world to me. I love you, always ever!

Thank you to Jennifer Stone for being my #1 beta reader, idea bouncer-offer, horn-tooter,
cheerleader, and all around BFF/ESIL. I’m not quite sure this would have happened without you.
Muah!

Big hugs and much thanks to Ben Baine for beta reading for me, and for becoming my Accidental
Editor! I appreciate it more than you know! (Forgive me for my apparent aversion to apostrophes…I
hope I fixed them all!)

To my other beta readers, especially Tony, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being the first
ones to test out my writing, for the feedback you gave, good or bad, and for your encouragement. You
know who you are…and if you don’t, it’s you, Tony (but I think you knew that), Susan, Denise, Kate,
Tiffany, Angela, and Brooke. I hope you stick around for the next one!

To Josie Leigh, my new-found friend, because you didn’t automatically hate me (you know what I‘m
talking about…;), and because you’ve been an immense help, whether it was beta reading, advice, or
calming me down when I wanted to flip out with nerves. Thank you so much for everything!

Thanks also to Colleen Hoover and S.C. Stephens for taking the time to try and answer my questions!

Last, but not least, thank you to all you readers for taking a chance on me. I hope you enjoy Skin Deep,
and love the characters just as much as I do!

About the Author:

J.M. Stone is a legal assistant by day, and a writer by night. She started writing at a young age, mostly
poetry and song lyrics, some of which were published. She currently lives in Ohio where she's lived
for most of her life, and enjoys spending time with her other-half, their mouthy daughter, two spoiled
and crazy dogs, and the rest of her abnormal family. (Don't worry, abnormal is good!) In her spare
time, she loves to read, write, sing, and make people laugh, which usually happens at her own
expense! Skin Deep is her first novel, and is the first in the Skin Deep series.

She loves to hear from her readers, so drop her line at

jadelynna23@yahoo.com

, or feel free to rate

and review on Goodreads.com!

Happy Reading!

Document Outline

Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter One
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26

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