Chapter Sixteen

Priety lay on the side of Luke’s bed and stroked his dark forehead. The doctors tried keeping him in the hospital but he only gave them a hard time. They threatened to dope him up, that didn’t go over well with him at all. Finally, Priety agreed to sign him out and promised the doctor she would keep him in bed. He had smiled at that.

Leaning in, she kissed his forehead and sighed. For the first time in her life, a man had taken her seriously and risked his life to protect her. Her heart soared and with that one thought, she knew she was in love with Luke Stanton.

Giggling like a school girl she snuggled into his chest and sighed.

“Pree?” Kerry stuck her head in the door and Priety moved to get up but Luke’s arm tightened around her.

“Where you going?” Luke’s voice came out husky.

“Kerry wants to talk to me.” She turned and kissed his nose. “I won’t be long.”

“Kiss me.”

“Luke!” Priety blushed.

“It’s all good. I’ll be in the living room,” Kerry grinned and waved to Luke. “Hi, Luke.”

Luke waved a hand to her but he didn’t look away from Priety. When she finally leaned down and kissed him, Luke curled his fingers in her hair and deepened the kiss.

He grunted when her hand brushed his ribs. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Priety apologized while kissing his cheeks, nose, lips and forehead trying to take away his pain. Luke smiled up at her. A silence washed between them. He stared into her eyes saying nothing. When he finally spoke, Priety felt her heart break.

“I thought I lost you. Oh, God I thought my life would be over. I realized something when I thought he was going to kill you. I realized that I love you with all my heart. I love you even more than life. I was ready to die for you and God knows I don’t say that often.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” Luke tried to move with gritted teeth and pushed up on his elbow. “That I love you and I would be a fool if I let you walk out of my life and not say anything. I was going out of my mind with worry. I am so sorry for what happened. I should have known better. I shouldn’t have let him touch you.”

Priety looked into his face and smiled. She kissed his lower lip and caressed his face. “I’m not going anywhere, Luke. I know I love you and I was going to stick around here until you fell in love with me. I was gonna wear you down.”

Luke laughed but groaned in obvious pain. “You have a sick sense of humor, you know that?”

She giggled. “Don’t say you’re sorry. None of this is your fault.”

That sound made Luke’s heart race and he fell backward against the bed. Priety loved him. The goddess who took his soul, loved him and he wanted to dance.

He stroked her arm and pushed her tank top off one of her shoulder. “I want to touch you.” His finger trailed down her arm and he watched as tiny goose bumps followed his finger. “I want you to scream for me.”

“Luke…” her voice was soft. “We can’t. Your brother and the guys are downstairs and Kerry…”

“I want to feel you around me, Priety. It’s been too long.”

Pushing up, ignoring the pain, he reached for her lips. Roughly, he drank from her lips as though they were the fountain of life and he had to be quenched. The kiss got rougher, hungrier. He was desperate to taste from her and never wanted it to end.

His good arm wrapped around her and pulled her down over him.

With a growl, he pulled his mouth from hers to trail down her neck.

“Luke,” Priety’s whisper spurred him on and he ravished her neck and downward. He pushed her top out of the way and tasted one breast then another. He felt her arch against him and a smile stretched through him. Touching her spine gently with one finger, he felt her shiver against him.

* * * *

“Baby,” Priety got out as her mouth hung open. She wanted to cry, yell, scream; he was so tender. His fingers down her spine made her crazy and his mouth enclosed over her ear-lobe. Her nails tore down his back and over his arms. She positioned her body to sit astride him. She ground her hips against him, pleading with him to move faster and then slower.

Priety was naked and didn’t even know how it happened. She glanced down to see their clothes together on the ground. Their bodies moved against each other. He rolled her body over, taking her lips again. Pressing her into the bed, he moved between her legs as their gazes locked.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered before feathering kisses over her brows and down her nose to her chin.

Priety lurched forward and buried her heated cheeks into his chest. She moved her body against him like a cat, snuggling into its master’s warmth. Life away from Luke had opened her eyes and made her see being away from Luke was being without breath. She nuzzled his neck as he moved his hips slightly and sank within her. Her back arched upward and her head fell back as a satisfied sigh left her lips.

She wrapped her legs around him as their bodies twisted and arched into one another. She dragged her nails down his back and he growled and surged deeper. Biting down on her lower lip she felt his arm wrap around her back pulling her upward. Screaming his name, she squeezed her eyes shut as her body trembled deliciously.

Watching her body let go pleased Luke more than he could ever explain. Trailing a hand down her chest, between her breasts and over her stomach as it arched beautifully up at him. He lowered his head and tasted from her nipples and moaned with pleasure. His body was on fire, burning to the fullest extent of desire.

When his body threatened to explode he buried himself within the love of his life. He threw his head back and a sound that rivaled any thunder storm ripped from his body. For a while his body just stopped, held in suspension as he tried to bring his mind back from blissful oblivion.

Shuddering sweetly, he let out an almost pained cry as he pulled away from Priety and cradled her against his body. “I do love you,” he whispered against her hair.

“I know you didn’t lie about that, Luke.”

“How do you know that?”

“Your eyes gave you away.”

* * * *

Luke walked into the room and everyone looked up at him. He gave a wave and fell into a sofa heavily while clutching his side.

“Couldn’t you wait a week?” Keegan asked with a grin.

“Not in front of the lady,” Michel motioned to Kerry who was giggling and shaking her head. She got up and walked from the room.

Luke only gritted his teeth and rubbed his side. “And no, I couldn’t wait a week. I thought I lost her… I don’t know what I was thinking leaving her by herself with a serial killer after her.” Luke shimmied deeper into the soft material.

Guilt was still tearing through his body even though Priety told him not to worry about it. It was too bad Chen was acting like he was crazy. Luke wanted to see the man fry but they would probably put him in a nut house for the rest of his life.

Where was the justice?

“I don’t know, man,” Riyu spoke up and took a deep breath. “At what point in a man’s life does he say he is going to go around killing with no regard for human life. I mean, something had to make him snap.”

Luke remained silent as the men spoke around him. He wanted to dwell on Chen but he just couldn’t. He had to focus on getting better and Priety staying with him. The pain in his side faded to a dull throb. They were silent for a while until laughter from up the stairs caught Luke’s attention. A smile snuck across his lips and his head rolled to one side.

“You love her,” Keegan spoke.

Luke didn’t answer right away. He smiled again and turned to look at his brother.

“I can see a brotherly conversation coming on.” Michel stood up and walked over to pat Luke on the shoulder. “I’m gonna go see what’s going on with Chen. I’ll stop by soon.”

Luke nodded and Riyu hugged him goodbye.

“She smells like peaches, you know,” Luke spoke absentmindedly. “Her dimples only show when she’s smiling and I just want her to keep smiling so her eyes will twinkle and her dimples deepen. When she wants me to kiss her she gets this look in her eyes and she leans in….”

“I take that as a yes.”

“Ya damn right that means yes. I am just scared she’ll leave me.”

Luke watched Keegan for a while before sighing and got up from where he sat. He wavered on his feet and Keegan rushed over to catch him.

“I’m fine.” Luke took in a shaky breath. “I’m gonna ask her to marry me, Keegan.”

“You? Talking marriage?”

Luke laughed and moved for the kitchen. He understood what Keegan meant. Luke vowed never to get married. When it came to women he had no clue but with Priety he seemed to know what she wanted when she wanted it. He knew when she wanted to be held, touched, tasted; he could just tell.

Reaching into the fridge he pulled out a bottle of water and chucked it at his brother before grabbing a second bottle. “Drive me down to the jewelry store on Fontaine.”

Keegan nodded and drank his water.

Luke laughed.