“I’ll be good, sunshine.” He kisses my temple.
I slide out of the way to let him and Eli leave.
No games tonight. No sex. I wrap my arms around my waist as Luke speaks quietly to Eli and Nico before they head out the door. It doesn’t feel right. Luke locks up behind them.
He turns out the kitchen light. “Do you want anything to drink?”
I shake my head. Caden took care of the boxes before he left. All that’s left is for Luke and I to go to bed. My stomach twists into a knot, knowing he’s going to the guest bedroom like he has recently.
I get it. He respects my mom and that’s awesome, but... He told me he loves me. They all did and now I have to go to sleep alone, which feels almost blasphemous.
He closes the distance between us and draws me into his warm arms. “We have tomorrow night, princess. And a lot of other nights in the future.”
I don’t wrap my arms around him, because I won’t let go if I do.
“Come on.” He takes my hand and leads me to the stairs. At the door to my bedroom, he leans in and kisses me. I taste his longing and want to lose myself in his need.
When he backs away, his eyes are heated. “Good night.”
I open my door and walk into my room. It’s late, but I sit on the edge of my bed and stare at the door. How many times has someone snuck into my bedroom? But somehow I don’t think that’s going to be tonight.
They volunteer early tomorrow morning. I’m not sure how long I sit there, but finally, I rise and change into pajama shorts and a tank top. I pause in my bathroom door and stare at my cold bed.
Fuck it. I turn out my light and quietly open the bedroom door. Listening, I wait to see if Mom is still up. There’s no sound in the hallway, so I pull the door open farther and slip out into the hall.
My heart pounds as I quietly close my door and move to the guest bedroom. I glance toward my mom’s door as I try to be asquiet as possible when I turn the handle. My pulse races, but I slip through and close it just as quietly, before turning the lock.
Yes, someone could unlock it, but at least it gives us a little warning. The room is dark, but anticipation buzzes through me. There’s a bit of an adrenaline rush to sneaking in like this.
I move toward the bed with my hands outstretched to find it.
My hand is grabbed and I crash down on the bed. His mouth covers mine, capturing any sound I might make. I melt into Luke’s arms, straddling his lap.
He’s sitting against the headboard. Was he waiting for me?
I pull away. “Why didn’t you come in?”
He brushes the hair away from my face, but that doesn’t help me see. The room is dark and he’s just one of the shadows in it. A very solid shadow beneath me.
“If I snuck into your room and we got caught, your mom would think I don’t respect her rules.” He kisses my jaw, trailing sparks on my skin. His hands pull my hips in tight against his erection.
“But if I sneak in, I’m just being a bad daughter?”
His lips smile against my skin and heat pours through me. “A very naughty girl.”
He kisses down my neck and slips his hands beneath my tank top. My skin tingles beneath his touch and I suck in a breath. I trail my fingers down his bare chest to the edge of his boxers, feeling his muscles tense beneath my touch. My fingertips graze the tip of his cock, and it jerks.
“Luke?”
He pushes down the strap of my tank so he can continue kissing, sucking, and nibbling my shoulder. His hands slide up my ribcage to below my breasts.
“What?”
Something soft flutters inside me, making me nervous. “You love me.”
He chuckles as his lips find their way back to my neck and he bites me gently. I arch into his body, and his thumbs trace the underside of my breasts.
“You love me,” he replies and lifts his head to hover over mine. “You’re mine, Harper. Ours. No one is going to change that.”
