Page 39 of Trust the Fall

A sob heaves from my chest but I don’t push it down. I need to feel this moment.

“Hold on to me,” Luke whispers, but I didn’t need him to tell me twice. I couldn’t let him go if I wanted to.

When my eyes open, we’re no longer in the dark, cavernous lair we’d just been in. Sunlight gleams through the windows of my loft. I’m home.

“How, when⁠—”

“Shh. It’s all right. You’re safe.” Luke coos into the top of my head, running his hands down my arms before wrapping them around my front.

We’re lying on my bed, my back to his chest, and it’s the most content I’ve ever felt.

I soak in his touch, forgetting the world and all the troubles that await us. In this moment, it’s only him and me. Finally.

I don’t want to waste another moment. It’s well past time I give myself fully over to the only man I’ve ever loved.

“Victoria.” Luke’s voice is hesitant, if not a little pained, as though it’s taking everything in him to walk this line carefully. “We can just enjoy this moment of quiet. Together. We don’t have to⁠—”

Twisting to look at him, I shake my head. “No more waiting.”

His eyes close on an exhale and when they open, the hesitation is gone, and all that’s left is a determination that lights a fire within me. One that can’t be contained.

I’m not sure who acts first, but I’m lifted under my arms and flipped over onto my back, with Luke hovering above of me.

“Tell me no, Victoria. I’ll only ask once.”

My head shakes and that’s all the reassurance he needs.

Our hands grab and pull, dislodging our bodies from the material covering what stands between us finally being one. The belly shirt is lifted from over my head and discarded in the corner. “If I never see that again, it’ll be too soon,” he snarls.

He simply snaps his fingers to rid me of everything else.

A mischievous grin spreads across his face at my shocked expression, but when his eyes lower to my naked chest, all playfulness evaporates. His eyes darken to an unnatural black as he takes in my body that’s completely bared to him.

He swallows, eyes moving back to meet mine.

“Victoria. I … I don’t …”

“Kiss me, Luke.”

His lips meet mine tenderly at first, but as my mouth opens for him, his control slips. I welcome it. I need him to not treat me with kid gloves. I’ve waited too long for what only Luke could ever give me.

Passion.

He groans into my mouth before pulling away.

I whimper in response. “Why are you stopping?”

His forehead rests against mine as he breathes in deeply. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Something like a strangled laugh bubbles out of me. He puts some space between us, looking down on me with furrowed brows.

“I’m serious, Victoria. I’ve waited so long for this. For you. I want it to be special, and I feel like we’re rushing into this because of what you’ve been through. Emotionally, I’m not sure this is what’s best for you.”

All laughter on my part stops at his sincere words. I know that being vulnerable doesn’t come easy for Luke and in this moment, he’s willing to be just that for me.

“I can wait. I want to know you’re in the right headspace. You’ve been through a lot, Victoria.”

“And that is exactly how I know this is right,” I say, placing my had to his cheek. “I appreciate the fact you’re taking what I’ve gone through into consideration, but I know what I want. I’ve never been more sure of this. Of us. Please, Luke. Trust me.”