AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“By caressing my thighs?” He snickered. “Whatever gets you to cooperate.”
Lowering my pants without being asked, doing my best to show him how compliant I could be, earned a pat to my shoulder. “I’m exhausted.”
“We’ll be done in a few minutes and I’ll bring you upstairs.”
“Okay,” I agreed. Spreading my bottom cheeks gently, I tensed when the glass rod pushed against the tight ring of my asshole.
“Relax, darling.” Luke slowly inserted the instrument until it reached its hilt. He kept his fingers on the stem adding to the awareness of the thermometer firmly planted inside of me.
“I’ll never be able to repay you and Elias for your kindness.”
“You said that earlier. Don’t think about it right now.” His voice soothed my fears. “All you have to think about is resting. Okay?”
“Yes, Sir. I mean, Luke. Damnit.” Everything about him oozed authority in a way that sent me reeling. He effortlessly pulled the title from my lips, and though it should have worried me, it didn’t.
“If you’re comfortable calling me Sir, so be it, but there are responsibilities on both of our parts if you use that title. It’s not just three little letters to me.”
“I haven’t used it in a long time, and I don’t mean any disrespect. I can stop if you want me to.”
“It’s more than a respect thing, Emma. As long as you understand I take the title seriously, you’re free to use it.”
“Can we talk about it more when I’m feeling better?”
“Yes, darling.”
“Are we done yet?”
Luke checked his phone. “Another minute.”
I blew out a long breath, wishing for this ordeal to be over and yet wanting it to continue only because of the way he cared for me. The way Elias cared. I had nearly forgotten how comforting it was to have somebody else looking out. “Can I sleep in your room tonight? I’ll behave.”
“I’m not worried about your behavior, Emma. We have a guest room.”
“I’m really nervous about being alone and I’m sure that sounds stupid because I’ve been alone for months, but the thought terrifies me.” I bit down on my lip to stop anything else incriminating to fall out of my mouth. Luke didn’t need to know my entire sordid tale.
“You can tell me all about it when you’re feeling up to talking. For now, I’ll let you stay with me.”
“Thank you.” Glancing over my shoulder, I watched him remove the thermometer. He held it up to the light, rotating it slightly to see the numbers before setting it down on the coffee table. Fixing my pants, Luke patted my hip and shifted me around to a sitting position.
“Your temperature is normal. Let’s get you settled into bed.”
Holding out his arms, he waited for me to raise mine and he scooped me up against his chest.
“If you and Elias keep carrying me around, I might get used to being treated like a princess.”
“Good.” Luke kissed my temple and made his way out of the living room and upstairs. “Then maybe you’ll believe me when I say how special you are.”
His statement threw me sideways. Luke and Elias had already squeezed their way into my heart after only a few hours of getting to know them. It was silly. Reckless. And yet, I’d never believed in something so fully after committing to the idea in a short amount of time.
That wasn’t true. Impetuous. Rebellious. Hair-brained. Words my teachers used to describe me in school just as much as my skating and riding coaches. I jumped first without securing my landing. That very school of thought earned me more than one injury on the ice, and it brought the memory of my final jump. It was surprisingly similar to the stunt I’d pulled today, though much more difficult. I hadn’t been able to land it during practice, but I went all out for the event. I broke my ankle in multiple places, dislocated several toes, and tore ligaments. I had been sidelined for twelve solid weeks since I’d also sprained the left foot in trying to recover my balance. Impatient described me to a ‘t’.
“Where’d you go, darling?”
“Sorry, Sir. I was thinking about how I jump into situations without planning.”
“Perhaps I can help you with that.”
“Yeah, I’d like to work on it. Sometimes it serves me well, but not lately.”
