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I used to find peace in the silence of the night. I don’t feel that way anymore. If anything, the darkness looming has my senses sharper, my fight-or-flight instincts kicking in at the slightest sound or disruption.
Once the third wall is done, I give myself a moment to get a drink of water. I haven’t turned the phone back on yet. The door is locked, all the windows shut. Paranoia has a way of getting to me, though not without reason. I wonder how my girls are doing, but I’m certain they must be alright with Helen. That woman watches them like a hawk. She must’ve been a Rottweiler in a past life; I’ve rarely seen anyone as protective and as attentive as she is. And since Helen did have a hand in raising the Cassidy twins, I’m not surprised that Kellan and Fallon turned out to be so strong and valiant. Men like them are hard to come by.
A knock on the door startles me. My heart jumps, every muscle in my body becoming taut and tense. A second knock. The third one signals impatience, and I become worried. I’m already thinking about making my way out of here through the back door.
“Open up, Avery, it’s me!” Luke calls out.
Like an instant tranquilizer, his voice fills my soul, and I suddenly relax. The tension flies out of me, and I’m left catching my breath as I walk over to the door.
“I’m sorry,” I mumble, when my eyes meet his.
He stands tall and darkened with concern in the doorway. His suit is neatly tailored for his muscular figure, this particular shade of gray bringing out the colder tone of his blue eyes. His blonde hair is pulled back in its usual, sleek manbun, and my fingers tingle yet again as my gaze settles on his short, sand-colored beard. But it’s the muscle ticking furiously in his jaw that has my pulse racing again. He’s angry.
“What the hell, Avery? Your phone is off,” he snaps. “I’ve been trying to reach you for the past couple of hours.”
Panic hits me like a freight train. “Is everything okay? Are my girls safe?”
I would never forgive myself if something happened to them and I had my phone off. I knew they were in Helen’s care, and there goes my mind again, the rampage of guilty thoughts begins. Dammit, I’m shaking like a leaf.
“What? No, they’re fine. I promised you’d all be safe with us,” Luke says. “But I can’t fucking protect you if I can’t reach you. Why did you turn your phone off?”
“I’m sorry. I was… it must’ve run out of battery. I didn’t notice,” I reply, not sure whether I should tell him the truth. It really could’ve been just a spam call. Logically, it doesn’t make sense that Daniel was able to find my number. If I tell Luke about it, he’d tap and trace every number that called me since I first activated the line, and it could turn out to be a complete waste of time and resources. The last thing I want is for this wonderful man to spend even more time and money on my paranoid ass. “I’m sorry, Luke, I got carried away with the work here.”
“It’s okay but damn, I was worried,” he sighs. I can tell he’s gradually relaxing, his eyes never leaving mine. “So I figured I’d just come over and check up on you.”
“You’re so kind,” I say, smiling softly. “You didn’t have to come all the way over. I mean, you have a guard outside already.”
“Of course I did,” he steps closer, and it’s got my heart skipping beats again. There is something about this man that sends my senses into a frenzied joyride whenever I’m near him. Something I can’t control. I’ve already been intimate with his best friends and business partners. What the hell am I doing swooning over him, too? I must be losing my mind. “I care about you, Avery. And I can’t fucking sit still if I don’t know what’s going on with you.”
“Luke…”
“I mean it. I don’t know how or why or when in such a short span of time, but I do care about you, and I need to know you’re safe at all times. Do you understand?”
I nod slowly, fighting a sudden urge to wrap my arms around his neck. I feel so tiny standing before him, splotches of paint already dry on my overalls. He takes another step forward, a shadow looming over his eyes. My lips part slowly. I can’t help myself. “I understand.”
“Dammit, Avery,” Luke kisses me.
I’m stunned, his lips crushing mine as I surrender. It’s too easy, too natural. The fires burn through me, the orange blaze consuming everything in its path. He cups my chin, his fingertips registering the softness of my skin as his tongue plays with mine. I moan softly and pull back, breathless and alive. “Oh, God, Luke, I’m so sorry.”
“I’m the one who should be sorry,” he says, shaking his head and pulling farther away. “I should’ve known it wouldn’t work. You were kind enough to tell me you could see past the prosthetic, but we should both be honest about this—"
“What? No!” I reply, suddenly aware of what he’s thinking, obviously the complete opposite of my own thoughts. I’m wracked with guilt that Luke doesn’t know what happened with Kellan and Fallon. The realization that Luke feels inadequate because of his leg makes me feel even worse. “Luke, no,” I say and put my arms around his neck, pulling him close to me again.
He freezes, giving me a confused look, but I refuse to yield and kiss him. I’m hungry for him. I taste his lips, the lemony sweetness of his mouth, our tongues quick to return to a lazy, playful dance. He grunts harshly and closes his arms around my waist, holding me tight against his hard body. My flesh feels soft, like jelly melting over his rippling muscles. I’m dissolving in his embrace as he deepens the kiss.
“I want you,” I tell him between ragged breaths. “It’s not the leg, I promise.” I can’t stop. I claim his mouth, and he gladly gives me everything.
He’s gentle, firm in his hold, but gentle. Controlled. Calm. Hard as a fucking rock, judging by the throbbing erection currently nudging my belly, but calm and steady in his gestures, while I’m hungrier and greedy for more. I’m the one trailing kisses down the side of his neck, letting my tongue draw invisible lines along his skin before I playfully nip it.
Luke hisses and digs his fingers into my hips. He nibbles on my earlobe and runs his fingers through my hair as he pushes me back against the wall. I’ve lost all control as liquid heat pools between my legs. My hands roam up and down over his torso, my fingers desperately searching for the buttons of his white shirt. There is too much fabric between us. I need skin on skin.
“Avery, you’re driving me crazy,” he whispers, his cheek pressed into mine while his thigh slips between my legs. I cup his erection with one hand, and squeeze firmly, feeling it twitch in my grip. I want him inside me.
“I can’t help myself,” I whisper.
His hand comes up as his tongue slips past my lips. He fondles my breast, fingers pinching the nipple. It perks under his touch, poking through the cotton of my tee and the bra that’s underneath. His other hand finds the side buttons of my overalls as we devour each other. My heart is thumping in my chest, my core so hot, it feels like it could melt. He manages to get past the buttons and my overalls fall to the floor between us. His thigh moves back an inch, but only to make way for his fingers.
Deftly slipping down my belly and under my panties, I gasp when he finds me burning up and soaked for him. “Fucking hell, Avery,” Luke says, blue fires raging in his eyes as he takes a moment to look at me. “I need you…”
