Page 5 of Luke

Luke held back a yell as he shook the cat off his leg, just as Eve turned around to see what the noise was.

He has to go.

“Fred has to meet his maker,” Luke muttered as he looked down at the teeth marks and its trademark cuts and knicks on his leg, adding to the collection on his arms and back.

“You scared him,” Eve had said, as she crooned to the ginger furball she was holding. “And you know he doesn’t like men.”

“For the thousandth time, he’s a male. How can he not like his own sex?” Luke muttered, getting more frustrated at himself for letting the small creature get to him.

He left soon after and decided to burn the excess energy with a run. The one thing that clears his mind. Just being in close proximity to Eve caused his body to react. Even now his cock thickened at the thought of her.

And my hand is just not cutting it any more.

He bent down to tie his laces tighter. Running had become his obsession lately, Luke knowing it had to do with trying to expend the excess energy so he didn’t just grab Eve and throw her onto the nearest bed. But he knew he didn’t deserve to even think those thoughts about Eve. He was not the sort of man who won women like her.

Christ. That woman will be the death of me.

"Five miles," he repeated to himself, his breath visible in the cool air as he picked up speed.

"Focus, Harrington," he chastised himself, shaking off the intrusive thoughts and increasing his pace. "Just run." He had run another mile before the tell-tale signs shuddered through his body.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath, feeling an all too familiar wave of anxiety wash over him. It was the same sensation he'd experienced so many times before - his chest tightening, pulse quickening, and breath coming in short gasps.

"Come on, focus on the run," Luke urged himself, shaking his head to chase away the memories that threatened to resurface. As he rounded a corner, he felt the weight of his past slowly begin to lift, replaced by the simple pleasure of feeling his body in motion.

"Remember your training," he thought, recalling the hours spent with his fellow soldiers practicing breathing exercises and grounding techniques. "Breathe in, breathe out. Stay in the present."

He allowed the rhythm of his footfalls and the sound of his own breath to fill the gaps left by the intrusive thoughts. As he did so, the tension in his chest began to ease, and his mind wandered back to his life before the military - a time when love and adventure were only found within the pages of his favorite romance novels.

"Things were simpler then," he admitted, allowing himself a small smile at the memory. But as quickly as the nostalgia came, it vanished, replaced by the stark reality of his life now.

Adjusting to civilian life hasn't been easy, he admitted to himself. The bookstore had become a sanctuary for him, offering solace in the form of vivid storytelling and the promise of love against all odds. His thoughts were broken by Elsie’s greeting.

"Morning, Luke!" Elsie called out from her porch as he sprinted past.

“Morning Elsie,” Luke grinned at her small form bundled up, coffee in her hand. Luke worshipped Elise and her husband John. They kept the ranch and their lives intact, and took the mundane duties away from them so the brothers could concentrate on their company. Elise was like their surrogate mother, and having no kids of their own, he knew Elsie and John felt the six brothers were their family as well.

Luke continued to run down past his own house, just turning his head slightly to see if he could glimpse Eve again, before he ran up to the porch of Kane’s old house.

He smelt the food before he saw it. He inhaled the aroma of butter mixed with spices and apples. Apple Pie. But not just any ordinary apple pie. This was with a crust mixed with so much butter that it flaked as you touched it. The apples so sweet that they dissolved like floss on your tongue, and the spices were her own creation, and they sometimes lingered on her skin and the air around her. Luke often wondered if she tasted as good as she smelt. If he would ever get a taste of her.

Luke picked up the pie. It was still warm. He turned toward his house hoping she might also be looking out the window searching for him. He wanted her in his arms. Her fullness was such a turn on for him that he couldn’t wait to taste her skin on his lips.

But first I have to at least kiss her.

Luke was determined that he was going to take charge and make Eve his. Finally.

Eve

“I’mnotsurewhatto do,” Eve said to Sarah as she made them a cup of hot chocolate, the milky steam wafting into the cool air of the kitchen. “I've never seen Fred behave this way around anyone before. He just doesn’t like Luke."

Sarah sighed and placed a comforting hand on Eve's shoulder. "You know Luke's had some experiences that make him come across as intimidating. Fred might just need some time to get used to him," she suggested.

Eve looked doubtfully at her friend. "I don't think time is going to help here, Sarah. I've seen Luke try to make friends with Fred.”

“Or Fred is just being a bastard,” Sarah asked, her eyebrow cocked at Eve.

“Maybe,” Eve said with a small smile.

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