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Luke was spooning her, but as much as she loved being cocooned in his arms, she worried her restlessness was keeping him awake. She tried to move out of his hold, but he only tightened his grip around her. “Shh” he whispered. “It’s okay.”
“I can’t sleep.”
“I know. Just lie here with me. Let me hold you until all you feel are my arms around you and your brain is convinced nothing and no one will ever be able to touch you again.”
It was a nice sentiment, but what terrified her most was how much she didn’t want to fall asleep and wake up only to realize this was all a dream. Some awful fantasy her mind had made up just to torture her in her true waking hours.
Luke’s chest rose and fell against her back. She leaned into him, needing the reassurance of his presence. She’d almost missed out on having this. If she’d listened to Russell or pushed Luke’s voice aside at that stupid luncheon, everything would’ve been different. Luke would’ve probably died in that warehouse and she would likely have had no choice but to go back to Russell and be stuck at his mercy for the rest of her life. The thought was so horrid it sent a shudder through her body.
Luke kissed the back of her neck. “I’m right here.”
She sighed, willing herself to calm her racing thoughts and heart. She had helped Luke and he was really here. At least for tonight.
“Yes, I am,” Luke said.
Orly smiled and bit her lip to keep the tears from falling. She hadn’t realized he’d been listening in on her thoughts or that she’d been broadcasting them. “I’m terrified this is all a dream,” she whispered.
“It’s not.”
“What if I wake up and I’m back in Los Angeles with Russell or alone on a bus somewhere or worse, in that library, terrified that someone will recognize me? There was such a large police presence there.” She’d told Luke about it while they drove and she hadn’t missed his horrified expression. He’d seen her face splashed across the news and knew any one of those police officers would’ve been well within their right to detain her if they’d recognized her.
“Then I’ll have to come find you all over again. Only this time, maybe you can tell me where you are sooner, so I’ll get to you a little quicker.” There was a hint of teasing in his tone, but Orly didn’t miss the undertone of frustration. She probably should’ve gone to Luke sooner. Maybe then she wouldn’t have ended up broke and alone in a strange place.
She closed her eyes in yet another attempt to fall asleep, except this time, she kept her mind focused on Luke’s thoughts instead of her own. As if knowing what she was doing, he shared his thoughts of them talking in their minds before they’d met.
Conversations about baseball, pizza, his friends, and burgers sailed through her mind. He replayed the moment he first saw her in Roanoke and shared how nervous and excited he’d been to meet her. He even gave her glimpses of when she’d been laughing and singing in the car.
With her mind finally settling down, sleep pulled at her, and she started to drift off, the corners of her mouth slightly pulled up from all the joy flowing through her mind, and she had Luke Harmon to thank for that.
No thanks needed. An image of Luke lying on a bed, holding her to him popped into her mind. Luke really was here and she was here with him. Safely tucked into his arms, exactly where she had wanted to be.
Chapter 11
Orly grew more nervous as the scenery changed from urban to suburban as they drove out of downtown Dallas and closer to Luke’s home. The streets got wider, the trees taller, and the homes larger. The side street Luke turned onto was covered by a canopy of mature trees that very nearly hid the sky from view. Birds hiding in the thick foliage overhead chirped loudly and all the homes were set back from the curb.
Orly wanted to be excited. She was finally safe and with Luke. But it was one thing to have this man talking to her in her mind or even spending a night with him in a hotel. Somehow, coming to his house felt different. More personal. Way more intimate. And she felt completely out of place.
They’d spent months talking in their minds and the last two days and one night together, but she still wasn’t sure who they were to each other. Were they friends? More? Less? In her experience, when a man brought a woman home with him, things like that were pretty well defined, but this wasn’t a simple relationship. They’d shared a few heated kisses, but before that she’d spent nearly the entire time they knew each other on the run. And she still wasn't out of danger. Russell could come after her any moment.
Luke pulled into a paved driveway with a moderately sized two-story home. It had a large red front door, a wrap-around porch, white shutters on the windows, and several mature trees sporadically dotting the landscape. “Welcome home,” Luke said. “I know this isn’t exactly the way either of us planned it, but I want you to know I’m glad you’re here, and not somewhere out there.”
Orly sighed. Despite not knowing how exactly she fit into his life, being with Luke felt right. It felt safe and made the ever-present knot that had been in her stomach since seeing Russell kill that woman, finally begin to loosen. “Thank you for letting me stay with you,” she said. It seemed almost redundant even to her with how many times she’d thanked this man, but she truly appreciated everything he’d done for her. “Being on the run, I never knew where I’d end up.”
Luke’s hand gently squeezed her fingers. He’d been holding her hand on and off the whole trip. “No more running. If something happens, anything that scares you or makes you want to bolt, I want you to talk to me first, okay?”
Orly sighed. Confiding in people wasn’t something she was used to after everything she’d been through, but Luke had been there for her. She knew logically he wasn’t asking for much, but she wasn’t sure she could make such a promise. Trust didn’t come easily for her, and while she trusted Luke, there was still a part of her that wanted to bolt. To hide. Even from him. “I’ll try,” she finally said, and meant it.
Luke smiled as if knowing he wasn’t going to get a better answer out of her at the moment. “Ready to go inside?”
Orly nodded. It was better than sitting out here in the car wondering what was next.
“Stay there,” he said, and went around the car to open her door. He helped her out, then pulled their bags from the backseat. Slinging them both over one shoulder, he wrapped an arm around her as he led them inside. “Let me give you the grand tour,” Luke said, setting their bags down by the entryway table.
“Let me give the grand tour,” Luke said. They came into the foyer, which opened into a spacious living and dining room. Beyond that was a large eat-in kitchen with white cabinets and honey colored granite countertops. Across from the kitchen was a family room with a large sectional facing an enormous flat screen mounted on the wall. “The bedrooms are upstairs,” Luke explained. “There’s a guest room with an attached full bath at the end of the hall, if you want to change or freshen up.” When she didn’t say anything, he gently came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’re safe here.”
Orly nodded and leaned into him. It had been so long since she’d felt truly safe anywhere, the concept was almost foreign to her.
“Are you hungry?” He asked, turning her in his arms to face him. “I can order a pizza,” he offered. “Or I think I have some stuff in my pantry I could make.”
