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Orly hadn’t been hungry until he’d mentioned food. Then whether from true hunger or stress, she was ravenous. “Pizza sounds good.”
Luke smiled and kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger there for a long moment as his hand cupped the side of her neck. “Any topping requests?” He asked.
She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch and letting herself just breathe for a moment. “I’m good with anything. Just no meat.”
“Okay, I’ll call in the order and have them deliver it,” Luke said, his lips brushing over her skin.His barely there touch was soft, like a gentle tickle against her forehead, but it only made her want this man more.“Make yourself at home,” he said, before pulling his cellphone out of his pocket.
Home. She’d been in a lot of homes as a foster kid, but no one had ever told her to make herself at home. They just showed her to a room or a bed, and left her there until meal time. When she’d moved in with Russell, she’d thought of the place as home, but had never truly felt at home there.
Standing in Luke’s foyer, somehow the word home seemed to suit it. It felt right. Safe and warm, the way Orly imagined a home would feel. Then sheturned and noticed the front room had a large picture window. What if someone had followed her all the way to Texas and was out there right now, waiting to take her back to Russell?
She let out a sigh and shook the feeling off. There was a powder room under the staircase, and a small console table on the opposite wall with a decorative bowl where Luke dropped his keys and wallet when they first came in.
Luke’s voice echoed through the downstairs as he placed the pizza order. Smiling at the sound, still noting how nice it was to actually hear it with her ears and not in her head, Orly picked up her bag, and headed upstairs in search of the guest room.
The hallway leading away from the stairs was long, with the master bedroom to the left, followed by a full guest bathroom complete with a stackable washer and dryer. The next door was to an office with a desk, computer, and stacks of papers on the floor against the far wall. At the end of the hall, she found the guest bedroom with a large bed, a dresser, and a television. Orly stepped inside and set her bag on the bed. She walked over to the window overlooking the backyard and stood there looking out at the flat expanse of land with the greenest grass she’d ever seen. Luke’s home was beautiful and sat on at least five acres of land from what Orly could see.
“The pizza is ordered.”
Orly jumped at the sound of Luke’s voice and turned to see him standing in the doorway. “Are you sure we weren’t followed?” She asked. The thought was still heavy on her mind and with what happened on the bus the other day, it was likely going to haunt her for a while.
“Yes,” he said. “I took a lot of unnecessary turns getting here. We’re actually closer to the city than you think. I wouldn’t bring you here if I thought there was even the slightest chance any harm could come to you. I have a state of the art security system, plus I want to call my friends and introduce you to them. Caden and Blake are FBI, and I think we could really use their help in all this.”
“They know about me?” Orly asked, unable to hide her shock. He’d promised not to tell anyone about her.
“Not yet,” Luke assured, closing the distance between them. “I gave you my word I wouldn’t tell anyone about you, and I haven’t. But now that you’re here, it’s not like I can keep you a secret, and I don’t want to. Orly, I care about you. I think I’ve made that perfectly clear. I have no intention of keeping you or what we share some naughty secret.”
“But they could…” There were reasons Orly didn’t want other people to know about her.
“They could, what?” Luke asked. He didn’t sound annoyed or irritated. Just the opposite. There was so much compassion and patience in his tone. “They could turn into another Russell? Is that what you’re afraid of?”
Orly nodded, not being able to say the words out loud. She’d gone through it once already. She wasn’t sure she could handle having another person in law enforcement turn against her.
Luke took her hand in his and led her over to the bed. He sat on the edge and she sat next to him. “They won’t,” Luke said. “I know your experiences haven’t been good, but I know my friends. Caden is a good man. So is Blake. Now, they might not believe the whole hearing voices thing right away, but trust me when I tell you, they’re not going to turn on you.”
Orly studied Luke’s sincere expression, struggling to find the words to beg him not to bring anyone else into her mess. She wanted to hide from the world and just let it go on without her. But after spending just two days with Luke, she knew he wouldn’t go for that. “What about your other friends?” She asked. Luke had told her all about the guys and how they liked fishing off Garrett’s dock. “They won’t like it or me, and -”
“Do you trust me, Orly?” He asked, interrupting her.
It was on the tip of her tongue to say no. To get up and run right out of this nice house. But she couldn’t do either of those things, because the truth was, she did trust Luke. He was the only person in this world she did actually trust and that was the only thing keeping her sane right now. “Yes.”
“Then trust me when I tell you that you can trust my friends. There’s six of us in total and I swear to you, every single one of them will not only be amazed by you, but they’ll put everything on the line to help you and protect you.”
Orly nodded, not really in agreement, but more so in resignation. Whatever plans she might’ve had, whatever she thought she’d be able to accomplish on her own, she’d been wrong. She was exhausted. Broke. And so lonely. The last two days, ever since Luke had pulled into that motel parking lot, had been the best she could remember. So, if Luke trusted his friends, she would too.
Luke placed a finger under her chin and gently turned her head until her gaze met his. His deep blue eyes were like pools full of understanding and desire. She licked her lips, wanting nothing more in that moment than to kiss him again the way they’d kissed last night. “Do you have any idea how affected I am having you here? In my home. In my arms. Do you know how many nights I spent thinking about you, worrying about you, wishing you were here?”
Orly reached up and stroked his face, her fingertips grazing the short stubble along his jawline. “I never thought I’d actually be here with you like this.”
He leaned into her touch. “I knew. I mean, I didn’t know, but I hoped. That night you first talked to me, I had no idea who or what you were. But then we talked again and I knew I had to meet you.” Luke chuckled to himself. “I had no idea how I was going to make that happen. I sensed you were lonely and scared, and I hated it. I hated when hours went by without hearing from you. I was so worried that you’d wake up one day and tell me to take a hike. That you didn’t want to talk to me anymore.”
Orly shook her head. “That would’ve never happened. You were my only connection to the world. To my sanity.”
Luke leaned in and covered her mouth with his. She opened for him and moaned at the feeling of his tongue surging into her mouth. She caressed and chased it with her own, taking her fill of his hot and masculine taste. They were both breathless when they pulled back, and as if on cue, Luke’s doorbell rang.
Orly jerked from the sound.
“Easy, I’m pretty sure that’s the pizza,” Luke said. But instead of rushing downstairs, he lingered, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of her nose before leaving the room.
