Give Me Liberty

by Anne Brock

  Luke frowned. "But we've had the site surveyed," he said. "And the architect already designed cabins that will blend in with the countryside. The workers are scheduled to break ground at the end of September. If the architect has to start over with a new location, it would delay the project until next spring."

  "That won't be a big deal to Avery," Lib said. "He'll be sitting on that cool million he just got from you. It's the workers who are going to suffer — the guys you've lined up to build the cabins. They're going to be laid off before they even start. If you want the project to go ahead, if you want Avery to lease your land, if you want those guys to stay employed, you're going to have to bust your chops to make it work."

  Luke stood up, and his sudden movement made the porch swing rock crazily. Lib braced her feet against the wooden floor in order to stop the swinging as Luke crossed to the porch railing. He stood, looking out at the dark night sky.

  "You don't think I should buy back the land," he said, with his back to her.

  "I've told you what I think," Lib said quietly. "I think you already own that land because you own a share in the corporation."

  He turned toward her, but his face was shadowed. "I don't know what to say to make you understand how I feel—"

  "I know how you feel," Lib said, standing up and crossing to him. "I do understand. I just happen to disagree with you. I think you still own that land, and I think it's valuable as a part of the resort — more valuable than it'll ever be standing on its own."

  Luke was looking back out into the darkness, and Lib had to wonder if he'd heard anything she'd said.

  "I should go," he said abruptly. "It's getting late."

  He kissed her lightly, distractedly, then started down the steps.

  Lib ached to call out to him, to beg him to come back, but he didn't turn around to look at her or even to wave before the darkness swallowed him up.

  She shivered, more from the chilliness of Luke's good-bye than the cool night air.

  * * *

  Luke couldn't sleep.

  His digital clock clicked down every minute from two to three a.m., and still Luke lay awake, staring up at the ceiling.

  He wasn't really worried about the sale of the video stores. Sure, there was a chance that it could fall through. But worrying wasn't his style.

  So why couldn't he sleep?

  Because he couldn't stop thinking about Liberty.

  All evening long, he'd been looking forward to kissing her good night. All evening long, he had longed to feel her arms around him, pulling him close as she met his lips hungrily, as she matched each of his kisses fiercely.

  So what did he do? He walked away without properly kissing her good-bye.

  He could still see the flash of hurt confusion in her eyes as he turned away from her.

  He'd hated the fact that she had disagreed with him about buying back the Fulton land. It bothered him, and he wasn't really sure why. It wasn't as if they'd never disagreed about anything before.

  Maybe it was because buying back that land had consumed his every waking thought for the past five years. It had become his reason for living, his motivation to succeed.

  Before he met Liberty Jones, that is.

  For so long, he'd never looked past the five year deadline that was now so rapidly approaching. For so many years, he couldn't see beyond that September 15th date — he didn't bother to look further.

  But now he did.

  Lib was his future now, and that future was looking pretty damn good.

  Provided that he didn't go and blow it...

  He owed Lib an apology. And he'd be a fool if he left without giving one to her. He'd be a fool if he left without seeing her, without saying good-bye.

  He sat up suddenly, looking over at the clock. Quarter after four. He swung his long legs over the side of the bed and went quickly into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

  If he hurried he'd have enough time...

  * * *

  Lib's front door creaked as Luke pushed it open. The house was quiet and dark. He closed the door behind him and went up the front staircase, his shoes sounding loud in the hushed stillness of the early morning.

  The door to Lib's bedroom was open and the shades hadn't been pulled, letting in the soft light of the moon.

  Luke stood silently in the doorway, listening to Lib's steady breathing, watching her sleep.

  She was lying almost sideways on the double bed, her sheets tangled around her, her hair spread out across her pillow. She slept on her stomach, one arm tucked under her head, the other thrown out wide, as if she were embracing the entire bed. One of her legs was bent, and the other was outstretched, her foot dangling off the side of the mattress.

  She was wearing... Lord, she was wearing a man's white cotton racer-back undershirt and a very brief pair of white panties. Luke swallowed. Lord knows he'd seen more than his share of fancy lingerie in his time, but nothing he'd seen, no matter how expensive or lacy, had ever come close to turning him on the way Lib's makeshift nightwear did.

  He knew he should go. If he woke her up, the way he'd intended to, if she smiled at him, if he touched her, he'd never leave. Never. But instead of turning around and walking down the stairs, his legs took him further into Lib's room.

  Luke stood next to her bed, looking down at her. Her eyelashes looked about a mile long, lying against her sun-kissed cheeks. Her mouth looked so soft and moist, so inviting.

  He felt the last tenuous bonds of his self-control straining, and he forced himself back, back toward the door. But before he'd even taken two steps, she stirred, rolling onto her back and gazing up at him with sleepy eyes.

  "Luke?" Her voice was thick with sleep. She sat up and Luke realized that the T-shirt she was wearing was old and worn and virtually transparent. Her breasts were full, with large dark tips that showed clearly through her shirt. "What time is it?" she asked, turning to look at her alarm clock.

  Twenty to five. Lib pushed her messy hair back from her face and looked at Luke. He was standing in the middle of her room, dressed to the nines in a black, well-tailored suit. Instead of a traditional white shirt, his shirt was also black, as was his tie. The effect was outrageously attractive, emphasizing his dark good looks.

  "You came over to say good-bye," she said, correctly guessing the reason he was in her bedroom. "I'm glad." She smiled at him rather wistfully. "I didn't get a chance to say good luck to you last night. So... good luck."

  Luke's mouth was dry, and he couldn't for the life of him remember one single thing he'd intended to say to her. Apologize, he thought suddenly. That's right. He'd wanted to apologize.

  "Lib, I'm sorry about last night," he said, and even though he knew he shouldn't, he sat down next to her on the bed. The springs sagged and moaned underneath his weight. "I wanted you to know that it's okay with me if we don't agree about me buying back the land." He looked down at his hands, tightly clasped in his lap. "I also wanted you to know how very important buying this land is to me. It's been the focus of my entire life for nearly five years. When I sold the land, I swore to myself that somehow I'd get the money and I'd buy it back. I've got to do it." He glanced up at her, and for several long seconds he forgot everything, lost in the beautiful violet color of her eyes.

  "I know that," she said gently. "I just wanted to be sure you'd thought it all through, you know, considered it from more than just an emotional angle." She smiled at him suddenly, a quick, bright flash of sunshine. "Man, you smell good. And that suit... " She gave him a once over and then a thumbs up. "It works for me. You look great—"

  "You do, too." There was no mistaking the heat in his dark eyes. "Your outfit works for me, too." He leaned forward and kissed her lazily. "It works extremely well."

  He kissed her again, and Lib looped her arms up, around his neck. His dark hair was still damp from his shower, and his freshly shaven cheeks were smooth and soft against her face. She could taste toothpaste as he kissed her harder, the laziness of his
earlier kiss replaced by an urgency that took them both by surprise.

  Lib pulled him back with her, back onto the bed, and still he kissed her, deep, passionate kisses that sent rockets of heat soaring through her.

  He was on top of her now, murmuring her name as he kissed her again and again. His hands swept her body, touching, caressing, and Lib heard herself moan. Oh, she'd waited so long for him to touch her this way. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him close to her, and that seemed to drive him wild.

  "God, Lib," he said. Breathing hard, he pulled back to look down at the woman in his arms. Her eyes were smoky with desire, and she lifted her mouth to be kissed again, as if the few seconds that had passed since he'd last kissed her were way too long.

  So he kissed her. "Lib, I want — Can we...?"

  "Yes," she said, smiling up at him. "Definitely, yes."

  Luke had planned to take Lib out to dinner on the night he bought back his land. He was planning to ask her to marry him that night. If everything went according to plan, she would say yes, and then he'd bring her home, only this time when she went inside, he would go with her. That was how he'd imagined they'd make love for the first time. It wasn't supposed to happen this way, but Luke was beyond caring. He wanted her — no, it was more than wanting. It was need. He needed her. Lord, he loved her so much

  He pulled off his jacket, turning the sleeves inside out in his haste. He kissed Lib again, hungry for the taste of her mouth as he loosened his tie.

  And then she was sitting up, helping him with his shirt, her fingers deftly unfastening the row of buttons and pushing the soft cotton off his shoulders.

  The sensation of her hands on his bare skin was excruciatingly sensual. She kissed him, her mouth warm and moist against his neck.

  She was up on her knees, and he pulled her tightly to him. She rubbed against him, along the length of his erection, and he knew without a doubt that this was it. He was going to make love to her. There'd be no stopping them now.

  But, Lord! Maybe they'd have to stop... "Lib, I don't have a condom," he said. His voice was hoarse in the stillness.

  Her fingers found the buckle to his belt and quickly unfastened it. "I do," she whispered. "In my purse." She gazed up at him with a smile.

  It was the sweetest, sexiest smile he'd ever seen, and it damn near took his breath away as she held his gaze. But then her eyes flicked down and she unbuttoned his pants and pulled down the straining zipper. Luke pulled away.

  He kicked off his shoes and his pants followed close behind. Then he rolled back onto Liberty's big bed, pulling her down with him. The sensation of her legs tangled together with his was nearly as delicious as what his hands found, exploring up underneath the thin cotton of her shirt.

  Lib closed her eyes as Luke kissed her, gasping at the pleasure that flooded through her at his touch. Making love to him felt right, so very right. Sure, they'd been waiting, but for what? They'd been waiting for right now — for a perfect moment, for this perfect moment.

  His hands pushed her shirt up, and she helped him pull it over her head.

  "Oh, Lib," he said. There was a catch in his voice and Liberty opened her eyes and looked up at him.

  He was gazing at her with such heat in his eyes, she felt certain she would go up in flames.

  "You're beautiful," he whispered, touching her with his eyes and then lightly, almost reverently, with his hands. "You don't know how much sleep I've lost, lying awake at night, thinking about making love to you."

  Lib had to laugh. "I think I probably do," she said. "You're not the only one who lost sleep, you know. All those hot summer nights... knowing you were just a short walk down the street... I'd lie up here, with the fan turned up high, thinking about you kissing me all over..."

  The heat in Luke's eyes burned a shade hotter. "All over," he said. "Like... here?"

  He lowered his head to her breast, touching her nipple lightly with his lips and his tongue.

  "Oh, yes," Lib breathed.

  He drew the tip of her breast further into his mouth, sucking, pulling, and sending arrows of pleasure shooting through her.

  Lib heard herself cry out as she tried to pull him closer, even closer to her. His muscular thigh was between her legs and she gripped it tightly, pressing herself against him, wanting more, wanting it all right now.

  But Luke was taking his own sweet time.

  He kissed his way to her other breast, and then down, all the way down to her belly button. Lib's fingers dug deeply into his hair as he kissed and explored that sensitive area with his tongue.

  "Luke, please—" she gasped, and he looked up at her, a fierce smile on his handsome face. His dark hair was a jumble of waves and his eyes sparked and burned.

  "I thought you wanted me to kiss you all over," he said. He was breathing as hard as she was. As he held her gaze, he kissed her just below her belly button. "You want me to stop?"

  Lib didn't answer. She couldn't answer.

  He kissed her again, lower, and then lower, and he ran his tongue along her skin just above the bikini-cut waistband of her panties.

  "Should I stop?" he said again, his voice no more than a velvety whisper.

  Lib found her voice. "No," she said, most definitely. "No, don't stop."

  Luke smiled again, and reaching for the white cotton of her panties, he pulled them down, off her hips, down the long, shapely lengths of her legs and over her feet.

  He kissed the instep of her foot, then left a trail of warm kisses as he worked his way up, up to her ankle, up her calf, up past her knee, up to the soft, extra sensitive area of her inner thigh.

  And, as she'd requested, he didn't stop there.

  Lib caught her breath as he touched her, then kissed her most intimately. The sensations were incredible, exquisite, and her hips thrust upward, almost of their own accord, driving him harder, deeper into her.

  He kissed her again, caressing her with his tongue, stroking, laving, driving her to the edge until she writhed beneath him.

  It was too intense, too much, too one-sided. Lib tried to pull back, away from him, pushing herself along the bed. But he followed, holding tightly to her hips.

  "Luke!" she said.

  He lifted his head, smiling at her, a devilish glint in his dark eyes. "You said not to stop."

  "I don't want you to stop," she said. "I want..."

  He was touching her, his fingers taking up where his mouth had left off. Somehow he knew exactly where to touch her, exactly how to make her feel so good...

  "What?" he whispered, shifting his weight so he was lying beside her, still touching, always touching. He lowered his mouth to her breast, encircling her nipple with his tongue. "What do you want? Tell me what you want."

  Liberty wanted forever, and gazing into his eyes, she could almost believe it was hers to have. She honestly believed that he loved her. How could he look at her that way, how could all that love she saw in his eyes be anything but genuine?

  "At the risk of sounding old-fashioned," Lib said softly, "I want you to make me your own."

  "I hate to break it to you, babe, but you already are mine," he said. "And I am absolutely all yours. We sealed that deal with our first kiss."

  He was serious.

  Lib felt all of her love for this man rise up and lodge tightly in her throat. "Make love to me," she whispered.

  Luke smiled. "I thought that was what I was doing."

  She wriggled free from his arms, raking her tousled hair back from her face as she knelt beside him on the bed. She slipped her fingers underneath the elastic waistband of his briefs and tugged them down, freeing him from their confines.

  She let him see the pleasure in her eyes as she looked at him. She didn't try to hide the fact that his body — all six foot four inches of it — turned her on.

  It was more than clear that she turned him on. She closed her hand around his hardness and he murmured his pleasure as she stroked him. She straddled his legs, still touching him, knowing th
at it wouldn't be much longer until he was inside of her.

  He watched her, his gaze holding her in place, hypnotizing her with his intensity.

  She had to have him now. Right now.

  But first

  Luke was thinking the exact same thing. Together, they dove for the side of the bed, where Lib's purse sat on the floor. She reached it first, pulling it up onto the bed with them. She quickly found the box that she'd picked up at the drugstore only a few days ago, in anticipation of this very event.

  Luke took the box out of her hands and nearly tore it in half in his haste to open it.

  As Luke tore one apart from the rest and then open, Lib pushed everything else off the bed. And then, God, he was covered and she lunged for him even as he grabbed for her.

  He kissed her hard as he pulled her down on top of him, and Lib gasped as then, oh, he was inside of her, filling her completely, incredibly, perfectly.

  Luke breathed her name, and as she looked into his eyes, she knew that this magic she was feeling was mutual. She knew he felt it, too.

  Forever was starting right here and now. This love-making was a marriage of souls, a joining of hearts as well as bodies.

  Luke kissed her, her mouth, her neck, her breasts, moving beneath her, holding her tightly in his arms, anticipating her every pleasure, her every want and need.

  Liberty was in heaven.

  Luke lowered himself back onto the bed, driving himself even deeper inside her. And Lib climaxed, waves of colors and lights and incredible, powerful pleasure lifting her up and spinning her around. She threw back her head and laughed with the sheer joy of the sensations, both physical and emotional.

  It couldn't get better than this — but it was hers, Luke was hers until the end of time.

  His body tightened and bucked as he found his release and she leaned forward and kissed him. He kissed her back, hungrily, savagely, inhaling her, possessing her as thoroughly as he possibly could. And then, spent, he held her tightly, as if he would never let her go.