Luke (7 Brides for 7 Brothers Book 1)

by Barbara Freethy

  "Kaitlyn," she said more sharply.

  "It was all right. Must be nice to do whatever you want to do, go wherever you want to go," she said to Luke, resentment in her tone.

  "You'll get there," Luke said.

  "No I won't. I'm not rich, and I don't have parents to help me get anywhere."

  Liz felt like she'd taken a knife to the heart at Kaitlyn's words. She wanted to say she was here, she would help, she would do whatever she could to make Kaitlyn's life happy, but her niece wasn't interested in anything she had to say.

  "I got myself everywhere I wanted to go," Luke told Kaitlyn. "And I worked for it. Nobody handed me anything."

  "Whatever. I'm going to bed."

  Liz watched Kaitlyn make her way to the stairs, hoping that her niece truly was going to bed and had no intention of sneaking out with the Harrison boys again.

  "Don’t worry," Luke said. I talked to Roger Harrison earlier. I told him he might want to keep an eye on the boys. He said he was already on it. I guess the younger brother's guilt got the best of him, and he confessed they'd taken a bottle of alcohol from the parents' cooler and tried to share it with Kaitlyn. Roger said the boys would not be going anywhere tonight."

  "That's a relief. I thought you weren't going to rat them out?"

  "The opportunity arose, so I took it."

  "I appreciate it. I'll sleep better knowing Kaitlyn isn't going to sneak out on me."

  He folded his arms across his chest, giving her a speculative look.

  "What?" she asked, feeling a little nervous all of a sudden.

  "Do you want to get some air? I hear there's a rooftop patio with a great view of the stars."

  She really should say no. No good could come of sharing a moonlit, starry night with Luke, but as her stomach twisted, her nerves tingled, and her heart beat faster, she became a prisoner of her own desire. Luke would leave. But he was here now, and she didn't want to just say good-night and go to bed.

  "Let's go," she said, leading the way up to the roof.

  There was a long bench on the flat roof, providing an excellent view of the starry sky.

  Luke sat down and stretched out his legs as he directed his gaze upwards. He let out a sigh. "This is good."

  She sat down next to him and looked up at the brightly lit sky as well. "A lot of stars out tonight."

  He took her hand, and she jumped, but she didn't pull away, because the warmth of his fingers sent a wave of heat through her.

  "What did you think of my movie, Lizzie?" Luke asked.

  As she looked into his eyes, she sensed there was a lot behind the lightly spoken question. "I loved it."

  "You can be honest."

  "I am being honest. You took me along on every adventure. I felt exhausted by the end of it but also exhilarated, like I'd climbed the mountain with you, only I wasn't freezing or starving or trying to stay upright on exhausted legs."

  He smiled. "That's the reaction I was hoping for."

  "You got it. I now completely understand why you're a superstar," she added with a smile. "And I'm not surprised. When you first talked about making movies like that, you were so passionate and excited and determined. I didn't know they would turn out this good, and I certainly didn't know how many chances you would take with your own life, but I always knew you'd do something incredible with your life. I was right."

  "Thanks."

  "I liked your speech, too. It was interesting how you spoke about the people in your film, how you made them real."

  "They were real people, same as you and me."

  "I wouldn't have seen them that way if you hadn't showed me. It's easier to look at superstars as people born with very special talents or blessed with some unusual strength, but not the guy driving the garbage truck in the morning so he can be home to pick up his kid from kindergarten at noon."

  "I believe that ordinary people are capable of doing extraordinary things. The courage is there within them; they just have to find it."

  "You make it sound so easy."

  "It's not easy, but it's possible. You've done it. You found the courage to walk out on the stage and play for the toughest critics in the world. You found the courage to give up your life and raise your niece. Hell, you found the courage to walk away from me when you needed to."

  "I thought you hated me for that."

  "I did for a long time, but that's only because…I loved you so much."

  She sucked in a quick breath. "I feel like we're veering into dangerous territory."

  He smiled and squeezed her fingers. "And I feel like we haven't missed a beat. All those years in between are gone. It's you and me again. I like talking to you, Lizzie. I always did."

  "You liked to do more than talk," she teased.

  "Guilty. But when we weren't doing that, talking was good."

  "It was good." She swallowed as a knot of emotion began to grow in her throat. "I deliberately didn't watch any of your movies before tonight. I didn’t think I could stand seeing you. I thought it would hurt too much."

  "Are you hurting now?"

  "A little," she admitted. "I can't help thinking about all the adventures I missed. Not that I would have wanted to participate in most of what you've done, but I would have loved to see some of the places you've been."

  "There's still time."

  "I wish that were true. But I have even less of a chance now of traveling the world…I have Kaitlyn. I have roots. I can't take off and go where I want. I had my chance; I didn't take it."

  He stared back at her. "What if I gave you another chance?"

  "Why would you?" she asked, as her blood rushed through her veins at the intense look of desire in his eyes.

  "Because I want you, Lizzie."

  She wanted to ask why, for what, for how long…but she couldn't get any words out.

  He leaned forward and pushed a strand of her hair off her forehead, then let his fingers slide down her cheek. "You are so beautiful, even prettier than I remember. You always had the softest lips, the sweetest sigh. I want those lips; I want that sigh."

  Her heart pounded against her chest. "We—can't."

  "Can't we?" he countered. "Who's going to stop us?"

  "One of us should probably do that."

  "You don't think it's going to be me, do you?"

  She knew it wasn't going to be him; she was also afraid it wouldn't be her. "Oh, Luke," she said, giving him that sigh he wanted. "I could never say no to you."

  "You did once."

  "It was the hardest thing I ever did. I'm sorry I hurt you."

  "I'm sorry, too." He leaned in and took the kiss he wanted.

  She opened her mouth to his, sinking into the kiss as heat and passion swept through her. He tasted like Luke: sexy, powerful, and cocky. Oh, how she'd missed him. When it came to making love, he'd always been intense and overwhelming and absolutely perfect.

  His tongue tangled with hers as his arms wrapped around her back, pulling her up against his body—a body fit and lean and so very male. She wanted to touch every inch of him and then follow with her mouth.

  She ran her hands up under his shirt, hearing his breath quicken as she ran her fingers across his abs.

  And this time it was Luke who sighed, a needy groan that only intensified the heat between them.

  Kissing wasn't enough. She wanted him the way he wanted her and that did not involve clothes.

  "Your room," he muttered, lifting his mouth from hers long enough to ask the question. "Where is it?"

  "Downstairs," she said breathlessly. "But Kaitlyn—we share the apartment."

  "I have a cabin. It's not that far."

  It was far enough away to give her time to catch her breath, change her mind. So she said yes, thinking she still had time to say no…if she really wanted to.

  "Yes," she whispered.

  "Thank God." He jumped to his feet, pulling her up along with him.

  They went down the stairs and through the front door of the lodge. Fortunat
ely, they didn't run into anyone on their way to Luke's cabin.

  She was a little surprised when Luke fumbled with the key, but it was that slight shake in his hand that took away whatever lingering doubts she might have had. This was Luke—her first love—really, her only love. If they had one more night together, she'd take it.

  Luke got the door open and pulled her inside, kicking it shut behind him. He didn't bother with the lights and the streaming glow from the moon and the stars through the windows was even more romantic. She didn't want to see the cabin; she just wanted to see him, to be with him.

  Now that she'd gotten past her indecision, she was all in, impatient and filled with desire to be with him. She went in for a kiss, throwing her arms around his neck, pulling his head down to hers.

  Their panting, breathless kisses were punctuated by the removal of their clothes. She took off his shirt. He returned the favor, taking the time to unhook her bra as well. As she slipped the straps off her shoulders, he lowered his head and kissed her breasts, swirling his tongue around her already hardened nipples.

  It had been so long since she had felt his mouth, since she'd felt so needy, so desperate for a man.

  Her hands moved to his jeans, feeling the impressive bulge that told her just how needy and desperate he was, too.

  She wanted to get those pants off him as fast as she could. She pulled open the snap and unzipped. He pushed his jeans and briefs over his ass and down his legs, kicking his way out of them. Then he helped her out of her jeans.

  Finally, they were naked, and she couldn't help but take a second to appreciate the male in front of her. She wanted to soak in the sight of him, because there was a part of her that thought this moment wouldn't last nearly long enough.

  Luke reached for her, his hands settling on her hips as he backed her toward the bed, and then they tumbled onto the soft mattress together. His mouth and hands were everywhere.

  "Wait," she said, putting a hand against his hard chest, her cautious brain still working somewhat.

  "You're not changing your mind, are you?" he asked in shock.

  "No. But we need protection."

  "Right. Hang on."

  He got up from the bed and walked into the adjoining bathroom, and she had to admit she enjoyed the view.

  She heard him rustling around. "Any luck?"

  He came back into the room with a rather triumphant smile, holding two condoms in his hand. He tossed them onto the bedside table, as he settled down next to her with a smile. He kissed her as his hand settled on her breast. "We have two chances to get this right, Lizzie."

  "That seems appropriate," she murmured, as she pulled him down on top of her. She loved the feel of his weight on her, the way their bodies came together so naturally. It was as if not a second had passed between this time and the last time.

  Luke gave her another long kiss, then made his way slowly down her body until every nerve ending was strumming a song that was all him. Luke liked to go fast in every other part of his life, but not this. With love, he'd always been tormentingly slow, making sure she was as ready as he was, and damn if he didn't still know how to touch her better than anyone else.

  And she knew how to touch him, too. She pushed him onto his back and took the same tantalizing journey across his chest before they finally stopped teasing and playing and settled into a rhythm that was all theirs. It was exciting, amazing, fulfilling…and terrifying.

  How was she ever going to love anyone but him?

  * * *

  Luke couldn't let go of Lizzie. They'd made love for hours, exploring each other's bodies as if they'd never been there before. And as the dawn light streamed through a parted curtain, he wanted her again. He felt like he was twenty: impatient, insatiable, and crazy about her. The last thing he wanted to do was get out of this bed.

  Lizzie snuggled against him, her eyes closed, her cheeks touched with pink, her silky blonde hair tangled from his fingers. He loved looking at her—the sweep of her dark lashes, the fullness of her soft lips.

  He drew in a deep breath, realizing he needed to exercise a little self-control, but where Lizzie was concerned, that had always been difficult. He'd never felt like he could get enough of her, and that hadn't changed.

  But what now?

  Normally, he didn't worry about the morning, about the next day or the next week or the next month, but being with Lizzie wasn't normal. Walking away from her…saying good-bye—how the hell could he do that again?

  He groaned and rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling, his mind going back ten years.

  Waiting for her to show up at the airport, he'd paced back and forth in front of the terminal. He'd texted her, called her, imagined the worst when she didn't answer. When he hadn't heard from her twenty-four hours later, he'd called her mother, and she'd told him that Lizzie was fine, but she'd decided to stay in town for the summer. She didn't know why Lizzie hadn't told him that; he didn't know why, either.

  He'd gotten on the next plane. He'd spent years burning off his anger and heartbreak. He'd told himself he was better off without her. He'd put all his energy, all his focus into his work, into his adventures. It had paid off on the career front, but personally…

  He thought he'd forgotten her, gotten over her…

  "Luke?" Her soft, questioning voice brought him back to reality. "What are you thinking about?"

  He turned back onto his side, hiding his thoughts behind a smile. "You." He touched her lips. "This mouth."

  She grabbed his arm. "We can't start that up again. It's morning."

  "So?"

  "So, we can't." She gave him a thoughtful look. "That wasn't really what you were thinking about, was it?"

  "It doesn't matter."

  "I think it might."

  "Just remembering the way we were," he admitted.

  She nodded, understanding in her eyes. "How can it feel like we were together yesterday instead of ten years ago?"

  "I don't know, but it does feel that way."

  She put her arm across his waist. "You were remembering our breakup. That's why there were shadows in your eyes. I hurt you."

  "You did, but in some ways the anger drove me. I was determined to prove that you'd made a mistake by not sticking by me."

  "You've been very successful."

  "So have you. I'm proud of you, Lizzie. You set your goals, and you reached them." He paused. "But I think I'm even more impressed by your willingness to take on the incredibly huge and important task of raising your niece. You've changed your entire life around. You forged a new frontier, with a lot of guts."

  She bit down on her lips, her eyes blurring with tears. "That means a lot coming from a man who forges new frontiers every day."

  "Sometimes a simple choice to move or change jobs is just as big as jumping off of a mountain."

  "I wouldn't tell your fans that," she said lightly.

  "I think they would understand, because that's the real message of my movies. It's about finding the strength within. Fighting the fear. Being everything you were meant to be."

  "You've always had a lot more depth than people realize, Luke."

  That was probably true, but she'd always seen him. That's why it had been so painful when she left. He'd missed her understanding, her counsel, her laugh, her kiss—so many things…They'd had so much more than just physical attraction; they'd had real love. He hadn't even really realized that until just this second.

  "I'm proud of you, too, Luke," she said, interrupting his thoughts. "You inspire people and in a world that can be far too cynical, that is worth a lot." She drew in a breath and let it out. "I just…don't know where we go from here."

  "Maybe breakfast?" he said lightly.

  "You know what I mean."

  "We don't have to decide right now. There's a lot to think about."

  "More for you than for me," she said. "But you're right. And today isn't the best day for decisions anyway."

  He frowned at her words, seeing new
shadows fill her eyes. "Why? What's today?"

  "It would have been my sister's thirty-sixth birthday."

  "I'm sorry." He leaned over and kissed her. "I know the focus is all on Kaitlyn, but you lost your sister, and I know how much you loved her."

  "I did love her, but I can't talk about her, because it bothers Kaitlyn."

  "I know that feeling. I always wanted to talk about my mom, but my dad didn't want to hear it. We all grieve in different ways."

  "I try to remember that. But lately Kaitlyn's anger and her accusations that Kelly's and my relationship wasn't what I remember have been making me a little crazy. I'm afraid one of these days I'm going to snap at her and say something that will only set her back or make any relationship between us impossible."

  "I don't think you'll do that. You have too much love for the kid, even when she's yanking your chain."

  "I hope you're right about that. Shari and I were thinking of doing something in Kelly's honor today, making my sister's favorite meal, but we're afraid of how Kaitlyn will react. Maybe reminding her that her mom isn't here on what would have been her birthday isn't a good idea."

  "It might not be," he said frankly. "You might need to have your own personal celebration and not involve Kaitlyn."

  She sighed. "You always tell me the truth, Luke, even when I don’t want to hear it. That used to annoy me, but I found I missed it over the years."

  "The hard truth has saved my life a few times. I live by it."

  "I should go back to the house before Kaitlyn gets up. I need to take a shower and get dressed."

  He wasn't quite ready to let her go. "Why don't we take a shower here together?"

  "You know where that will lead, and we don't have any more protection."

  "We'll improvise. I have a few ideas."

  Her blue eyes sparkled as she laughed. "I bet you do."

  He grinned back at her. "Is that a yes? I promise to make it worth your while."

  "Do you even have to ask?" she returned, as he rolled out of bed and pulled her along with him.

  Ten

  After the most exciting shower of her life in the past decade, Lizzie went back to the lodge, changed her clothes and checked in on Kaitlyn a little before nine. Her niece was still asleep and actually looked like the angel she'd once been.