by Stella Rhys
“Thank you,” he murmured, brushing a couple strands of hair that had matted to my wet cheeks. He kissed me again before breathing out words that warmed my body from head to toe. “I needed you today,” he said softly, his forehead on mine. “I didn’t even know how bad. I’m just so fucking glad you’re here.”
24
LIA
By the time we made a second stop, it was dark out. We had stayed hours in that diner, and another thirty minutes in the parking lot. He had pulled me onto his lap in the driver’s seat and we had sat there together in silence for a bit, my head on his chest and his arms wrapped around me tight. “This feels good,” he had murmured, running a hand through my hair as I listened to the beat of his heart.
Once we were back on the road, Lukas seemed almost fully recovered, so when we stopped again, this time at the side of a dark road, I feared something was wrong.
“Are you okay?” I whispered as he reached for me again, pulling me onto his lap. But instead of hugging me to his chest this time, he pulled my mouth to his, parting my lips with his tongue and sweeping it in long strokes against mine. I immediately fell into his kiss, moaning into his mouth as he grabbed handfuls of my ass under my skirt. The moment I felt his dick harden underneath me, I yanked at my T-shirt, un-tucking it from my short, pleated skirt and whipping it over my head.
“No,” Lukas said gruffly as I reached to unbutton my skirt. “Keep it on. I want you to keep this little skirt on while I fuck you.”
My lips curved against his, his words turning me on so hard I found myself ripping at his belt. Undoing its buckle, I flicked open the button of his jeans, jerking the zipper down and whispering yes when I held his heavy cock in my hands. Lifting my hips on his lap, I pulled my panties aside and rubbed his flared tip against my wet length.
“Do it. Put it in your pussy, baby,” Lukas murmured as he played with my tits, cupping them in his hands, kissing and licking them. When I sank down on his dick, he groaned against my skin, biting my nipple and groaning when I let out a little yelp. To ease the sting, he sucked on it gently, swirling his tongue over my tight peak and giving a muffled chuckle as my pussy pulsed tighter around him. “Fuck, I love watching you ride me,” he exhaled when he leaned back, his eyes blazing as they trailed from my lips to my breasts to my skirted hips circling him. “Come here.” Grabbing me, he pulled me closer. His green eyes were intense on mine as he squeezed my ass, spreading my pussy and controlling my pace on top of his cock. “This is all I need,” he breathed. “All I need is you. No one makes me feel like this. You make me feel so fucking good, Lia. So. Fucking. Good.”
I wanted to analyze his words but there was no way to in that moment. I was stretched unbelievably tight around him, his cock so deep inside me I could feel him in my stomach. My nails dug in the leather of his seat as I felt his every inch and every ridge. I closed my eyes, too breathless to kiss him but his mouth didn’t take no for an answer, catching mine with authority and sucking on my bottom lip.
“Lukas,” I hissed when I pulled away. “I can’t handle it.”
“Handle what?”
How good you feel. How I don’t know how long I’ll even feel you for. How fucking crazy you make me without even trying. I shook my head.
“I can’t,” I whimpered as he reclined the chair, hooking his fingers into the waist of my skirt and sliding me up and down the length of his wet cock. “You make me feel too good,” I moaned softly as he caught my breast with his mouth, swirling his tongue all over me.
“Likewise, baby. You’re so fucking sweet,” Lukas groaned. “I can’t get enough of you. I can’t sleep unless I’m holding you and I wake up in the middle of the fucking night wanting you. You’re all I think about anymore,” he rasped. “All I ever want is you.” He gritted his teeth, moving me quicker over his shaft. “You make everything better. I’m fucking addicted to you,” he growled, his features tightening as my body shivered over his.
I’m addicted too, I wanted to say but the shockwave of ecstasy hit me out of nowhere and sensing it, Lukas pumped faster inside me, sliding my pussy to the tip of his cock and holding me still so he could thrust upward inside me. I cried out with his every push till I pitched forward onto his chest, gasping, making every kind of noise as I came all over his cock. As if the sensation weren’t enough, I felt him get harder inside me, stretching me in the midst of my orgasm.
“I’m going to come,” Lukas rasped desperately.
“Come for me,” I whispered, gasping for air. “Come inside me.”
With those words from my lips, I felt him explode under me, his pleasure bursting hot in my body. I savored his every aftershock, reveled in the words he whispered to me between every kiss he slammed over my mouth. You’re fucking amazing… you’re so beautiful… you’re my weakness. So many sweet words grouped in threes but none that matched the three spinning in my own lovesick head.
25
LIA
By the time we finally arrived at Ritchie’s house, it was close to 7PM. I was surprised and somewhat relieved to see I barely recognized the place at all. The outside, once a paint-chipped white with red shutters, was now coated with fresh layers of dark blue and brown. The lawn was neatly trimmed, actually green for once, and on it was the “For Sale” sign that made me feel as if this chapter of my life were finally and officially ending.
“You ready for this?” Lukas asked, giving my hand a squeeze.
“Yup,” I said, squeezing his hand back as I confidently rang the doorbell.
But I was surprised when the door swung open because greeting me were three familiar faces, none of them Ritchie. “Hey!” they said in unison, pulling me in for a hug.
It took several moments in the hug before I recognized my former best friends, Bree and Lyssa, and Lyssa’s brother, Stephen. They all wrapped around me in a group hug that brought me back to high school, and when they pulled away, Bree literally shrieked.
“Oh God, who’s this?” she asked, staring at Lukas. “Where is he from and where do I get one?” she asked with volume and pitch that increased with every word. She had always been the hilariously dramatic one of the group – though it was certainly wasn’t that hilarious when she decided to call me a “thankless prostitute” for leaving Ritchie after Gail died. I wasn’t sure where she got the prostitute part from but I wasn’t going to try to think about that now. These people weren’t my friends by a long shot, but I was still interested in leaving things off on a positive note, unlike the first time I left.
“Hey Bree, hey Lyssa, hey Steve,” I laughed as I fixed my hug-tousled hair and pulled Lukas inside. “Guys, this is Lukas.”
“Lukas,” Lyssa repeated, unblinking as she held out her hand to Lukas. “And you’re Lia’s… friend?”
“Boyfriend,” Lukas corrected casually. He grinned as everyone, Stephen included, turned to look at me in surprise.
“That’s too crazy,” Lyssa remarked after a bit of quiet, exchanging a look with Bree. “How crazy is that, Bree?”
“Not even over it yet.”
I smiled stiffly, oddly uncomfortable. After craning his neck to look out the window, Stephen stared at Lukas.
“Nice fucking car, man. You rich?”
“Stephen!” the girls scolded just as I heard several pairs of footsteps coming up from the basement. I felt Lukas’s hand slip back into mine as I saw an unfamiliar redhead in tiny ripped shorts. Following closely behind her was Ritchie.
Well, there he is. Looking exactly the same.
If I was surprised by anything, it was the fact that I felt not even the slightest pang of emotion as Ritchie’s eyes caught mine. Unlike the exterior of the house, my ex hadn’t changed. Not even a little. He still had the same shaggy, light brown hair that he had to keep pushing out of his face, and he still wore the same oversized Billabong T-shirt under a plaid red shirt. For the record, he didn’t surf or skate. He just loved that damned shirt.
“Hey…” he finally said, his eyes quickly leaving
mine to stare at Lukas. “Who’s this guy?”
“Ritchie, this is Lukas,” I said. I felt Lukas squeeze my hand. “My boyfriend.”
Ritchie couldn’t contain his surprise. “No shit.”
“No shit,” Lukas and I repeated at once. Bree gasped.
“They already finish each other’s sentences!”
“No, Bree, that was just them saying the same – you know what, forget it,” Lyssa laughed dryly as Stephen jabbed his finger out the window.
“Yo, check out his car,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Guys,” I frowned, mortified when Ritchie actually went over the window to look at the Range Rover.
“I should be honest, it’s not mine. Borrowed from a friend,” Lukas laughed.
“Who’s your friend? Is he rich?” Bree whispered, as if whispering made her question less tacky.
“You don’t have to answer that,” I said to Lukas, exchanging a polite laugh with Bree, who polite laughed right back.
“Right. Well, uh, I have some food and stuff in the basement,” Ritchie said, taking one last look at the Rover before turning to me. “I figured we could all catch up there, hear about Lia’s new business and then I could give you the box and you could get going to see your dad.” He glanced at Lukas. “You can come too, I guess.”
Lord. I looked up at a grinning Lukas.
“You can come too. Isn’t that nice?” I whispered under my breath as we followed everyone down to the basement that had once been Ritchie’s escape when he didn’t want to help me with anything. There were still video game boxes littered all over the floor and pillows and blankets from the bed on the couch, for the nights that Ritchie fell asleep playing Fallout. I could tell from the dry look Lukas shot at me that he was making all the correct assumptions about what this room used to be.
“So, this is probably not as fancy as you’re used to in the city, but I got some of your old favorites at least,” Ritchie said, pointing to the flavored seltzer and giant, half-eaten pie of pizza from Lucille’s.
“Nice,” I said as everyone sat down, looking expectantly at me. Since no one had thought to, I introduced myself to the redhead sitting with Ritchie. “I’m Lia, by the way.”
“Oh, I know! I’m Gina.” She pointed back and forth between Lukas and me. “So how long have you two been dating?”
Crap. I hadn’t even thought to make up the story for that. I looked up at Lukas. “How long has it been?” I asked.
“Honestly?” He rubbed his bottom lip as he tried to think. I chewed back a grin because he looked so damned sexy like that. “Less than two months. It hasn’t been that long.”
“Oh,” Bree laughed, sounding relieved. “So you’re not that serious at all.”
“Bree,” Lyssa muttered.
“What? It’s a normal question!” Bree defended herself. “It’s just a fun little fling thing?”
Lukas chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that. I’m hanging onto her for as long as she’ll have me.” He turned to me. “You running away anytime soon?”
I snorted. “No plans as of yet.”
He squeezed my hand. “Awesome. Let’s keep it that way,” he said as Gina cooed from across the sectional.
“So, Liam,” Ritchie started.
“Lukas.”
“I said that,” Ritchie said, shooting me a look. “Lukas, what do you do for a living?”
“I own a real estate company.”
“Damn, you own a real estate company in New York City? That’s gotta make a lot of money,” Ritchie said, leaning forward. “Tell me something – are you Lia’s investor?”
I stared at Ritchie as Lukas laughed. “No, I’m not. I would’ve loved to be but I don’t think she would’ve accepted that,” he answered, looking at me. “Would you have?” he asked, lowering his voice.
“Not in a million years,” I whispered with a grin.
“Didn’t think so,” Lukas smirked. When we looked back up, everyone was whispering together except Gina, who smiled at us.
“I hear you make chocolate for a living!” she said excitedly.
“I do,” I smiled. “I actually brought some for everybody in case you’re curious to try.”
“Oh, totally! Yes!”
Reaching into my purse, I pulled out a square box of sixteen truffles that everyone, even Ritchie, oohed and ahhed over. I couldn’t help but glow with pride because every row of round chocolates did look beautiful, their shells perfectly smooth and shiny, their colors complementing each other. There were colors ranging from periwinkle to cream, and toppings ranging from cinnamon sugar to flecks of dried lavender. When Lyssa asked me to explain each one, I gladly did, smiling the whole time because I could almost feel Lukas’s pride as he rubbed my back.
“The first row is Earl Grey lavender truffles, the second row is rum raisin, the third is chestnut and the last one is dark chocolate with a churro feuilletine. I know the colors are bright but don’t worry, it’s tinted cocoa butter and it’s all completely edible,” I said, genuinely happy as I watched everyone dig in.
“Damn, I don’t know what a foo-ya-teen is but it tastes like fucking heaven,” Lyssa practically growled, staring at the other half of the truffle she’d bitten into. I breathed out in relief, almost certain I felt something in the air change for the better as everyone tried a piece of chocolate.
“That’s it. I’m taking your ass to Spain,” Lukas whispered in my ear, feeding me the other half of the churro feuilletine truffle. I held in my giggle as he squeezed my knee. “You think I’m kidding? I’m going to buy us one of every nut or spice I see out there and I’m going to spend every morning watching you make chocolate while you’re ass naked.”
“Lukas,” I giggled.
“Don’t you want that? I want that,” Lukas grinned.
“Oh, you two – just stop,” Bree interrupted. “We’ve got enough sweetness with the chocolates, we can’t have you guys being all couple-ly and cute or we’ll need fuckin’ root canals.”
I snorted. “How do you like the Earl Grey lavender, Bree?”
“Is this a serious question? It’s like, the best thing I’ve ever eaten. I could eat this and the hazelnut one for the rest of my life and be set.”
“Classic Bree exaggeration,” Stephen rolled his eyes. He looked at me. “Though I gotta admit, this rum raisin is dope. I think it’s getting me drunk. Yo – how the hell do you make these so shiny?”
“Proper tempering. And the molds I use do help,” I replied just as I heard my phone start to buzz angrily against my keys in my purse. I frowned. “Weird. Sorry, I did put that thing on silent.”
“If someone calls twice in a row, the second call comes through,” Lyssa offered. “Meaning it could be an emergency. You should pick it up or at least see who it is.”
“Oh, shit. Good to know,” I said with genuine surprise that made everyone chuckle and laugh. Fishing through my purse, I found my phone, letting out a little gasp when I saw that it was Elaine Gardner calling. “It’s Elaine,” I whispered to Lukas with wide eyes.
“Who’s Elaine?” Ritchie asked.
“My investor,” I replied hastily as I got up off the couch. “Do you mind if I…?”
“No, no! Go ahead. Shit’s important,” Ritchie said. Then he got urgent. “Wait, wait! Before you go…”
I turned around with a hint of concern. “Yeah?”
“Can I have the last rum raisin?”
“Yes!” I answered incredulously as everyone, Lukas included, broke out laughing. My phone was still buzzing but I had to take a moment and snap a mental picture. Lukas Hendricks sitting with my ex and my high school friends, all of us hanging out together in the house I grew up in. My two very different worlds were colliding so hard and it was fucking bizarre.
But kind of nice.
Okay. Alright. Good vibes, I told myself, my heart beating fast but a smile on my face as I finally excused myself to the corner to pick up the phone.
LUKAS
�
�So, Lukas.”
I knew I’d hear those words the second Lia was gone, and I had a feeling I’d hear it from the brown-haired one with the short, crazy ponytail at the top of her head. I was pretty sure that one was Bree.
“Tell us all about Lia. We’re so curious to know what she’s like now. Like, whenever someone moves out of Warren and doesn’t come back within like, six months, it’s kind of a miracle,” Bree said. “Is she workin’ real hard out there?”
I let out a breath. “Definitely. I had to chase her to go out with me for awhile. She works hard,” I said, keeping it simple. I didn’t trust these people. I didn’t trust anyone for the most part, but Lia’s former friends fell pretty low on the totem pole.
“That’s amazing. She’s honestly always been really good about staying focused. Nothing ever distracted her,” Bree said, glancing back at Ritchie. “Then again, she was dating Ritchie back then and I think we can all agree that Ritchie’s a lot less distracting than you are.”
“Bree,” Lyssa hissed as Ritchie flipped her the bird. “Sorry, Lukas. Had I known someone like you was coming, I would’ve briefed these clowns on social skills and manners.”
“Fuck you, Lyss,” Ritchie muttered.
I eyed him, remembering everything Lia had told me about him. He forced her to drop out of school, forced her to pay him for work he never did. He lied about having a job and played fucking video games at his friend’s house for eight hours a day and took a loan out in her name to tank her credit.
For Lia’s sake, I’d gone into this night trying not to remind myself of all the shit he put her through because I understood her need to close this chapter of her life on a high note. I’d never forgive Cam for all the shit he pulled on me and my family but it wasn’t like I savored my hatred for him. It wasn’t fun. It burned inside me every day and filled me with dark thoughts no happy person was capable of having. I wouldn’t want Lia to feel so much as a fraction of that so I did my best to sit through the night a complete gentleman.
