by E. K. Blair
“I want you to taste what I taste every time we make love,” he whispered.
His hand reached around to the back of my neck, and he held me steady while he kissed me passionately, sucking my tongue and nipping my bottom lip. “I need you, babe. I need you so bad it hurts.”
As he broke our kiss, he turned me around and laid me on the bed, hovering over me and softly kissing my back. I could feel his hard cock rubbing against my ass and up the small of my back. A low groan turned louder as he pushed himself inside me. He moved in and out of me, making me come with him as he reached under me and rubbed my swollen clit. After lowering himself on top of me, he brought his mouth to my ear and whispered, “Don’t ever leave me.”
I felt a knot in my throat, finding it hard to catch my breath. He just asked me never to leave him, which meant things were moving faster than the speed of light. I turned my head to the side and kissed his lips as I smiled. He got up and went into the bathroom, and I lay there, pondering his words. A few minutes later, he emerged and walked over to where his boxers and jeans laid on the floor.
“I’ve been thinking about buying Bernie’s bar,” he said as he put his boxers on and sat on the edge of the bed.
I sat up and wrapped one arm around his neck. “That’s wonderful, Luke. How long have you been thinking about doing that?”
He took my hand and interlaced our fingers. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing, ever since I was a kid. Callie and I talked about it all the time. She encouraged me to go for it, and when I finally decided to take that leap, the accident happened and changed everything.”
As I kissed his shoulder, he stroked my arm. “Luke, you should still buy it.”
“It’s not that simple, Lily.”
I heard my cell phone ringing, so Luke told me to go answer it. I got up from the bed, walked over to the dresser, and saw Gretchen was calling.
“Hey, Gretch, what’s up?”
“Are the two of you going to have sex the rest of the night or are you coming to the bar?”
“Are you already there?” I asked.
“No, we’re standing outside your apartment, waiting for you.”
“Oh!” I said. “Give us a minute. The door’s unlocked, come in and make yourselves comfortable.”
“Ok,” she said as she ended the call.
Luke looked at me, and I could see that the tears and sadness that filled his eyes were gone. “I didn’t realize what time it was.”
“They can wait,” I said as I pulled my black dress from the closet.
“If you wear that, you’re going to have me fucking you in the bathroom at the bar.”
I giggled as I slipped it on. “I dare you.” I smiled.
“Dude and dudette, let’s go!” Sam yelled from across the room.
“Shut it, man! We’re coming!” Luke yelled back.
“I bet you are!” he exclaimed.
We looked at each other and started laughing. Luke got dressed, and we walked into the living room. Gretchen looked at me, got up from the couch, and grabbed my arm, leading me into the bathroom.
“You have sex hair. You can’t go to the bar with sex hair.”
I sighed as I took the brush, ran it through my hair, and touched up my makeup. “How’s that?” I asked her as I turned around.
“Much better.” She smiled.
We walked into the living room, grabbed our guys, and headed to Bernie’s.
24
“Four beers, Candi,” Luke said as he walked past the bar, and the four of us sat at a table.
“What’s going on with your sister and Lucky?” I asked Gretchen as I grabbed her hand.
“I don’t know. She said it’s weird because he’s not her type at all, yet she can’t stop fucking him.”
I twisted my face at her as Candi brought the beers to the table.
“It looks like it’s a full house tonight, Luke. Maybe you should be up on that stage, playing your guitar and singing us a song.” Candi smiled.
“I’d love to, Candi, but I didn’t bring my guitar.”
“Maybe you didn’t bring it, but I did.” Sam chuckled.
Luke shot him a look. “You brought my guitar, man?”
“Yeah, it’s in the back of the Jeep. I put it in there in case you needed it.” Sam replied.
“Great!” Candi grinned. “Thirty minutes, Luke. Get ready to knock the socks off this crowd,” she said.
Luke looked over at me as he took a swig of his beer. “How about you get up on that stage and play what your daddy taught you?”
“No way!” I exclaimed as I took a sip of my beer.
I didn’t know if he was joking or not, but there was no way in hell I was getting up on that stage and playing the guitar.
“Come on, Lily. You have a beautiful voice.” Luke smiled.
“Since when have you heard me sing?”
“Through the wall; you sing almost every night before you go to bed—at least you did before I started sleeping over.”
“Damn it, I have to move; those walls are too thin.”
Luke laughed, pulled me from my chair, and hugged me. “You aren’t going anywhere,” he said.
Sam went out to the Jeep, grabbed Luke’s guitar, and handed it to him as Candi announced Luke’s performance from the stage. I smiled at him and kissed him for good luck. He winked at me, walked to the stage, and sat on the bar stool Candi provided for him. Luke adjusted the microphone and said hello as everyone in the bar clapped. His smile captivated me like it always does, and the way he held his guitar and strummed a few chords for a sound check, pulled me in. Candi set another beer down in front of me, leaned over, and whispered in my ear as she looked across at the stage.
“Luke’s a great guy; it’s good to see him smile again.”
My eyes wouldn’t leave him as he sat up on the stage, and I stared straight ahead as I replied, “He is a wonderful guy. Sometimes, I think he’s too good to be true.”
Candi patted my shoulder and walked away. I took a sip of my fresh, cold beer and listened as Luke sang a song.
The moment he finished his song, Luke spoke to the crowd. “I’ve met a very special lady. She’s very talented, and I think you’d all like her. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce Lily Gilmore.”
My stomach dropped, and my heart started racing. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to kill him, but that would have to wait because people were cheering and clapping for me. Gretchen pushed me up on the stage; then I stood there and faced the cheering crowd.
Luke stood up, handed me his guitar, and whispered in my ear, “You can punish me later.”
I shot him a look and sat down on the stool with his guitar in hand. Luke made his way off the stage and back to the table. I stared out in the crowd, remembering the night my father did the same thing to me. Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath and started playing a song that I wrote shortly after my father’s death.
“You were taken away
By the love and alcohol you liked to play
I love you are just words
If there’s no action, it can’t be meant
You told me you loved me, and I was heaven sent.
You left a cut so deep in my heart
There’s no escaping who you are
But I’m your daughter, and I’m your star
You left me alone and full of scars.
There were more important things to you
Then the family that you once knew
You always told me to shine bright
And that I was your shining light.
You left a cut so deep in my heart
There’s no escaping who you are
But I’m your daughter, and I’m your star
You left me alone and full of scars.
You said you’d always be with me
Even when I needed you most
You’re just a phone call away
Over on the East Coast.
I’m do
ne crying now, and I’ve said goodbye
I’ll remember you always until I die
I hope you can hear me from wherever you are
This song is for you, from your daughter, your star.”
While the people in the bar clapped and whistled, I strummed the last chord. Standing up, I smiled and thanked them as Sam walked up on stage and took Luke’s guitar. He kissed me on the cheek and smiled. Luke got up from the table and stood in the middle of the bar, waiting for me to walk off the stage and into his arms. When I climbed down to meet him, his arms tightly wrapped around me.
“Babe, that was beautiful,” he said. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Luke,” I said as I looked up at him.
“I didn’t know you wrote songs; I thought you just sang and played random ones or the ones your father taught you.”
“I write a song here and there.” I smiled.
He cupped my face in his hands and kissed my lips. Gretchen walked up to us, broke our kiss, and hugged me.
“I’ve never heard that song before, Lily. What the fuck, girl, why didn’t you ever sing it to me?” She started to tear up.
“It’s just a song that I kept to myself.”
“Just a song you kept to yourself? You just sang it in front of a shitload of people!” she exclaimed.
“Consider it my debut.”
Suddenly, our favorite song, Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, started playing, and Gretchen grabbed my hand, pulling me to the dance floor. We started moving our hips and dancing; then moments later, I felt two hands clasp my waist. As I turned around, Luke was smiling at me, moving his hands up and down my body while dancing to the music. Our bodies kept the same rhythm as we swayed our hips back and forth. As we stared into each other’s eyes while we danced, Luke never stopped smiling, and neither did I. When the song ended, Luke put his arm around me, kissed me, and then led us back to the table. Sam held his hand up for a high five.
“You rocked that song, girl. I’m so proud of you, and I didn’t know you could sing,” he said.
“Thank you, Sam.” I smiled.
Luke sat in his chair and put his arm around me. Scanning the crowd, I saw the two girls that had been at Luke’s apartment, standing in the corner, staring at us. A few moments later, they left the corner and started walking over to our table. I looked at the girl who so graciously gave Luke a blow job and said, “Keep walking.” Then I smiled and threw my beer back. Gretchen spit out her beer, unable to contain her laughter as Luke shook his head.
***
Barely making it through my apartment door, Luke already had my dress pulled up as he worked on tearing off my thong. Our passionate kiss couldn’t be broken as we were both engrossed in the moment. This time, I pinned Luke up against the door as I unbuttoned his jeans and took them down, along with his boxers. He threw his head back and moaned as I took his hard cock in my mouth. No longer able to control his movements, his hands fisted my hair as my tongue ran around the tip and my hands moved in sync up and down his shaft. His moan grew louder as I started sucking and he moved his hips back and forth.
“Oh god, Lily. I’m going to come!” he exclaimed.
Suddenly, a warm, salty liquid filled my mouth. I’ve never swallowed before. In fact, I never sucked a guy off until they came before. Usually, I stop and finish them off with my hand, but with Luke, I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t want to seem rude and ruin the moment by running to the kitchen sink and spitting it out, so I just swallowed it. Luke pulled me up and pushed back my hair.
“You’re unbelievable.” He smiled.
“Correction, you’re unbelievable,” I replied.
He carried me to the bedroom, wrapped me tightly in his arms, and for the first time in over a year, I slept soundly through the night.
25
Luke
I spent more time at Lily’s place than I did my own. Sam and I worked out a system that if I’m staying at Lily’s for the night, then Gretchen would stay at our place. Another morning had come, and Lily was getting ready for work. As I made the coffee, I sent a text message to Sam, asking if he could bring over some eggs. I was in my boxers, so I went into the bedroom and threw on my jeans. Hearing a knock on the door, I left the button and zipper of my jeans undone. I walked over, opened it, and, froze when I saw Charley standing there. She was looking me up and down, noticing I was half-naked. It’s not the first time she’s seen me like this, but it’s the first time this happened at Lily’s.
“Charley, what are you doing here?” I tried to smile casually.
“Why aren’t you dressed? Did you spend the night?”
I took in a deep breath. “Peanut, what can I do for you?”
Lily emerged from the hallway, saw Charley, and looked at me.
“Hey, Charley, come on in,” she said.
She ducked under my arm and walked into the apartment. “Are you coming to my grandma’s family dinner tonight?” she asked Lily.
“I sure am, and I’m excited!”
Charley glanced over at me as I came from the bedroom with my jeans buttoned and a t-shirt on.
“You didn’t have to get dressed on my account,” she said.
Lily busted out laughing, and I shot her a look. “Peanut, don’t you have to go to school?”
“Yeah, but I was just—.”
“You were just leaving.” I laughed as I picked her up, threw her over my shoulder, and took her back up to her apartment. When I dropped Charlie off with Maddie, I walked back to Lily’s apartment, and Sam walked over and handed me a carton of eggs.
“Dude, I sent you a text like twenty minutes ago.”
“Sorry, but Gretchen had me tied up.” He winked.
“Thanks, man,” I said as I grabbed the eggs and walked inside Lily’s apartment.
Lily was sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal and drinking her coffee.
“Babe, I was going to make you some eggs.”
“Thank you, but I’m fine eating my cereal. Besides, I don’t have time for eggs,” she said as she looked at her watch.
I poured a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter as I stared at her. I couldn’t believe this loving, beautiful girl was mine. I never thought I would say those words again after Callie, but with Lily, it’s so easy.
She looked over at me and smiled. “Do you know how sexy you look, leaning up against that counter?”
“Why don’t you show me?” I smirked.
“Don’t tempt me, Luke. As it is, I’m running late, again,” she said as she put her bowl in the sink.
She turned to me and put her hands on my chest. “I have to go, because if I’m late, Charley will start spreading some horrible rumor about us.”
I chuckled, kissed her lips, and hugged her goodbye. “Have a good day, babe. I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too,” she said as she kissed me one last time.
***
I walked into my apartment to find Gretchen cleaning up the kitchen.
“Morning, Luke.”
“Morning, Gretchen,” I responded as I headed towards my bedroom.
As I was gathering my laundry, Gretchen stood in the doorway.
“I need to talk to you about something.”
“Shoot.”
“Giselle called me; her and Lucky ran into Lily’s mother in Seattle. With that being said, Lucky accidentally told her that Lily lives here.”
“Shit, that’s not good, right?”
“No, it’s not, because if she or Brynn come here, there’s no telling what might happen.”
“Maybe Lily and her mom should have a talk. Family is really important, and I would hate for Lily to completely lose hers over what her mother didn’t tell her. It was for the best that things worked out the way they did or else I never would have met her.”
“You don’t understand, Luke. Lily’s life has never been normal. She’s told you about her father’s affairs and his alcohol and drug us
e, right?”
I turned around and looked at her as I carried the basket of dirty clothes to the living room. “I knew he had multiple affairs and he drank, but she never mentioned anything about drugs.”
“He did every drug out there and then some. I remember going over Lily’s house one day, and her dad was snorting coke right off the kitchen table.”
“Shit, that’s terrible,” I shook my head as I poured two cups of coffee.
“It really is, Luke. She’s made up her mind to remove herself from her family, and I think we need to do whatever we can to protect her. I don’t want her to get hurt again. I love her too much to see her go through that pain. She’s a good person and doesn’t deserve it.”
“I love her too, and I will protect her in every possible way. I don’t want you to worry.” I smiled.
Gretchen grabbed her things and left the apartment. I was really bothered by the fact Lucky said something to Lily’s mother, but he didn’t know what was going on, so I couldn’t really blame him. I decided not to tell Lily about what Gretchen told me because I didn’t want her worrying about it, especially tonight, at my family’s dinner. As I was excited to bring Lily home to meet my parents, I decided to send flowers to my two favorite women. I grabbed my phone and called the local florist. I had a nice arrangement sent to my mother for the dinner table, and I sent Lily a dozen red roses with a card that read:
“Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman.
I’m missing you already.
Love always, Luke.”
As it was a beautiful day, I decided to go outside and work on some songs. I took my laundry to the laundry room, threw it in the washer, grabbed a notepad, pen, and my guitar, and headed over to the pool. As I sat in the chair and set my phone down on the table beside me, I looked up at the sky as the sun went behind a cloud; one of the very few clouds that filtered the sky. I thought about the conversation Gretchen and I had about Lily’s family as I grabbed my pen and started writing down the words that came to my mind:
Even the clouds will say
There’s nowhere we can get away from everything
There’s nowhere we can practice positivity
I strummed the C and F chords to find the perfect tune, and then my mind went back to the first time Lily and I met. She didn’t put up with my bullshit when I was an ass to her, because I could only focus on myself and my problems.
