Don't Call Me Sweetheart

by Codi Gary

  “Okay, we need to talk.”

  Luke looked up as Marley sat down in the chair next to him, sipping on some neon green liquid and looking pretty sauced.

  “About?”

  She swallowed a large mouthful and set her glass down on the white linen table cloth. “About my letter. Your speech. Why you’re messing with me.”

  “I’m not messing with you,” he lied.

  “Well, it sure feels like it and it isn’t nice. I poured my heart out to you in that letter. The least you could have done is send me a fuck-off text.”

  Luke leaned his elbows on his knees, bringing him closer to her. “Is that what you want me to say? You want me to tell you to fuck off?”

  “No, of course not, you dork.” Marley’s voice was higher and he thought she sounded a bit nasally. “I want you to tell me that you forgive me. That you missed me as much as I missed you.”

  “How much have you missed me?” he asked.

  “Like stay awake every night listening to sad music and eating a crap ton of junk miss you.”

  Luke picked up her martini glass and moved it away from her reach. “How many of those have you had?”

  “Two or three? I don’t really remember.”

  Luke took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Why don’t we try sobering you up by dancing a bit?”

  “I don’t want to dance, I want to know—”

  Luke pulled up short, looking sternly down into her petulant expression.

  “We will dance and when I’m ready, we’ll talk. Okay?”

  Marley hesitated, but when he started to let her go, she finally nodded. He pulled her out for a slow dance, shuffling slowly to “Because You Loved Me.” Luke’s arms wrapped around her waist as they swayed. When she laid her cheek on his chest, he relaxed.

  They didn’t talk, and Luke just let himself enjoy Marley’s floral scented hair, the way she snuggled against him like a kitten, and most of all, he got lost in just holding her against him once more.

  “Can we just stay like this?” she whispered above the music. “In this moment, can we just forget all the bad stuff, and can you just hold me?”

  It was too easy to do that, to push the past from his mind and just enjoy Marley.

  He just wondered if it was something he could really commit to and forgive her…or was he just fooling himself?

  * * * *

  The night flew by in a blur, and Marley knew she was still pretty tipsy as Luke kept his arm around her waist, leading her down the hallway to his hotel room. The Love Shack Hotel’s hallway was quiet for a Saturday at eleven at night.

  Or maybe that made sense. People this late were getting busy.

  The thought left her giggling hysterically.

  “What’s so funny?” Luke asked, smiling down at her. She was glad he could still do that; she’d been afraid she’d never see it directed at her again.

  “I was just wondering if you were bringing me back here so we can have make up sex?”

  Luke shook his head as he pulled his keys from his pocket. “Actually, I’m bringing you back here so you can sleep it off and I make sure you don’t aspirate on your vomit.”

  Marley leaned against the wall as the walls tilted, and he opened up the door. “That sounds so hot.”

  Luke chuckled and she held a finger up with a smile. “See? I can still make you laugh.” The edges of her vision started to blur and she felt herself falling as she slurred, “I love it when you laugh.”

  Strong arms picked her up and she hummed as her eyes stayed closed. The sensation of floating surprised her, and she mumbled, “Am I flying?”

  “No, sweetheart, I’m carrying you to bed.”

  “I really don’t mind when you call me sweetheart. Other people do it and it rankles me.”

  “Rankles, huh? Pretty big word for such a drunk girl.”

  She didn’t respond, as she’d already passed completely out.

  When she woke up, she was so thirsty she started to get out of the bed, but there was an arm around her waist, anchoring her down. She looked over her shoulder, and could make out Luke’s features in the sliver of moonlight. She was still wearing her silver bridesmaid dress, the silky fabric clinging to her.

  A little drunk still, she was awake enough to realize that instead of sleeping in the other double bed, Luke had wanted to be with her.

  A smile spread slowly across her features and warm tingles raced through her entire body.

  She got up to get a glass of water, trying to be quiet as she moved around in the dark. She came back from the bathroom and as she stood beside the bed, she watched the light from the open window play across his features. He was truly sound asleep.

  Before she could change her mind, she stripped off her dress, bra, and then panties, before crawling back in with him. She wanted to feel his warmth surround her once more, even if it was the last time.

  She pressed her mouth against his throat, kissing him softly as her hand moved down, stroking him through his boxer briefs. She knew the minute he came awake, because his whole body stiffened, including his cock.

  Marley gently pushed his shoulders until he lay on his back and kissed her way over his chest and down his stomach. The thing about buzzed sex was you were just loose enough to enjoy sex without worrying about the stupid stuff, like…well, she couldn’t remember now.

  She hooked her fingers into his boxer briefs and pulled them down, exposing his shaft. He didn’t protest when she took him into her mouth, cradling his balls in her hand. In fact, besides his sharp intake of breath, she would have thought he was still asleep.

  There was something about Luke letting her take control and do whatever she wanted to him that was empowering, sexy, bold. She started experimenting, listening to the sounds he made and learning what he really liked.

  Before long, she was pulled up by her arm pits and rolled beneath Luke, whose dark eyes glittered in the moonlight. Apparently, he’d gotten tired of her teasing him.

  His hand moved between her legs and against her lips he murmured, “My turn.”

  Marley ran her hands over his head as he followed the path of her body. Over her breasts, her ribs, her stomach. She sighed as his tongue dipped into her navel and lower, finding her clit with a wet, firm flick. She slid her hands up to play with her nipples as he sucked, licked and thrust his tongue inside her, making her whimper with frustration and desire.

  “Please. Please.”

  Luke drew her hard bud into his mouth, making her cry out as fissions of electricity shot straight between her legs.

  “Tell me what you want,” he said, spreading her lips with his fingers and applying pressure, driving her crazy with need.

  “I want you inside me…I want to be on top.”

  Luke rolled onto his back, lifting her with him.

  As she climbed over him and rubbed her wet center on his tip, she put her hands on his chest for balance. Her back arched and she wiggled her way down his length until he was fully inside her. Biting her lip, she rocked her hips and the friction was excruciatingly wonderful.

  His hands gripped her hips, impatient with her, and he started to move her back and forth over him, pushing and pulling her so fast that she found herself moving with his motions, picking up speed. The pressure inside her built and she curled her hands against his chest, little “ohs” getting higher and higher as she reached her peak.

  Finally, she screamed, her body shaking and twitching as she came, a rush of liquid heat spreading through her limbs. She wanted to sink down on top of him, curl into a little contented ball and fall asleep.

  Instead, she was almost lifted off him as he pumped up once, twice.

  On the third time, he shouted and she held on, her muscles squeezing around him as he shuddered.

  When she was sure he was finished, she slid off of h
im and lay against his side, her head on his chest.

  She kissed his nipple, her eyes already drooping with exhaustion.

  Through the fog of sleep, she heard him whisper something, and although she couldn’t be sure, she thought it sounded a lot like I love you.

  She tried to respond, to tell him she felt the same way, but her lips wouldn’t move.

  And then there was only darkness.

  Chapter 27

  The next morning, sunlight drifted into the hotel room. Marley woke up slowly and reached out an arm for Luke’s warmth. When all she hit were cold sheets, she pushed herself up onto her arms and looked around the hotel room. All of his clothes were gone.

  “Luke?”

  There was no answer.

  She climbed out of bed, putting on her bra and panties before sliding her silky bridesmaid dress over her head. She pulled her phone from the little clutch she’d had last night and texted him. Several moments passed, but there was no answer.

  He wouldn’t have left town though. Not without saying good-bye. Not after all they’d shared.

  She took the hotel key on the nightstand and walked down to the honeymoon suite where Brent and Kendall were. Maybe Luke had just gone out to get them coffee or something.

  Except why wouldn’t he leave me a note?

  Marley knocked loudly on the door and waited. When there was no movement inside the suite, she knocked again. Then she heard the stomp of feet on the floor.

  “Hang on,” Kendall grumbled inside.

  The door opened and she squinted at Marley. “You realize this is the morning after my wedding, right?”

  “Yeah, sorry, but does Brent know where Luke is?”

  “Luke?” Kendall turned and called out, “Brent, have you talked to Luke?”

  “He had to get back to work,” Brent called from inside.

  Marley didn’t want to believe it. Sure, she’d known there was a chance that last night could have just been a one-time thing, but she hadn’t really believed that. She thought they were more.

  “So, he just left without even saying good-bye?” Marley said.

  Brent stumbled up in a pair of boxers, but Marley didn’t have time to be embarrassed. Luke was gone. She had to find him. To tell him to stay.

  “I guess. He started a new job and he couldn’t be late.”

  Marley’s heart wouldn’t stop pounding and she just kept nodding. “Okay, okay, sorry to bother you. I’ve got to go.”

  “Marley—”

  But Marley ignored Kendall and ran, forgoing the elevator and ran down the stairs. She didn’t bother putting on her heels until she reached the lobby, hopping on first one foot and then the other.

  “Marley, what in the sam hill are you doing?” Turner asked.

  “I’ve got a man to catch.” Marley tossed the hotel keys onto the counter without stopping. “Thanks for the room, Turner.”

  Running out the door in the heels was torture, but there was no way she wanted to step on something sharp or disgusting in her bare feet. She kicked them off as soon as she got into her car and turned the key in the ignition.

  She peeled out of the hotel parking lot and onto Omo Ranch, heading toward Sacramento. She’d get a flight to L.A. and track Luke down. She’d tell him if he wanted her to move, she would. She’d pour her heart out and if he told her it was too late, at least she’d have tried. Marley didn’t care if he was trying to give her a hint by taking off; she would do anything to keep Luke and maybe if he knew that, he’d be able to forgive her.

  She was taking the corners at sixty, pressing harder on the gas the minute it straightened out. Too late, she saw the Sheriff’s car on the side of the road, and cursing a blue streak, she pulled over before he even flipped on his lights.

  Marley started rummaging through her glove box for her registration, freaking out when she couldn’t find it right away. Being pulled over was like getting caught by her parents sneaking out. Usually they liked to lecture her, and she just didn’t have the time for that.

  There was a tap on her passenger side window and she rolled it down. She couldn’t see his face, just his uniform, belt and the pockets on his chest.

  “I am really sorry, sir, I am looking for my registration right now, but I’m actually trying to catch someone before they leave town, so if you could please just give me a warning, I would be so…”

  She stopped talking as the deputy squatted down, smiling at her from under his hat.

  It was Luke.

  “Grateful?” she finished, completely confused. What was Luke still doing here? And in an El Dorado County Sherriff’s uniform?

  “Now, why are you driving out of town like a bat out of hell again? I left you in the hotel to sleep. So what are you doing and who are you chasing?”

  She stared at him, utterly speechless…until she exploded.

  “What am I doing? Who am I…I’m chasing you, idiot! What are you doing? I thought you were gone! You just got up and left me after last night without even a note or a text—”

  His brow knit beneath the tan Mountie hat. “I left a message with Turner that I had left for work and we’d talk later.”

  “You…left…a…message…with…Turner?” Checking her mirror to make sure there were no cars coming, she got out and rounded the front in her bare feet, ignoring the sharp rocks as she faced him. “You could have texted or left a note in the hotel room. Why couldn’t you tell me?”

  Luke didn’t seem fazed at all that she was livid. “Actually, I couldn’t find a pen or paper and I didn’t have my phone on me last night, or this morning, so Turner seemed like the best choice.”

  She wanted to kick him right in the berries. Instead, she settled for his shin, which actually hurt her toes.

  Luke rubbed his shin with his hand, shooting her a mock scowl. “Assaulting a police officer? Really?”

  He was treating this all like it was a joke, and it hurt. Her eyes stung and she tried to fight back the lump in her throat. “This is funny to you? After what happened last night?”

  The amusement left his face. “What do you mean? When she didn’t answer right away, he reached out for her, and took a hold of her shoulders. “What happened last night, Marley? I want you to tell me.”

  “I…we…we made love and I…I thought… you said you loved me.”

  Luke’s breath whooshed out. “I did say I loved you, and you fell asleep. Just passed out snoring after I’d put my heart on the line. That was cold, sweetheart.”

  That smile was back, proving he was messing with her, and this time, she hit his arm.

  “I do not snore!”

  Luke’s hands slid down her arms and wrapped around her waist. “Yeah, you do, but I don’t mind. What I want to know is if you have anything to say to me today.”

  This was it. Her chance to tell him everything that had been bubbling up inside her for the past four months.

  “I love you. I was speeding after you because I thought you’d left without knowing how much.”

  She was suddenly crushed against Luke’s chest and lifted off the ground as his lips crashed over hers. A thrill shot down her spine and she wrapped her arms around those broad shoulders, holding on for dear life.

  He pulled away enough to mumble, “What took you so long, woman?”

  Giddy laughter bubbled up her throat. “I was afraid that you’d tell me you didn’t feel the same way.”

  Luke set her back on her feet, shaking his head. “I took care of you when you had snot oozing from your nose, and looked like some kind of swamp creature. Of course I feel the same way, dummy.”

  Marley glared at him. “I’m getting really sick of people calling me dumb.”

  “Then stop being dumb.”

  She grabbed him by those big ears and pulled his mouth down to hers, just to shut him up. Their kiss ig
nited something, and before she knew it, he had her pressed against the side of the sheriff’s car, her legs wrapped around his waist.

  Then something occurred to her and she pulled away from his kiss.

  “Did Kendall and Brent know you’d taken a job with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department?”

  Luke cocked his head to the side. “Of course they did. Why?”

  Fury laced through Marley as she realized they’d set her up. “Because they’re a couple of bastards, that’s why! They made me think you’d left town to go back to L.A.”

  Laughing, Luke smoothed some of her hair back from her face, leaving tingles in the wake of his touch. “I think they like a little drama in their lives.”

  “Not me. I am so over drama. No more crazy brides! No more forbidden love. From now on, I want a quiet, stress free life.”

  Luke pressed his forehead to hers. “I’ll do my best to accommodate you.”

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  “I can’t breathe. I think my bodice is cinched too tight,” Marley said.

  Marley stood in the upstairs bridal salon in the newly renovated saloon. What used to be called Buzzard Gulch was now Sweetheart Meadows. The beautiful historical town opened with the start of the wedding season and had been booked solid every weekend.

  Except this one. The minute she’d said yes to Luke, she’d known that this was the place where she wanted to say her vows.

  Kelly huffed impatiently as she spread out Marley’s train behind her. “It is not. You’ve just got wedding day jitters. Rylie, give Marley the bag again.”

  Rylie held up the brown paper bag and Marley took it gratefully, breathing deeply into it. She shouldn’t be this nervous, but for some reason, she couldn’t seem to chill out unless that stupid bag was covering her face.

  Kendall came into the room, her eight-month pregnant belly proceeding her. “Uh oh. She needs the bag again? Should I get the car? Is she going to bolt?”

  Marley glared at Kendall’s joke. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you, drama queen?”