Fitting The Pieces (The Riverdale Series Book 3)

by Janine Infante Bosco

  “I’ll never forget that.” He murmured, pulling back slightly to look at her. Her eyes fluttered open and met his. The look in his eyes feral yet guarded by something else, something she couldn’t pinpoint. There was one thing she was certain of though, as she stared at him, his lips swollen from her, she wouldn’t forget their kiss either.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Luke groaned into his pillow as he began to stir awake. He was sprawled out on his stomach, the sheets twisted around his legs. He rolled over and found the courage to open his eyes, deciding it would take a small miracle to get him to lift his head upright. What the fuck did he drink? Then to answer his question, his memory flashed back to the night before and his little deal with the bartender to keep his glass full at all times. Apparently, it was money well spent, because he was suffering the mother of all hangovers. He ran his hand down his bare stomach absent-mindedly as he solemnly swore never to drink scotch again. He yawned and stretched one arm over his head, glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand. He raised an eyebrow when he realized he had slept way past six a.m. when he saw it was nearly noon.

  Sighing, he forced himself to sit up. He needed to get himself into gear and go pick up his daughter from his parent’s house. He grimaced as the room swayed when he threw his long bare legs over the edge of the bed. He grabbed his head as if holding it would stop it from exploding. A shower and a cup of coffee, that’s what he needed. Mentally counting to three, he stood up and stretched out his limbs before padding to the bathroom wearing only a pair of boxer briefs that rode low on his waist as he walked. He adjusted the water in the shower, letting it run until the temperature heated while he lost the only article of clothing he wore. He stepped into the shower and let the water cascade over his body, tilting his face up and letting the jets shoot over and down his face awakening him as he ran his fingers through his hair that fell over his face.

  He was about to grab the body wash from the shelf when bits and pieces of last night came to him. Luke paused, bracing one hand on the tile of the shower stall, concentrating on remembering. Cara’s eyes were the first thing that came into play, those beautiful eyes that fueled so many of his dreams. He remembered holding her face in the palms of his hand, amazed at the beauty before him. As drunk as he was, he saw the flicker in her eyes, he remembered feeling defeated and prepared himself to be pushed away but then she surprised him when she leaned into him pressing that sweet mouth against his. He blew out a breath, relishing in the way her mouth fit so perfectly with his and how she clung to him, holding onto the kiss as she slid her tongue into his mouth, the taste of her still vivid. He diverted his gaze downward and leaned his forehead against the shower tiles, staring at his throbbing erection. Just the memory of her set his body aflame. He reached down, wrapping his fingers around his thick cock, the image of her thoroughly kissed embedded in his brain, he sought his relief.

  * * * * *

  Cara debated on whether or not she should ring the bell. She figured since she hadn’t heard from him yet that morning, Luke was probably still nursing his hangover. After she dropped him off last night she drove herself home with his truck. She contemplated camping out on his couch, but Benny had been locked in his crate for hours, ultimately making Cara’s decision. So now here she was with Benny in tow, digging into her purse for the set of keys Luke had given her. She fit the key to the lock and let herself in.

  “Luke? It’s me…” She called out into the silent house as she bent down and unhooked Benny’s leash, giving him full reign of the house. She shut the door behind her and shrugged off her jacket hanging it on the hook alongside his coat.

  “Luke?” She called out again, this time a tad louder. She shrugged her shoulders and made her way through the house. He wasn’t downstairs, she discovered and made her way to the kitchen. She grabbed a mug and placed it in his Kuerig hooking him up with a cup of coffee. A smile played on her lips as she fixed his cup of coffee, her memory dashing back to when he visited her at Lakeview and the first time she ever fixed him a cup.

  As the steam rose from the mug in her hands, she glanced over at Benny happily chewing on a toy in the corner of the kitchen before she climbed the stairs. A part of her was nervous to wake him. She wondered if he remembered their kiss, in fact the whole morning she agonized over how he would react to her coming on to him. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure of her stance on her actions either. Bringing herself back to the moment, she wanted to kiss Luke and the moment her lips touched his she wanted all of him. She went with her gut last night and was rewarded with the biggest surprise of her life. She was undoubtedly attracted to Luke and judging by the kiss they shared, there was definitely chemistry there. Chemistry like she’d never known before.

  The thing was she didn’t know what to make of all that chemistry. She didn’t know what she was ready for or what she wanted for that matter. The thought of tangling with Jake’s brother made her uneasy and well, it terrified her. She shouldn’t be feeling anything for Luke. He was her friend, a supposed in-law, one who had awakened the woman in her. For those brief moments in Luke’s truck she forgot about the grief, the sadness, the struggle of addiction and how she got there, she was just a woman being kissed by a man, a hot man at that, one who had been incredibly patient with her.

  Even though she wanted him to remember the kiss, it would probably be best if he didn’t. They could pretend it never happened. Been there, done that, not such a great idea, she decided. It was time to face the music. They were adults. Luke was rational. They would just talk about it and put it behind them. Move forward. The only problem with that was, she was finding herself more incline to move forward with Luke and not in a friendly way. She was curious to see if they fit. Her life was a bunch of broken pieces, never truly made whole, but something unknown to her made her wonder if Luke was the one to fit those pieces and make them whole. She even allowed herself to wonder if she could return the favor and be the woman that was missing in his life.

  She walked into his bedroom, sighing slightly, thinking she was getting ahead of herself. Her emotions were all over the place and all they had shared was a kiss. She glanced over at the messy bed that was empty as she strode to the bathroom. She forgot to knock and didn’t even realize that the shower was running because she was too caught up in her thoughts. She was trying to mentally prepare herself for the moment of truth and whether or not he remembered. Her eyes widened in complete shock, every single thought in her mind vanished and she froze in the doorway of the bathroom.

  She swallowed as she stared at his naked form, her mouth suddenly dry. His back was facing her, every ridge and slope of his muscular back, the way the small of his back dipped accentuating his firm ass, was all on display for her and her fingers itched to touch. A deep groan rumbled from his chest and she looked up, startled, closing the door a bit, hoping she was still unnoticed. Luke cocked his head back with his eyes closed and that’s when she noticed he had one hand braced against the wall of the shower and the other closed around his shaft, sliding up and down his length. She really hoped he didn’t turn around and notice her, and not only because she would be embarrassed, but because she couldn’t tear her eyes from him and was eager to see him through his climax. He moaned and his pace quickened, he was close, so close. She bit down on her lower lip and held onto the doorknob for dear life. Standing there watching him on the brink of an orgasm, with water cascading over him, moisture pooled between her legs, her cheeks heated and her breath hitched. Two long pulls and he started to come. Cara’s eyes widened as she leaned her head against the frame of the door, watching Luke come, wishing she had been the one to see him through it.

  She gathered her bearings and forced herself to step back from the door and back into the bedroom, placing the mug of coffee on his nightstand. It was no wonder she didn’t spill the coffee all over her, she thought, noticing her hands were shaking. The last thing she wanted was for him to know she had bared witness to something so intimate. She paced his bedroo
m and that’s when she realized she was in, she was in real deep. She was flustered and completely turned on by him. She sat on the edge of his bed and dropped her face into her hands just as the water turned off. She decided to enforce a new boundary for herself, NEVER walk in on Luke while he was taking a shower. Not unless of course there would be some sort of relief in it for her. She closed her eyes and flinched, thinking that maybe she shouldn’t be having these wicked thoughts, knowing she couldn’t stop them if she tried.

  More running water sounded, this time coming from the sink. She swallowed and fanned herself with her hand before standing up. She needed to get the hell out of his bedroom. She tiptoed around his gigantic bed almost tripping on the sheets that were tangled on the floor, when she looked up and caught her reflection in the mirror above his dresser. Her cheeks were flushed, maybe if she threw cold water on herself, she’d look normal by the time he saw her. Then she remained still and noticed the envelope tucked into the frame of the mirror. The letter from Jake, that, she had given him months ago was tucked into it unopened.

  “Cara?” Luke asked from the bathroom door. She jumped at the sound of his deep voice. Glancing at him through the mirror she turned around slowly to face him. His naked chest was covered with beads of water and he held a towel at the side of his waist.

  “Uh…” She stammered. “I rang the bell and you didn’t answer so I let myself in. I brought back your truck. I didn’t realize you were in the shower, but I brought you up coffee. I’ll just go downstairs and uh… do something.” She spun around on her heel and tripped over the sheet. Crap!

  Luke tucked the towel, securing it to his waist as he fought back a smile. “Careful…” He said softly as she kicked away the blankets. Her foot was trapped beneath them not giving her much opportunity to escape. He placed a hand on the small of her back and bent down untangling her foot. Her hand gripped his shoulder as he freed her foot. He rose to his full height and his eyes met hers.

  “Thanks…” She mumbled, not able to tear her gaze from him. “You’re wet.”

  He bit the inside of his cheek and tried his damnedest not to smile. She smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand.

  “Of course you’re wet… and naked… and you’re standing in front of me in nothing but a towel, right? I mean you’re naked under there right?”

  “Yep.”

  “You didn’t have to answer it was a rhetorical question.” She moaned. “I shouldn’t be in your bedroom. Oh my God, I’ve never really seen your tattoos.” She said distractedly, grabbing his arms and turning them slightly so she could stare at the ink that he displayed on his forearms. “Wow.” She muttered before dropping his arms like they were hot coals in her hands. “You’re still naked.”

  “Yep.” He repeated, clearly amused by her antics.

  “I think you should get dressed.” She said with a nod.

  “You going to watch?” He asked with his voice holding a hint of a challenge. Her cheeks became even redder and he didn’t hold back this time, he laughed, placing his hand on her hip drawing her near. He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be right down.” He spoke into her hair.

  “I’ll just go downstairs, then.” She said pulling away, she turned around and started walking backwards towards the door. “Take your time. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Her back missed the doorway and smacked into the wall. “Shit.” She turned around and hurried out of the room, listening to Luke’s soft chuckle as she hurried down the hallway.

  * * * * *

  Luke quickly dressed, throwing on a pair of sweats and a thermal. His hair was still wet and he combed his fingers through it as he came down the stairs. He found Cara pacing back and forth in the kitchen and sighed before she noticed him. Her body language was all off and he assumed that she regretted the kiss they shared the night before. This back and forth, push and pull was tearing him up. He didn’t know how to act around her and how to shield her from his feelings that were becoming stronger and stronger with each passing day and the more time they spent together.

  Cara lifted her head as he stepped into the kitchen. She couldn’t figure out if he remembered and she was still regrouping from the peep show. He lifted the cup she had brought him upstairs to his lips and drank, peering at her from over the rim.

  Silence.

  More Silence.

  She began to fidget nervously. “So…”

  “Thanks for driving me home last night.” Luke said evenly and walked to the coffee machine. His stomach rumbled and as the coffee dripped into the mug he padded to the fridge to pull out the carton of eggs.

  “Oh, no problem.” She said and he reached behind her for the loaf of sliced bread that was on the counter behind her.

  “How’d dinner with Sam go?” He asked as he reached for a pan, moving around the kitchen with ease.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “It was good. I feel bad we kind of just left Mallory and Phillip there.” She watched him slide the lever down on the toaster. “What do you think of Mallory?” She asked curiously.

  “She’s a nice girl. From some of the stories Sam has told me, she’s a bit wild. But, to each his own.” He looked up at her. “How do you like your eggs?”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “How do you like your eggs?” He repeated.

  “Sunny-side up.” She said giving in. “Do you think she’s attractive?”

  Luke raised an eyebrow and cracked two eggs into the frying pan. He was baffled as to where this was coming from and then it dawned on him that she was planning to push him away. “She’s a looker.” He stated and then grabbed a dish from the cabinet. “Why? Is that part of your plan? You kiss me like you did last night and then pawn me off on Mallory?”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She watched as he slid her perfectly cooked eggs into a dish and grabbed the toast as it popped up from the toaster. He glanced at her with a knowing look.

  “You do remember.” She said quietly.

  “Pretty sure, I told you I’d never forget.” He said and nodded towards the table. “Sit.”

  Cara did as she was told and watched as he pulled out a chair and turned it around straddling the back of it, his arms hanging on the back of the chair as he stared at her.

  “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours Spunky?” He asked sincerely.

  “I’m not pawning you off.” She said immediately. “I don’t know if you’ve realized yet, but I’m kind of selfish.” She bit greedily into the slice of toast, and then widened her eyes as if taking a huge bite of toast proved her point. He didn’t say anything, he just smiled slightly as she chewed. God, he had a great smile and she was the one making him smile. Something fluttered inside her. “I don’t regret last night, Luke. I’m not going to pretend it didn’t happen or that I didn’t want it to happen.” She put the slice of toast down and took a deep breath.

  “But…” He probed.

  “But I’m not ready to jump into a relationship.” She said honestly and surprisingly, he didn’t shift his gaze from her. He gave her his undivided attention. “I’m also not willing to give you up and have Phillip set you up with Mallory. That’s their plan, you know? Mallory has the hots for you.” She said with a frown and looked down.

  Luke lifted his hand to her chin and tipped it up with his fingers. Little did she know, he’d wait until he was old and gray for her. Funny, he thought, how you just know when you find the right one and you’re willing to go to the ends of the world or wait until the end of time to only have that one person. “I don’t want Mallory.”

  She stared at him. “Do you want me?” She asked with her voice uncertain.

  “More than you’ll ever know.” He confessed.

  “It might take me a while to get myself together.” She warned.

  “I’m a patient man.” His thumb ran across her jaw.

  “It might take a while for me to feel comfortable with... you know.” She added, hoping he got her drift and she wou
ldn’t have to say it out loud. See? Selfish. The guy was already bursting at the seams, point proven in the shower.

  “I can wait.” He said with the slightest hint of humor in his eyes.

  “What if we fall in love?” She asked.

  Already there, sweetheart, he said to himself as he reworded his answer in his head.

  “What would people think?” She asked in a whisper.

  “That I’m a lucky son of a bitch?” He offered and saw she was serious.

  “You’re Jake’s brother.” She sighed and felt awful instantly. Jake would want her to move on. He had said it his own words, but how would he feel if it was his brother?

  “And I always will be.” Luke said, dragging her from her thoughts. “I’m not looking to replace Jake. I’d never attempt to. I know I can’t compare the man I am, to the man he was. What the two of you had was rare and it was special. It was so goddamn beautiful to watch.” He paused and dropped his hand from her face. “I just want a piece of whatever you’re willing to give.”

  “You shouldn’t settle for a piece of anyone. You deserve someone who can give themselves wholeheartedly. You’re that kind of guy, Luke.” She said taking his hand and lacing her fingers with his.