Only You

by Fontaine, Bella

  He’d rolled the sleeves of his gray t-shirt up his forearms, revealing the thickness, and she could just about make out the end of a tattoo that looked like Japanese characters. The inky black was glossy against the tawny color of his skin.

  Calm down, Natalie, she told herself.

  And act cool.

  She could have that cool edge, too, and act like he had no effect on her. “So who are you here to see, Luke?” She stood a little taller.

  He laughed. “I guess you want me to spell it out. I’m here to see you. Doesn’t look like you’ll be visiting me anytime soon, so I thought, hey, why not.”

  This was interesting, interesting indeed.

  “Me?”

  “Yes. Can I come in?” He gestured with his hand.

  “Of course.”

  He came in and closed the door.

  “Can I get you something to drink? We have an assortment of drinks.”

  “Thanks.”

  He followed her into the kitchen and watched as she opened the fridge. She could feel his eyes all over her, and when she turned to look at him she caught him checking out her ass.

  She was wearing her indoor shorts, which were a little battered and frayed but hugged her hips the way they were meant to.

  He didn’t even pretend to be sorry for getting caught blatantly looking at her.

  The surprise was the fact that he was looking at her that way. And he didn’t stop.

  It was only when she made a show of clearing her throat that his eyes drifted back up to her face, but he still had that cheeky grin.

  “What drink do you want?” She was going to pretend that she was in control and he didn’t faze her. “We have fruity, beer, water.”

  “You pick, baby. What do you think I need?”

  She picked up a can of strawberry soda. She and Laura had gotten hooked on the stuff a few months ago and stocked the fridge with it.

  He laughed when she handed it to him. “Great choice. I always like this stuff. It’s a real man’s drink.”

  She leaned against the work top and looked at him, allowing her thoughts to wander.

  Luke was here to see her, why? And was he messing with her, or just here for a casual visit?

  His words back at the office rang through her mind. Of him being just as turned on as he was that night she threw herself at him. Was he joking around when he said that?

  “You know, if you think any harder that pretty little head of yours is going to explode.” His eyes took her in. He took a sip of the drink and rested it down on the counter. “What’s on your mind?”

  “A lot. Recently, much more than I used to think about.”

  “You sound annoyed.”

  “Maybe I am.”

  “Do you have questions?” A slow easy smile inched across his sensual mouth.

  “A few.” Or more like a hundred.

  “You know you’re going to have to visit me to ask those questions right?” He pressed his lips together.

  “I can’t ask you stuff now?”

  “Nope. It’s the rules now, all set in stone. I have a question for you, though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You don’t like Joshua. Why?”

  She wasn’t expecting that so the question threw her. “I never said I didn’t like him.”

  “You don’t have to. I can see the way you look at him. You don’t trust him,” he observed.

  She bit the inside of her lip and folded her arms. This had been quite the evening for her. First Jessica practically reading her mind and now Luke.

  “I’m just wary. It’s Jessica, I’m super protective of her and I just want whoever she gets married to to be the right guy.”

  “You’re a really good friend.”

  “I try,” she told him. She did try to be a good friend to Jessica. She always had, and she knew Jessica was the same with her.

  “Did something happen to make you distrust Joshua?”

  She shook her head. “No, honestly he really takes care of Jessica, but there’s just something off.”

  Luke looked concerned at that comment. “Have you told Jessica how you feel?”

  “There’s nothing to tell. Look at her, she’s completely in love with him. It would be mean to spoil things for her with my worries.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Don’t you trust him?” She had to ask because it was looking that way.

  “Baby, I don’t trust anyone with my sister.” He tilted his head to the side. “And I guess you don’t trust anyone with your best friend. Same boat.”

  “Do you think I have any cause to worry? You said something about the gun he used for paintballing.”

  “Baby, if I tell you what it was I thought, you would definitely have cause to worry.”

  Panic clenched at her insides. “Tell me, what did you think?”

  He smirked and took another sip of the drink. “I won’t, it’s the Marine in me that’s suspicious of everybody and everything.”

  “Luke, you can’t say something like that and then not explain what you mean. Now I’m going to be worried.”

  “Okay,” he chuckled. “As I don’t want to worry that pretty little head of yours anymore. Let’s play a little game.”

  She frowned at him and drew her brows together. “A game?”

  “A little one.” He made an O shape with his thumb and index finger. “What was the name of the gun I said he used?”

  She opened her mouth to answer but she couldn’t remember. “I think it was some kind of letter. It seemed like a real gun, anyhow.”

  He laughed. “Most people describe a gun as a gun; at most they may say handgun, shotgun, machine gun. But they aren’t able to describe the exact type of gun. Unless if they know their guns.”

  That worried feeling she always felt when Joshua was mentioned filled her in an instant and made her panic. She brought her hands to her chest and imagined poor Jessica being held at gunpoint or, worse, being shot.

  Before the next thought could enter her mind, she ran out of the kitchen and out into the sitting room to grab her phone.

  Luke came in laughing and took the phone from her just as she was about to dial Jessica’s number.

  “Luke, give it back. I have to warn her.”

  “Baby, what are you going to warn her about?”

  “I have to tell her that something is up with Joshua and he knows too much about guns. She has to come home now,” she blurted.

  “Nat, calm down. You can’t do that. There’s a number of reasons for his knowledge. It could be as simple as from playing a video game. Or watching too many films with cops, or hell, Rambo.”

  “But you think—”

  “I don’t think anything, it was an observation. And I’ve noted it and he’s not a threat that you have to worry about.”

  “Really?” Her heart was still racing.

  “Leave it with me. I can be the suspicious one, that’s my job as her brother. Your job as the best friend is just to be supportive, which you are.”

  She looked at him, taking in his words.

  Okay, she could do this. Clearly she was panicked because she didn’t want anything to happen to Jessica.

  “Plus, you have more pressing matters to worry about.” He rocked back on his heels and set the phone down on the coffee table.

  “Like what?”

  “Us.” He pointed from himself to her.

  “What about us?” As far as she knew there was no us.

  “Can I expect a visit from you this week?”

  She gazed into his rich brown eyes and wondered what he would do when she came to visit him. The last visit she made to him ended with her running home crying from his rejection and her embarrassment.

  Every time she’d gone to the Donovan’s house since reminded her of that night.

  “I’m busy,” she replied.

  He pretended to pout. “What does busy look like?”

  “Busy with work and myself.” She s
miled and brought her hands together.

  “What are you doing tomorrow?” He looked at her now with that same suspicion he’d had for Joshua.

  She actually wasn’t doing much tomorrow other than going through the Mokito reports at work. Then she had the evening free. “Washing my hair.”

  He laughed. “You’re passing up a night with me to wash your hair?”

  “Look at it, Luke, it needs attention.” She held up the ends of her ponytail and flicked it.

  He stepped closer and stopped inches away from her, overpowering her with the sheer mass of him and his masculine presence. Taking the ends of her hair, he curled it around his thumb and held her gaze.

  A nervous lump formed in her throat and her chest tightened, making it difficult for her to breathe.

  “It looks beautiful, and feels like feathers, no attention needed. Come and see me tomorrow.”

  “I like to look a certain way, and when my hair needs attention, it requires it,” she replied, trying hard not to feel that overwhelming ripple in her heart.

  “What about Saturday?”

  “I have a date,” she informed him.

  She swore she heard a low growl resonate from his chest, coming to her in complete disapproval of her answer.

  “Cancel it.”

  She had to laugh because this was so unreal and completely bizarre.

  “I’m not cancelling my date to go do only God knows what with you.”

  That arrogant smile filled his handsome face, bringing out the dimples. “You’re right, only God will know. Nat, cancel the date and go out with me instead.”

  She blinked several times, not understanding what he meant. “Out?”

  “Out.” He nodded.

  “Out to hang out by the old lake house where there’s a chance you could throw a frog at me?” She was trying to play it cool.

  She thought he would laugh at the memory but his expression remained serious.

  “Nat, cancel the date and go on a date with me,” he said in a low voice, his eyes never leaving hers as he made his intentions clear.

  She couldn’t play it cool with that or try to joke. She also didn’t want him to see how affected she was by the invitation.

  The other day, back at the office, she acknowledged that she still had feelings for him, but she decided she’d deal with it and thought it was a phase. Now those feelings were feeding on his words and the possibility of going out with him on a date she’d wished for for most of her life.

  The answer should be yes, but she couldn’t say it. She shouldn’t.

  If he’d been any old guy it would have been fine, but not him.

  “No,” she heard herself say and disappointment flickered through his eyes.

  “No? Why? Do you like this guy, your date?”

  “I actually happen to like him.” She didn’t know Eric enough to like him yet. The man was extremely good looking, of the same sort of good looking as Luke, but that was as much as she knew. That and he had that over-confident presence about him, like Luke.

  She watched his features harden and his shoulders tense. His cheeks flushed and a pinched expression formed on his face. Natalie couldn’t believe it, but he actually looked jealous.

  Him, Luke Donovan. She never thought she’d live to see him look like that, and over her.

  “What’s to like about him?” he challenged.

  Oh, she was going to play this game and enjoy it. “He’s very good looking, he noticed me well before I saw him, and he works down the road from me so I can see him all the time,” she gushed.

  “He has a regular job?”

  “A regular job in real estate. Starts at nine, finishes at five.” She practically bragged, but felt bad when Luke looked hurt.

  “Someone you don’t have to worry about,” he filled in.

  “Exactly, and—” Before she could finish her words, he swooped down and pressed his lips to hers, capturing her mouth for a hungry kiss.

  He took hold of her, pulled her closer and slipped his hand behind her head so he could consume her.

  Consume: that was the best way that she could describe it, because that was what it felt like. Being consumed.

  The kiss she gave him when she was nineteen was nothing, and she was robbed of whatever feeling it was supposed to bring because she’d been so nervous.

  This kiss, in this moment, right here and now, was pure magic, and unlike any other kiss she’d ever had in her life.

  She kissed him back, too, allowing herself to succumb to his touch and the gentle but demanding thrust of his tongue into her mouth.

  Tense, corded muscled graced her fingers as she pressed her hands on his chest, and she felt a low growl of desire beneath the hard walls.

  But then he pulled back, stopping the kiss, leaving her breathless. Weightless even, as if she were floating on air.

  “You can’t go on a date with that guy. Not when you feel the way you do about me.” He shook his head in dismay and his mouth tightened with wry displeasure.

  Natalie froze, her mind and body numb as his burning eyes held her still.

  She searched her mind for the right words to say but found she couldn’t function.

  Instead, she watched him turn and walk away, leaving her all alone to her thoughts.

  Chapter 8

  Luke

  * * *

  Damn it, and damn him.

  This was what happened when you played with fire. You always got burned. Luke didn’t know why he bothered to think about things rationally if he was just going to do the opposite of what he’d wholeheartedly decided on.

  Earlier today he came to the conclusion that he really should stay away from Natalie.

  Keep out of temptation’s grasp, particularly while he was trying to find himself and work out what he was going to do with his life.

  He’d spent the day surfing the net, trying to see what other careers military officers had gone into after they’d served. A few common ideas that kept popping up was law enforcement, the prison service, private detective work and consultancy services for the military for officers who wanted to transition back to civilian life.

  He found that there was too much information to go through, and it didn’t help that he was in that state of confusion.

  So he went the opposite direction and started looking over his old Marine things. Things that inspired him to be a Marine. He’d kept all the memorabilia in a box in a cupboard.

  There were letters from his initial training. Things from the junior sea cadets and all the things he’d done to prepare himself for his career. Then he saw his acceptance letter, which should have been the thing to inspire him the most because of what it meant when he received it, but it actually didn’t.

  What came to mind was an image of Natalie, ten years ago, crying on her mother’s shoulder as his family and friends gathered at the airport to say goodbye to him.

  He remembered thinking she wouldn’t turn up after the previous night when he rejected her. But she did. She just kept her distance. He spotted her by chance with her mother, two stories up from where he’d been with everyone else.

  He’d never seen her look more upset or distraught. That was actually the last time he’d seen her before now. But he didn’t count it because she never saw him, and it was a memory that he wanted to push to the back of his mind.

  That memory, however, resurfaced today in his stupor of thought and took him straight to her.

  He just wanted to see her and had no intention of kissing her like that.

  Like he wanted to make her his.

  And that was just it. He wanted her. He wanted her for himself, and it infuriated him to no end to hear she was going out with some guy who she thought was good looking, and there within her reach, and fuck, with a regular job.

  A damn regular nine-to-five job. Not like him, who she would have to wonder if she would ever see again.

  As he drove home, with a damn hard on and the sting of her kiss on his lips, all h
e could think of was her and how badly he wanted her.

  The kiss just made everything he held at bay unleash itself, and instead of focusing his mind on his life he was now focused on her.

  She never protested when he told her she shouldn’t be going out with some guy when she felt the way she did about him.

  That meant he still had a chance. And, damn it, he was going to take it.

  * * *

  Natalie

  * * *

  It was wrong to be on a date with one guy and be thinking about another.

  It was just as bad as being in bed with one guy but wishing he was someone else.

  She remembered having that feeling, too, after she lost her virginity to that complete loser. Terrance Suarez, a wide receiver on the college football team at UCLA.

  She knew that he was using her to pass time or whatever it was he used her for, but she’d hopped into bed with him hoping he’d make her forget Luke.

  It didn’t work.

  Nothing worked, except time.

  The time that passed and her absence from home helped her to control her feelings. She didn’t know that all it would take to reignite those feelings for Luke was merely seeing him again.

  That spark that rippled through her heart was no mere spark or emotion. It was the flame that still burned for him. The one that would burn only for him, and it wouldn’t matter who she found to replace him, it would still be there.

  Like it was tonight.

  Eric wasn’t anything like Terrence. He seemed like a nice guy, a really, really nice guy, but as he spoke, her mind drifted to Luke. She barely heard Eric as he told her about his love for ice hockey and that he loved playing. He was saying something about Canada because he’d lived there for years, but she couldn’t follow the conversation.

  That kiss was on her mind, imprinted there, as well as her heart and soul. Her lips burned every time she thought of it, and she felt the heated pull of desire wash over her body.

  She also hadn’t touched any of her food, which actually looked truly amazing.