Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 41918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
With happiness bubbling up in me like a fountain, I take Macy's hand and lead her inside the doorway. "Macy, this is Sarah. She's my best friend. Sarah, this is Macy. She's also my best friend."
I expect Macy to shake Sarah's hand or maybe just stand there, overwhelmed and unsure. But, to my surprise, Macy steps forward, pulls me in a hug, and wraps her other arm around Sarah's shoulder, drawing us in close. I don't think anyone could've been more shocked by the embrace than Sarah, but she always rolls with the punches, and she immediately embraces both of us with her arms.
My world, after so long, is complete.
We spend the day catching up at Sarah's sister's house, Luke leaving to get us food and giving us some space to talk. Our conversations last hours and hours, and I'm thrilled to see that Macy and Sarah get along swimmingly.
Luke pulls me aside into the hallway at one point, and I'm sure he's going to kiss me, but instead, he presses his phone into my hand. "Watch this."
Perplexed, I look at the screen and press play. A video starts. It's of Jason, with a black eye and swollen jaw, but quite obviously alive and in one piece.
"Hey, uh, Emma. So...I'm alive. And, uh...I'm sorry. About the stalking and the shitty things I said. The Guardians..." He laughs, and it's both sad and embarrassed. "They beat some sense into me, obviously, and told me that if I didn't reflect on my actions, they'd give another dose of sense, which I obviously don't want. So I'm sorry for being a prick, for scaring you, and for fucking with the Guardians. I hope you have a good life. I won't bother you again."
The video ends, and it isn't until I'm left in the silence of the hallway with Luke that I realize how pure and powerful the relief I'm feeling is. Luke didn't kill him. The Guardians didn't kill him. Thank God.
"I thought … I thought I heard his head hit the ground," I whisper, eyes turning up to Luke.
"It was his helmet," he explains. "He threw it down with some force when he tried to get away from us. It hit him, but that's about it."
I take a few deep breaths, steadying my heart and emotions, then meet his eyes again. "You really did all this for me?"
"Yes. But we'll talk later." His rough, calloused knuckles skim down my cheek. "Go enjoy this time with your friends. Because after this..." His gaze turns heated. "You're mine."
And oh, does that look do something to me. Heat blooms deep inside my stomach, spreading to the very tips of my toes and making me bite my bottom lip to keep from gasping. Luke growls softly in the back of his throat and turns away, striding from the house, leaving me dizzy in the hall with thoughts of his heated look and promise for the future.
It's early evening before we finish up. After dinner, we call Macy and Uber, and I give her the longest hug possible.
"I'll see you soon," she tells me.
"Promise?"
Macy's laugh is like balm to my injured soul. "Yes. I promise."
It's as natural as breathing to take Luke's hand afterward and let him lead me to his waiting motorcycle. Sarah waves at us from the doorway, and I climb on the back of the bike, happy I haven't lost my touch with it.
Helmet and jacket on, I wrap my arms around Luke's waist, holding him close. His hand goes on top of mine, squeezing softly. The engine roars, and he revs the engine for a few moments before he finally takes us onto the streets.
We make a few twists and turns, but it isn't long until we're back outside Luke's house. There's a tension building between us—the knowledge that now it's time for our reunion. Physical and spiritual.
We aren't even off the bike, and he can't keep his hands off me. His fingers drag up my arm, caressing the delicate skin at the crook of my elbow. The contact sends tingles dancing through my nerves. The air is heavy with promise as I step off the bike. I'm hyper-aware of his eyes on me, the way his gaze is taking in every inch of me with hunger and need. It sends a thrill through me, the idea that he wants me as much as I want him. I know he feels my attraction to him, but I need him to know that this is so much more than that. It's a longing I didn't know I had. A desire for more than just my own satisfaction, but also to share a closeness and connection with him that goes beyond physical.
Everything he's done for me—having the Guardians guard the house, finding Macy, proving that Jason was fine—Luke did it all to wipe the slate clean of any of the problems between us. Now there is nothing but us and the short walk into the house stopping us from being able to eat each other alive.