Arianna Rose: The Awakening (Part 2) (12 page)

They turned in to the Motel parking lot a few seconds later.  Arianna had insisted on paying for the room and this time Luke didn’t argue.  She left him in the car and procured their room for the night before returning to the truck with the key.

“Our suite awaits us,” she said and jingled the key at him.

“Let’s go,” he said and climbed out. 

They quickly gathered their backpacks and Luke grabbed the bag from the market then walked up to the door with the number that matched their keychain. 

“A key,” Arianna rolled her eyes.  “How old school is that?  I bet this place is a dump.”

But to her surprise, when they opened the door, the room was not a dump.  It was neat and brightly decorated and smelled as though it had just been cleaned.  Two queen-sized beds with a nightstand in between them occupied most of the space and a small table with two chairs was to their immediate left.

“Not bad,” Luke said.  “Not bad at all.”

“
I know.  This room is nicer than
my trailer,” she said and was only half joking.

“It’s nicer than my house, too,” he agreed.

“All right, enough chit
chat.  What’s in the bag?” she asked impatiently.

Luke set the bag on the table and
reached one of his hands
hand in
side of it
.  He pulled out a pack of cigarettes first.  Then he reached in a second time and pulled out two decks of card
s
.  One was a standard playing card set while
the other was an Old Maid set.

“Old Maid!” Arianna squealed.  “I haven’t played that game since I was a kid!”

Luke smiled and reached in a third time.

“There’s more?” she asked.  “What else could we need besides Old Maid and cigarettes?”

He lifted up a six-pack of beer and smiled, “Beer, of course!”

Arianna clapped and bounced on the balls of her feet. “Yay!  This is the best trip ever,” she said and knew she both sounded and acted like a child.  But she did not care. 

Luke twisted off the cap of one of the beer
s
and handed her the opened bottle.  Then he opened one for himself
.  He raised the bottle and touched it against hers.  “To our trip,” he said.

“Cheers,” she said then took a long drink.  She picked up the bag and was about to place it on the floor when Luke said quickly, “I’ll get that.”

His voice had an edge of nervousness to it she’d never heard.  He took it from her hands hurriedly but not before she spied
a small box of condoms at the bottom.  She contemplated ribbing him about his lofty expectations, but his nervous reaction had given her pause.  She did not want to embarrass him; not about something so serious.  Ignoring his purchase as well as his reaction she sat in one of the chairs and began opening the box of Old Maid cards.

After several hands of the game and two beers each, Luke yawned exaggeratedly.  “I’m pretty beat,” he said. 
“
I think I’ll shower and hit the sack.  Which bed do you want?”

He slid her a glance she was ce
rtain she wasn’t meant to catch, one that suggested h
e was feeling her out, trying to see what the sleeping arrangement was going to be.

“Whichever one you want is fine with me,” she said refusing to take the bait.

“Oh,” he said with the slightest hint of disappointment tinting his words.

He stood and took his backpack
then disappeared into the bathroom.  When he returned later, he wore nothing but a pair of jersey material athletic shorts and a towel around his neck.  His shorts sat low on his hips and the waistband of his boxers peeked out.  Arianna had never seen him without his shirt before.  She’d felt how hard his chest was through his clothes,
had imagined what it would look like bare,
but
enjoyed
the
appearance
of
it far more in reality
.  Trim and lean, the planes of his muscles were clearly defined.  He lift
ed one arm and his bicep muscle
flexed as he dried his hair.  Tousled and still wet from his shower, his black hair looked boyish, charming.

“The pressure on that showerhead is phenomenal,” he said and walked past her.  He sat on the bed closest to the table she sat at.  He smelled of soap and warmth and toothpaste and she had to consciously resist the urge to throw her body atop his.  “I may never want to leave this place.”

“Me neither,” she agreed.
“Guess I’m up now.”  She grabbed her bag and headed to the bathroom. 

Luke had been right; the shower pressure was strong, a far
cry from that of her trailer.  After she’d washed and combed her hair and brushed her teeth, she looked at the clothes she’d hastily grabbed to sleep in.  A tank top and yoga pants hardly seemed like seductive attire.  She’d seen
girls at school walk around wearing less
clothing; clothing that had been
far more enticing
.  Regardless, it was all she’d brought so she slipped the outfit on, not bothering to put a bra on.  Hers was not from a fancy retailer and didn’t have all of the push-up features men liked.  She opened the door and walked to the bed she supposed she’d sleep on, the one closest to the bathroom.  She pulled down the duvet and the sheet and slipped beneath them.

“Good night,” she said to Luke.

“Going to
sleep
now?” he asked.

“Aren’t you?”

“Not right this second.”

“Oh, I thought you were tired.  I just assumed you wanted to go to
sleep
.”

“I’m tire
d, but I don’t need to go to sleep
right this second or anything,” he said.

“Okay, then come on over,” she said and patted the space in front of her.

Luke walked over to her bed and sat.  She
pulled the coverings off her legs and sat on top of them before folding them like a pretzel.  She
looked at him for a moment.  He looked incredible.  His mussed hair was not spiked up as he normally wore it and was free of gel
,
and his tattoos were plainly visible.  She reached out and touched the dragon on his forearm and watched as the hairs on his arm rose.  “I like this one a lot,” she said tracing it.  “Did it hurt?”

“It wasn’t too bad,” he said
and she heard the slightest tremble in his voice
. 

She allowed her fingertips to glide gently up his arm to his shoulder.  He closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation and her fin
gers skimm
ed the length of his neck up to the back of his hair before sliding back
down his throat past his collar
bone and down his chest.  His eyes remained closed and she could see the fitful pounding in his
neck again.  She leaned in and grazed the throbbing pulse point with her lips.  When she pulled back, he watched her, his silvery gaze attentive.  He reached out and cupped her face with his hand
s
then bent toward her.
He kissed her tenderly.  She tilted her head and welcomed the warmth of his lips against hers.  His mouth was soft and his kiss was sweet. 
She felt the world fall silent save for the sound of her heart racing in her chest. 
His tongue traced her lower lip
and t
he feeling sent
a shiver through her
,
raising
goose bumps on her skin.  She ran her hand up his arm again, over his shoulder and twisted it in his hair
.  He drew in a breath through his nose and pulled her toward him.  She obliged by climbing on to his lap, one leg on either side of his hips.  His lips began crushing hers, his kiss deeper, more passionate.  She could feel his excitement between her legs, rubbing pleasantly against her. 

His mouth left hers and traveled down to her jaw first then her neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses in its wake.  His hands slid up her back and
brushed
the sides of her breasts and every part of her ached for his touch.  When his hand slipped under the narrow strap of her tank top, it was she who inhaled sharply, the
anticipation
of his move overwhelming.  The band fell off her shoulder
and exposed to top of her breast.  He lowered his mouth to the soft mound and warmth pooled low in her belly, twisting longingly. 
His chin lowered the fabric of her top further, revealing more of her willing body.  She arched her back toward him, welcoming him.  Eager to explore her further, h
e took a hardened peak between his lips and
ran his tongue over it, teasing and tantalizing the sensitive skin. 
Arianna moaned
then
pushed him back against the bed, unable to withstand the desire that burned inside her a moment longer.  She slid his short
s
from his hips and
started to push
his boxers down as well.

“Arianna,” he said breathlessly.  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, Luke,” she panted.  “I’m sure.”

He sat up quickly
, unexpectedly and pulled open
the drawer of the nightstand.
  He grabbed a foil covered square.

“Ah, you listened to my mother,” Arianna whispered
seeing the
condom.

“Please don’t talk about your mother now,” he said and climbed on top of her.  “
Are you sure you’re
sure,” he asked again.
  “You really want to do this?”

“Shut up and kiss me already,” Arianna said and slipped her yoga pants off.
 

His eyes roamed her nearly naked body.  He kissed her neck and nibbled her ear. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

His hands slipped under the hem of her tank top and he lifted the material up over her head.  His skin against hers felt blissfully warm.  He stared at her exposed chest with appreciation and her nipples hardened with excitement.  He lowered his mouth and kissed the valley between them before taking a firm tip into his mouth again. 
Rippling need wavered through her body. 
Her hands slid down to the waistband of his boxer shorts and she began pushing them down.  His hands left her breasts
and found their way down her waist.  His fingers slipped underneath
her underwear
and began drawing them down
.  He slipped them off her hips and
down her thighs then
tossed them aside.  Once they were off and resting on the nightstand, she
parted her legs and
felt him enter her. 

Arianna clutched the duvet as he drew his body against hers.  She wrapped her legs around his thighs and pushed against him, urging him. 
He moved slowly at first and she closed her eyes reveling in the feel of him. 
She focused on their bodies moving in sync as one.  She glanced up at him briefly, and saw the intensity in the set of his jaw.  One side of his mouth curved up, a half smile, and she closed her eyes again.

Behind her lids, however, an imaged flashed, an unwelcome image.  Golden hair and fair skin
, and the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.  De
smond appeared in her mind
.  She tried desperately to block the image, intent on not ruining her intimate moment with Luke.  But his image persisted
.  His likenes
s stood before her bare chested.  H
is broad, muscled body highlighted by bright sunlight, golden light that matched his hair.  Suddenly, she was with him, naked.
They were both in a grassy clearing.  He stared at her
hungrily,
unwaveringly, and a smil
ed did not touch his features.
  He
looked upon her, his eyes smoldering pools of tropical water, with pure lust.  With his rippling muscles tensed and the desirous look in his eyes, he
looked like a warrior about to descend on an adversary, but none were present; only her.  Luke’s ragged breathing in her ear warned that he was nearing climax.  She wanted to join him, but couldn’t shake Desmond’s nude body from her mind.  Perhaps subconsciously, she did not want to.  She opened her eyes again for a split second and glimpsed Luke’s face, a mask of
concentration before closing them again, and returning to Desmond.  Only when she did, it was Desmond atop her, his face confident, his cerulean gaze trained on her.  She imagined her hands tracing the swollen peaks and valleys of his powerful chest and shoulders and felt a tremor of pure bliss overtake her. 
The image of
Desmond
triggered
small bursts of light behind her eyelids as her body contracted around Luke.  A quiver of ecstasy caused her to cry out and within seconds, Luke panted in release then collapsed atop her.  She could feel his arms trembling as he lifted himself up to kiss her.

“That was amazing,” he breathed in her ear.

“It was, wasn’t it,” she whispered back as a wave of guilt washed over her.  She hadn’t planned to picture Desmond as they
’d
made love.  He’d just appeared unexpectedly, uninvited.  Yet, the thought of him, undressed, inside of her, had aroused her in a way she’d never experienced.  But she had been with Luke, not Desmond.  Another wave of guilt swelled, threatened to drown her as Luke lay next to her drifting off to sleep.