Awakening (15 page)

"You look amazing," Luke said to me, taking me in his arms for a hug.

I relaxed into his hold, breathing in his woodsy cologne and relishing his strength and warmth. "You're not so bad yourself," I laughed, smiling against his chest. As I pulled back and looked up at him I asked, "So, where are you taking me this evening?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out." He winked at me as he placed a hand on the small of my back and led me out the door.

We drove to Hilton Head and pulled up to an old building right on the beach. Luke opened my door and helped me out of the truck.

"This is one of my favorite places to eat, it's really small inside, so you have to get reservations well in advance, but it's well worth the wait," Luke told me.

"How did you get reservations then?"

"I might
have gone to high school with the owner," he said, and beamed at me.

As we walked toward the front door, I saw an old sign hanging from a wrought iron post.
Eli's.
The white washed brick exterior was covered with rose vines, and the door was heavy and wooden. I wouldn't have known the place was there if I weren't looking for it.

There were only about ten tables inside, but the view was amazing. The entire back wall of the restaurant was folding glass doors.
When they were all open, there was no barrier to the deck, allowing the roar of the ocean and the sea breeze to drift inside. Off the deck was a staircase leading down to the sand.

"This is beautiful," I commented, watching the waves crash on the beach.

"Not as beautiful as you."

I looked at Luke and blushed, casting my eyes downward as butterflies soared in my stomach.

"Look at me," he commanded, and I raised my eyes back to his. "I'm serious. You are gorgeous."

"Thank you Luke." I smiled at him as the waitress approached.

After ordering drinks and food Luke asked me about my job and how I liked working for my father.

"It's great, actually," I started. "I wasn't sure if I would like it at first because it's hard to leave work at work when you live with your boss, but my dad likes to unwind as well, so we rarely ever talk about it at home."

"Why don't you have a place of your own?"

"Well..."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he assured me.

"No, I don't mind. It's just that I haven't ever really talked much about Mark and what happened afterwards. I kind of closed myself off and wouldn't let anyone get close to me for a long time."

I looked up at him, wondering if I said too much. Maybe I shouldn't have brought up Mark. We were supposed to be on a date, so I should have been focusing on us instead of bringing up old boyfriends. Even if Luke was his brother.

"Go on," he urged.

"I'm sorry, we shouldn't talk about this. I'm sure it's awkward for you to hear me talking about my past relationship."

He reached across the table and placed his hand over mine. "Caroline, if
you had been with anyone else I may not want to hear all about it, but you were with Mark. As much as I hated watching it happen, he was my best friend, my brother. Looking back, I'm glad that he had you while he did. You made him happy. He died happy because of you."

I wiped away a stray tear with my napkin before laughing and smiling at Luke.

"When the accident happened I was planning to move to Atlanta, just for a little while, and look around for a job. I couldn't imagine going back to Savannah and only seeing Mark a couple times a month. But after everything that happened, I didn't really have any other options. I was depressed and closed off and I needed the only support system I had, which was my family," I told him.

"After about six months," I continued, "my dad said he had a job opening in
marketing. He didn't really give me a choice. He had to wake me up every morning and drive me to the office to even get me to go, but after a couple of weeks I found that I was really enjoying myself. I finally had something to focus on besides the overwhelming sense of loss. That's when I finally started to heal. Now, if I could get through those dreams, maybe I would be able to put it all behind me."

"Savannah, Mark was a part of your life for a long time. You needed time to grieve. I don't expect you'll ever stop thinking about him, or loving him, even if you do allow someone else to be a part of your life. I just want you to
know that as long as I'm around you can always talk to me about him. I loved him just as much as you did, maybe not in the same way, but I felt his loss equally and I understand what you went through. Even though things were tense between us for a while you never have to hide your feelings about Mark when you're with me. I need to talk about him as much as you do. It's the only way to keep his memory alive."

"You
've turned into an amazing man, Luke Johnson. I don't know what I ever did to deserve your attention, but I'm so thankful."

After dinner we walked down to the beach. Carrying my shoes in one hand, I noticed that the sand was still warm. The sun hadn't fully set, and the last rays stretched out toward the horizon, glistening on the water.

"Why did you become an architect?" I asked him.

Luke grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers through mine, and pulled them to his lips, placing a soft kiss there. I felt safe with him, and in that moment I realized there was nowhere else I'd rather be.

"I was always drawing as a kid. I thought about graphic design for a while, but after taking a few classes, I realized I was more into drawing structures, like old houses. I used to go with my father to Savannah when I was a kid to visit Granny Sara, and he would always drive through the squares and point out the historic buildings, telling me about the unique history of each one. I started loving the idea that I could imagine something in my mind, draw it on paper and then watch it come to life before my eyes. The beauty of knowing that the buildings I created would be there long after I was gone is what ultimately drove me to become an architect. I didn't want to just build things, I wanted to create them."

I loved how passionate he was about his work. I had seen this same passion in other areas of his life too, like when he talked about his family. I wanted him to feel that way about me too.

I stopped walking and turned toward him, bringing my arms around his waist.

"Kiss me," I whispered.

He slowly lowered his mouth to my ear and began to nibble his way toward my mouth. His lips seared my skin as he crushed my mouth under his. This kiss was different from others we had shared. It was deep and passionate, overwhelming my senses and driving all my worries far from my mind. I pressed against him, chasing his tongue with mine as white hot heat built inside me.

"Stay with me tonight?" He asked.

My knees were weak and my body was screaming to say yes, but I knew what would happen if I did. I had already slipped up that morning and I needed to decide what, exactly, I wanted before I allowed anything to happen again.

"
Not tonight, Luke."

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders while exhaling audibly. "Let's get you home then."

After I got into bed, I couldn't get Luke out of my head. I wanted him bad. I tried to focus on my work week and everything I needed to accomplish, but my thoughts kept circling back to Luke.

Sunday morning as I was tossing my bag in the backseat of the car I saw Nick's truck barreling down the driveway. When it stopped behind mine Eva jumped out and slammed the door before Nick spun the tires and drove away.

"What was that all about?" I asked her.

"He's pissed because I don't want to be exclusive. I seriously met the man a little over a week ago," Eva spit out.

"Well Eva, you have always had a big impact on people. He's obviously infatuated."

"Yeah, well, I need some space to think about it. Are you heading out?"

"Yes, I need to get back to the house and get some things taken care of before tomorrow," I told her, heading back towards the house to tell my mother goodbye.

"Can I come with you?"

"Sure. Do you need to stay with me?" Eva's parents had moved away from Savannah after graduation. She was staying with Anne Marie until their apartment was available mid-July.

"That would be awesome! Can we have a girls night Wednesday like we used to?"

"Sounds like a great idea!" I smiled at her as we entered the house through the back door into the kitchen.

"I'll be down in a minute," Eva said, "I just need to grab the rest of my things."

While I was waiting for Eva and my mother to come downstairs my phone vibrated in my pocket. I smiled when I saw it was Luke.

"Hello?"

"Hey beautiful, how'd you sleep?"

My stomach was doing flip flops just from the sound of his voice. "Pretty well, just getting ready to head out. How about you?"

"Nick just showed up. He's in a pissy mood so I think we're going to take the boat out and drink a few beers."

"I think he and Eva had a fall out. She's heading back to Savannah with me."

"Well, that explains it... So, listen, I have to meet a client in Savannah on Wednesday. Can I interest you in dinner?"

"Oh, I would love to, but I just told Eva that we could have girls night. Can I get a rain check?"

"Of course. Friday then? You are coming back up here right?" He asked.

"I'll be back on Friday," I assured him.

"It won't be easy, but I think I can wait. I'll be thinking about you though."

"You will?" My breath caught in my throat.

"Mmm hmm. I can't wait to hold you in my arms again and feel your skin against mine. I am dying to kiss your soft lips and taste your sweet tongue."

My pulse was racing and my face felt heated just thinking about being close to him again.

"
That sounds amazing." Wait, what? I didn't mean to say that out loud!

"Stay right there," Luke growled into my ear and then I heard the phone disconnect.

I felt a tingling sensation radiating through my body. I knew he was on his way over and I was giddy with excitement.

"Mom!?" I called just as Eva came back into the kitchen with her bag.

"I'll be outside okay?" She said to me as she walked out.

"Hey sweetie, leaving so soon?" My mother asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, Carson is coming home tonight and I need to get a few things done before work tomorrow." I leaned in to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay, I love you sweetheart, drive safely. I'll see you next weekend."

"Thanks Mom," I said to her and smiled as I turned to leave.

As I rounded the side of the house I ran right into Luke's massive chest. He reached out to steady me, and then pulled me into his arms. I sighed and brought my arms around his waist, inhaling his scent. It was useless to resist. And who was I kidding? I didn't want to.

He looked into my eyes as he lowered his mouth to mine, capturing and invading my mouth. Heat raced through my veins, causing liquid fire to pool in my belly. I moaned as I moved my arms from around his waist and slid them up his chest and around his neck. He lifted me so I was face to face with him and deepened the kiss.

I could feel Luke's erection against my belly and I instinctively raised my legs to wrap around his waist, trying to get some friction. He turned us so my back was against the side of the house, and kissed a hot trail from my mouth down my neck. There he rested his forehead on my shoulder while taking in deep and ragged breaths. I wondered if we would always feel this intense need for each other, or if it would eventually fade.

"Jesus woman, you have me all tied up in knots," he breathed against my neck. "I couldn't let you go without kissing you one more time."

He lowered my feet to the ground, grabbing my left hand and pulling it between us to rest against the bulge in his pants.

"Feel what you do to me," he said as I brazenly rubbed him through his pants, wanting more. Abruptly he let go of me, walking back towards the front of the house.

"Luke, wait."

He stopped, looking up toward the sky and clenching his fists at his sides. I walked around him so I was standing in front of him.

"What's wrong?" I asked, wanting to touch him, but not knowing if I should.

"I can't keep doing this with you Savannah. I want you. All the time. You're all I think about anymore."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, I can't handle not being able to touch you, hold you, kiss you whenever I want to. The minute I get close to you I want to be inside you. I can't sleep at night because I'm thinking about how good you feel next to me. I can't be this close to you and not have you as mine. I want to be near you every minute of the day. Is that what you want?"

Oh God! Is that what I want?
Hell yes it is!!
My stomach was filled with butterflies and the blood churning through my center was throbbing full force. I swallowed hard. "Yes," I said, looking him in the eye.

"
Yes?"

"
Yes, that's what I want."

It took him a moment to process my words, but as soon as he heard me he grabbed me up against his chest and turned me in circles, pressing his lips to mine. I smiled and laughed as he twirled me around.

"Stay with me?" He asked, slowly lowering me to the ground.

"I need to take Eva back to Savannah
, and I have some things to do to get ready for work in the morning. How about I'll come back tomorrow after work, and I'll stay through next weekend? That way I can pick up some of my work clothes."

"You just made my day, beautiful," he said as he gathered me against him and kissed me senseless. 

We walked around to the front of the house where Eva was waiting in my car.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," I said to him, rising up on my tip toes to kiss him.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said.

As he shut the door behind me Eva looked at me.

"I thought we were going to spend the week with each other," she pouted.

"Eva, you can still stay at my house and I'll still go out with you on Wednesday. Carson is coming home tonight. You love him. I'm sure you'll have a blast."

"Fine," she said with a huff as my low fuel indicator dinged.

When I stopped for gas Eva went inside the convenience store to grab some coffee and breakfast sandwiches for the both of us. While I was waiting for my tank to fill up a white van pulled up on the other side of the pump and the creepy guy I'd seen around town climbed out. He looked at me and then dragged his eyes down my body, giving me the chills. I wanted to turn the other direction so I didn't have to look at him, but I also didn't want to let him out of my sight.

"Well, looky here," he drawled, walking around to my side of the pump. "What's a purty girl like you doin' out here all alone?"

I didn't want to talk to him, but it seemed I would have to. He smelled like beer and cigarettes, and I could see
most of his teeth were missing, and the ones still there were black with decay. My stomach turned over as he kept inching closer to me.

"U
h, my friend is inside," I said looking toward the store and hoping Eva would hurry.

"Yer new 'round here ain't ya? I seen you in the bar one time dancin'. You got some purty good moves."

I took a step back from him, something about him did not sit right with me. I was fighting the urge to dive into my car and speed away.

"How 'bout you
'n me take a li'l ride in my van," he said, reaching toward me and running a dirty finger over my forearm.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing? Get your hands off her, creep!" Eva yelled as soon as she observed the situation.

The man stepped back from me and looked Eva up and down.

"I seen you 'round too, uppity bitch," he sneered at Eva.

"Don't you ever come near either of us again," I said to him, finally finding my voice now that Eva was there to back me up.

"We're going to report you to the police," Eva said.

He stepped back and leaned against the side of the gas pump just as I returned the nozzle to its cradle.

"Do yer worst. I ain't done nothin' to report." He looked at me. "Be seein' you around sweet stuff," he said, smugly. Then he licked his lips and made a kissing noise before we jumped into the car and sped off.

"What a dirt bag!" Eva huffed. "He's probably the psycho who's been trying to snatch up girls around here. Someone should get him off the street."