Fated Dreams (Book One In The Affinity series) (20 page)

“You know he
can cook?”

“Duh…I live
with him, and we’re alone together a lot. I knew he didn’t want anyone to know,
so I never told my parents. I figured he had his reasons. He doesn’t even know
that I know.”

“He asked me
not to tell you. I saw him cooking once, so I called him on it.”

Lucas grew
quiet for a minute, lost in thought. “I’m glad you talked to him though. What
did he say?”

“He said he
would think about it, and I really think he will.”

His hand continued
to gently caress my shoulder soothingly, making me feel sleepy. It wasn’t long
before my eyelids became heavy. Finally I gave in and fell asleep in his arms.

“Lucas, are you going to eat supper or
not!” an irritated voice said from the hallway. I opened my eyes just in time
to see the door swing open. “Oh my. I’m so sorry,” his mother stammered. She
was standing in the doorway, looking surprised and embarrassed, obviously
flustered at seeing us together in a bed.

“Oh sorry, Mom,
Sarah was upset, and I wanted her to rest. I guess I fell asleep too.” Lucas’
voice was thick with sleep.

We sat up; I
leaned against his headboard while he sat on the edge of the mattress.

“What were you
upset about, Sarah?” Karen asked me, her face full of concern; she was still
standing in the doorway.

I didn’t want
her to know, afraid she would tell my parents. “Oh, it was nothing. I tripped
while I was waiting for Lucas to pick me up, and I almost fell on the road
while a car was coming.”

She gasped,
raising her hand to her heart. “Oh my goodness, are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine,
just a little embarrassed.”

“Are you sure
you’re okay? Maybe I should call your parents.”

“No! That’s
okay; I’ll tell them when I get home.”

She stared at
me, searching my face. “Okay, if you’re sure. Logan made some food, are you
guys hungry?” she asked, not entirely sure she shouldn’t call my parents. I
hoped if we ate, she would forget worrying about me. And I could definitely
eat, since I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

“Sure, Mom, thanks,
we’ll be right out.” Lucas stood up and crossed his arms in front of him.

She smiled at
us before stepping out of the room, closing the door behind her. “Do your
parents know where you are?” he asked, turning to look down at me.

“Yes, I told
them that I was going to your house from work.”

“Do you want to
eat here, or do you want to go home?”

“I’ll stay with
you.” I needed to be with him. He made me feel safe.

Logan had barbecued steak and baked
potatoes. Nick was still at the restaurant, so it was just the four of us
sitting around the dining room table.

“Wow,” I said,
stuffing my face. “Logan, this is really good, you should be a chef.”

Lucas choked on
his drink, stifling a laugh.

Logan
gave me a cold stare, warning me not to tell his secret.

“She’s right,”
Karen said, enjoying her meal. “Logan, this is good. Have you thought of
following in your father’s footsteps?”

I wasn’t
surprised to see Logan glaring at me.

A warm hand
embraced mine, and knowing Lucas was there for me, I returned the squeeze. He
was worried Logan would get angry with me. But to our surprise he just shook
his head and said, “How hard could it be, it’s just steak.”

“But what’s the
seasoning on here, it tastes amazing. I think it’s the best steak I’ve ever
had, but if you tell my dad I said that, I’ll deny it.” I laughed at my own
joke nervously.

“Thanks, Sarah,
but I’m not telling you the ingredients, it’s my secret.” He winked at me and
then cleared his throat, turning to Karen. “Actually, Mom, I was just thinking
I might be interested in culinary school when we graduate, but I haven’t made
my decision yet. I didn’t want to say anything because I was afraid that Dad
would pressure me. If I choose to, I want it to be my decision.”

“That’s very
responsible of you, honey, don’t worry, I won’t tell your dad. But will you let
me know when you’re ready?” She reached over and patted his hand, and the look
she gave him could only be translated as pride. Lucas was right, of course; all
Logan had to do to get that look was admit his talent. I had a suspicion that
for some reason, Logan liked the negative attention he received.

“I will, and
thanks for keeping it to yourself.” He glanced at me and gave me a slight
smile. I took that as a thank-you, whether it was intended that way or not.

“So Sarah, do
you know where you’ll be living in September?” Karen asked me as she rubbed her
finger absently along the top of her water glass, leaning her head on her hand.

“Yes, I’ll be
living in the dorms.”

“You know, Mom,
it would be cheaper if Sarah and I share an apartment.” Lucas’ grin was wide as
he leaned back in his chair.

“Are you asking
if you two can shack up?”

Lucas laughed.
“Maybe, but I haven’t even talked to her about it yet.”

My mouth fell
open in shock as I gaped at him. Why was he saying this to his mother?
“Uh…Lucas, can we talk about this later, and definitely not in front of your
family?” Three smiling faces laughed until I narrowed my eyes in a cold stare
at the Tate closest to me.

Karen cleared
her throat and stood up, clearly aware that I wanted privacy with her
unbelievably stupid son. “Well, I’m finished.” She gathered her dishes, heading
into the kitchen. “Logan,” she said as she stood in the doorway. He glanced up
at her. Her eyes were wide as she motioned with her head in our direction.

His face
scrunched up in confusion. “Huh?”

She sighed,
walked over, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pulled him into the kitchen.

Once we were
alone, I folded my arms in front of me and stared once again at Lucas.

“Sorry, Sarah,
I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Lucas whispered.

I heard a
noise, and my eyes flicked to the doorway, where I saw Logan’s shoulder. I knew
that both of them were huddled on the other side of the wall, listening.

I blushed and
lowered my voice. “I’m not embarrassed; I’d just like to talk about it later.”
I nodded to the entrance to the kitchen.

He smiled and
leaned in to kiss me quickly on the lips. His mother came out of the kitchen
and sighed. “Ah, to be young again. Okay, these dishes are not going to clean
themselves. Logan, since you did such a great job making dinner, you may be
excused. We’ll clean up.”

Logan
peeked out of the doorway and smiled. “Hey, I think I’ll cook every
night if I get out of the dishes,” he said with a laugh.

His mother
rolled her eyes at him as she picked up the platter of leftover steaks. “Don’t
push it,” she called to Logan as he walked out of the kitchen and down to the
rec room.

Lucas and I
each took turns putting our dishes in the dishwasher, and then together cleaned
up the rest.

Once the last
dish was put away, I had an idea. “Since I’m here, Karen, would you like a
piano lesson?”

Shutting the
door to the dishwasher, she leaned against it with a frown on her face. “I’d
love to, Sarah, but I have to run to the restaurant and help Nick close up.”

“Okay, next
time then,’ I said, watching as she pulled her purse and coat off of the hook.

“I’ll hold you
to that.” She pointed to me and then waved. “Bye, kids.” The door shut behind
her as she rushed out.

Lucas and I
went back to his room. “So, do you want to share an apartment or not?” he asked
me, smiling sheepishly. He was sitting on the edge of the bed while I sat on
the chair in the corner of the room. He didn’t seem sure that I’d want to live
with him at school. Why he brought it up in front of his mother was beyond me.

“We’ve only
been together for a few weeks. Isn’t it a little early to be talking about
living together?”

“Maybe, but it
feels like I’ve known you my whole life. And besides, there’s no harm in
planning for September. If you get sick of me before then, we can just change
our plans.”

I pursed my
lips together; the idea of ever getting sick of him was hard to swallow. Like
him, I felt like I’d always known him. “Are you registered at the dorms too?”

“Yes, but we
could get out of it. It would be cheaper to get a place off campus. We might as
well share. I’d be at your dorm all the time anyway.” He stood up, taking the
two steps to stand in front of me, then leaned his hands on the arms of my
chair, his face hovering above mine. He was so close I could smell his papaya
shampoo.

“Well, when you
put it that way, why waste a perfectly good dorm room? I’m not sure my dad will
go for it, although he does like to save money.”

He kissed my
forehead quickly and stood up. “Good, I love the idea of waking up with my arms
wrapped around you every day.”

I couldn’t
argue with that. The few times I fell asleep in his arms felt amazing. “What
are you taking? I never asked. Is there a photography course at NYU?”

He nodded.
“Yes, and I’m hoping to get an internship for a New York photographer.”

An image of us
together in the Big Apple, learning and living on our own, made me dizzy with
giddiness. “This is exciting, I can’t wait to find a place and be with you all
the time.”

He closed his
eyes and breathed in deeply, and then his arm shot out and yanked me against
him. He nuzzled into my neck and whispered, “Neither can I.”

His sudden mood
change made my head spin, and his lips felt so hot on my cool skin, my knees
went weak. “I want you all to myself,” he mumbled into my hair. The fierceness
to his voice threw me. I didn’t know what to think, but before I could form any
objections in my mind, he started to kiss me. I leaned up on my toes to wrap my
arms around his neck, pulling him tighter. The kiss turned hard and desperate.
Luke’s hands wandered, rubbing up my back until they knotted in my hair.

My hands
explored his arms and shoulders until I heard him take a deep, raspy breath in
and he leaned against me, trying to get as close as he could. I wasn’t
expecting his sudden shift in weight, and we toppled onto the bed in a heap. It
didn’t faze us though; Luke pulled away and started to kiss my cheek, my chin,
then eventually my collarbone. With my lips no longer occupied, a warning bell
went off in my head.

“Wait,” I said,
pushing him off me.

He sat up on
the bed and ran his hand over his face with a ragged sigh. I stood up and
leaned against the bookshelf, taking slow breaths to calm my racing heart. “I
get nervous when we do this. I think we need to talk about it. When we kiss
like this, I’m worried about what you want.” I watched him lay back on the bed
with his hands covering his face. “So where do you want this to go?”

He stood up and
shook his head. “Sarah, don’t worry. All I want is to be close to you. That’s
enough for me, I won’t rush you.”

“But what if we
haven’t…you know…done that…before we move in together for school?”

“You’re
thinking too much. Whatever happens will happen, okay? We still have months
left. A lot can happen between now and then.” He leaned in close; his breath
was hot against my ear. “Do you know what I want to do right now?” he
whispered, rubbing my back softly. His hands were so warm I felt heat spread
along my skin. Man, he drove me crazy. Why was I waiting?

“What?” I
whispered, breathless.

He pulled back
quickly with laughter in his eyes. “I want to teach you to fight, so I won’t
worry so much about you. Let’s go downstairs, and you can have a round with the
heavy bag.” He started walking to the door.

I stood frozen
at the edge of the bed. “That is so not what I thought you were going to say.”

He chuckled
from the doorway. “I know. You have such a dirty mind.” He grinned playfully.
“Let’s go, I have to take you home soon.”

When we entered
the rec room, Logan was lying on the couch watching an action movie. “Hey, Logan, do you care if I teach Sarah some moves on the heavy bag?”

“No, I don’t
mind, I could use a good laugh.” He picked up the remote and pushed pause; the
lead character was shooting someone with a machine gun.

“Hey, Lucas,
let’s forget about the bag. I’ll just practice on Logan’s head.” I stuck my
tongue out at him.

Logan
laughed and moved closer so he could watch me make a fool of
myself.

“Okay, Sarah,
remember what I showed you. I want you to keep it up for about fifteen
minutes.” Lucas shoved the gloves on my hands and laced them up.

“Fifteen
minutes, are you crazy? Last time I did it for about five and my arms hurt for
days.”

He tried to stifle
a laugh. “The more you do it, the more you get used to it.”

I scowled at
him; this protecting me thing was getting out of hand. “Why do I need to do
this anyway?”

“What’s the big
deal? Girls take self-defense classes all the time. This is my version. It
never hurts to be prepared.”

“Fine,” I said
with as much anger as I could muster. The heavy bag stood in front of me, its
brown leather shell swinging slowly from the hook. I did what he said, hitting
the thing with small jabs for a few minutes while he watched, leaning against
the chair, focusing on me. My arms started to get slower and slower with each
punch. After ten minutes, I couldn’t lift them.

I was sore,
tired, and grumpy. I needed to let out my anger, and since he was so close… “I
swear, if I could move my arms, I would punch the crap out of you right now.” I
narrowed my eyes at Lucas, who was trying not to smile but failing miserably.

Apparently what
I said was funny. Both twins broke out in hysterical laughter. I gave Lucas a
look that hopefully said, “If you ever want to kiss me again, the laughter must
stop.”

It worked; he
smoothed his features as he walked towards me, wrapping his arms around my
waist.

“No thanks, I
don’t want your pity, go away,” I said dryly, trying to push him off.

“Sarah, I’m
sorry. I won’t laugh at you again.” That was funny, considering he was laughing
as he spoke.

“Remember, I
think it’s stupid, I don’t need to learn to protect myself, I’m fine.”

He sobered
instantly. “No way, we had a deal, you promised to be careful, and it will make
me feel better.”

“Whatever,” I
mumbled while he started to take my gloves off. I turned to Logan. “If I hear
about this at school, I will tell your secret.” I pointed at him with my hand
that still had the glove on.

He scowled.
“You already did.”

“I did not, I
just made an observation.” I tried to make my voice as innocent as I could.

“Luke, what’s
with all of this?” Logan asked, gesturing to the gloves. “Why do you think she
needs to be able to protect herself? And why did I have to pick her up today
when she has a car?”

I glanced at
Lucas and raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to explain.

“I just think
it’s better that she can protect herself if she ever needs to, and today
someone tried to run her over. They drove their car up on the curb where she
was standing. If I hadn’t pulled her back, they would have hit her.”

“Who the hell
would do that?”

“Your guess is
as good as mine. But I’m going to stay as close to her as I can for a while.”