Last Chance: A Second Chances Novel (20 page)

He walked me to my car and took my hands. “If you want your ring back, I’ll be happy to give it to you,” he offered.

“Thanks, but I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

His breathing came faster and he stared down at my lips. I knew what he was about to do, and it happened so fast, I sucked in a breath. His lips pressed against mine and he brought his hands to my face, the kiss urgent and raw. When he pulled back, he lowered his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry, but I had to do it. Goodnight, Lara.” He hurried off and got in his car.

I watched him retreat down the street, and I was never more sure of what I wanted in my entire life. I knew where I needed to be.

Heart racing, I jumped in my car. When I got to Luke’s house, there weren’t many lights on, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. Running up to his door, I knocked on it twice and rang the doorbell for good measure. I was nervous as hell, but I was where I needed to be.

Luke answered the door wearing only a pair of gym shorts, his hair a tousled mess. He ran a hand through it and grinned down at me. “Don’t tell me you left your date to be with me?”

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his neck. His eyes went wide and I smiled. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. What are you going to do about it?” Before he could answer, I closed my lips over his.

He pushed his tongue inside and groaned when I let him go deep. “I’ll do anything you want me to.”

“Make love to me,” I breathed.

He froze and pulled back to look at me. “Lara . . .”

I pressed my fingers to his lips. “It’s what I want. Don’t question it. I’ve made up my mind. I choose you.”

I could feel his heart pounding in his chest. “Are you sure?”

“More than anything.”

I leaned up to kiss him again, but he lifted me in his arms, a low growl escaping his lips as he slammed the door with his foot. He carried me to his room and laid me on his bed, his scent surrounding me. The room was dark, except for the light from the hallway filtering in, but I could see his face as he stared down at me with raw, hunger-filled eyes.

After kicking off my shoes, I moved farther up the mattress and rested my head on one of his pillows. Luke crawled on the bed and laid beside me, propped up on his elbow. He traced the hem of my shirt with his finger, lightly grazing my skin underneath. Chill bumps fanned out over my flesh, making him smile. “I love that my touch does that to you.”

I bit my lip. “It does a lot more than that.” My center grew wet and I rubbed my legs together to create the friction I craved.

Groaning, he rolled on top of me and parted my legs with his knee. His green gaze was smoldering hot as he brought his mouth down over mine, softly at first, but then demanding, as our tongues twisted together. “I want more,” he rasped.

“Take it, it’s yours,” I breathed back.

Luke tore my shirt and bra away, and once my skin was exposed his hands were all over me, massaging and kneading. He squeezed my breasts with his rough hands, and pinched my nipples, making me cry out in both pleasure and pain. To ease the sharpness of the sensation, he licked and sucked each taut nipple while thrusting his arousal between my legs.

His hands fumbled with the button of my jeans, and slowly slipped his hand inside. Deftly, he entered me with his fingers and groaned against my lips. “Fuck, Lara, you’re so damn wet. I can’t wait to be inside you.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” I breathed, arching my back off the bed, pushing my breasts in the air.

Luke laughed a deep, husky sound. “Soon, baby. We have all night.” He pulled my pants and underwear down, tossing them to the floor.

I was naked, aching to the point I thought I’d go crazy, and he wanted to take things slow.
I don’t think so.
Narrowing my gaze, I scowled. “You’re evil, you know that?”

“That’s right. But now that I have you back, I can take all the time I want.”

Taking him by the shoulders, I pushed him over and straddled my bare body on top of his. His shorts were still on, but that was about to change. “We’ll see about that.” His cock bulged against the cotton, and I stroked my hand over it as I moved against him.

Luke’s eyes rolled in the back of his head and he hissed, “If you keep doing that, there’s no way I’ll be able to hold out. It’s been too long.”

I smirked, fully aroused at the thought of turning him on so thoroughly. “That’s the whole point,” I muttered seductively.

Pulling his shorts down enough to free him, I took his arousal in my hand and massaged him hard, gliding my palm up and down his length. Luke sighed and closed his eyes, sucking in a ragged breath as I bent down and flicked the tip with my tongue.

His body jerked and he moaned. “Fuck.”

Smiling, I wrapped my lips around him and sucked. He tasted so good in my mouth; fresh from a shower with the hint of salt from is arousal. His balls were loose in my hands, and I rolled them around gently as I sucked him off.

Breathing hard, Luke grasped me by the shoulders. “Lara, I need you to stop.”

I teased him for a few more seconds before releasing him, staring up at him with a triumphant smile. He rolled me onto my back and pinned me down on the soft mattress. Biting one of my nipples, he sucked it greedily, causing me to scream out.

Reaching over to his bedside table, he fumbled in the drawer until I heard the crinkling of a wrapper. I was breathless underneath him, and my heart pounded with anticipation. Luke opened the foil packet and rolled the condom down his length. I had no clue if I was on any kind of birth control, so it was a good thing he had them.

Caging me between his arms, my hands grabbed his hair to pull him closer. He settled himself between my legs, and I spread them wide. The tip of his cock pressed against my opening, and he circled it around, preparing me for what was to come.

Gazing into my eyes, Luke rubbed his nose against mine and slowly began kissing me again. With short, easy thrusts he entered me gently. I hissed with the initial pain, but it slowly ebbed away. The fullness of him inside of me was erotic and sensual; the pain of his cock stretching me wide was a good hurt.

“Are you okay?” he asked, slowing his thrusts.

Wrapping my legs around his waist, I pushed my hips into his. “Does that answer your question?” I moaned.

Luke continued his slow rhythm for a while, before picking up speed, pounding his flesh against mine. I was on the brink of losing control, and I was sure he could feel it by the way my insides tightened around his cock.

“Let go, baby. Come for me,” Luke murmured in my ear. Those words were all it took to send me over the edge.

I cried out his name, clenching my legs tight around his waist. I dug my nails into his back and trembled relentlessly. My orgasm came hot and swift, pouring over my body as I rode each delicious wave of pleasure. Luke grunted loudly as he came, thrusting hard as he released.

We were both breathing hard and exhausted, but there was still a throbbing ache between my legs demanding more. He gently slid out of me and took off the condom, throwing it in the wastebasket beside his bed. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. “You were so tight and wet, I about lost my mind.”

I smiled lazily at him, fully relaxed but ready for another round.

A concerned look was in his eyes. “Are you sore? I didn’t hurt you did I?”

I moved my hips around to gauge the pain. “I’m a little sore, but it felt good.”

Mischievously, he grinned. “Good, so when tomorrow comes you’ll feel that ache between your legs and know it was
I
who did it.”

“How could I forget?” I teased. “Why don’t you remind me just in case?”

Groaning, he looked down at his cock. “Do you see what you do to me? I don’t think I’m going to be able to let you out of this bed if you keep teasing me.”

Smiling, I bit my lip and rubbed his cock. “Ready for round two?”

Luke reached over and grabbed another condom from his dresser. “You’re too much, you know that?”

“You have no idea,” I said, taking the condom from him.

Time stood still as we made love through all hours of the night. When I finally drifted off to sleep, I couldn’t help but feel that I was happy for the first time in my life. It felt good to be in Luke’s arms, but there was an obstacle I still had to face.
Grayson.
Telling him wasn’t going to be easy. In fact, it was probably going to be one of the hardest things I’d have to do.

T
he following morning, Luke was by the stove, flipping pancakes in the air.

“Maybe you should work at the tavern,” I giggled taking a seat at the table.

He chuckled. “My culinary skills are limited, cupcake. I’m good on the grill, but when it comes to casseroles and silly shit like that, I’m lost.” He passed me a plate of blueberry pancakes and smiled. “My pancake making abilities, however, are top notch.”

“Thanks,” I said, hearing my stomach growl. “I love me some pancakes.”

He sat down in front of me with his own plate. “I know.” We ate in silence but every time I looked over at him, he smiled. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach and it felt good. “You never told me what happened last night,” he said.

Sighing, I swallowed the last of my pancake. “There’s really not much to tell. We went and played a few games of laser tag and stayed in the arcade for a while. Afterward, we got some ice cream and walked around the park.”

His gaze narrowed. “Grayson played laser tag?”

I nodded. “Yeah, why?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I can’t see him doing things like that. He’s always been a very serious guy. Playing laser tag would be something
I’d
take you to do.”

“Really? He said we always did adventurous things together, like hiking and white-water rafting.”

“If by always he means once, then yeah,” he stated adamantly.

I stared at him, wondering why Grayson would say it if it wasn’t true. Why would he lie about that?

Luke ran a finger down my arm to get my attention, his gaze burning right through me. “I kept up with you, Lara. You went hiking to Crowder’s Mountain and to the white-water center, but you two weren’t an adventurous couple. Honestly, you never had anything in common other than the tavern. You were there twenty-four-seven.”

“Why would he lie about the things we’ve done?”

“I’m not sure, but he has to know there wasn’t much to your relationship. And since you don’t remember, he can reinvent himself to draw you back in.”

The whole situation made my heart hurt. “Last night, I kept waiting for Grayson to tell me exciting stories about our time together, like you’ve done, but there was nothing. We talked about things we liked to do, but that was it.”

Luke finished off his pancakes and washed his plate in the sink. “Did he kiss you?” His back was to me, but I could see his muscles tense as he waited for my answer.

“Yes,” I whispered.

Gripping the sink, he lowered his head. “Did you feel anything?”

I got up and walked over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. His skin was warm as I laid my cheek against his back. “No,” I murmured. “It only confirmed what I already knew.”

He turned around and held me in his arms, his green gaze raw as he stared down at me. “Which is?”

“That I have feelings for
you.
I don’t know what it all means, but I’m hoping we’ll be able to figure it out . . . together.”

Grasping my face between his strong hands, he kissed me with such intensity, I lost my breath. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that?”

“No, but I’m glad you waited.” My phone beeped with an incoming text and I groaned. “I should probably go. I bet Summer wants me to meet her at the tavern.”

“What are you going to do about Grayson?” he asked, concern etched across his face.

I shrugged. “Tell him the truth? It’s not fair to keep him in the dark.”

“Do you want me to be with you?”

I laughed. “Definitely not. The last thing we need is you two fighting.”