CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Better Late Than Never
Having thankfully taken charge of the situation, Sasha subtly dragged Michael and Ali to The Grind for a cuppa, offering Luke and me the chance to finally be alone after five long days of not speaking. It didn’t take long before the flat was completely emptied, which was just as well, given my desperation. Seeing as I was clutching house keys in one hand and my phone in the other, I chose to dispose of each item before tentatively making my way towards my best friend, unsure on what to do first.
Kiss him or slap him.
“Is it too soon to make an ill-timed prison pun?” I speculated, running into his open arms with no regard for his ribs what so ever.
“I didn’t bend over to grab the soap if that’s what you’re worried about,” he laughed, caressing my back with his huge hands. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean put you through all this. Sasha’s told me how upset you’ve been.”
Nothing was said on the matter as he pulled my entire body against his, leaving no gap between our rapidly breathing chests. He then proceeded to stroke my hair and detangled my tatty strands, stopping when his fingers got caught up a little.
So I hadn’t brushed my hair.
Sue me!
“Is it over? Have they released you forever?” I asked, desperate for some answers.
“It’s over,” he ensured, gifting me the one thing I needed most.
Relief.
Luke’s acceptance in my liberation was strong in its statement, yet gentle in its pursuit to further appease me. It was clear he hated seeing me in such a state of distress, but when I felt so horrendously responsible for everything, I couldn’t help it.
“I need you to listen very carefully while I explain something, okay?” he asked, to which I slowly nodded.
He carefully moved us both to a seated position on the sofa, never once taking his hand away from mine.
“I know you feel guilty, Maya. You have that look about you. It’s the same look you had on the night of the awards ceremony,” he explained, gently so. “But this is not your fault. I was never arrested. Not really. It was a setup.”
He paused slightly, allowing my mind the time it needed to accept the information he was sharing. Not that it helped, mind you. I was still as confused as before and didn’t understand what he meant by the term ‘setup’. Was he working with the police?
“I knew I had to do something. You wouldn’t settle knowing that man was still out there following you so I got in touch with Jace.”
“Sasha’s Jace?” I asked, clinging to his shoulders for physical support.
“Yeah, he put me in contact with some police officers he knew and I told them everything. As it turns out, they’ve been following Rucco’s gang for a few years now but could never catch them in the act.”
“Rucco? Is that who Dan owed money?”
“Yeah.”
“So it was all part of the plan? You’d arranged to meet up in order to pay off Dan’s debt and the police came sweeping in?”
“Exactly, and they had to fake my arrest as to not draw suspicion. If any of them were to get out one day, they’d come straight for me, knowing I was the one who set them up.”
His explanation came as quite the comfort, and I even allowed myself the privilege of thinking forward to our future together. I’d been so worried that I couldn’t see past the end of the week, yet suddenly the possibilities were endless.
“I haven’t ruined it, have I? Us, I mean? By walking away.”
“God, no!” he insisted, grasping either side of my face. “I told you it wasn’t over between us, didn’t I?”
“You did, but then you got arrested, and I thought it was all my fault.”
“I know, sweetheart, and I wanted to tell you everything, but I wasn’t allowed to. It was never supposed to go on as long as it did. One of the gang members got away last minute, and I had to remain in pretend custody until they caught him.”
“And they’ve caught him now?” I questioned, relieved when he nodded. “So it’s really all over? No more scary men following me?”
“No more scary men,” he confirmed, bringing me back in for yet another hug.
Thank God!
Knowing my stalker was now officially behind bars was definitely a cause for celebration.
“I’m happy you’re back. I’ve missed you?”
“I’ve missed you too. Five days is a lifetime. It’s been hell,” he smiled, ever so dramatically.
I pulled away from his tight hold and found his gaze was as captivating as it was serious. My ability to become lost in those bright blue pools of lust certainly spurred me on. I didn’t think twice before joining my lips with his, showing him how much I had missed him as opposed to merely just stating it. I had longed to feel his warm mouth against my own, and mixed together with that signature smell of his, I could barely contain my excitement.
"How is he?" he whispered, pulling away slightly. “Dan?”
"He's alright. He’s starting group therapy and his family are supporting him,” I explained, appreciating his concerns. “He told me to go easy on you,” I smiled, lightly tracing the buttons on his white shirt.
“Did he now?” he questioned, seemingly picking up on my suggestive tone.
“Hmm and we do seem to have an empty flat,” I added, removing the first button, followed swiftly by the second.
“Observation truly noted.”
“I could text Sasha. Tell her to hold the fort over there for a while?”
“Or we could just have a quickie on the sofa?” he suggested, shifting his weight so that I became firmly wedged in between him and the cushions.
“So romantic,” I laughed, pulling his shirt off by dragging the hem over his head.
“I do try,” he replied, pulling off my own top and latching his mouth onto my neck.
I immediately moaned, encouraging him to continue his bruising kiss on my skin, sure it would leave a glowing mark. I desperately needed him to touch me. Though, knowing we didn’t have time on our side, I decided to initiate things by eagerly helping him out of his jeans.
“Quickly Luke, I need you now!” I panted, shoving my hand in his boxers.
I instantly felt his growing erection and slowly dragged it through the palm of my hand, teasing his shaft.
“Oh fuck!” he growled, planting his lips against the beating pulse in my neck. “Maya, hold on,” he begged, reaching into his wallet for a condom.
He had it out of the wrapper and sheathed onto himself within seconds; the only thing left stopping us from joining being my own jeans. I struggled to kick them off and in doing so, ruined the slightly intimate moment by ungracefully grunting and cussing my way through the action. He laughed at my flustered state, but in spite of his amusement, didn’t dare lose sight of his mission.
Sex.
"Open your legs for me,” he demanded, helping me out by gently pushing on my hips.
He used his strength to lift me up by the arse, where positioning his mouth at my entrance had me seeing literal stars before anything had even begun.
“Luke, please!” I pleaded, thrusting forwards and practically offering myself up on a plate.
Words couldn’t describe my desperation at feeling his tongue at my most intimate parts. Whilst my inner thighs reacted to having him delightfully feast on me, I craved more.
“I’m gonna make love to you all night, Maya.” he rasped, although doing so would’ve proved extremely difficult.
His Dad and sister were due back any minute now, not to mention my own Mother and Step-Dad’s prompt arrival at two. Something told me we had to be quick and Luke was being anything but.
“Faster Luke! We don’t have long!”
“Now who’s being romantic?” he laughed; inflicting one, long lick to appease me.
All witty remarks were rendered dead in the water when I knowingly succumbed to the pleasures of being tongue fucked by Luke and as I ‘Ohh’ and ‘Ahh’d’ my way through each jolt of electricity, I didn’t once consider locking the front door, too far gone in my own selfish desires.
“Now, Luke. I want you now,” I pleaded, angered by his insistence to ignore me.
He remained buried deep in between my legs and even as I began to gently pull on the roots of his hair, he still didn’t move a muscle.
“Luke!”
Nothing.
“Please.”
Still nothing.
“I’m fucking in love with you, do you know that?” I yelled, finally grabbing his attention.
He was up and wiping at his mouth almost instantly, flashing me that dimple showing smirk of his.
“What did you just say?”
“I’m not telling you until you give me what I want,” I moaned, positioning myself at his tip.
Seeing my stubbornness for exactly what it was; unrelenting, he slowly pushed into me and gently held my arms in place above my head, kissing my nose as he went.
“Now tell me,” he demanded, leaving my body completely, only to then slam full force back into it.
“I love you.”
“Again.”
“I love you.”
“Once more.”
I laughed at his inability to let it ago and pushed up from my hips, hitting him in the exact area I required.
“I’m crazy in love with you, Lucas Anderson,” I whispered, blowing my words right across his blushing face.
“I’m crazy in love with you too, cupcake.”
With our spoken declarations lingering in the surrounding air, we both clung to each other as though our lives depended on it and never once let go. Even when we both reached our much anticipated, very shared release, our arms remained locked in place.
“I love you, Maya.” he sighed, attempting to catch his breath.
“I love you too, Luke. Sorry it’s nine, maybe ten years late.”
I giggled at my comment and found I enjoyed the sound of him laughing alongside me; all while he lazily proceeded to roll onto his side, taking me with him.
“It’s better late than never, right?” he suggested, kissing my sensitive lips.
Before we were tempted to fall asleep, I shuffled out of his embrace and began the process of redressing, even though doing so went against all human instinct. Naked cuddles were my favourite thing about being with Luke, but we had the rest of our lives to engage in that. What I didn’t want was my future Father-in-law seeing my naked lady parts.
“Does this mean we’re friends again?” I asked, pulling on my knickers.
“I’d say we’re long past the stage of friends,” he remarked, buttoning up his shirt.
“Prove it.”
I removed myself from the sofa’s cushions and elegantly slipped on my jeans.
“How?” he asked, clearly confused.
“Tell your Dad and Ali about us,” I suggested, to which he happily beamed.
I could tell he had no objections to doing such a thing, and in a way, telling the family made things all the more real for us.
“I’ll happily tell them, sweetheart,” he replied, kissing my smiling lips. “Will you do it with me?”
I nodded my head in an eager motion and upon hearing the return of Sasha’s loud voice, sprang into action to rid all evidence of our shared encounter. I quickly binned the used condom and threw on my shirt, addressing Luke in the living room when we were both fully dressed and seemingly presentable.
“You ready to tell them now?”
Born ready!
“Hell yeah,” I smiled, allowing him to grab my hand. “Let’s do this, Anderson!”