Fitting the Pieces (Riverdale #3)

The thing was she didn’t know what to make of all that chemistry. She didn’t know what she was ready for or what she wanted for that matter. The thought of tangling with Jake’s brother made her uneasy and well, it terrified her. She shouldn’t be feeling anything for Luke. He was her friend, a supposed in-law, one who had awakened the woman in her. For those brief moments in Luke’s truck she forgot about the grief, the sadness, the struggle of addiction and how she got there, she was just a woman being kissed by a man, a hot man at that, one who had been incredibly patient with her.

Even though she wanted him to remember the kiss, it would probably be best if he didn’t. They could pretend it never happened. Been there, done that, not such a great idea, she decided. It was time to face the music. They were adults. Luke was rational. They would just talk about it and put it behind them. Move forward. The only problem with that was, she was finding herself more incline to move forward with Luke and not in a friendly way. She was curious to see if they fit. Her life was a bunch of broken pieces, never truly made whole, but something unknown to her made her wonder if Luke was the one to fit those pieces and make them whole. She even allowed herself to wonder if she could return the favor and be the woman that was missing in his life.

She walked into his bedroom, sighing slightly, thinking she was getting ahead of herself. Her emotions were all over the place and all they had shared was a kiss. She glanced over at the messy bed that was empty as she strode to the bathroom. She forgot to knock and didn’t even realize that the shower was running because she was too caught up in her thoughts. She was trying to mentally prepare herself for the moment of truth and whether or not he remembered. Her eyes widened in complete shock, every single thought in her mind vanished and she froze in the doorway of the bathroom.

She swallowed as she stared at his naked form, her mouth suddenly dry. His back was facing her, every ridge and slope of his muscular back, the way the small of his back dipped accentuating his firm ass, was all on display for her and her fingers itched to touch. A deep groan rumbled from his chest and she looked up, startled, closing the door a bit, hoping she was still unnoticed. Luke cocked his head back with his eyes closed and that’s when she noticed he had one hand braced against the wall of the shower and the other closed around his shaft, sliding up and down his length. She really hoped he didn’t turn around and notice her, and not only because she would be embarrassed, but because she couldn’t tear her eyes from him and was eager to see him through his climax. He moaned and his pace quickened, he was close, so close. She bit down on her lower lip and held onto the doorknob for dear life. Standing there watching him on the brink of an orgasm, with water cascading over him, moisture pooled between her legs, her cheeks heated and her breath hitched. Two long pulls and he started to come. Cara’s eyes widened as she leaned her head against the frame of the door, watching Luke come, wishing she had been the one to see him through it.

She gathered her bearings and forced herself to step back from the door and back into the bedroom, placing the mug of coffee on his nightstand. It was no wonder she didn’t spill the coffee all over her, she thought, noticing her hands were shaking. The last thing she wanted was for him to know she had bared witness to something so intimate. She paced his bedroom and that’s when she realized she was in, she was in real deep. She was flustered and completely turned on by him. She sat on the edge of his bed and dropped her face into her hands just as the water turned off. She decided to enforce a new boundary for herself, NEVER walk in on Luke while he was taking a shower. Not unless of course there would be some sort of relief in it for her. She closed her eyes and flinched, thinking that maybe she shouldn’t be having these wicked thoughts, knowing she couldn’t stop them if she tried.

More running water sounded, this time coming from the sink. She swallowed and fanned herself with her hand before standing up. She needed to get the hell out of his bedroom. She tiptoed around his gigantic bed almost tripping on the sheets that were tangled on the floor, when she looked up and caught her reflection in the mirror above his dresser. Her cheeks were flushed, maybe if she threw cold water on herself, she’d look normal by the time he saw her. Then she remained still and noticed the envelope tucked into the frame of the mirror. The letter from Jake, that, she had given him months ago was tucked into it unopened.

“Cara?” Luke asked from the bathroom door. She jumped at the sound of his deep voice. Glancing at him through the mirror she turned around slowly to face him. His naked chest was covered with beads of water and he held a towel at the side of his waist.