17
Lily
I was on cloud nine. Luke left me breathless with that kiss, and for the first time in a very long time, I was happy. Nothing was on my mind except Luke and our upcoming date. I walked to the bedroom to change. As I stood at my closet and stared at the clothes hanging on the rack, I picked up my phone from the bed and sent Luke a text message.
“Hi, casual or dressy?”
“Hi right back. Which do you prefer?”
“Casual?”
“Casual it is then. Actually, it was always casual.”
I smiled and replied, “Good. See you soon!” I heard a soft knock on the wall.
“Did you just knock on the wall?”
“Yes.”
“LOL, why?”
“I just wanted you to know that I’m right on the other side if you need anything.”
“Thank you, but I need to get ready, or I won’t be ready when you come to pick me up.”
“Pick you up? Why don’t you pick me up?”
“You asked me out, remember?”
“Of course I do, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pick me up.”
I laughed. “Fine, I’ll pick you up.”
“Good. I’ll be waiting.”
I smiled and shook my head as I pulled out a pair of black Capri pants. The floral print maxi dress I bought was hanging there, with the tag still attached. I haven’t had the chance to wear it yet, so I put the pants back and pulled out the dress—it was casual enough. I picked up my phone and sent another text message to Luke.
“Are we taking your motorcycle?”
“Do you want to?”
“Not really. I needed to make sure because I want to wear this dress I bought.”
“I thought this was casual.”
“It is causal; it’s a casual dress.”
“Then maybe we’ll take my bike. I’d like to see you get on it in that dress.”
I smiled as I bit my bottom lip. “Bye, Luke.”
“Bye, Lily.”
I took the tag off and slipped it on—it was perfect. I walked into the bathroom and decided to wear my hair wavy. By the time I was done, it was already time to leave. I slipped on my flip- flops, grabbed my purse, and walked next door to Luke’s. I knocked on the door and gasped when he opened it. He was wearing dark jeans with a white, button down cotton shirt that he left untucked. Once again, he took my breath away. He smiled at me, grabbed my hand, and turned me around.
“You look amazing,” he said.
I smiled as he pulled me into him, and we shared a small kiss. “You’re looking pretty sexy yourself, Mr. Matthews.”
“I try.” He winked.
He shut and locked the door; then we headed to his Jeep.
“Do you like Mexican food?” he asked.
“I love Mexican food.” I smiled.
“Good; then Mexican it is.” He smiled back.
I found myself no longer being nervous around him. He was such an easygoing guy, and he made me feel safe, unlike the first time I met him when I thought he was an ass. We pulled into the restaurant and got out of the Jeep. Luke grabbed my hand and held it. I looked at him and smiled as we made our way to the entrance. We sat outside on the patio for dinner. I ordered a margarita, and Luke ordered a beer. We talked a little bit about Charley, and he asked me how I got into teaching, so I told him how much I loved kids. Just as we finished our drinks, he touched on a taboo subject—my family.
“What was it like growing up with Johnny Gilmore?”
“You want to know the truth?”
“Of course I do,” he said as he gave me a weird look.
“It was like living in a whore house.”
He didn’t have a chance to respond because the waitress brought over our food. I took a bite of my taco as he stared at me.
“I’m sorry, Lily.”
I wiped my mouth with my napkin. “Don’t be, you didn’t know. We can talk more about it later.”
Luke smiled at me and nodded his head.
***
We walked, hand in hand, back to his Jeep, and he walked over to the passenger side to open the door for me. Before I could get in, he cupped my chin in his hand and softly kissed me on the lips.
“I’ve wanted to do that since we got here.” He smiled.
“I’ve been waiting for you to do it,” I said as I bit my bottom lip.
We climbed into the Jeep, and he drove us to the cove.
***
“I thought this would be the perfect place for us to be alone and talk.”
“It’s the perfect place,” I said as he led me to the secluded area.
I sat in the sand as he built a small bonfire. The atmosphere was beautiful, and there was no other place I wanted to be but here with him.
“So, you wanted to know about life with Johnny Gilmore, right?” I asked.
He stopped what he was doing and looked at me. “If you don’t want to talk about it, I’ll understand.”
“My father was a man whore that slept with any woman who glanced his way. My mother knew about it and threatened to divorce him if he didn’t stop. He promised her that he would, so to try and keep her from finding out, he would use me and my sister as an excuse. He called it ‘daddy-daughter day’. Once a week, he’d take me and my sister somewhere fun; then we’d end up at one of his whores’ house, and he’d make us sit on the couch while he went and f*cked her in the bedroom. He would tell us that she was a friend that needed something fixed. This went on for years. Sometimes, at night, he’d ask me if I wanted to go for ice cream, and he’d make me sit in the car, alone and in the dark, and wait for him while he went inside someone’s house. I’ll never forget the feeling of being so scared.”
Luke finished building the bonfire and walked over to me. He sat behind me and put his arms around my waist, pulling me into him.
“Wow, I really had no idea. What an a*shole. Didn’t you ever tell your mom what he was doing?”
“Johnny said that mom wouldn’t understand, and that she’d leave us, and he didn’t want me being responsible for breaking up the family. He said it was our little secret, and that I’d be rewarded in the end.”
“What the hell did he mean by that?” Luke asked.
“When he died a couple of years ago, I found out there was a bank account in my name that he started when I was a kid. I guess that’s what he meant. He did have his good moments; he taught me to play the guitar, he sang special songs to me, and he left me a great deal of money, but I would’ve rather had a father who was home and faithful to his wife instead of all that money. I remember many Christmases where he’d be there in the mornings and then he’d have to leave. He would tell my mom that he and the boys had to practice, but we knew he was going to see one of his whores. I don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t for Giselle and Gretchen. I practically lived at their house just to experience some normalcy.”
Luke tightened his arms around me as I laid my head back on his chest. “So it’s hard for me to hear people idolizing him because he was a shitty father who could have been so much better.”
“I’m sure he loved you.”
“I knew he loved me. He told me every chance he could, but those were just words.”
Luke rested his chin on my shoulder. “Why didn’t your mom leave him?”
“She was afraid of being alone. She convinced herself that he loved her more than all the other women; that they were just distractions, and at the end of the day, he always came home to her.”
“That’s crazy,” he said as he lightly squeezed me.
“She’s crazy. Look at how she was going to let me marry Hunter so that I’d live the life she did.”
Luke pushed my hair to the side and began kissing my neck. I smiled as I tilted my head to the side. “Keep that up, and you’ll be sorry.”
“Somehow, I don’t think I’ll be sorry,” he whispered.
I closed my eyes, and I could feel his erection pressing against the small of my back. I wanted him, but I was scared. It had been over year since I last had sex, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be any good for him. As I brought my hands up to his head and ran my fingers through his hair, he let out a light groan and turned me so that I was laying on my back, in the soft sand. He lowered himself on top of me as his lips found their way to mine. His kiss was soft and alluring, and his actions were gentle and slow. His hands traveled to my breasts as he gently squeezed them through the fabric of my dress. Our breathing was rapid, and our hearts were beating fast. He reached his hand under my dress and up to my thong, cupping my ass as he let out a moan of excitement, then he pushed the edge of my panties to the side with his finger and gently inserted it inside me. I arched my back and moaned as the sensation came rushing to me.
“Do you want me to stop?” he whispered as he kissed me.
“No, I don’t ever want you to stop,” I replied.
He groaned at my reply, inserting another finger. I was already wet and getting ready to come.
He softly rubbed my * in small circles as his fingers moved in and out of me fluently. I started moaning. “Luke, I’m going to come. Don’t stop, please.”
“I won’t stop. I want to feel you come with my fingers inside you.”
This man knew what he was doing, and I wanted more of him. I wanted to feel every inch of him inside me. My body shook as I climaxed, and every tingling nerve in my body heightened. The flickering light of the fire showed off his beautiful smile as he brought me to orgasm. I moaned quietly even though I wanted to scream from the pleasure, but I was afraid someone would hear me.
Luke didn’t say a word; he just stared at me and smiled as he gently removed his fingers from me. I brought him down to me and kissed his warm lips. “I want to have sex with you,” I whispered.
He took the back of his hand and gently stroked my cheek. “We aren’t going to have sex, Lily. We’re going to make love, and it’s going to be beautiful, but not tonight and not here.”
I couldn’t speak. I was lost in his stare and his words. “We should get going; you have school tomorrow, and I have a broken garbage disposal that needs to be fixed.”
I laughed, but I didn’t want our night to end. Luke stood up and put the bonfire out. Moments later, he took my hand and helped me up from the sand; then he pulled me into him and kissed me. I smiled as we held each other and danced for a minute.
We climbed into the Jeep, and I sat there, thinking about how he never told me a thing about his ex-fiancée or the accident. I wanted to know everything about him. I sighed, and he reached over, taking my hand.
“Is everything alright?” he asked.
I looked over at him and smiled. “Everything’s perfectly fine.”