Page 91 of Unexpected

Luke shrugged and plucked the paper from between my fingers. For a second, he inspected it and then promptly ripped it in half and then in half again before he threw it in the trash can under the sink.

I gaped at him.

“You don’t need it,” he said in response to the look on my face.

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying not to smile or show him how much that little gesture affected me. I recrossed my arms over my chest and said, “How do you know? Maybe I’ll tape it back together later. He was nice and funny and attractive…” I watched his face closely, seeing a flash of jealousy just before it was replaced by a look of amusement.

He licked his bottom lip and my heart thundered in my chest as he took a step to close the distance between us. I figured he’d come up with some smart remark or lay claim to me once again, but he didn’t. He cupped my face in both of his hands and leaned in to kiss me.

Not even half a second after our lips met, an involuntary moan slipped from my throat. Luke smiled against my mouth, and I couldn’t help but smile back. He knew the response he elicited from me without even trying and that was his point, I was guessing. The way I felt around him—with or without his hands or lips on me—was a way I had never felt before, a way I wasn’t sure was actually possible until only a few weeks ago.

With one simple kiss, and without any words, he claimed me once again.Mine.

But the intensity of my feelings exacerbated my anxiety. My life was changing drastically every day, and I had to admit that my heart was still healing from Michael. Sometimes my thoughts were too intrusive, and I couldn’t contain the images that appeared at random. It seemed even worse when I felt like I had less control over my life as a whole.

Thankfully, Luke, with his calming and unshakable presence, was a godsend during the rockiest transitional time. But it was all happening at warp speed while I felt like I was falling and flailing.

My thoughts were all over the place, and Luke noticed the immediate change. He leaned his forehead against mine and ran his hands down my arms. When his hands reached my own, he forced me to unfurl my fingers from the fists at my sides.

“You’re too in your head, Angel. Talk to me,” he whispered, coaxing me out of my thoughts.

“It’s a lot.”

“What is?” He kissed my forehead.

“Everything.”

He raised my hands and looped them around his neck. My fingers tangled in the back of his hair, my nails running over his neck, and he shivered. The small movement made me smile, which he didn’t miss.

“I love it when you do that,” he said.

“I love doing it.” He kissed me softly then. His lips barely grazed my own but still made me weak at the knees.

“Tell me about everything.” I sighed, just wanting him to continue kissing me.

“You already know,” I said, hoping he’d take it as his cue to put his mouth back on mine.

He nodded and brushed my hair out of my eyes as he leaned back. “I’m ready to listen whenever you want to talk.”

His sincerity filled me with warmth, and I wanted to drown in it. Let it comfort me until there was only the warmth of him surrounding me. But there were other things going on.

So, I pushed the intrusive image of Michael’s fist flying at my face out of my mind as well as the panic of the unknown and tried to enjoy the moment for what it was.

“Speaking of talking, you said you had something to tell me.”

“Umm… I do.” He took a deep breath and squeezed the back of his neck with one of his hands. “Food first, though. Might go over easier on a full stomach and I could hear yours growling from across the room.”

My throat tightened, but I nodded. I’d faced everything that had been thrown my way thus far, and I’d face what was still to come, too.

The empty containers of Greek food were scattered on the floor of the living room. My stomach was fuller than I ever remembered it being and before I could control it, a fleeting thought had me worried that I shouldn’t have eaten so much. But I remembered quickly that Michael was no longer in my life to critique what I put in my mouth.

Luke and I were sitting next to each other on the floor and leaned against the large chair. He was absentmindedly playing with my fingers, and I was waiting for him to start talking. He seemed lost in his own thoughts, just as I had been earlier.

Just when I thought he wasn’t actually going to say anything, he sighed and pulled me onto his lap. My legs fell on either side of his, and he placed his hands on my hips.

“I think this might be easier to talk about with you close.”

My hands fell softly onto his chest, and I made myself comfortable on his lap. He didn’t speak for several minutes, only squeezing my hips every once in a while and looking at nothing in particular. His silence was freaking me out even more.

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