Page 75 of Unexpected

“Two should be fine. Let’s go,” he said, grabbing the one from my hands and taking another one before carefully navigating back through the house.

“Do you need help?” I asked after he walked back into the rain, stepping over the gutter with the two two-by-fours still in either hand.

When he didn’t answer immediately, I took it upon myself to just help whether he really needed me or not. I hiked up my joggers a little higher and braced myself for the pounding rain.

“What do you want me to do?” I hollered so he could hear me over the rain.

“I’m going to push the gutter up, and I want you to wedge one of the two-by-fours under it. Don’t let go of it until I say so, though.”

I nodded and grabbed a board. Like fucking Hulk, Luke gripped the gutter, water still rushing out of it, and heaved it over his head. Once it was flush with the part still mounted to the house, I wedged the piece of wood under it.

“Good girl,” he said with a wink and my whole body flushed with excitement. “Now grab the other one and put it over there.” He pointed just a few feet down, closer to where it was still attached. I repeated the process and was relieved that I could wedge the board into a seam in the cement of the patio.

“Is that going to hold?” I said as a bolt of lightning struck somewhere close and made me jump.

“It’s the best idea I’ve got, so I hope so,” he said, opening the door and waving me inside.

My clothes were sticking to every inch of my body like a second skin, and it felt like the cold was seeping down to the marrow of my bones. I hugged my arms around myself as Luke stepped inside—also shivering slightly—and closed the door behind him.

“Okay, we should be good—” he began to say but immediately stopped when he turned to look at me. He slowly closed his eyes, let his head fall back between his shoulders and took a deep breath. He let out a low chuckle and said, “Dear lord, Angel, you’re trying to kill me, I swear.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, a flush creeping up my cheeks.

He leveled a heated gaze at me, and I watched his eyes flit down to my chest. “Your shirt is almost completely see-through,” he said with another chuckle.

My eyes widened in horror. I looked down and immediately threw my arms over my chest. Sure enough, my white shirt was soaked through, and you could see the dark pink of my nipples through the thin material.

I groaned, my embarrassment growing the longer he watched me. “I’m just going to go…” I trailed off as I began to turn toward my bedroom.

“Wait,” was all Luke said before he closed the distance between us. His clothes were also soaked through, and he had to be freezing, but I could still feel the heat rolling off him. “Don’t run away. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”

Another wave of embarrassment crashed over me, and my face was more red than it’d ever been. Even in my half-frozen state, I could feel the warmth on my cheeks.

I cleared my throat, trying not to look up at him, which was easier said than done as he smoothed his hands down my upper arms and inched closer into my space. I stared at the toes of his worn and wet boots instead.

“Yes, I’m aware, but I’m cold and wet. I think I should dry off and change.”

“Hmm,” he mused as he ran the fingers of his left hand back up my arm and over my shoulder. He wrapped his hand possessively around my neck and a shiver of want lit through me at the heat of his touch. He hooked the forefinger of his other hand under my chin and, using his thumb, urged my head up. I fought it for a moment, the desire was right there within reach, and I knew if I saw that same hungry look in his eyes again, I would be a goner.

I wanted to see, though. I wanted to see how much he wanted me, so I met his emerald-green gaze and sighed contentedly when they were blazing with a heat I’d never seen.

“Don’t hide from me.” His voice was a low whisper, also laced with the same desire that found a home in his eyes. When he lowered his mouth to mine, it was game fucking over.

I let my arms fall away from my chest so I could wrap them around the back of his neck and string my fingers through his wet, messy hair. The kiss was urgent and filled with need. His tongue immediately found mine, and he ran his hands down my back and over my ass. He gripped the backs of my thighs and lifted me into his arms.

Reflexively, I wrapped my legs around his waist as we both deepened the kiss and hummed with pure lust. I had learned that Luke definitely enjoyed being in control, so it was no surprise when one of his large hands twisted into the back of my hair and moved me as he wanted me.

The urgency of our kiss made my head spin. I pulled back only for a moment, our foreheads still touching, and I looked into his eyes. On most days, Luke kept his emotions in check, but when he wanted me, it was obvious all over his face. I craved to see that face.

“Luke, I can’t…” I said, my voice cracking as my core throbbed. I wanted it, I did, but I couldn’t let myself go that far just yet. “I need more time…”

His fist tightened in my hair and a small moan escaped me as he licked at my open mouth. “We’re on your time line, remember?”

I remembered but when he felt that good, it was hard to remember anything besides the need building inside of me.

He littered kisses up and down my neck, nipping at my collarbone and pulling at my earlobe. He kissed the soft spot behind my ear, and I ground against his stomach, trying to find any relief.

“I need to taste you,” he growled into my ear. My eyes shot open in surprise. It was the last thing I thought he was going to say, but the mental images of his head between my thighs were sinful.

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