Page 69 of Legends Luke

She smiled. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about with him. He’s been very nice, but we’ve barely spoken to each other. I’ve been going stir-crazy too. Can I come back with you? Maybe I can help.”

He kissed her briefly but firmly. “It’s tempting to have you by my side, but this is probably for the best. I need to know you’re safe.”

“Can I bring you some food or something? I’m not much of a cook, but I can make burgers or chili or whatever you’re hungry for.”

“We’ve got it covered. But if you think of anything Erin or Sandra said to you that you haven’t already told me, write it down and text it to me. Even if you think it means nothing. At this point, we have no idea how the intel fits together. Better to have it all and decide what’s not useful later.”

Melody sighed. “I’d tell you to check Erin’s phone, but she probably has it with her.”

“Yeah, but the cops got access to her calls and texts through the phone carrier. There wasn’t anything useful there.”

Melody shook her head. “No, she only used her texts to talk to her parents. To talk to her friends, she used an app called BaeLine. My sister uses it. It’s an app where you can send photos and texts to other people, and they disappear once the other person sees or reads them. Erin made the comment to me that she preferred it because she didn’t trust her mother not to snoop through her phone. She told me I should use it when I’m talking to you. So, we can sext each other without anyone knowing.”

Melody watched his pupils narrow and wondered where his thoughts had wandered. Just as she started to ask him, he pulled out his phone and typed out a text. She couldn’t see who he sent it to, but the action only took a couple of minutes. His hand grasped hers, and he pulled her to her bedroom. Once the door was closed, he stepped into her personal space until he cornered her against the door. Bracing one of his arms above her head, he leaned in until she felt surrounded by him.

“Luke—”

His head swooped down, his lips claiming hers to cut off her words. His hand gripped her chin to tilt her head, giving him better access. Then he devoured her mouth, their tongues intertwining, tangling, and tasting. She fisted the front of his shirt as she felt her knees weaken. His arms came around her, pulling her up toward his body. His heat burned through her clothes, and a fire lit in her veins. Need pooled in her belly and shot straight between her legs.

Her arms snaked around his neck as if she could bring herself even closer to him. She moaned as the kiss sent waves of pleasure surging through her body. She’d never experienced a kiss this devastating, and she was sure she didn’t want it to be the last, not if Luke was the one doing the kissing.

He broke the contact, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. She knew the feeling. She breathed as deeply as she could, filling her lungs with enough oxygen so she could continue kissing this man. When she tugged him toward her, he stepped out of her reach. Disappointment cut through her lust.

“What are you doing?” She hated how needy she sounded.

“Not what I want to do. I want to stay here and bury myself inside you until we forget everything but each other. I want to tell Drake to get the hell out of here, so I can take you in every room of your house. But I can’t. Not now. You don’t know how hard it is for me to say that.”

His expression was tortured, his voice ragged, and her sense of loss lessened. She smiled and placed her palm against his cheek. Hisfive o'clock shadow scratched her palm, and she could still feel its delicious sting on her upper lip.

“You have to go be a hero. I understand. Catch the bad guy and come back to me. Then we’ll enjoy each other. Promise me you’ll be careful.”

He leaned into her touch. “I’m no hero, Mel. If that’s what you’re looking for, I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you.”

“You are. You’re the best kind. The hero who admits his limitations while finding a way to overcome them. The hero who cares so much for other people that he’s willing to put them ahead of himself. The hero who will move heaven and earth to protect those important to him. There’s no way I could be disappointed in you for being the man you are. I would only be disappointed if you don’t make it back to me.”

Disappointed didn’t begin to describe how she’d feel if something happened to him. He hugged her tightly, and she felt his lips brush against her hair.

“I’ll be back, baby. Count on it. I promise to be careful if you promise to do whatever Drake tells you to. You can trust him to keep you safe, but you have to do exactly what he says. Promise me, Mel.”

“I promise.”

He released her and stepped around her to leave the room and her home. His departure was abrupt, but she knew it had to be. If they prolonged the goodbye any longer, neither would be able to let go.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Melody shot straight up in bed, her heart pounding against her chest. The sheet tangled around her, the duvet piled on the floor where she must have kicked it off in her sleep. Her head whipped around the bedroom. With the morning light filtering through the windows, the nighttime shadows had cleared. She saw nothing amiss and couldn’t hear anything that would have startled her awake.

The faint remnants of a dream clung to the deep recesses of her memory, but she couldn’t recall exactly what had been troubling about it. Whatever it was must have triggered the disquiet she felt.

She rose and pulled a robe over her pajamas. Cracking the door enough to peer out, she didn’t detect anything out of the ordinary. She stepped out and instantly smelled coffee drifting from the kitchen. She found Drake standing by the counter, sipping a cup she recognized from her cabinets.

“Good morning. How did you sleep?”

“Fitful,” she said. “Everything okay? Have you heard from Luke or any of the others?”

“I checked in with my boss. They still haven’t found Erin orDrummond, but I think they’re closing in. I wouldn’t be surprised if they get answers today.”

“Have you worked a lot of missing persons cases?”

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