Page 79 of Twisted Revelations

Fiery spice and lavender, one part strength and masculinity and one part calming ease, formed an irresistible mixture that caught me and wouldn’t release. My gaze stopped at the ink on his right forearm, exposed due to the sleeve of his shirt being rolled back.

My head tilted, my eyes squinting as I figured out what I was looking at. It was the earth, shaped like an open-mouthed Pac-man with teeth, eating a man, half his body bloody and hanging out of the mouth. The canvas surrounding the area was intricate symbols and patterns. If this type of imagery was on his forearm, I couldn’t imagine what else was on his body.

“Strap yourself in, Beverly,” he suggested in a smooth-as-silk tone. I’d been eyeing him so hard, I hadn’t noticed until he touched my arm he was handing me half of my seatbelt.

After snapping the belt together, I distracted myself by forcing my gaze past him and sending it out of the plane’s window. I enjoyed viewing the takeoff, amazed at the sight of the plush hills and plains being lowered as the wide, expansive sky turned it all into a painting.

When land disappeared, and fat clouds turned the view snow white, I returned my attention to a more fascinating vision.

“So, Lucas. What do you do, besides link up with your friends and kill cartel members?” This time, I didn’t miss the smile that graced his lips before the low tone of his laugh deepened my grin. At close view, I admired his lips. The medium plushness of them enticed me to imagine how they’d feel pressed against mine.

“One of those friends, Galvin, and I own a small security firm in Georgia,” was his reply to a question that I’d almost forgotten I’d asked. Luke didn’t talk much. It was like pulling teeth, and I’d be at his wisdom teeth before he realized I’d taken any, especially when my curiosity was doing the driving.

I’d never get anywhere with him if I gave up before I discovered the answer to all the questions on my mind. Either I was about to embarrass myself or have my curiosity satisfied. I leaned closer for a better view into those lovely eyes.

“Are you attracted to me, Luke?” I blurted, unwilling to release him from the grips of my curious gaze. I needed to know or my mind would continue to consume me.

He stared, not saying a word as I held my breath. If he didn’t answer soon, I’d pass out from lack of oxygen and deepen the depth of my embarrassment.

“Yes,” fell from his sexy lips, low but audible enough to allow me to begin breathing again. I released the breath I’d been holding and allowed a smile to surface on my lips. An invisible hand brushed across my forehead as I sat back in my seat. His single word had warmed my entire body.

“Are you attracted to me?” he questioned. The apprehension in his tone wasn’t missed. I placed my hand atop his strong forearm, unable to help myself. The warm flesh-to-flesh contact distracted me. My dark ebony against his pale ivory was a seductive contrast that drew my attention and forced me to gather myself long enough to answer his question.

“If I weren’t attracted to you, I wouldn’t be sitting here embarrassing myself,” I replied, laughing at my impulsive behavior. My words caused the tension in his shoulders to deflate, and for the first time, I noticed he’d been as stressed as I was.

“Why?”

His question caused my brow to furrow in confusion.

Because your sexy as hell and one of the most distracting men I’ve ever encountered.

“What do you mean why?” I answered his question with a question but continued. “Luke, I hardly know you, but I feel connected to you. You seem likable. You don’t talk much, but I can work with you on that.”

I enjoyed the big smile that brightened his face and found I enjoyed putting it there. I didn’t believe he smiled a lot, and I hoped like hell I could change it.

“Most women are intimidated by my size,” he volunteered. “They think I’m weird—a bully, awkward, big and dumb, slow and incapable even,” he stated, placing his pointer finger to the side of his temple.

My hand remained on his tattooed forearm, and I think he liked it. I certainly did. The sight of my chocolate spread over his cream elicited all types of freaky fantasies. His sturdy body, positioned atop mine, the contrast of our complexions swirling together in erotic delight caused me to squeeze my legs together as I forced myself to concentrate.

“I don’t think that at all,” my words finally rushed out. “You mentioned you own your own security firm. It takes a sharp person to be in business. Besides, I’ve met your friends, and it doesn’t take a wizard to know that you’re all are impressively smart to execute the things that you do and to take the risks on your lives as you do.”

“Thank you, Beverly,” he stated. The sincerity in his tone rang loud and clear. “Thank you for not judging me before we’d even spoken complete sentences. I’ve gotten used to people doing that, so it’s what I expect.”

“You’re welcome,” I replied, quickly thinking of a way to keep our conversation going. “Now, tell me more about this security company you own.”

Luke knew how to talk after all. He just needed me to coax the words from him. Every time he’d go quiet on me, I’d start another conversation. By the time we were level in the sky, and the fasten seat belt sign was switched off, I’d found out Luke was way more than he appeared to be on the surface.

The man had depth, even more than I’d given him credit for. He liked classic rock, played video games, and read sci-fi books in his free time. He’d grown up with his single father who was deceased but had owned a funeral home.

The details were sketchy, but he’d been emancipated at sixteen and joined the military a year later. He’d gone quiet on me after this. I knew from my working at the center that death was never an easy subject to broach especially when it was a close family member. However, I got the impression that Luke and his father weren’t close since he’d revealed getting emancipated.

He was evasive about answering questions about his father and growing up living on the top floor of a funeral home. His reluctance heightened my interest in the rest of the story. Something awful had happened to Luke, and I was curious to know what it was. I wasn’t a nosey person, but in this case, I was willing to wear the banner with pride if it got me closer to Luke.

Simply talking about the most difficult subjects was often what you needed to purge sadness. Seeing Luke’s smile was almost better than hearing him talk. His timbre was deep but low and pleasant-sounding like he practiced a mild tone.

I understood his low-expectancy standard where it involved public opinion. Like mine, his profile had been predetermined by society, and he was either ignored or gawked at. In my case, my body attracted stalking eyes and unwanted catcalls.

Despite the attention, I was often regarded as the side-chick or one-night stand, titles that were food for depression and self-consciousness. Therefore, when I met a man who claimed genuine interest, I automatically assumed he was hiding something.

Some women hated me on sight because their men coveted parts of my body, never considering the man’s motivation. What good was a man’s attention when the rest of me would be neglected? What good was a man’s attention when he’d get what he wanted and toss me to the side later? How could women be jealous of that?

I chose to believe Luke’s interest in me was genuine. He hadn’t blatantly gawked at my tits yet. Midway through our flight, I faked a few yawns after I stopped questioning him and allowed the conversation to grow quiet.

On a deep sigh, my eyes fell closed as I allowed my head to drift closer to his sturdy shoulder. Once my head touched his shoulder, I eased my body closer, relaxing into his firm warmth. I was out of order, out of pocket, and out of character. I was just plain out of it and didn’t care.

After a paused moment of our connection, he turned toward me, allowing me more room to lean on him. That one move expressed more than words ever could have. Before long I started to drift, surprisingly comfortable with this man I hardly knew.

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