The Ex Files (Ocean View #1)(62)

“This is ridiculous—”

“What’s ridiculous is you neglected a little girl and still fuck with her head as a grown woman. What’s fucked is she is absolutely terrified of hitching herself to any man because all she’s ever seen is the shit you handed her and her mother. She’s so fuckin’ scared, so sure all men are are hiding things like you did, festering garbage within a pretty Trojan horse, she built a business around helping women avoid it.”

“You should leave.” He’s angry now, my dad glaring at me and face red with anger. But instead of feeling disappointment or fear or anxiety, I feel…

Free.

Free of this man. Luke cut the tie I needed to snip years ago for my sanity, and now I’m free of it.

“Goodbye, Dad,” I say, taking Luke’s hand and walking out, and I don’t even wonder for a moment if my dad knows I meant it more than just for tonight.





Twenty-Seven





-Cassie-





When we enter our room, I’m floating. Luke closes and locks the door behind us, and I stand in the center of the room, smiling.

Smiling.

After the crazy scene with my dad, the ending of a chapter, I’m standing in a pretty dress, smiling.

“You okay?” he says, leaning a shoulder to the wall.

“I’m great.”

“Great?”

“I feel… I feel like I’m free. You’re right—I don’t need to put up with this. I let him rule me for way too long. I let his thoughts dictate my life for the entirety of it, and… I’m done with it. Done. It feels… good.” He stares at me before reaching for my wrist, grabbing it, and pulling me to him. He plants a soft kiss on my lips, and I smile through that too. I have a lot to work on. Things I’m just now realizing might have been problems, things which have been holding me back. But with one of the major tethers holding me down snapped, I don’t feel like worrying about it. Instead, I feel light and airy, like dancing.

I release myself from his hold, and he continues to watch me as I dance off to sit on the edge of the bed facing the large mirror and bend to start on my strappy shoes.

“Leave them.” Luke strides to me with an expression I can’t read on his face.

“What?” His hand is going to the tie he’s wearing, tugging to loosen it as he reaches me, putting a hand on my shoulder. Looking up at him, his eyes hold fire and determination, a bit of frustration but also... awe. Or something similar to it.

“Leave the heels on.” Fire runs through me.

“What? Why?”

“You know why.” Oh. I get the fun Luke tonight, it seems. The tie is off, his hands working to unbutton the shirt before he tosses it over a loveseat in the corner. Then his hands go to his belt, my mouth going dry as I watch those hands, the hands that can do wicked things to me, move and undo the belt, slipping it from the loops and tossing it to the floor where the buckle makes a loud clunk. “Stand up.”

I do as he says, turning and instinctively knowing he wants to help me with my dress. He unzips it, knuckles brushing down my back in a slow, warm caress, sending a shiver down my spine. The finger comes back up, stopping at the top of my back before he undoes the three small buttons there, keeping it. Then he uses a single, callused finger to brush one strap, then the other over my shoulders. The dress falls to the floor in an emerald green puddle, leaving me completely naked.

“Jesus, Cassie.” His breath brushes my ear, running down my neck as a rough hand gently ghosts down the curve of my side, over my hip. To my front, over my belly, to the spot I’m most self-conscious about.

“Luke,” I say, trying to move his hand from where it rests, right under my belly button, to somewhere more comfortable, more interesting.

“Stop.” His words are fierce, almost angry. “Stop this. You’re fucking gorgeous, head to toe. I see you, I instantly get hard, want to hide you away so no one else can watch you. Every man in that room, every single one watched your every move, watched your ass move in this dress, watched you walk, you laugh. Watched you eat and drink and smile at me, only me. Every single man wished like fuck he was in my shoes, getting that smile from you.”

“Luke—” I try to cut in, to tell him to stop, to move from the subject, but another hand comes to my hip, bringing me up against him. When I wasn’t watching, wasn’t paying attention, his pants came down, his hardness pressing into my back.

“Makin’ it my mission to show you how fucking beautiful and sexy you are, sweetheart.” Lips are on my neck, gruff 5 o’clock shadow scratching my skin and making me shiver. “Go sit on the edge of the bed. Face the mirror.” My gut drops. I don’t want to… I don’t… but the tight, reassuring grip of his hands blocks out my thoughts, and I move, doing as he asks, resting my ass on the bed and my heels to the floor. I look at the floor, with its pretty, if not garish carpet that seems to be in all hotels. The bed presses, and soon the heat of Luke is behind me as he kneels behind my body.

“So fucking pretty, Cassie.” A hand moves my hair behind my shoulder, his lips running up and down my neck, nipping. “Look.” I don’t. I don’t look at the mirror where my body is on display in front of us. Instead, I work on steadying my breathing. His hand comes around, going to my full breast and lifting its weight, a thumb brushing over the already tight peak. “These. Fuckin’ love them.” His fingers pinch the flesh, and my back bows, mouth dropping open slightly. “God, look at you.” It’s not an instruction this time, more a reverent whisper to himself. The hand trails down, once again landing on my belly. My eyes close.