I Love You to Death(59)

I want more of him.
I pull back from his kiss and look at his face. I smile at what I can see there and he smiles slowly back at me. I step back and lift off my own shirt, never taking my eyes from his. His smile is gone now, replaced with something much more enticing. I step forward again and put my hands on his belt. I undo the buckle and the buttons of his jeans without looking away from him. I move my hands and undo my own belt and jeans. His arms remain by his side, he doesn’t move. Kicking off my shoes, I step out of my jeans, leaving them on the floor and once again press my body to his. Feel my skin as it comes into contact with his for the first time. I gasp at how warm he is, at how much my racing heart now matches his. At how much my body surges. I am aching, wanting, my whole body pushing itself towards him. I wrap my arms around his waist, my fingers gripping his hips as I reach up to kiss him again. His hands slide over my bare skin sending shivers throughout my body. I lean into him, gently pushing him back towards his bed. Luke doesn’t move. He is so hesitant, so careful, like he’s afraid it will all stop.
But I want all of him.
"Luke," I whisper in the darkness.
He stops and looks at me, his hands resting on my lower back. I lick my bottom lip and watch his pupils dilate even further.
"I don’t want to stop," I say. "Don’t stop."
He doesn’t.
Luke pulls me against him now as he moves backwards to his bed. He turns and lays me down on his sheets, steps back and finishes taking off his jeans before he lies down beside me, half of his body covering mine. All of our skin touching. The weight of him on me feels amazing. He presses soft kisses to my face, along my forehead and down my nose. Stopping, he kisses my lips again, taking his time, before pressing light kisses across my jaw line. He reaches my ear where he whispers beautiful before kissing a slow path down my neck. Everything inside of me is slowly melting, from his words, his touch, his kisses. His fingers slide the bra strap off my shoulder and he presses kisses there. Everywhere he touches me sends small tremors throughout my body. My skin is tingling with anticipation, goose bumps everywhere.
I feel like I’m drowning again and my heart is beating faster than ever now.
As his fingers gently dance over my skin, I smooth my own hands all over his. Our arms wrap themselves tightly around each other, pulling us closer together. I smile at him and he smiles back, his eyes dark as he leans down to kiss me again. Our legs entangle, pulling us even closer still.

And then, then it is just us.
Just the rapid beat of our hearts.
Just our heavy, deep breaths.
Just the sound of our soft moans and whispered names.
Just me and Luke.
I am drowning in him now and it feels unbelievably perfect.
∞

Afterwards I lie with my head on Luke’s chest, listening to his heart beat slow down. He has pulled the covers to our waist and is running his fingers slowly up and down my spine. It’s making my body hum.
"Are you okay?" he eventually asks.
I lift my head to look at him and smile. "More than okay," I say. And I mean it.
He leans forward to press a kiss to my lips, whispering against them, "I’m glad."
We lie in silence for a while, my skin still tingling from the touch of his fingers moving over it. I lightly trace the lines of the tattoo on his side, watching the tiny goose bumps that follow my path. Up close I can see what it is now, lines and musical notes dancing all over his skin, down the side of his body. It’s beautiful, just like him.
"How come you always stared at me when I first came back to work?" I suddenly ask him.
I feel his silent laugh. "Because I think you are beautiful," he answers, dragging his fingers down my spine in a way that feels exquisite.
It’s exactly the words and reason I want to hear. I touch my lips to his chest and feel his warm skin beneath them. "But you never talked to me, never said anything to me for so long?" I ask.
He flattens his palm in the small of my back, his fingers tantalisingly close to disappearing under the covers. "Because I was shy," he answers quietly.
I can’t help but laugh, at the idea that Luke, borderline rock star or Luke, man who bared his soul on stage tonight, could possibly be shy.
I feel his hand tighten at my waist as he continues. "And I knew you were grieving and I didn’t want to add to that."
I lift my head again, surprised but strangely grateful for his honesty right now. "Thank you," I whisper, looking right into his blue eyes. "Thank you for my song," I kiss him. "Thank you for everything."
Wrapping his arms around me, he pulls me completely on top of him as he whispers back, "Thank you Asha," before pressing another kiss to my lips. Smiling he adds, "And just so you know, it drove me crazy with how much I did want to talk to you, crazy with how much I wanted to kiss you. Every time I saw you, I just wanted to do this."
And then he kisses me all over again and my whole body starts to sing.
∞

The first thing I feel when I wake up is fear.
It’s all come back to me now and I’m suddenly very afraid. As I start to feel the panic rising, surging through me, there are gentle fingers on my back, moving over my skin. I feel the soft warmth of Luke’s body under my cheek. Hear his steady heart beat under my ear. He is okay, I am okay. I lift my head from Luke’s chest and see he’s awake and holding a book, reading while I sleep on him.
He looks down at me. "Hey," he whispers softly, his hand gently running up my back and smoothing the hair back from my face.
I push my fears away. Force them somewhere else. Bury them with every other painful emotion I know is in there. I don’t want to feel them right now. There are other things I want.