“It’s okay, Luke. But what happened? I thought you were coming right behind me?”

He ran his hands roughly over his face before answering. “Yeah, babe, I was. But I got to the shop and one of my part timers was still there. I keep the hours of the shop pretty flexible and we stay pretty busy. It was successful when Lenny had it, and has only gotten busier since, and because of that, I don’t have to stay open late and cater to the drunk asses who come in to get ink that they regret twelve hours later after waking up hung over in a puddle of their own puke. The latest I ever keep it open is ten, and that’s usually to accommodate someone specifically.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “We left the show after midnight. I walked into my shop and that little fuckerass dumbshit had six people sittin’ in the lobby, smoking a fucking joint, of all things, while he had some whore in Brandon’s room. She was sittin’ on his lap with his dick in her while he was shooting a fuckin’ tattoo on her tit! Christ!” He was shouting by this point, and I didn’t blame him.

I walked over to him and slid my arms around his waist, laying my head against his chest. After a beat, his arms came up and wrapped around me and I felt his lips touch my hair. Pulling back from his arms, I led him to the couch and sat beside him, tucking my feet up underneath me and leaning into his warmth.

“What happened when you walked in?” I asked.

“I stood in the door for a second, not believing my eyes. She’d sit still on his dick until he’d go to re-ink, and then she’d bounce on him a couple times until he brought the needle back.”

“Interesting,” I said. Wait… Ack! “It sounds different…I mean, awkward!” Shut up, Emma!

Luke gazed at me, his eyes heating a bit as he gave me a calculating look. Yikes!

He continued after a minute. “Fucking idiot didn’t even realize it was me standing there. He didn’t even look up, just told me if I was watching, that’s cool, but if I wanted a tat, I’d have to wait out front with the others.”

“Wow. What a moron.” I shook my head, floored by what he was telling me.

“Yeah. Dipshit. I finally cleared my throat and it would have been pretty damn comical except for the fact that Brandon’s favorite liner machine, his three hundred dollar Workhorse Carnivore, went flying when Tom jumped up, and broke when it smashed into the floor. I finally got him to shut up and stop apologizing long enough to fire him, told him that he owed Brandon for the liner, and kicked him and his drunken whore out into the street, along with all his buddies in the lobby. Spent the rest of the time sterilizing and closing shit up.”

“So, wait. Some little slut is walking around town with a half finished tattoo on her titty?” I asked, laughing.

“Yep. And it isn’t getting finished, either. At least not in my shop.” Luke grinned. “Wouldn’t that be something to hear? Her telling someone why it isn’t finished?”

I nodded, grinning back. We stood there grinning like loons at each other for a minute before Luke’s smile started to slip, and his eyes darkened. Ooh. My cha-chi woke up like a bear from hibernation, screaming, ‘Feed me!’ Well, you know what I mean.

Luke started toward me, and instead of backing away, I met him head on, wrapping my arms around him and meeting his lips with mine, opening immediately as his tongue sought entrance. We kissed wildly, fumbling with each others clothes as we bumped our way down the hall toward my bedroom. We got about halfway there before I said fuck it and slid to the floor, Luke sliding over and in me in a heartbeat.

I gasped and moaned softly as his thickness pushed into me as deep as he could before rearing back and thrusting back in, pounding into me over and over. I felt myself fall headlong into bliss almost immediately, and with every thrust of Luke’s hips against me, I felt the waves cresting again. I held back, not wanting to let go without Luke this time.

Luke pressed himself against me tightly, burying his face in my neck, sliding his hands under my back to curl around the top of my shoulders, his hands gripping tightly. He shortened his strokes a bit, then began pulling out almost completely before sliding back in, stroking over my clit with every thrust. I began moaning, curling my legs around his thighs, my fingers digging into his back, even as I fought to hold back.

“Emma, sugar, let go,” Luke whispered in my ear, making me shiver even as the pleasure swelled, taking me under. “That’s it baby,” Luke groaned against my neck before slamming deep and I felt him shudder as he followed.

We laid there panting in the dark hallway for a minute, Luke still inside me, trying to catch our breath, then Luke slid out, getting to his feet and leaning down to take my hand and pull me up. I leaned against him, lifting my head for his kiss. I felt his hand come up and cup my cheek, his thumb stroking gently over my bottom lip, and I felt myself falling.

I jerked myself out of Luke’s arms, stunned by the emotions swirling inside me. I realized that Luke was standing in front of me, arms still outstretched toward me from where I had pulled away so abruptly. As I watched, his arms slowly dropped to his sides and, embarrassed, I turned, grabbing my robe from the floor and fleeing to my room.

Great, just great Emma. Now he’s gonna think you’re Looney Tunes! I chastised myself as I thrust my arms into the sleeves of my robe, pulling it around me tightly as I sat on the edge of my bed. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees and dropping my head into my hands. Two sock-clad feet came into view, standing in front of me. I felt Luke’s hand lift my chin and looked up into his eyes.

His gorgeous eyes. So intense in that gorgeous face of his, with his sexy lips, extra sexy with that silver hoop through his bottom lip, lips that were…smirking at me? What the hell? Luke stood there watching me with a knowing smile, the corner of his mouth curved up in a secret smile/smirk that worried me as much as it turned me on.

“Sugar, you can run…” Luke drawled, letting his words trail off, the implied meaning screaming into the silence.

I jerked my chin out of his grasp, narrowing my eyes at him before gritting out through clenched teeth, “What kind of game are you playing here, Luke? I mean, what are we doing? We don’t even know each other and you say things like I’m just , I don’t know, yours or something. Like you can just snap your fingers or command me and I’ll obey, just like that.” I snapped my fingers into the air, emphasizing my words.

“You are.” Luke didn’t say anything after that, just smiled again. Then he turned on his heel, walking out of the room.

I followed him, intent on making him explain just what the hell he meant by that cryptic statement, watching as he stopped to pull on his clothes that were strewn through the hall before he continued walking away from me.

“Luke!” I shouted at his retreating back. “I am what? What the fuck! Don’t you walk away from me…”

Luke kept going until he got to the living room, where he stopped at the coffee table, grabbing my phone where it was sitting beside my purse. I stopped beside him, reaching out to try to wrench my phone out of his grasp. He easily evaded my hands, holding my phone over his head out of my reach as he punched in a series of numbers. I heard his phone start ringing in his pocket before he hit one last button on my phone and then handed it to me.