Stay (14 page)

Maggie took a huge breath in and then released it. I
could feel the warmth on my neck as she nuzzled in closer, wrapping
her arms loosely around my waist. I tried to think of different
ways to stop myself from getting carried away, to stop myself from
hoping too much. When I was positive it wasn’t going to happen, it
did.

If my mind hadn’t been so confused, maybe I would’ve
realized that those sweet little hands had worked their way up the
back of my shirt, and Maggie was now taking it to a whole new
level. Instantly, my body went on full alert. When I realized she
was touching me I flinched. I didn’t think she noticed, but she
watched me with those big blues eyes. I was so aware of everything.
Her face, the way she smelled, the softness of the shirt she was
wearing, the colors of the fabric, the look that screamed, “take
me.”

I shivered. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you haven’t
touched me like that for so long.”

She smiled but continued letting her hands roam.
That sexy look touched her eyes, hinting she wanted more.

The song was coming to an end and I couldn’t help
but wonder when it did, would this end too? That’s when I realized
that I needed to man up, grow a pair and stop acting like a pussy.
I had to make my move before it was too late. I wanted this. I’d
wanted to feel her touch for two long years.

This was not what I intended to do tonight. I swore
I was going to be strong, but I was a frigging pushover when it
came to Maggie. I mimicked her moves by splaying my fingers on her
waist under her shirt. She let out a soft moan that I instantly
recognized as a good thing. I knew all her moans, and this one told
me she was on the same page. She wanted this. I was desperate to
feel more of her, but terrified of pushing her too far.

I peered down, but her eyes were closed as she
continued to explore the muscles on my back. I glanced up to the
ceiling, saying a quick prayer that she wouldn’t object at what I
was about to do. Because somehow my brain, heart, and head weren’t
on the same page.

My heart won this round.

And I knew, the whole ‘friends’ thing was being
pushed aside. Even knowing this could be do or die for me I was
willing to try and walk down this road with her to get her
back.

Slowly, I found the hem of her shirt and started to
lift. Maggie’s arms came off of my waist. Taking a step back, she
raised her arms over her head, waiting for me to finish what I’d
started.

Shit! She was letting this happen. When she raked
her nails down my back, her shirt fell out of my grasp onto the
floor.

I swallowed hard when she grabbed my hand in hers,
walking us toward her room. She hesitated at the radio, cranking it
up a little more, and walked me into my old room. I hadn’t stepped
foot in there since she’d come home. It was the same, but the
bedding was girly now.

She shut the door after I stepped in, and locked it.
She stared at me, biting down on that bottom lip.

“Are you sure you want this?” I asked. I wanted to
be damn positive this wasn’t just the booze talking. I needed to
hear that she wanted me as much as I wanted her.

“Since when do you ever ask, Luke? You never needed
to ask me before.” Well, she said my name, so she at least knows
it’s me and not him. That said enough for me. Usually, I’m not that
guy. The one who doesn’t give a rat’s ass if the girl had another
man in her life. Normally, I’d never do that to another dude, but
this girl had always been mine, and I wasn’t willing to give her up
without a fight. If he really wanted her, then he should’ve moved
his ass out here to be with her, instead of leaving her alone with
me. At least that was my brain’s way of convincing myself what I
was about to do was right.

Maggie had shimmied out of her jeans while I’d
debated with myself, and then I forgot exactly what it was I was
trying to convince myself of, because her red lace panties were
pressed up against me.

My arms went around her instantly, scooping her up.
The softness of her skin as my fingers touched her was almost
enough to do me in. Her legs wrapped tightly around my waist as our
mouths slammed onto one another. The one thing I wanted to do
earlier was suck on her lip, so that’s what I did. She moaned
louder, her hands running over my hair that was starting to grow
back. I carried her over to my bed and gently placed her down,
settling on top of her.

Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, as she fumbled
with my jeans. Part of me freaked knowing I had to separate from
her; it would only take a second for her to change her mind. I sat
up, straddling her to toss off my shirt, and then scooted down the
edge of the bed before kicking my jeans off.

Maggie curled her finger at me, and I was back on
top of her without blinking an eye. She sat up and kissed the
shamrock with her name on it tattooed on my upper ribcage. I’d
gotten in done three months after she left. It was my way of never
letting myself forget her. Her hands ran down under my boxer
briefs, and she worked her hand inside, feeling just what she was
doing to me.

I was still in awe that we were even going here
tonight. I’d wanted this moment to happen for so long. To have her
underneath me, to feel the tenderness of her skin against mine, to
kiss every inch of her, to drown in her. I skimmed my fingers into
her panties, tugging them down slightly. The thought of being
inside of her again overwhelmed me, but I wanted to savor every
minute I’d missed.

She was soaked by the time I got the courage to slip
my finger inside of her. Maggie arched her back, pressing her
breasts into my chest. I didn’t want to neglect my second-favorite
part of her body, so I moved slightly away from her mouth, raining
kisses until my mouth found her nipple.

“Oh, God, Luke. Please it’s been too long,” she
begged. I wanted to give in to her, but I wasn’t going to let this
night end so fast. Especially if this was my one shot at winning
her back.

Maggie was never one for foreplay. Me, I wanted to
linger a few minutes, kiss every inch of her legs, nibble her
thighs, touch every square inch of her. And tonight that’s just
what I wanted to do.

I wanted to rediscover Maggie.

Chapter 13

Maggie

A second later, he was between my thighs,
letting his mouth work its way downward before lifting my legs over
his shoulders. Every sensation rushed throughout my body. It had
been a long time since he or anyone else had done this to me, and
God, how I wanted him to since the moment I saw him prancing around
half-naked in the apartment. Luke was always good in bed, but this
was something he mastered.

He groaned, “Sweet mother of God, Maggie. I missed
this.” A moment later I could feel the heat of his mouth as he
licked, sucked, and pulled until I could barely breathe. I
whimpered his name, tugging at his hair. “Luke...” I panted with a
painful need for him. I couldn’t take it anymore. It was like I’d
never left. The way everything just moved so fluidly, like we’d
been doing this for years. I’d waited so long to be with him. To
let him in again.

He eased his mouth away for a second, grinning. “All
right, baby. Hold on.” He gave me one last long lick, almost
sending me to an immediate orgasm, before kissing his way back up
to my mouth.

He forced my lips apart, holding my wrists above my
head, restraining me slightly, before running his hands up and down
my arms. I could feel he was as ready and anxious as I was. Our
hearts pounded together as we remembered one another. His lips
touched my swollen ones, and he whispered, “I can’t kiss you
enough. I can’t touch you enough. This will never be enough,
Maggie.”

His lips moved hungrily over mine again. I moaned
into his mouth, surrendering every ounce of myself to him. I felt
him slip inside me a second later. “Wait!”

His eyes searched mine. “What?”

“We need a condom.”

“Why? We never used one before. Aren’t you still on
the pill?”

I shook my head.

“Okay,” Luke scrambled off and reached down to the
floor, pulling out his wallet. He yanked out a condom, and handed
it to me. He watched me roll it on him with a look of sheer
satisfaction that crossed over his face as I did it.

We laughed, and then he sank into me without
hesitation. It was the hottest, fastest sex that we ever shared. It
felt like the first time we’d gotten together, minus the endless
hours of exploring. We lay there panting, breathless. Smiling. Luke
propped himself up on his elbow a moment later, perspiration
dripping off of him, as he traced his finger down my stomach.

“I missed you so much,” he said.

“I missed you too.” And even though it wasn’t a lie,
because I had missed him, desperately. I also knew I couldn’t do
this again. At least not until I figured out what was going on with
Max. The guilt hit me as soon as it was over, the wine worn off.
Max didn’t deserve this. And I hated thinking of another man while
Luke held me. He pulled me into his chest, snuggling me closer,
wrapping his arms and legs around me. “Can I sleep in here tonight
with you?”

I nodded, unable to say anything. What had I just
done? He noticed my change in mood instantly. Of course he did. I
could never get anything by him.

“Hey, stop overthinking this.” He kissed my
forehead, and made little circles on my lower back.

I sighed, thinking about what we’d done. Even though
it was beautiful and perfect, I felt not worthy of Max’s trust.
Luke made a face, but then he kissed me on the lips as gentle as a
feather as he held my face in his hands. “Baby, you got me inside
out right now.”

Those were the last words he said before he wrapped
me in his arms and drifted off to sleep.

***

The next morning, Luke was on the other side of the
bed, snoring softly. I studied him for a few seconds, before
getting up and pulling on my clothes. Last night had been
wonderful, and I hated to do this. I couldn’t believe I let myself
get drunk around him. I should’ve known that I couldn’t resist him.
Not sure if he’d forgive me this time, I sighed heavily, grabbing
my sneakers from next to the bed. I bent over to put them on and
felt the warmth of his hand run down my back.

“Hey, where you going?” He rested his chin on my
shoulder looking down at my shoes.

I cleared my throat. “I’m just going for a run. I
need to clear my head.” And take ten aspirin for my headache.

I stood up quickly, walking toward the door without
glancing back.

“Maggie,” he called out loudly, and I could hear the
worry is his voice.

I turned to face him, but couldn’t let him see the
tears brewing.

“So is this it?”

“What?” Somehow, I found the courage to glance
up.

He gestured toward the bed, to himself. “This? Is
this it?”

I forced myself to hold back the tears, before
finally locking eyes with him. “I don’t know.” I ran out, not even
caring that Dean and Jeremy were sitting in the kitchen watching me
with concern. It wasn’t until Luke flew out of the room that
clarity crossed their faces.

“I can’t believe you, Maggie. Don’t do this!” he
shouted after me. “Go ahead, baby. Keep running, but I’ll never
change my mind about you. It’s a waste of time to try. Cause this
isn’t over.”

I stopped moving briefly, but unable to look at his
sad face, I opened the door and ran out. I don’t know what happened
last night or how we ended up in bed together. Yeah, I did. Never
drink red wine again. I hadn’t set out to, but somehow sharing
those moments dancing with him, having his familiar arms wrapped
around me, it was like time stopped and being with him was the only
thing that mattered to me.

Now I felt so guilty because I knew I still loved
him, and trying to let Max go was going to be so hard. He’d helped
put me slowly back together over the last several months. How could
I betray him?

Chapter 14

Luke

I was standing-completely naked-in the
doorway of her room when I noticed Jeremy shaking his head.

“What, Jer? What the fuck is your problem?” I
yelled, more frustrated at Maggie’s reaction to what happened
between us.

He gave me a deflated look, but Dean stepped around
him. “Go put on some pants and then come back out and talk to him.”
He patted me on the back as he passed by to get to his room. He
shut the door, leaving me alone with Jeremy. I held up a finger to
let him know I needed a minute.

I tugged down my T-shirt as he placed a plate full
of eggs on the table and gestured for me to sit. “What happened?”
he asked.

I ran my hands through my hair. “What do you think
happened? She let me in, then ran. This running shit is really
starting to piss me off.” I shoveled in a mouthful full of eggs.
Swallowing, I raised my head. “I know she’s your sister, but I
don’t think I can have her living here if she’s going to rip me up
again.”

Jer nodded. “I’ll talk to her. Let me feel her out
before you go do something you’ll regret.”

I laughed out loud. “Yeah, think that’s already
happened.”

Jeremy placed both his hands on the counter, eyeing
me for a second. “You saying you regret my sister?”

“No. I don’t regret being with her, I regret letting
her get to me again. I don’t think there’s enough Xanax for me to
get through this shit again.” That thought pissed me off right
away. Xanax and I had been good friends for a while, but ever since
Maggie got back, I’d been taking it less and less.

“I’ll talk to her. I know my sister. She’s feeling
guilty right now because of Mr. Douche-bag New York. What are you
doing the rest of the day?”

I walked around him, rinsing my plate in the sink.
“Got to work later. What about you?”

“Nothing. So when she comes back, I’ll take care of
it.”