Fitting The Pieces (The Riverdale Series Book 3) (19 page)

           
“I’m a woman. He took me to dinner last night.” Cara
blurted out, leaving out how badly that went, still trying to get over the fact
that her words sounded like she was confirming they went on a date.

           
Sam swung open the door to the stall. “You and Luke went
to dinner?”

           
Shit! Way to go Cara. She decided now was a good time to
reapply her lip gloss and turned around and faced the mirror, digging into her
purse for the tube of gloss. “Yeah, so I mean that proves that if he can take
me to dinner, then he can find the time to take any other woman.”

           
“Luke took you to dinner.”

           
“We’re friends Sam. You and I are at dinner aren’t we?”

           
“Luke took
you
to dinner.”

           
“Does he not eat dinner usually?” Cara asked
incredulously wishing Sam wouldn’t make such a big deal of it.

           
Sam opened her mouth to say something when her phone
rang. She reached into her purse and pulled it out, seeing that it was Nick on
her Caller ID. “Hey, honey.” She said her eyes firmly on Cara through the
mirror.

           
“Where are you?” He slurred into the phone. “And what are
you wearing?”

           
She took her eyes off of Cara and looked at herself
reflected in the mirror. “I’m at Smokey Sid’s and I’m wearing a green dress.”
She couldn’t help but smile.

           
“What color underwear? No, don’t tell me… I want to be
surprised, but I bet they’re nude.” Nick stated in his drunken stupor.

           
“Baby where are you?” She asked with a big smile on her
face.

           
“Rudy’s.” He said and then she heard a muffled noise.
“I’m not asking her that.”

           
“Not asking me what?” She insisted.

           
“Shit! You heard that. She heard you, asshole.” Nick
said, elbowing Luke in the gut.

           
“Nick, what aren’t you asking me?”

           
He sighed and she could picture him rolling his eyes as
if it pained him to ask. “Are you with Cara?”

           
“Yes, of course I am.” She said as it clicked in her
head, that it was her brother asking.

           
“She’s with her. Are you satisfied?” Nick retorted. There
was more shuffling and muffled noises before Sam heard Nick’s voice. “Fuck no,
I will not. Dude, stop being a pansy and call her and ask her yourself. You do
realize I’m on the phone with your sister right?”

           
“Nick, focus babe.” Sam said.

           
“Luke’s drunk.”

           
“Sounds like you are too.”

           
“Yeah, but he’s an annoying drunk. Stop it!” He ordered.

           
Sam covered her other ear with the palm of her hand,
straining to make out what Luke was saying.

           
“I’m not asking Sam to find out what color underwear
Cara’s wearing.” Nick said to Luke. “Babe you still there?”

           
“Uh… yeah.” Sam said, her eyes immediately returning to
Cara.

           
“Can you come and get us?” Nick asked sweetly through his
slur. “Okay, fine! I’ll ask.”

           
Sam turned around and stepped back inside the stall. “I’m
not asking her what color underwear she’s wearing, Nick.” Sam whispered harshly
into the phone. “I’m leaving now.”

           
“I love you baby.” Nick crooned into the phone.

           
“I love you too. No more drinks for you or Luke. I’ll be
there in fifteen minutes.”

           
“Get it together Lanza, Sam’s picking us up.” Sam heard
Nick shout before she laughed slightly and hung up the phone. She stepped out
of the stall and looked at Cara. “That was Nick.”

           
Cara smiled. “I figured as much. Is everything okay?”

           
“They need a couple of designated drivers.” She fibbed.
“Mind driving Luke home?”

           
Cara crossed her arms against her chest and eyed Sam
suspiciously. “He asked for me to drive him home?”

           
Sam shrugged her shoulders. “Does it matter? Come on,
before they order more drinks and we have to peel them off the floor.”
        

“What
about Phillip and Mallory?” Cara asked, letting Sam drag her out of the
bathroom.

           
“I’ll text them, but I doubt we’ll be missed.” She said
quite certain and headed for the door. Cara sighed heavily, so much for
avoiding Luke for a day… and then she smiled because she was happy she was
going to see him after all, even if he was inebriated.

 
* * * * *

           
“I’m getting married in less than a month.” Nick said
shockingly as he sat beside Luke in the mostly empty bar.

           
“I know.” Luke said as he yawned and then he realized
that before he knew it, they would all be in Cabo and he’d be tortured watching
as Cara paraded around the beach in a bikini. He groaned. He lifted his head
miserably and his eyes found the mesmerizing hazel ones that never failed to
captivate him.

           
“Spunky.” He mumbled sure that his eyes were playing
tricks on him.

           
“Hi.” Cara whispered softly.

           
Luke peered at her a moment before he reached out and let
his fingertips graze her cheek softly. “You still mad at me?” He asked as he
dropped his hand back to his side.

           
“No.” She said honestly watching as he sat up straight on
the stool.

           
“I don’t like when you’re mad at me.” He confessed his
eyes boring into hers.

           
“Man, I’m getting out of here.” Nick said, swaying on his
feet with his arms wrapped around Sam.

           
Luke tore his eyes from Cara and looked over at Nick
watching him attempt to nuzzle Sam’s neck. She giggled as he rubbed his hands
along her stomach, showing the slightest hint of the evidence that Nick and
Sam’s baby was growing there. His eyes reached his sisters and saw the
happiness reflected in them and he smiled at her.

           
Sam untangled Nick’s arms from her waist and leaned into
her brother wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her tightly with one arm
wrapped around her.

           
“Take her dancing.” She whispered into his ear, giving
Luke one final squeeze.

           
“I don’t dance.” He said, barely audible.

           
“Maybe it’s time you learned.” She whispered back before
placing a fleeting kiss to his cheek.

           
Sam pulled back and winked at her brother. “I love you.”
She mouthed.

           
“Ditto.” He said and then she took Nick’s hand and looked
over her shoulder at Cara.

           
“You’ve got him?” She asked her.

           
Cara nodded before turning to Luke. “I’ve got him.” Sam
glanced between them for a moment longer before she turned around taking Nick’s
hand and walking out of Rudy’s,
 
Nick
guessing a different color of the rainbow with each step they took.

           
Cara took a step closer to Luke and then another until
his knees brushed her thighs. She looked up at him from under the fringe of her
dark lashes. Luke ran his palms down the length of his thighs resisting the
urge to grab her waist and pull her between his legs and bury his face in her
neck.
 

           
“How drunk are you?” She asked, taking her lower lip
between her teeth.

           
“I’m sobering up.”

           
“Liar.” She said accusingly with a smile. “You ready to
go home?” She asked, cocking her head to the side.

           
He was drowning in the depths of her eyes. He reached
into his pocket and pulled out the keys to his truck, handing them to her. She
took the keys and stepped back, allowing him room to get off the stool. He
groaned slightly when he first stood and then composed himself and followed her
out of the bar.

           
She glanced around the lot until she found his truck. She
glanced over her shoulder to make sure he was following her, before reaching
for his hand and pulling him alongside of her. They walked to the truck in
silence and then she unlocked it and opened the passenger door for him. He
sighed and climbed in, leaning his head against the headrest and closing his
eyes. She leaned over him and pulled his seatbelt across his body. As she
secured the buckle she felt his hand on her cheek. The seatbelt clicked into
place and she lifted her gaze to meet his. He softly brushed her hair back,
tucking the strands behind her ears. He lifted his other hand and cupped her
face, cradling it in the palms of his hands as he stared at her.

           
“You’re so goddamn beautiful.” He whispered huskily.

           
“Luke?” She said softly.

           
“I’m just looking at you, Cara.” He said defeated, but
not willing to let go of her yet.

           
“No… that’s not it.” She shook her head slightly and then
let out a heavy breath. “How drunk are you? Like on a scale from one to ten,
ten being you won’t remember anything, five being a fifty-fifty shot you will,
and one being the no chance in hell.”

           
“Five.” He said honestly.

           
“I really hope you remember.” She whispered before
leaning in and pressing her lips softly against his. She kept her mouth still
and looked into his eyes, seeing the surprise in them and watched as it was
replaced by something else, something like want. She let her eyes drift closed
and pressed her mouth firmly against his letting her lips become acquainted
with the feel of his. His thumbs caressed her cheeks as his lips fused onto
hers. She let her tongue slide out and run along his lower lip. His lips parted
and she accepted the invitation, sliding her tongue over his. He tasted like
liquor and the slightest hint of peppermint. Their tongues mingled for a moment
exploring, testing the waters. For the first time in a long time something
dormant in her sprung to life and she ran her fingers through his thick hair,
pressing against the back of his head, holding his mouth to hers. She moaned
into his mouth as his teeth nipped at her lower lip and he cocked his head to
the side to get a better hold on her mouth. She pressed her mouth to his once,
twice and again before she reluctantly pulled back. Her fingers still curled in
his hair, her forehead resting against his. Her eyes remained closed as she
took a much needed breath.

           
“I’ll never forget that.” He murmured, pulling back
slightly to look at her. Her eyes fluttered open and met his. The look in his
eyes feral yet guarded by something else, something she couldn’t pinpoint.
There was one thing she was certain of though, as she stared at him, his lips
swollen from her, she wouldn’t forget their kiss either.

           
Luke groaned into his pillow as he
began to stir awake. He was sprawled out on his stomach, the sheets twisted
around his legs. He rolled over and found the courage to open his eyes,
deciding it would take a small miracle to get him to lift his head upright.
What the fuck did he drink? Then to answer his question, his memory flashed
back to the night before and his little deal with the bartender to keep his
glass full at all times. Apparently, it was money well spent, because he was
suffering the mother of all hangovers. He ran his hand down his bare stomach
absent-mindedly as he solemnly swore never to drink scotch again. He yawned and
stretched one arm over his head, glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand.
He raised an eyebrow when he realized he had slept way past six a.m. when he
saw it was nearly noon.

           
Sighing, he forced himself to sit
up. He needed to get himself into gear and go pick up his daughter from his
parent’s house. He grimaced as the room swayed when he threw his long bare legs
over the edge of the bed. He grabbed his head as if holding it would stop it
from exploding. A shower and a cup of coffee, that’s what he needed. Mentally
counting to three, he stood up and stretched out his limbs before padding to
the bathroom wearing only a pair of boxer briefs that rode low on his waist as
he walked. He adjusted the water in the shower, letting it run until the
temperature heated while he lost the only article of clothing he wore. He
stepped into the shower and let the water cascade over his body, tilting his
face up and letting the jets shoot over and down his face awakening him as he
ran his fingers through his hair that fell over his face.

           
He was about to grab the body wash
from the shelf when bits and pieces of last night came to him. Luke paused,
bracing one hand on the tile of the shower stall, concentrating on remembering.
Cara’s eyes were the first thing that came into play, those beautiful eyes that
fueled so many of his dreams. He remembered holding her face in the palms of his
hand, amazed at the beauty before him. As drunk as he was, he saw the flicker
in her eyes, he remembered feeling defeated and prepared himself to be pushed
away but then she surprised him when she leaned into him pressing that sweet
mouth against his. He blew out a breath, relishing in the way her mouth fit so
perfectly with his and how she clung to him, holding onto the kiss as she slid
her tongue into his mouth, the taste of her still vivid. He diverted his gaze
downward and leaned his forehead against the shower tiles, staring at his
throbbing erection. Just the memory of her set his body aflame. He reached
down, wrapping his fingers around his thick cock, the image of her thoroughly
kissed embedded in his brain, he sought his relief.

 
* * * * *

           
Cara debated on whether or not she should ring the bell.
She figured since she hadn’t heard from him yet that morning, Luke was probably
still nursing his hangover. After she dropped him off last night she drove
herself home with his truck. She contemplated camping out on his couch, but
Benny had been locked in his crate for hours, ultimately making Cara’s
decision. So now here she was with Benny in tow, digging into her purse for the
set of keys Luke had given her. She fit the key to the lock and let herself in.

           
“Luke? It’s me…” She called out into the silent house as
she bent down and unhooked Benny’s leash, giving him full reign of the house.
She shut the door behind her and shrugged off her jacket hanging it on the hook
alongside his coat.

           
“Luke?” She called out again, this time a tad louder. She
shrugged her shoulders and made her way through the house. He wasn’t
downstairs, she discovered and made her way to the kitchen. She grabbed a mug
and placed it in his Kuerig hooking him up with a cup of coffee. A smile played
on her lips as she fixed his cup of coffee, her memory dashing back to when he
visited her at Lakeview and the first time she ever fixed him a cup.

           
As the steam rose from the mug in her hands, she glanced
over at Benny happily chewing on a toy in the corner of the kitchen before she
climbed the stairs. A part of her was nervous to wake him. She wondered if he
remembered their kiss, in fact the whole morning she agonized over how he would
react to her coming on to him. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure of her stance on her
actions either. Bringing herself back to the moment, she wanted to kiss Luke
and the moment her lips touched his she wanted all of him. She went with her
gut last night and was rewarded with the biggest surprise of her life. She was undoubtedly
attracted to Luke and judging by the kiss they shared, there was definitely
chemistry there. Chemistry like she’d never known before.

           
The thing was she didn’t know what to make of all that
chemistry. She didn’t know what she was ready for or what she wanted for that
matter. The thought of tangling with Jake’s brother made her uneasy and well,
it terrified her. She shouldn’t be feeling anything for Luke. He was her
friend, a supposed in-law, one who had awakened the woman in her. For those brief
moments in Luke’s truck she forgot about the grief, the sadness, the struggle
of addiction and how she got there, she was just a woman being kissed by a man,
a hot man at that, one who had been incredibly patient with her.

           
Even though she wanted him to remember the kiss, it would
probably be best if he didn’t. They could pretend it never happened. Been
there, done that, not such a great idea, she decided. It was time to face the
music. They were adults. Luke was rational. They would just talk about it and
put it behind them. Move forward. The only problem with that was, she was
finding herself more incline to move forward with Luke and not in a friendly
way. She was curious to see if they fit. Her life was a bunch of broken pieces,
never truly made whole, but something unknown to her made her wonder if Luke
was the one to fit those pieces and make them whole. She even allowed herself
to wonder if she could return the favor and be the woman that was missing in
his life.

           
She walked into his bedroom, sighing slightly, thinking
she was getting ahead of herself. Her emotions were all over the place and all
they had shared was a kiss. She glanced over at the messy bed that was empty as
she strode to the bathroom. She forgot to knock and didn’t even realize that the
shower was running because she was too caught up in her thoughts. She was
trying to mentally prepare herself for the moment of truth and whether or not
he remembered. Her eyes widened in complete shock, every single thought in her
mind vanished and she froze in the doorway of the bathroom.

           
She swallowed as she stared at his naked form, her mouth
suddenly dry. His back was facing her, every ridge and slope of his muscular
back, the way the small of his back dipped accentuating his firm ass, was all
on display for her and her fingers itched to touch. A deep groan rumbled from
his chest and she looked up, startled, closing the door a bit, hoping she was
still unnoticed. Luke cocked his head back with his eyes closed and that’s when
she noticed he had one hand braced against the wall of the shower and the other
closed around his shaft, sliding up and down his length. She really hoped he
didn’t turn around and notice her, and not only because she would be
embarrassed, but because she couldn’t tear her eyes from him and was eager to
see him through his climax. He moaned and his pace quickened, he was close, so
close. She bit down on her lower lip and held onto the doorknob for dear life.
Standing there watching him on the brink of an orgasm, with water cascading
over him, moisture pooled between her legs, her cheeks heated and her breath
hitched. Two long pulls and he started to come. Cara’s eyes widened as she
leaned her head against the frame of the door, watching Luke come, wishing she
had been the one to see him through it.

           
She gathered her bearings and forced herself to step back
from the door and back into the bedroom, placing the mug of coffee on his
nightstand. It was no wonder she didn’t spill the coffee all over her, she
thought, noticing her hands were shaking. The last thing she wanted was for him
to know she had bared witness to something so intimate. She paced his bedroom
and that’s when she realized she was in, she was in real deep. She was
flustered and completely turned on by him. She sat on the edge of his bed and
dropped her face into her hands just as the water turned off. She decided to
enforce a new boundary for herself, NEVER walk in on Luke while he was taking a
shower. Not unless of course there would be some sort of relief in it for her. She
closed her eyes and flinched, thinking that maybe she shouldn’t be having these
wicked thoughts, knowing she couldn’t stop them if she tried.

           
More running water sounded, this time coming from the
sink. She swallowed and fanned herself with her hand before standing up. She
needed to get the hell out of his bedroom. She tiptoed around his gigantic bed
almost tripping on the sheets that were tangled on the floor, when she looked
up and caught her reflection in the mirror above his dresser. Her cheeks were
flushed, maybe if she threw cold water on herself, she’d look normal by the
time he saw her. Then she remained still and noticed the envelope tucked into
the frame of the mirror. The letter from Jake, that, she had given him months
ago was tucked into it unopened.

           
“Cara?” Luke asked from the bathroom door. She jumped at
the sound of his deep voice.
 
Glancing at
him through the mirror she turned around slowly to face him. His naked chest
was covered with beads of water and he held a towel at the side of his waist.

           
“Uh…” She stammered. “I rang the bell and you didn’t
answer so I let myself in. I brought back your truck. I didn’t realize you were
in the shower, but I brought you up coffee. I’ll just go downstairs and uh… do
something.” She spun around on her heel and tripped over the sheet. Crap!

           
Luke tucked the towel, securing it to his waist as he
fought back a smile. “Careful…” He said softly as she kicked away the blankets.
Her foot was trapped beneath them not giving her much opportunity to escape. He
placed a hand on the small of her back and bent down untangling her foot. Her
hand gripped his shoulder as he freed her foot. He rose to his full height and
his eyes met hers.

           
“Thanks…” She mumbled, not able to tear her gaze from
him. “You’re wet.”

           
He bit the inside of his cheek and tried his damnedest
not to smile. She smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand.

           
“Of course you’re wet… and naked… and you’re standing in
front of me in nothing but a towel, right? I mean you’re naked under there
right?”

           
“Yep.”

           
“You didn’t have to answer it was a rhetorical question.”
She moaned. “I shouldn’t be in your bedroom. Oh my God, I’ve never really seen
your tattoos.” She said distractedly, grabbing his arms and turning them
slightly so she could stare at the ink that he displayed on his forearms.
“Wow.” She muttered before dropping his arms like they were hot coals in her
hands. “You’re still naked.”

           
“Yep.” He repeated, clearly amused by her antics.

           
“I think you should get dressed.” She said with a nod.

           
“You going to watch?” He asked with his voice holding a
hint of a challenge. Her cheeks became even redder and he didn’t hold back this
time, he laughed, placing his hand on her hip drawing her near. He kissed the
top of her head. “I’ll be right down.” He spoke into her hair.

           
“I’ll just go downstairs, then.” She said pulling away,
she turned around and started walking backwards towards the door. “Take your
time. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Her back missed the doorway and smacked into
the wall. “Shit.” She turned around and hurried out of the room, listening to
Luke’s soft chuckle as she hurried down the hallway.

 
* * * * *

           
Luke quickly dressed, throwing on a pair of sweats and a
thermal. His hair was still wet and he combed his fingers through it as he came
down the stairs. He found Cara pacing back and forth in the kitchen and sighed
before she noticed him. Her body language was all off and he assumed that she
regretted the kiss they shared the night before. This back and forth, push and
pull was tearing him up. He didn’t know how to act around her and how to shield
her from his feelings that were becoming stronger and stronger with each
passing day and the more time they spent together.

           
Cara lifted her head as he stepped into the kitchen. She
couldn’t figure out if he remembered and she was still regrouping from the peep
show. He lifted the cup she had brought him upstairs to his lips and drank,
peering at her from over the rim.

Silence.

More
Silence.

She
began to fidget nervously. “So…”