Skin Deep (Skin Deep #1)

We looked at each other and busted out laughing before putting our clothes right and getting out of the car to go inside. When we got in the front door, both Brandon and Jackson were sitting on the couch, laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes.

Luke glared at them, though his lips were still twitching with laughter, and I couldn’t help but grin shamelessly.

Of course my shameless grin turned into a heated flush as Brandon started stuttering, “We…we knew you must be finished when the horn stopped…stopped beeping and just held!” He double over with laughter again, but Jackson took over.

“Yeah, and we knew when they were getting close, too! Beep…beep…beep…beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!”

I collapsed into the chair and buried my face in my hands. I could even feel the tips of my ears burning, and I knew I was red from head to toe in embarrassment. I felt Luke come stand beside me, his hand rubbing my back, trying to comfort me. I looked up at him and my embarrassment faded as he grinned down at me.

I shrugged my shoulders and muttered, “It was so worth it…” before I stood up and we headed up the stairs to go to bed, Brandon and Jackson’s laughter following us the whole way.

The next day, Luke took me to my house after work to grab some more clothes. I threw a few things into my duffel and then gasped in shock when Luke grabbed the bag out of my hand and started going through my drawers, methodically emptying each one into it.

“Luke! What are you doing?” I cried, trying to take the bag from him. He moved it out of my reach and once my drawers were empty, he turned toward my closet. I’m not sure how he was thinking he’d get anything else into my bulging duffel, but I wasn’t about to let him try to shove my good work clothes into it as well. When he opened the closet door, I rushed up behind him and jerked the bag out of his hand. He shrugged and, spying my suitcase on the top shelf of my closet, pulled it down and unzipped it so he could start loading it up.

“Luke! Stop! I don’t need this many clothes!” I steadily tried to close the suitcase, but he wasn’t having it.

“Emma, baby, it doesn’t make any sense to keep coming back here every couple days when we’re gonna just stay at my place. Just get all your clothes.” Luke said this to me in a matter-of-fact tone, and I couldn’t help but gape at him. What the hell was he getting at?

“Luke, if I have no clothes here, I’ll just have to move them all back here when we stay here. You act like I’m moving in with you!” I yelled.

“You are. Now pack!” He smiled at me and started pulling stuff out of my closet and tossing into the suitcase on the bed.

I stood there, my mouth opening and closing like a fish before the red film descended over my eyes. “Lucas Tyler Crimshaw, you are seriously mistaken if you think you are just gonna move me out of my house and into yours without us even discussing it. I’m not moving in with you. You can leave now. Do you hear me?” I shrieked, my voice getting higher and louder with every word. “Leave!”

Luke turned slowly to look at me, his eyebrows raised high in astonishment, eyes wide open and blinking. That didn’t last long, though, and his eyes were suddenly blazing with heat. He dropped my clothes in a heap on the floor (Damnit, now I’m gonna have to iron!) and stalked me as I nervously backed away from him. The backs of my legs hit edge of my bed and I sat down hard on the edge of my suitcase.

My fingers began twisting in my lap as Luke crowded me, not saying a word. He reached out and

wrapped his fingers in my ponytail, jerking my head back as he stood over me. I let out a gasp, unable to hide the spark of fear in my eyes; I was afraid I had pushed him too far.

Luke lowered his head until his lips barely brushed mine as he spoke, each word clear and concise, sending shivers down my spine, and making me gasp for breath. “You. Are. Moving. In. With. Me. I want you in my bed, every night. I want to wake up with you in my arms every morning. And sugar? Next time you order me around, I wont take it so lightly. I’ll have you tied up in no time and you will feel the bite of my hand as I spank that tight little ass of yours until its hot and red and you’re screaming for me to fuck the shit out of you.”

I swallowed, and it sounded loud in the silence following his words. Then he continued. “I saw the fear in your eyes, Emma. I’d never hurt you. Ever.”

I nodded, instinctively needing to tell him that I knew that, that I trusted him implicitly. I opened my mouth to tell him with words too, but he lightly pressed his finger to my lips, effectively stopping me.

“A little fear is good, though, baby. I like when you run. But know this- I’ll always catch you. And if you run for too long, then you’ll face the consequences. You wanted to see my darkness, Emma. You haven’t seen anything yet.” He pulled his finger back from my lips and pressed his mouth to mine again, sinking his teeth into my lower lip before laving it with his tongue.

I moaned, my hands coming up to pull him closer into me. I tried to deepen the kiss but he wouldn’t let me, teasing me with his tongue and sharp nips of his teeth, driving me wild.

He pulled back from me. “I want you to live with me. Will you?”

“Luke, we haven’t known each other that long-”

He cut me off. “No excuses, Emma. Will you?”

I was left with no choice, and deep inside, I really didn’t mind. He was so fuckin’ hot! “Yeah, Luke. I’ll move in. But I’m not giving up my house.”

“Never said you had to, sugar.” He leaned close in and pressed his lips to mine again, whispering, “Thank you, baby. You’ve made me a very happy man.”

I rolled my eyes at him and pushed him away to finish packing up my clothes. Since he had packed most of my wardrobe up already, I finished the closet, and headed into the bathroom to pack up a few more things there. When I walked back into the bedroom, Luke had already lugged my suitcase and duffel out to the car and I stood there by my bed, feeling a little unsettled, but knowing that my life was taking the turn that I had always dreamed of.

“You okay, Emma?” Luke said from behind me.

“Yeah. I’m…good.” I said it softly, but I realized I meant it.

Luke sighed, walking over to wrap his arms around my waist and press himself to my back. “I’m not trying to be an overbearing ass, sugar. I…if you don’t want to move in to my house, that’s fine. I’ll move in here with you. But we’re gonna live together no matter what, because I don’t want to be apart from you.”

I turned in his arms and, raising my eyes to his, I asked, “Why, Luke? Why is it so important that we do this so soon?”

“You haven’t figured it out yet?” he asked.

I shook my head in confusion. He leaned in and kissed me lightly, telling me between kisses, “Then…I’m…Not…Telling.”

Ugh. Men.

Chapter 14

Allie walked into my office at work on Wednesday evening and like a freight train, the idea for my Halloween costume hit me. I jumped out of my chair and ran around the counter to hug her, kissing her loudly on the cheek as she yelled, “Hey! What the hell?”

I released her, grinning and nodding my head at her while she looked at me like I was crazy. Then, like always, she had my back.