One You Can’t Forget

He kissed her instead.

Holding each other, they fell asleep. When Emily woke she noticed the digital clock on his bedside said midnight. She tried to rouse him by shaking his shoulder.

“Luke, I need to go home. I have work tomorrow.”

“Fuck work,” he mumbled in his pillow.

“No really,” she insisted.

“I promise more sex, and coffee in the morning, if you let me sleep now,” he groaned. He slid his arm around her hips and began snoring lightly.

Emily fell back against the pillows resolved to wake early. She couldn’t be late for work. Not after the days she’d missed recently. She sighed and snuggled into the curve of Luke’s body.

#

The sun shone through the unclosed blinds. Emily shot up in bed and glanced at the clock. Six! She barely had enough time to make it home, get ready for work, and get there.

“Luke!” she cried, shaking his shoulder.

He mumbled and tried to roll over.

“Luke, I really have to go.” She jumped out of the bed and hastily put on her clothes.

“Where’s the fire?” he asked as he rolled onto his back.

“It’s a little place called work. I have to get ready.”

“Call out. I’ll make you a wonderful breakfast instead.”

She threw his jeans at him. They landed in his face. “No. I’ve missed too much work already.”

“Fine,” he said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “My mornin’ wood disagrees.”

Emily almost reconsidered his offer, seeing his sexy legs and cock slip out from under the covers. No! She needed to be responsible.

He tugged on his jeans without putting on underwear, and stood.

If she had the time she’d rip off his jeans again and suck on every inch of his muscled chest. She swallowed hard and ran her tongue over her lips. Fuck she wanted him badly. Again.

“What?” he asked, oblivious of the effect he was having on her.

“We need to go.” She spun around and hurried out of his bedroom.

She wouldn’t even let Luke stop for coffee, which left him bleary eyed. Her one thought now was getting to work on time. When Luke pulled up to her place all those hopes were nearly dashed.

“What the hell!” she gasped. In front of her house were her parents’ car and a police car, with her parents standing on the front porch with an officer.

“What’s going on?” asked Luke.

“You’d better go. Now!” She jumped out of the SUV without a second glance at him. Thankfully he drove away without arguing.

Emily hurried up the walkway. “Mom, Dad, what’s this about?”

“Evan called and said you didn’t come home last night. We thought something happened to you.”

Evan? What the hell? “Evan has no business calling you about anything.”

“Don’t talk to your mother in that tone, young lady.” Her father crossed his arms. “We’ve been worried sick.”

Emily sighed and turned her attention to the police officer. “Officer, as you can see I’m fine. Nothing dreadful has happened to me.”

He nodded. “Good to know. I was just telling your parents that we have to wait twenty-four hours to file a report anyway. If everything’s all right?” He left the question open for her to answer.

“It is. There’s no need to file a missing person’s report or a police report, or anything of that nature.” She held her breath. If the officer did, she could just imagine what the judge would say at her next court appearance.

“I just got here to speak with your parents. I won’t be filing anything if you can assure me you’re all right.”

“I’m perfectly fine.” She turned to her parents before quickly spinning around to the officer one more time. “Thanks so much for coming.”

He tipped his hat and headed back to his cruiser.

“What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?” Her father looked beyond angry. Sam Dougherty was a tall man, with the reddish blonde hair and blue eyes that marked his Irish roots. He was fiercely protective of his family but he was also old fashioned.

Emily loved her dad, but she was a grown woman, and this was ridiculous. She shook her head. “Nothing. There’s nothing to say. I’m an adult and what I choose to do is my own business.”

“Emily!” Her mother shook her head, shock all over her face. “We just got back. To this! We thought something terrible had happened to you!”

“I’m okay. Honest. Mom, Dad, please go home. I have to get ready for work. I’m already running late. And please, in the future, don’t listen to anything Evan tells you. We’ve broken up.”

“Broke up? But why?” Her father made no effort to hide his disappointment.

“I’ll tell you about it later.” Emily kissed them both on the cheek, and entering the building, shut the front door behind her.

Emily took the stairs in short choppy steps.

At the head of the steps stood Mrs. Diggerty. “Are you all right, dear?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” Seriously, her too, today? “Everyone else around me seems to be having kittens.” She knew Mrs. Diggerty loved that phrase.