Breaking Through (Atlanta #3) (10 page)

Butterflies crowded into her stomach the closer they got to her place. She had no idea what to expect from someone like Luke. Jenna wasn't innocent, but she had never experienced the kind of intensity promised by the man in front of her. Love-making had always been either teenage-clumsy or sweet…even exciting at times, but never so raw. His words and hands evoked in her the need to be with him as desperately. She began running her fingers forcefully along his abs and chest, feeling every rock-hard plane of him. Luke responded by gunning the engine, moving them even faster toward her bed.

The second Jenna's hands began moving along his torso, Luke wanted to stop the bike and fuck her right there on the sidewalk. Everything about her got his libido in overdrive. She had a hot body, gorgeous eyes and beautiful hair, but there was something else about her. Was it her sweet nature? Maybe her beautiful smile? Her loving dedication to everyone around her? Whatever her magic, her very essence affected him powerfully, and had since the first time he saw her holding his daughter. Already he needed every part of her. He wanted to possess her, to keep her as his own…and tonight, she said yes.
Fuck yes!

He couldn't get to her place fast enough. When the house came into view he pushed harder backward into her body as he drove. She squeezed even tighter, tighter than he would have thought possible. She wanted him. Undeniably. Oh,
hell yes
, she was about to be his, naked and moaning under him. He would make her know how much he wanted to be inside her. His need for her almost frightened him. She owned all of him now.
 

He parked his bike on the road in front of the house and let Jenna swing her leg away from him. Oh, how he hated to lose that connection. They both pulled their helmets off and Luke nearly attacked her again at the sight of her shaking her long hair loose from the confines of her bike helmet.
Damn!
 

He grabbed her hand and pulled her, almost running, up the stairs at the side of the house to the landing by her door. He couldn't wait long enough for her to find her keys. He pushed her against the door, much like he did outside the theater, and pushed his mouth against hers again. His hands flanked her head while the rest of his body pinned her. She kept one hand on his chest, and fumbled for the keys with the other.
 

Luke eased up long enough for her to open the door. Once they were inside, however, all bets were off. He spun her around by the shoulders and picked her petite frame up off the floor. She wrapped her legs around him and made a breathy sound while he held her flat against him.

"Oh, fuck, Jenna. You got me wanting you so much…Christ…" He walked her straight to her room and dropped her on the bed. Immediately he was over her again, kissing and groping and tugging. His lips worked along her neck and mouth, pushing and exploring while his hand tugged at the button of her jeans.

Luke rasped his hot words of need while he got her naked. He got up on his knees over her to pull his own shirt off, gripping at the collar behind his neck and tugging it from his body in one quick move. He looked Jenna in the eye one more time and saw her heated stare rake up and down his body, obviously turned on and wanting him. And,
fuck yes
, she reached for his jeans and had them open in no time.
 

He stood up to kick off his shoes and step out of the denim quickly.
 

"Nightstand," Jenna whispered, still ogling his form and reaching for his impressive manhood for the first time.

Luke didn't hesitate to open the top drawer and grab a condom while she ran her fingers along his cock. He ripped open the foil and sheathed himself in record time. "You are so damn hot, baby. Open up for me." He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back as he entered her firmly. "Holy shit…you're so tight…"

Jenna moaned loudly from the pulsing invasion of Luke's strong body and passionate words. She was stretched, both body and soul. Being so completely encompassed by him, there was no room in her brain for anything but Luke. Lost in a sea of overwhelming sensation, Jenna let Luke take her how he wanted her. She couldn't believe the words coming from him. She never before heard phrases like "I'm going to make you come so hard" or "this pussy is mine" while with a man. He dominated her entire world while they moved together.
 

The whole time he stroked in her body, he never let go of her hair. He used his hold to move her where he wanted her. Sometimes he pulled her into strong kisses, others he directed her head for access to her neck. Often he pulled her head to the side so he could passionately whisper his strong desire directly into her ear.
 

The sweat and heat from his back registered on her palms as pure sex. She dug her carefully painted nails into the skin of his shoulders as she felt every thick muscle flex and ripple while he claimed her. The closer he got her to the brink of pleasure, the more she was lost to him. His strong body pulsed deliciously over top of her, driving her mad with his skill and passion.
 

And for some reason, every time he said "fuck yes" or "shit…Jenna" she fell further under his spell. Strangely enough, hearing the strength of his desire for her made her feel powerful along with him. She drew from his passion and let herself go completely.
 

When she was nearly ready to explode, he demanded his name from her. As he promised outside of the theater, he fucked her until she screamed his name. "Luke! Yes!" He hit that point of pleasure just as she did, groaning one more loud "Oh,
FUCK
…" as he shot powerfully into the condom.

"Jenna, you're mine," he rasped as he collapsed over her, "and I don't want some damn condom between us. I'm clean and I want you on the pill. I want to shoot my cum straight up in you and feel your tight pussy hot and wet around my cock, baby. You're mine now, Jenna. Just mine."

Jenna, out of breath, tingling, and unable to think of anything but pleasing him again, simply nodded. And as quickly as he got her revved up, he soothed and calmed her by releasing her hair and caressing her skin gently. He rolled away to dispose of the condom, but then returned directly to her side.

"I'm staying with you tonight," he murmured in her ear, obviously satisfied and becoming drowsy.

Jenna only nodded again, softly smiling in blissful exhaustion. She expected him to leave after a carnal sexcapade like that, but instead he let his tender side shine through. He sleepily pulled her so her back rested against his chest and then nuzzled her neck. "You feel so good under me," he whispered. "Keep yourself in my arms, baby. I want you to get lost in me."

"Yes," she whispered back. Jenna had a distinct feeling the word
yes
was the only answer where Luke was concerned. She couldn't imagine a need for the word
no
.

"You smell like sex and flowers," he murmured softly as he drifted off into sleep.

CHAPTER FIVE

Jenna listened for his motorcycle again…her new favorite sound. Last weekend had been the most intense of her life. Luke's presence took over her entire being wherever they were, even in a crowded theater. To Jenna, no one else was there besides Luke. Power pushed away from him almost physically, forcing a wide radius of strength which encompassed her in his near-tangible aura. She absolutely loved being cradled in that with him.
 

When they were alone at her apartment, his force gathered her in completely. Luke was like no lover she'd ever been with. He took her body with passionate abandon, but only with her permission. He crushed her under him and drove into her almost harshly, but never hurt her. Believe it or not, there was an undercurrent of sweetness throughout the heavy lust. And after he took her so completely, he warmed and comforted her with gentle arms and sweet words.
Sex and flowers
was an erotic combination and a loving thing to say for someone as raw as Luke. A week had passed and that phrase still echoed through her head, causing her to smile.
 

Jenna couldn't forget waking up with him the following morning, either. His chiseled, naked body was stretched out on her bed, tan and tattooed and resting peacefully. The sheet barely covered his hips, allowing her to see every chiseled muscle of his chest and abs. The top edge of his dark pubic hair drew her eyes. She knew what rested beneath and she nearly shivered again in pleasure, just thinking about his strong, thick cock invading her so thoroughly.
 

She let herself stare for a long time that morning, still in disbelief that such a perfect physical specimen was in her bed. She spent a long time gazing at his tattoos, drinking in every subtle stroke of ink. Most of the artwork was a tribal design in pointed swirls of dark color. The tattoo reached from his strong shoulder, wrapped around his rock-solid bicep, and colored the skin down his entire forearm. Deep, blood-red ink faded into solid lines of darkness. Certainly meaning could be found in the color alone.

The design was bold and strong, and she liked looking at the pattern. But after staring for a while, Jenna noticed more subtleties around his arm. A few barely-visible, miniature random letters lined up in a tiny row along one of the swirls above his elbow. A few abstract pictures were hidden within some of the dark bands, and a quote ran down his shoulder blade, but she couldn't see all the words from her angle.
 

Another line of ink was flanked with a line of Arabic letters. Another quote? More seemingly random letters? Regardless, the tattoo was strong and beautiful, and seemed to have meaning hidden within the pattern beyond body-decoration. She already knew he had been in Afghanistan for two tours, and she was certain the tattoo told the story in some way.

Jenna didn't usually like the bad-boy type, but Luke's soft interior shone through him brightly. He wasn't much of a bad-boy deep down. Plus, she never would have expected to want to be on the back of a Harley, ever. But like everything else with Luke, he lead and she followed easily in spite of her fear of motorcycles. She had been terrified but didn't tell him. He seemed to pick up on her anxiety anyway and walked her through what to expect.
 

He taught her to lean gently into the turns, and how to hold on to him just right. She loved that part. He also offered her his helmet to keep her safe. Because of his strength and caring, Jenna enjoyed the ride from the first moment. Yes, Luke was very obviously a good man under all that hard, keep-away-from-me attitude.

And he wanted her to himself.
"You're mine now, Jenna. Just mine."
That's what he said. That's
exactly
what he said. She still didn't understand how such a gorgeous man with a good soul could be single, let alone be interested in her. No, not interested exactly. He
wanted
her, and he didn't want to share her. She was lost to him since the first time he brought little Sophie to the clinic, so she didn't mind being possessed by him at all. She was already his.
 

And because she belonged to him already, Jenna had been to her doctor and requested birth control like he wanted. Luckily she was at a point in her cycle where she could start them immediately. She'd already been on them almost a week by the time their third date rolled around.
 

And how strangely sweet that he asked her to. He refused to let anything separate them during sex. He wanted to feel every part of her, intimately. The depth of his passion was without boundary. She was sure he wasn't the type to offer a romantic "I love you," but he already demonstrated he was falling hard. Jenna
knew
she didn't misread him. He wore his heart on his sleeve as visibly as his tattoos. The pace of their connection astounded her.

She couldn't help but relive in her mind last Sunday morning when he woke up peacefully beside her. She had watched his muscles tighten and flex as he stretched his sleepiness away. Jenna had been awake for at least an hour, simply lying next to him and pondering everything about him while she enjoyed the view. That view got even better when his face eased into a tiny smile when he saw her.
 

"Hey," he murmured that morning in a sleepy voice. "Come here."

As simple as that, he pulled her close and buried his face into her hair. He breathed deeply, taking her in and losing himself in her. Unbelievable. His hands rubbed slowly along her body as he nuzzled her neck and breathed deeply of her scent again. "Sex and flowers," he whispered again sweetly. Jenna melted right into his arms, safe and warm.
 

She expected him to use their morning snuggle last week as a means to initiate sex again. She had wanted him to, but didn't want to ask, or even imply with her body. She didn't want to presume anything about his desire for her again. As bold as she felt around him, lifelong insecurities kept her wondering in the background if she had been enough for him the night before. He held her for a long time after their first time together, though, while the cobwebs of sleep cleared from his mind. Snuggles, even without sex, were certainly welcome.

"I didn't have any nightmares"
 

He had spoken those words so quietly, almost to himself. "You calm me, baby. I wish I could stay with you longer today." He kissed her one time, sweet and slow, with his hand gently cradling her face to keep her lips where he wanted them.
 

When he eased away from the kiss, she saw a softness in his eyes even deeper than in his sweet moments before. This time she didn't melt…she liquified into a puddle of warm, gooey,
I'm-yours
.
 

Unfortunately, Luke sat up that morning and reached for his clothes. He pulled his boxers and jeans on while she watched every muscle flex gently throughout his gorgeous movements. His physique stood rock solid. He searched around for his t-shirt and pulled the dark fabric over his head. The sleeves barely fit around his thick biceps. When he turned and looked down at Jenna still naked on the bed with the sheet tucked under her arms, he clenched his jaw as if conflicted about leaving. She saw the debate in his mind, and his desire to stay won out, even if only for a moment.