Breaking Through (Atlanta #3) (11 page)

One final time last week, he rested carefully over top of her, their bodies separated only by his clothes and her bed sheet. "Last night was amazing," he whispered, gazing into her eyes. "And I was serious. You're mine, Jenna. Let me have you, just for myself."

Jenna remembered nodding to him with a soft smile. "I'll be just yours."

He let out a deep breath and rested his forehead on hers with his eyes closed. "Baby…"

Then he kissed her one more time and went to the living room to pull on his shoes. She could hear him lacing up his riding boots as he called back to her, "I'll call you tomorrow, Jenna. Think about me."

Jenna had no doubt she'd think about him non-stop. Her body had still been feeling the after-sex glow. That delicious feeling had never lasted so long before. But then again, she'd never been with someone so strong, skilled, or overpowering as Luke. She didn't know how else to describe him…Luke was
strong
, in every way imaginable.
 

That entire blissful morning last week made her look forward to tonight's date even more. She couldn't wait for more of his touch, his insane desire, and his sweet, gentle words. Luke was all-consuming, and she was ready to be consumed again.

Her soul-melting reverie about last weekend was broken by her new favorite sound announcing his arrival for tonight's date. He got to her house before she had a chance to relive the week of sweet phone calls between the two of them. But that was ok, she'd already been through them over and over anyway.
 

They chatted like old friends about nothing, really, the whole week. So sweetly, he asked what she'd like to do when they went out again. Jenna was never one to take the lead in life, so she happily agreed to whatever he suggested. He didn't want another "typical date" as he put it, because that wasn't his style. So tonight, he was surprising her.

The weather was beautiful, and Jenna was excited to ride on Luke's motorcycle again, especially after the awesome experience of the ride the last two weekends. The roar of the engine and the strength of his body combined to get Jenna…excited. She couldn't describe the sensation any other way. Pressing herself up against him was a bold move for her, but easy in a situation which required her to do so. She channeled his strength while she held him so intimately.
 

Riding with him showcased her
own
strength, too, which was not a feeling she was accustomed to. He affected her to her core, much like she affected him, or so it would seem. Her daydreams were again interrupted when his loud engine cut out in front of her apartment and left a happy silence in its place. She went to the front window to see Luke swing his leg over the bike and walk confidently to her outside staircase. The phrase 'beauty in motion' floated through her head.
 

Jenna ran to the mirror for a quick check of hair, makeup, and outfit while she waited for Luke to knock on her door. She didn't want to appear too anxious to see him, even though she was. Her hair fell in waves far past her shoulders, her makeup was fresh and subtle, and her outfit was simple. Low-rise jeans, a sheer-lace white top over a soft pink cami, and her favorite brown sandals. She looked as good as she was going to, given what she had to work with.

Luke's strong knock drew her attention to the entranceway. She walked quickly, but not too quickly, to open the door. "Hi," she said almost shyly when she saw him.

His only response was to rake his beautiful green eyes up and down her body slowly, pausing at every curve. She still couldn't believe he wanted her to himself. What a beautiful thing to be wanted like that, especially by him.
 

He smiled and pulled her in for a controlled, passionate kiss. She gave herself over to his desire however he wanted her. After all, she had already promised to be his alone…her best decision ever. Based on the stuttering of her heart, no other decision could have been made, anyway. She was his without question, and her body knew it.
 

He obviously sensed her consent, because his kiss increased in depth and intensity. He pulled her in tighter and held her strongly while his tongue pushed itself against hers possessively. Finally, he found his self-control and eased away from her. His eyes remained closed for a second after the kiss, equally lost in the moment.

Jenna was left breathless and wide-eyed. Luke's face relaxed into an amused smile. "Sorry," he said. "You get me kind of carried away."

Jenna smiled. "It's ok. Do you want to come in?"

Luke's smile was even more amused. "Not if you want to actually make it out tonight. One more step and I'll never leave."

Jenna giggled a shy, nervous sound and then grabbed her purse. "Ok, so where are we going?"

"Well, your shoes are completely wrong."

"Huh?"

"I can't let you ride in those. Go put something on that covers your toes."

"Oh, ok," she replied, leaving him at the door and finding something more appropriate from her closet. Her canvas flats were in the laundry, and all she could find on short notice was an embarrassing, old pair of tennis shoes.
Ugh
. "Will these work?"

"For now," he responded with a smile that indicated he was in on some secret. "Come on, let's go."

He took her hand and led her down the stairs. "But you never told me where we're going," she protested with a smile.

"You need some biker boots, Jen," he grinned. "I'm going to turn you into a Harley-mama."

Jenna laughed at the mental picture of herself all decked out in leather and tattoos. "A Harley-mama?"

"Well, maybe just the boots. Afterward I'll take you to a favorite spot of mine if you don't mind riding for an hour."

"Sounds great," Jenna said with a genuine smile as they descended the stairs from her apartment. "But you don't have to buy me anything. Let's just ride."

"Two things you have to know, Jen. I'll buy you what I want to, and I'll keep you safe. Boots work for both," he said as he mounted the bike and steadied it for her while he helped her settle behind him. His eyes glanced at her bare arms. "I might get you a riding jacket while we're out."

"Ok," she responded with a shy smile. She tucked her hair into her cherry-red helmet and wrapped herself up tight around Luke's solid frame. He kicked the engine to life and rolled them forward toward Luke's favorite Harley Davidson shop, which was apparently a few blocks down from a shoe-warehouse store.
 

Only about fifteen minutes passed before Luke was pulling Jenna down a row of shoes resting on stacks of boxes. This place was no-frills, but had plenty of boots to choose from.
 

"Here, Jenna, look at these."

Jenna couldn't believe she was shoe-shopping with a tattooed badass. The mere thought was hysterical. She took a pair of heavy black leather multi-buckled boots from Luke's hand.

"These aren't my size. I wear a seven." She smiled at his embarrassed expression.
 

"Right. Sorry. This isn't usually my thing. Uh, here are sevens," he grinned with a shrug.

Jenna took the boots and sat down on the floor to pull them over her feet and up to her knees. The style was strong but somehow still feminine, and fit perfectly. She tucked her jeans down in them and stood up. Luke smiled gratuitously.
 

"Hot," he said. "They're yours. Leave them on."
 

She picked up the box and saw the $122 price tag and about choked. "I can't let you buy me these! They're way too expensive. If you really want me to have boots, I'll have Cassie take me out thrifting. We'll find something that doesn't cost so much."

Luke gaped at her, almost offended and a little bit upset. "Jen, I already told you. I'll buy you what I want to. I want you to have these boots. They're exactly what you need: they'll keep your feet protected, and I like how you look in them. I've got enough money, so don't stress about it. Let me do this without you getting upset. I'm doing it anyway," he finished pointedly.

Jenna knew better than to protest further. She didn't want to insult him, but those boots cost more than the rest of her shoe collection combined. Cassie had taught her well how to live cheap, and her new boots might as well have been made of solid gold for the price of them. Still, Luke was being so sweet in spite of his commanding nature. How could she refuse?
 

"Ok," she said with a smile. "Sorry. I'm not used to this."

"Well get used to it," he said directly. "Because we're going down the block to find you a riding jacket, too. I won't have you on my bike anymore unless you're covered as best you can be. I've been scared shitless you'd get hurt."

"Is there any point in me arguing?"

"No," Luke replied, letting a smile sneak through. "Drop your old shoes in the box because you look too hot in those boots to take them off."

Jenna blushed and followed him up to the checkout. He paid cash for the boots and tossed her old shoes in the garbage by the check-out counter. "I don't want to haul them, and if you need new trainers, I'll get those for you, too."

Jenna's jaw dropped but she didn't argue. Those old shoes were kind of gross anyway, and she loved the expression on his face when he realized she wasn't arguing with him. He walked her out of the store and a few blocks down the street to his favorite Harley Davidson shop. The man behind the counter greeted him by name.
 

Jenna breathed in the scent of leather and smiled. Luke fit right in here, but even in a place like this his strength stood out. No one commanded a room like Luke did. Jenna blushed again, just for having her hand in his while they walked to a rack of women's riding jackets. He seemed to know exactly what he was looking for.
 

"Here," he said, picking up a black leather-and-mesh jacket with red trim that matched her helmet exactly. Adjustable buckles adorned the waist and wrists for a tight fit, and leather armor pockets rested at the elbows and shoulders. "This one won't be too hot, but will keep you covered and protected where you need it."

She tried on the jacket. He pulled at the buckles at her hips and adjusted the cuffs until he was satisfied. His lips curved up a bit. "Perfect fit," he whispered softly before he helped her out of the jacket. He picked up protective plates to fit in the elbow and shoulder pockets and lead her to the check-out counter. Jenna didn't bother with the price tag this time. She didn't want to know how much he was spending on her. He set the lot up on the counter and smiled at a guy who had a lot more tattoos than Luke.

"Is this who belongs to that new helmet of yours?" the clerk smiled as he loaded the armor plates into the leather pockets of her new jacket.

"Yep," Luke said almost proudly. "Never been on a bike before two weeks ago."

The man shook his head in disbelief. "Good thing you came along to set her straight. What's your name, honey?"

"Jenna," she smiled shyly.
 

"Well, Jenna, I hope to see you here again. Maybe get you some chaps."

Luke chuckled as he paid for her new riding jacket. "I don't see that happening, but I'll let you know if we need anything else."

Jenna smiled again and pulled the jacket around her shoulders after the clerk removed the security tag. Luke zipped the mesh snugly around her body and pulled her close in the process. He leaned down and whispered his breath across her cheek.

"Even if you didn't need this to be safe, I'd want you to wear it anyway. You look so fucking hot right now…"

He pulled her in and kissed her hard while the clerk took the hint and walked away to randomly shuffle merchandise on a nearby shelf. Luke boldly grabbed her ass-cheek and groped her there in the store. No one seemed to care that he wrapped her blond hair in his grip again, keeping her face solidly pressed against his in a deep and searching kiss.
 

"Too fucking hot," he whispered again after he released her. "Remember how tight you held me last week?"

Jenna nodded, breathless.
 

"Just like that, baby. And I fucking love it when you move your hands on me."

Jenna nodded again and followed him out to the bike. She pulled on her helmet and tried to imagine what she looked like in her new boots, Harley jacket, red helmet, and pushing herself wantonly against Luke while she allowed herself to feel each strong muscle of his abs and chest.
 

Who was this bold, confident girl? Absolutely this was pure Jenna…because Luke offered her the strength she needed to be strong right along with him. Jenna loved who she was when Luke was near. If this kept up, she'd have to admit to herself what was really happening. She had already fallen in love with him, and with who she was around him.
 

Once they were both settled on the bike, Luke kick-started the engine and shot them forward down the street. Evening began to fall as they left Atlanta and drove out along a county highway toward the middle of nowhere. Just like he said, they rode for nearly an hour. Jenna rested solidly against him the entire way, but didn't have the muscle strength to squeeze him tightly the entire time. She did, however, keep her hands moving on his body, even moving around to his strong back and down the bulging muscles of his arms. With just a finger tip she traced the lines of his tattoos while he drove.
 

On a straight-away with no traffic, Luke controlled the bike with one hand and squeezed her leg with the other. At one point he pulled her hand around him and pressed her palm right over his heart. They couldn't speak over the noise of the engine or the freight-train sound of the warm wind, but the physical heat between them swirled with a depth of need Jenna understood without words anyway. Every touch of his hand and subtle twitch of his muscles spoke for him.
 

After several turns down back roads, Luke eased the bike onto a dirt path. Probably another mile or so later she found herself looking at a campsite of sorts. They were beside a lake, a vintage aluminum picnic table, and a fire ring. Early twilight had settled around them and the sounds of frogs and crickets sang to them from the water's edge. Fireflies supplied the light show for the outdoor concert, and Luke provided everything else. His entire being wrapped her up again as he helped her off the bike. She shook her hair loose from the helmet and he groaned audibly.