27. Luke

Chapter 27

Luke

C ome morning, I’m on top of the world, practically euphoric. Funny how a night of earth-shattering sex can be enough to fix everything. At least, it fixed me.

After last night’s revelation and those bouts with Keke—the way we had connected was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life—now, nothing could stand in my way. She had opened up to me, and we found solace in one another. The memory makes my heart swell, and I feel ready to embrace whatever comes next.

I turn over in bed, propping myself up on one elbow to admire her as she lays there, her hair a tangled mess of red across the pillow. I hope our kid gets her tiny button nose. I’ve broken mine twice, and now it’s a tad crooked. Not that I mind. An agent once told me it gave my face character, but if I wanted to book acting gigs, he knew a plastic surgeon.

Hollywood.

I chuckle at the memory and go back to studying Keke’s pretty face. Her skin is silken and smooth, her lips slightly parted, still swollen and pink from last night. A faint smile lingers there, almost like she has a secret. I notice a tiny scar on her chin. I wonder what that’s from and plan to ask her one day. I want to know everything about her.

“Hey,” I whisper, leaning in close.

She stirs slightly, her eyes fluttering open. “Hmm?”

“I love you,” I say, the words coming out with all the sincerity I have.

“You’re high on pregnancy hormones,” she teases.

That’s not what I’d hoped to hear back, but I laugh it off, trying to shake the disappointment settling in my chest.

Her gaze shifts away from me, the weight of unspoken words lingering between us. Why won’t she say it back?

I have to remember who I’m dealing with. This is Keke. She plans out every detail of her life. I can’t just spring something this big on her and expect her to jump in with both feet. We have our differences, and that’s a big one.

I brush it aside for the moment, focusing on the easygoing morning instead. I caress the side of her cheek as I gaze into her eyes. “We’ll figure this out, right?”

“Of course,” she says softly, but I can hear the underlying uncertainty in her voice. Just then, her smile lights up the room. “Come here.” She opens her arms for me, and I scoot over to take her into mine.

Even if she doesn’t say it, she shows me how she feels about me with everything she does. When I kiss her deeply, she groans against my lips. That sound, God I could listen to it for the rest of my life and never get tired of it. The way she touches me, soft but firm, it intoxicates me. When she wraps her legs around me, that’s it. I have to have her.

I hold her leg to me and roll back so she’ll be on top this time to start. My hand hooks around her neck, pulling her down for a kiss as she spreads her legs even wider. When my cock brushes up against her, she moans in my mouth. A shudder of need makes me reach between her legs.

Whatever dreams she was having must have been good, because she is slick and hot, definitely ready for me.

Keke strokes me then takes me inside of her. She takes her time, making me beg for every inch until I’m fully seated. I press up with my hips as I push down on her ass to get as deep as I can. Her pussy squeezes around me. She throws her head back and gasps as she comes on me. Even if she won’t say the words out loud, her body tells me everything I want to know.

I grab her ass with both hands and thrust hard to come with her, riding out the waves of pleasure together.

It’s perfect. She’s perfect.

The minutes since I’ve said, “I love you,” stretch on. I make coffee and breakfast, and still, nothing. We clean up and put the dishes away. Not a peep.

We shower together, neither of us saying much. We just hold each other under the water, no words needing to be spoken. No matter how much I would have liked to have heard it back from her, again, her body language tells me everything I need to know.

I remind myself that I’m not working with my timeline, I’m working with hers, and Keke is not the emotional type. It might take her some time to say how she feels about me. I have to be patient with her, no matter what.

After a sweet goodbye kiss that sets my heart on fire, I force myself to leave. I want to relive that kiss and carry her off to bed again, showing her exactly how I feel over and over again.

Instead, I head to work early, the city waking up around me. I have to show Keke that I can be a responsible adult, someone to be counted on. Going to work early is as much about proving myself to her as it is about proving myself to the team after everything that happened.

When I arrive at the offices below the arena, I’m met with a completely different atmosphere. The excitement from the auction has fizzled, leaving a quiet uncertainty in its wake. Whitney spots me first, her expression tight as she gestures for me to follow her into her office.

“Close the door.”

I do as I’m told, my stomach knotting with apprehension. “What’s going on?”

“How did it go with Keke last night?” she asks, leaning back in her chair. I can’t get a read on her. Although not one to normally hide her feelings, she’s doing a damn good job of it right now.

I give her the short answer, hoping to get out of here as soon as possible. “Good.”

“Just good?”

I shrug. “She’s upset and confused, hasn’t said much about how she wants to go about things, but the night ended well. I think she’ll come around.” I hope so, anyway . “I’m here for her, no matter what choice she makes.”

Whitney’s expression shifts, her brows furrowing. “That’s good to hear as far as you two are concerned. But… we need to talk about the aftermath of the event.”

“What do you mean? We met our goals. You said so.”

“Yes, but the pregnancy announcement threw everyone for a loop,” she says, her voice laced with frustration. “Now, it seems everybody assumes you’ve gone back to your playboy ways, and that you’ve gotten a good girl in trouble.”

My stomach drops. “That’s not how it is and you know it,” I protest, shaking my head. “Whitney, I love her.” The words come out raw and unfiltered, but I mean every syllable.

Whitney leans forward, her eyes narrowing. “Love is not the point here, Luke. The bad press is killing us. The longer things are left out in the atmosphere without explanation, the more rumors will spread far and wide. You need to do something about this, or being traded is no longer your biggest concern. Being fired is. They’ll close out your contract, pay it off, and be done with you.”

“That’s not fair!” I explode, anger flaring up within. “I’ve done nothing wrong! This is ridiculous.”

Whitney sighs, running a hand through her hair in frustration. “It’s out of my hands at this point. You know how the media works. If they get a whiff of something scandalous, they’ll run with it. You need to prove yourself, and you need to do it soon.”

“Okay, fine,” I mutter, trying to rein in my frustration. “What do I need to do to keep my job? You’re the fixer. Tell me how to fix this.”

She pauses for a moment, considering. “If this were anyone else, I would tell them to get married, but Keke will never go for that.”

A new determination hardens in my chest. “I’ll change her mind.”

“You know her, Luke. She’s not the kind of girl who’s going to go for something like this. She needs time?—”

“Well, we don’t have time. I’ll handle this, Whitney.” As I leave her office, I feel a renewed sense of purpose. The baby needs me, Keke needs me, and the team? Well, they can get bent. But I have to start thinking like Keke. She plans everything, so I know better than to turn my back on them. She will not think that’s good planning. Rash choices made during stressful times are rarely good choices.

I need to make good choices right now. I need to show Keke that I am serious, that I want a future with her. She’ll never marry someone who just up and quits their job. It’s too spontaneous. I love her, but spontaneity is not in her vocabulary. If I can only?—

Suddenly, someone tackles me from behind, my body slamming into the wall with a loud thud.

“What the hell?” I gasp, spinning around to find Michael, Keke’s brother, fury etched deep across his face. “Dude, what’s your problem?”

“How could you do that to my sister?” he shouts, fists clenched and ready for a fight.

Oh, shit. I take a deep breath, trying to diffuse the situation. “I love her, man. I would never hurt her. You have to believe me.”

His expression falters slightly at my words, but the anger is still palpable. “You think that makes it okay? You got her pregnant!”

“And I’ll take full responsibility for that if she’ll let me. If I get the chance, I’m going to marry that girl. And you’re going to help me.”

Michael’s eyes narrow. “You think it’s that easy?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, frustration mingling with newfound determination. “But I’m willing to fight for her. I’ll prove to both of you that I’m serious about this. I won’t let her down. And you’re about to be an uncle. Do you want to fight me, or do you want to celebrate that?”

He takes a step back, the fire in his eyes dimming. “You better mean it, Luke. If you hurt her, they won’t find enough of you to identify with dental records.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” I reply. “But I’m not going to hurt her. I’ll do whatever it takes to make her the happiest woman in the world.”

His expression calms, but his voice is still tense and authoritative. “Alright. How can I help?”