A Tender Touch: A Donnelley Brother's Novel (Logan Point Book 4) (14 page)

“Oh, I’ve missed this.” Reese announced as a bout of laughter died.

Logan looked down at her with a small frown playing at the edges of his mouth. “Missed what?”

“Relaxing.” She sighed. “I love Kaiden. He’s the best thing in my world, but it’s nice to let go for a night.”

Logan pulled his wife into his lap. “I love you, city girl.”

“I love you, country man.”

Watching Reese and Logan together was a wonderful thing. The only relationships I’d actually witnessed had been my mother’s relationship with my father - which had been anything but healthy and filled to the brim with resentment - and Kami’s relationship with Rhett. Kami’s relationship prior to Kyle was anything but a positive example. As a matter of fact, that relationship had been a hallmark for everything that was abuse.

Watching the three couples surrounding me in the hot tub now gave me hope that not every relationship was filled with resentment, callousness, and abuse. It gave me a believe that maybe I could do this with Luke - be with him - give us a chance.

“What are you thinking, pretty girl?” Luke whispered in my ear as conversation took off around us.

I glanced at him. “If I told you I’d really have to kill you.”

He grinned, inching closer to me until we were pressed thigh to thigh. “Now I’m intrigued.”

I raised a brow, “Are you?”

He nodded, lowering his face closer to mine. “Definitely.

I smiled mischievously. And then I felt his hand move to my knee, his fingers rubbing gently over my flesh. My breath caught and I whispered. “What are you doing?”

“Debating on tickling answers out of you.” He replied truthfully and I felt my lips part.

“You wouldn’t!”

“Test me, pretty girl.” His eyes were daring - and so was his tone. To my surprise, I found that I did, in fact, want to test him. I ached to test him. And he knew it, because his hand moved up my thigh, his fingertips tickling my flesh as they went - inducing shivers. When his fingers were so close to touching my bikini bathing suit, he stopped, flattening his hand against my upper thigh, his fingers dipping into the crease between my legs. With his hand pressed flat against my thigh he said gruffly. “You’re not stopping me.”

I held his eyes - and then I shook my head slowly, the motion was minuscule. “No.” I licked my lips. “I suppose I’m not.”

His eyes didn’t break from mine after I’d spoken - and he didn’t move his hand any higher. There was a part of me that was so disappointed, because I was literally throbbing for his touch. But then there was a part of me that was happy - because I’d never been touched by a man - there. When that finally happened, I didn’t really want it to be in a hot tub filled with other people. When that happened, I wanted to be alone - with Luke.

In the distance, I heard Collin laugh and then Logan called. “Luke?”

I blinked, the trance his chocolate eyes had held me in dissipated and I looked to Logan. For a moment, I felt Luke’s eyes still on me, studying me, and then he too looked to Logan. “What?”

“It’s pretty late, if you’re done flirting in your little corner, do you think you can show us to where we’ll be sleeping?”

I blinked. “Sleeping?”

No one entertained my question. Instead Luke replied. “There are two spare bedrooms, Logan, you know where they are. Pick one.”

Collin spoke. “I don’t know if you noticed, but there are four couples here.”

My mouth opened to argue that there were only three couples and one - well - one pair that didn’t yet have a classification, but Luke’s voice stopped me short.

“There are two spare bedrooms and a couch. You’re all adults, figure it out yourself.” He sounded tense, and I didn’t know why, but his tension made me
feel
tense. Pulling my bottom lip into my mouth, I worried it with my teeth. Luke had yet to remove his hand from my thigh, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Reese raised a hand. “We’re married - we call dibs on a bedroom!”

Kami shook her head. “We’ve been married the longest!”

“Um, we have a baby.” Reese continued. “Baby trumps longer marriage.”

Kami shrugged. “True.” She pointed to Collin and Hadley. “But they don’t have a baby and they aren’t married.”

Hadley pointed at Luke and I. “They aren’t even engaged.”

Luke grunted. “Too bad you’re in my house. None of you are sleeping in my bed.”

Collin shook his head, glaring at his brothers. “Alright, Hadley, looks like we’re going to take Luke’s couch for a test ride.”

Hadley’s cheeks turned pink as Luke growled. “If you think you’re doing anything but sleeping on my couch, you’ll be buying me a whole new living room set, Collin.”

I could not believe we had begun discussing who was sleeping where and what was permitted.

Hadley shook her head. “I promise you, Luke, we won’t do anything more than sleep.” Her expression turned mischievous. “But at least have some fun yourselves.” She winked at me and I felt my face turn bright as a ripe cherry.

“Hadley!” I hissed and the girls laughed.

Luke shifted in the tub to look at me. “You ready for bed?”

“Um...” I looked down into the water and I felt his hand squeeze my thigh gently. “I’m not sure.”

“We can stay out here for as long as you want.” He whispered low against my ear. “I didn’t expect them to drink wine - or to stay the night.”

I nodded. “It’s okay.”

Reese stood. “Well, if I stay in here any longer I’m going to melt.”

Logan stood with her, placing his hands on her waist as she started stepping from the tub. “Slow down, Reese.”

“Stop hovering, Logan.” She giggled. “I’m not pregnant anymore.”

“Doesn’t mean I want to watch you fall and break something.” He muttered behind her as she stumbled.

“Whoa,” she gasped. “Do I have to go upstairs to find this spare bedroom?”

“Yes.” Luke replied.

“I don’t know if I can make it.” She moaned. “I’m way more drunk than I thought I was.”

I laughed and Collin spoke. “I can make it upstairs, Reese. You can take the couch.”

Logan glowered over his shoulder. “Nice try, Collin, but it’s not happening.”

Kyle stood with Kami’s hand in his. “We should get to bed before Collin steals the other spare bedroom.”

Hadley shook here head. “I wouldn’t let him.” She winked at Collin. “I’m making an honest man of him!”

Collin rolled his eyes. “No other woman could.”

From what I’d heard of Collin, that was the honest to God truth.

Luke glanced at me once again. “You ready?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

He looked to Collin and Hadley. “When you’re finished in here put the top back on.”

“Sounds good.” Collin nodded.

“Sleep tight.” Hadley called as I stood.

Luke jumped out of the tub before me, gripping my waist tight as I stepped up onto the seat to climb out of the tub. When I wobbled, Luke’s grip tightened.

“Reese wasn’t kidding!” I exclaimed. “We drank way more than I thought we did.”

“No, it’s just the heat of the tub making you feel so intoxicated.” Luke explained.

I looked up at him. “You don’t feel it?”

“Not like you’re feeling it, pretty girl.” His hands remained on my waist until he was confident that I was stable. Only then did he release me to bend down and grab two towels from the chair.

Guiding me into the house, he paused to grab my dress from the spare bathroom vanity where I’d left it when I’d changed into my swimsuit. Then, he took my hand and guided me through the house, up the stairs and past three doors. Two of the three were closed, and the other was a bathroom. Then he came to a door at the end of the hall. My heart beat hard and quick in my chest as I waited for him to open it. When he did, I sighed in relief as the last of my fear exploded inside of me.

Moving into the bedroom, I took in the sight of his space. The walls were painted a warm beige and the duvet covering bronze sheets was a deep chocolate brown. The curtains were a dark brown and I knew without a doubt that they would block out all daylight. The room was spacious and masculine and perfect.

“I like the color.” I said, not quite knowing what else to say.

“You like brown?” He smirked.

“I do.” I nodded. “It’s warm.”

He was still smiling, regarding me warmly when he asked. “Would you like to rinse off in the shower before bed?”

“I would.” I nodded, pointing to the open dark doorway. “Is that the bathroom?”

He nodded. “Come on, pretty girl.”

I followed Luke into the bathroom and was amazed at the spacious, vast space of his bathroom. I focused on the shower and sighed at the grandness of it. There was a large glass door encasing the dark tile with golden veins shimmering in the low light of the bathroom. The entire far wall of the shower had a long stone bench stretched across it and I knew that if I could, I would live in that shower.

“Clean towel.” Luke set a towel on the vanity before setting a toothbrush beside it. “New toothbrush.” He turned to look at me. “Do you need anything else?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

“Alright,” his eyes looked me up and down. “I’m going to have a shower in the other bathroom, so if you beat me, just climb in bed.”

“Kay.” I swallowed nervously.

My heart was beating so loud it was practically all I could hear as I watched Luke walk from the bathroom. When the door was closed behind him, I turned to the shower and dropped my towel. Then, I stripped from my swimsuit and climbed beneath the warm spray of water.

I washed myself with the girly products Luke had in his shower, which I would have asked him about if they had been opened prior to my opening them. When I realized he’d put them in his shower specifically for me, I couldn’t help but feel warmed at the gesture. It truly was a kind gesture that touched a place in my heart that made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Actually, Luke just made me feel all warm and fuzzy - or maybe it was the wine. Who knew? All I cared about was that I suddenly didn’t care to fight it.

Finishing up in the shower, I turned off the water and stepped out onto the shower mat. After I wrapped myself in the fluffy brown towel, I brushed my teeth with the toothbrush he left for me on the vanity. Only when I was ready to wander out into the bedroom did I notice that I didn’t have anything other than my strapless chiffon maxi dress. In no way, was that dress sleeping material.

After a moment of sheer panic in the middle of the bathroom, I opened the door and walked out into his bedroom. Sitting on the foot of his bed wrapped in the towel, I waited for Luke Donnelley to return from the bathroom.

Chapter 14

By the time I heard Luke moving through the hallway, closer to his bedroom, I’d worked my way into a state of mind I had no business being in. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way we’d woken up together on the couch this morning and how he’d tickled me, nearly kissing me. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way his hand had felt on my thigh in the hot tub - and how desperately I had ached for his wandering hand to continue - wandering.

I swear, I could still feel the imprint of his hand on my flesh.

The door to his bedroom opened and Luke stepped in wearing only a pair of blue plaid pajama pants tied low on his hips. I swallowed, feeling my face heat, but unable to tear my eyes away from his exposed torso.
Holy shit, the man was ripped
.

“Hey.” His voice was husky. “What are you doing?”

I stood from the end of his bed and immediately wished I hadn’t. My knees were trembling so badly, I could have sworn they’d turned to jelly. “Um, I don’t have any clothes.”

“Shit.” He rubbed his brow. “I, uh, I have a t-shirt you can wear, but uh, my boxers would be too big for you.”

I blushed. “The t-shirt will be fine.”

He nodded and disappeared into a closet. When he returned, he was holding a large white t-shirt. Feeling shaky down to my very core, I took the t-shirt from him.

“I’ll go brush my teeth and give you privacy to change.” He thumbed over his shoulder in the direction of the bathroom and I nodded, unable to look at him.

When he disappeared behind the door, I dropped the towel and pulled his shirt over my head faster than anyone in the history of mankind had ever done, I was sure. Picking the towel up off the floor, I squeezed every drop of water I could from my hair before standing awkwardly in the center of his room, waiting for him.

“You good if I come out?” Luke called and I nodded, before realizing he couldn’t see me.

“Yes.”

The door opened and his eyes drank me in. Suddenly, I felt like I really was the pretty girl he insisted on calling me. The heat in his eyes was contagious.

“You want me to take that?” He asked, gesturing to the towel.

“Oh.” I startled. “Yeah, thanks.”

Luke plucked the towel from my hands to hang it in the washroom. When he returned again, he offered me a small smile. “You want to climb in bed?”

I nodded. “Sure.”

He pointed to the side of the bed furthest from the door and said, “That’s your side.”

I didn’t argue with him as I scurried to the bed. Pulling back the sheets, I slid between the cool soft materials, and held my breath in anticipation for Luke to join me. He moved to the side of the bed, flicked on the lamp, and then moved to the door. When he’d turned off the main light, leaving the room in only the glow of the lamp light, it suddenly felt more romantic and less friendly. Less safe. But I bit back my protest and closed my eyes, trying to quell my nerves.

Luke lowered himself onto the bed. I knew, because the bed dipped on his side. “I know you’re not ready for this, so if you want, I can sleep on the floor.”

My eyes flew open. “No!” I sat up in his bed. “It’s okay, really. I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?” His eyes were searching my face for even an ounce of hesitation - so I didn’t hesitate.

“I’m sure.” I looked to the bed between us. “I would feel less comfortable sleeping in your bed without you beside me.”

His fingers moved to my chin and he lifted it. “Stop looking away from me when we’re discussing something important. I want to see your eyes, Ember. They’re like a crystal ball - they give away all the secrets you try to keep hidden.” My lips parted and he continued. “I need your eyes to know if what you’re saying is what you’re feeling.”