Gravity (Artistic Pricks Ink Book 1) (30 page)

“She owns the club?” I ask, putting the pieces together in my head.

“Yes, she had a proposition for me that would let me dance again. She told me how she knew just by looking at me that I was special. ‘A perfect cut stone, a diamond,’ she had said. According to her, no one would ever have to know who I was. I would call all the shots when it came to every aspect of my performance.”

The rain stops outside the car. I listen as Kionna tells me about Kelly training her, teaching her everything she knew so that she could become Sabrina. “I saw you dance,” I blurt once she finishes. “Before I met you, Skinner had called and told me Mitch was in pretty bad shape. I went there to pick him up. Just as I was arguing with him to leave, you walked out onto the stage.”

Her eyes widen, “I didn’t know. Mitch had been coming in a lot and approaching Doug about private sessions with me, when it’s made clear that I never do those. When he showed up to help you fix my car, I freaked. I was sure he would say something, then the notes started.”

“You thought they were from Mitch.” I say, running my fingers along her jaw.

“It was the only conclusion I could come up with. The time frame, it just fit.” She sighs, and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, they are haunted. “I get that he’s in a bad place, I do. I also figured out even if he had been capable of hurting you, or anyone else for that matter, he wasn’t the one doing this to me.”

“Mitch is only out to hurt himself,” I reply sadly before kissing her lips softly. “Thank you for telling me, Dollface.” I say, knowing that telling me that was not easy. “Let’s get dressed, we need to get out of here.”

“Back to the shop?” She asks as she bends down to pick up her shirt.

“No.” I reply, swallowing hard. “I’m taking you to my house.”

Once we are dressed, Luke walks me to Lynsey’s car and opens the door for me. “Follow behind me, stay close.”

Once I slip into the seat and start the car, Luke closes the door before walking back to the Barracuda. When he starts the engine and pulls out, I pull the shifter down into drive and follow. The entire ride, I do as he asked and stay close. The road is bumpy in places where the rain storm washed out spots, making it a rough ride back to the main road. However, the highway is deserted and clear for the most part, giving me time to think.

I let everything sink in that happened since I pulled in in front of his car as I navigate the road. Relief washes over me; it was a no-brainer to make the phone call and end my time at the club. I meant every word, Luke walking away from me was a feeling of pain I cannot even begin to define. Giving that up to show him that I am serious when I say I want a chance to be with him is worth it. When he kissed me, it felt like the world was right again. I could breathe for the first time in hours.

I smile as we turn onto the road into the subdivision, heading away from my street and toward Luke’s. He knows and though there is a lot that I wish I could change, it wouldn’t have gotten us to this point. I hadn’t meant to tell him I was falling in love with him; but now that I have said it, it just felt right.

When Luke pulls in the driveway, the garage door opens for him to pull inside. Turning into the driveway, I shut off the car just as he walks out of the garage and the door closes behind him. Grabbing my phone and bag from the car, I climb out and hit the key fob to lock it up for the rest of the night.

“Come here.” Luke says, taking my hand and leading me up the sidewalk. “I should warn you, I don’t bring people here. It’s nothing like your place, Kionna.” I wait for him to explain further, but he doesn’t.

Opening the door, Luke leads me into the house before locking the door behind us. “This is it, Dollface,” he says, taking my hand as we walk up the stairs to the top floor of the big split foyer home.

The walls are all stark white and bare; no photos, no decorations, it is just a shell. We walk through the living room; which is nothing like the definition. Plain black sofas and chairs are complimented by glass tables and white lamps. Nothing about this place even says it belongs to Luke. “I find it hard to believe you even live here. There’s no color,” I blurt, making him stop and face me.

“You’re right, technically I don’t. There’s no color here, no photos. Right now, this is just a house, but I plan to make a home one day. Like I told you before, I don’t spend a lot of time here since my sister moved away.”

Pulling me down the hallway, Luke takes us into his bedroom. Again, all the furniture is plain black and white. Grabbing the strap of my bag, Luke pulls it from my shoulder and tosses it to a chair.

Turning away from me, Luke begins digging through the dresser drawer. Tossing me one of his white t-shirts, he points at a door. “Go ahead and get changed out of those wet clothes, baby. I’ll be in a minute; I need to check on everything at the shop.”

“Okay,” I reply to his back as he walks from the room.

Swiping the screen on my phone, I see several missed calls from Kelly along with texts from her and another unknown number. Not wanting to deal with any of it just yet, I switch it off and set it on the dresser. Whatever she has to say isn’t going to make a difference; my decision is final. Between the insurance on my home and my rainy day money, I will be fine until I find something else. The only question is what.

Slipping out of my shoes, I pad into the bathroom and turn on the light. Quickly, I strip off my wet clothing and turn on the shower, adjusting the water before I step inside the large all glass stall. The hot water instantly heats my skin, making me realize how cold I really was.

Reaching for soap, I lather it in my hands and instantly the shower smells like Luke. The water runs down my face as I scrub all that remains of Sabrina away for the last time. When the door opens behind me and Luke slips inside and circles his arms around my waist, I lean back against him and truly appreciate the feel of his fingers as they move along my skin.

Luke’s lips move along my neck, trailing sweet kisses upward before he sucks lightly at a patch of skin. His hands glide upward, palming my breasts as his thumbs brush my nipples. I tremble; his touch forcing me to lock my knees so that I don’t crumble to the tile beneath my feet. He turns my body in his arms, my eyes meeting his chest. My fingers run along his abdomen, moving up to toy with the barbells through his nipples.

“I heard your message,” Luke says, his voice rough and gravelly. “I came in here fully intending to shower. To simply spend the rest of the night holding you in my bed, because after hearing that, I know we both need it.” Tipping my face up with two fingers, Luke forces me to meet his eyes. Instantly, I press my thighs together in an attempt to ease the ache that begins building when I stare into the heating hazel spheres. The look in his eyes is pure hunger. “Then I walk in here and see you in my shower and I lose my entire train of thought. I don’t think I have ever seen anything sexier in my fucking life.”

His large hands slide down, cupping my ass. Luke’s eyes never leave mine as he pulls me hard against him and kneads my sensitive flesh. Reaching up, I take his face in my hands. Nuzzling into my touch his goatee and stubble brushes over my palms, making me ignite like pouring gasoline on to an open flame. “Not here,” Luke says. Turning his face he presses a kiss to the inside of my palm. “As much as I want you, Kionna. I want you in my bed.”

Nudging him until his back presses against the wall, I push up on my toes and run my tongue along his bottom lip. “Then take me to bed, Luke.”

And that is just what he does until we are both breathless and exhausted. I fall asleep in his arms with a ridiculously happy smile on my face.

***

I wake sometime later to the feeling of the sheet being slid down over my hip. Fingers and coarse stubble brushing over my breasts and then moving lower. “I thought seeing you in my shower was beautiful, sexy as hell.” Luke murmurs over my skin as he brushes my hip. “That doesn’t even compare to opening my eyes and finding you all rumpled in my bed.”

“Luke.” I moan, turning my body to give him better access.

A shrill ring comes from the behind us, making him curse loudly. “Could be the shop,” he grumbles. “Though what they need this early is fuckin’ beyond me.” Leaning up, he presses his lips to mine quickly. “Hold our place, I’m not done here yet.”

Rolling away quickly, Luke sits up and grabs his phone. “You’ve got Luke, what’s up?” He asks into the phone. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he blurts in shock. I sit up in the bed, covering myself with the sheet. “Alright, we’ll be there as fast as we can.”

“What’s wrong?” I ask once he places his phone on the table again. Luke stands to his feet and walks into the closet. I hear him shuffling through clothes and then he’s back tossing me a shirt and pair of sweat pants.

“You’ll swim in those, but we have to get back to Pricks,” he says yanking on a pair of jeans. Slipping a shirt over his head, he leans down and meet my eyes carefully. “There’s been an accident. I’ll drive the Charger back to the shop, I’ll worry about getting the ‘Cuda later.”

“I better call Lynsey, I forgot about having her car. She’ll need it to pick up her son.” Leaping from the bed, I yank on the clothes he gave me and throw on my shoes.

“Not how this is going to go, Dollface,” Luke replies tying his sneakers. “This needs to be my way, you’ll have to trust me on this. Right now, we need to get to the shop. Everything else will have to wait.”

“What’s going on, Luke?” I ask, swallowing hard. My mind going through all sorts of scenarios and none of them good.

“Shelby didn’t give me much, but what she did say isn’t good. I’ll just say the sooner we get there, the better.” He replies, tossing my phone in my bag as he yanks the strap over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

The entire ride to the shop, Luke is quiet. The look on his face has me wanting more than anything to be able to read him as well as he can read me. Whatever is weighing on his mind is not good. My mind is reeling with the possibilities of what could have happened at the shop, but he gives nothing away.

The moment we pull in beside the police cruiser, I bolt from the car for the back door with Luke hot on my heels. “Ki, wait.” He calls as I run up the hallway.

Shelby, Mitch, and Skinner stand at the front counter talking to Officers Alvarez and Stewart. “There they are,” Shelby says walking up to me.

“Oh my God,” I say, blowing out a breath as I run up to Shelby. “I was so worried. What’s going on?” I ask looking at everyone, waiting for an answer.

“Miss Slade we need to ask you some questions about last night,” Officer Stewart says, taking a step toward me. “According to the surveillance camera footage from the parking garage, next to your place of employment we saw you leaving in a car registered to a Lynsey Carter.” He says, looking at his notepad.

“Yes, I needed to leave suddenly. Lynsey let me borrow her car last night,” I reply, looking around. “Would someone please tell me what is going on?”

“Miss Slade, Ms. Carter and a man named Doug Ryan were murdered in the same garage at around two in the morning,” Officer Stewart says, knocking the wind out from under me.

Shelby gasps and a rough rumble comes from deep in Luke’s chest, but anything being said is garbled noise. My heart beats rapidly and I fear it will burst from my chest. I attempt to force my eyes to focus on something, but the room is spinning as I swallow the information I have just been told. My knees wobble and buckle, instead of hitting the floor I am scooped up into warm arms that should provide me comfort, but they don’t. Two people are dead and I know that somehow it all comes back to me.