I can see his tattoos more closely now than when I saw them the first time we met. His tattoos run down from his rib cage, over his pec and shoulder, then down his arm giving him a sleeve. The tattoo is almost like a mural. It's beautiful and without any color. The grayscale ink is amazingly done. His body is molded perfectly in all the right places. He stops as we arrive at another opening. He turns to me, and I see the front of his tattoo. Underneath his pec not connected to the sizeable themed tattoo, it says Ma Mere, Mon Amie in cursive writing right over his heart. I run my fingers over it then look up at him.
"What does this say?" I ask.
I patiently wait for him to tell me. He looks deeply into my eyes then bends down a little and gives me a gentle kiss on my lips. I close my eyes, taking in his kiss and ignoring the ferocious bugs trying eagerly to ruin this moment.
"Ma Mere, Mon Amie. It says My Mother, My Friend in French. I got this and the rest of the tattoos while I was in prison," he replies, looking at me then walking away.
Luke and his mother are incredibly close, just like my father and me. He pulls me into his body and grabs my waist then leans down to kiss me again. My mouth opens almost instinctively as I know this is an intimate moment we are sharing. He gently slides his tongue into my mouth and massages my tongue with his. I gently massage his tongue back with mine. We break from a short but meaningful kiss. I really like kissing him.
"Damn, you're short!" Luke laughs as he pats me on the head.
"You're an ass," I grumble.
I go to smack him, but he takes off running. I chase after him but am unable to catch him. While he runs away from me, he starts to unbuckle his belt, then unbutton and unzips his pants. I stop dead and watch him strip before me. Luke lets his pants drop around his ankles then steps out of them. He stands before me wearing only his sexy as fuck, light blue and white striped boxer briefs, which don't hide his large bulge but hug it nicely.
"Too tired to come and get me, shorty pants!" Luke laughs while he crouches down to my height.
I take off like a bat out of hell after him, and he takes off running. I almost reach him before he jumps. I freeze in place as I watch him drop down a cliff and right into the water. A few seconds later, he pops back up. I almost shit myself.
"Jump! The water is perfect," he shouts.
I inch closer to the edge and look down. I've cliff jumped before when I was a kid, but it seems high. I don't know if I can get myself to do it. I'm scared to jump.
"Come on, Turtle, jump!" he yells in a girly voice as he laughs.
"Come jump with me," I yell down to him.
I think I can do it with him by my side. Maybe. Luke dips under the water and swims to the side. He begins the climb up the cliff. I take a few steps back and take a deep breath. I take my shirt off, my tank top, and my pants. When Luke reaches the top, I am standing there in my bra and panties. He stands up and stares at me. Shy. I cover myself with my arms and look at the ground while digging one of my toes into the ground.
"Ali, you have a beautiful body," Luke says.
He walks over to me and removes my arms from covering my chest. He grabs hold of my hand.
"Are you ready?" he asks.
I am scared out of my mind but as ready as I will ever be, I think. I nod, yes, and we take off running. We jump, and I close my eyes. I feel lifeless for a while before hitting the water. He doesn't let go of my hand until we are under the water. Luke was right. It feels amazing against my hot, sweaty skin. I pop my head up from under the water and wipe under my eyes. Luke splashes me immediately, and I splash him back. We swim around a while before we climb back up and jump a couple more times. Each time we jump is more fun than the last—a perfect way to spend the rest of the afternoon under the blaze of the hot sun.
Chapter Twenty-Two
We drive up my dad's driveway, and I can see the sun still shining but getting ready to set behind his little farmhouse.
"Do you want to stay for dinner, then maybe watch a movie?" I ask.
"What you gonna cook for me?" Luke replies.
"Spaghetti and meatballs!"
"I can't say no to that," he smiles and puts his truck into the park.
We make our way into the house. He excuses himself to the bathroom, and I head into the kitchen. I wash my hands then grab a pound of ground beef from the freezer. I plop it in the microwave to defrost. I grab a pot and pan from the cabinet and place them on the stove. I reach into the spice cabinet for a few seasonings, then walk to the pantry and look for some spaghetti noodles.
While in the pantry, I can overhear Luke talking to someone while he's in the restroom. I tiptoe closer to the bathroom and bring my ear to the door. I wonder who he is talking to. I know it's impolite to eavesdrop, and I would like it if it were done to me, but my curiosity has gotten the better of me. I can hear Luke's muffled voice while he converses with whomever he's speaking to. I don't remember hearing his phone ring. He probably made the
